The Deepcool Gamer Storm Lucifer is an exceptional air cooler that really delivers some nice bang for the buck. It manages to perform within a few degrees of the heavyweight dual-tower designs while remaining relatively quiet with the fan at full tilt. While the 45 dBA at full tilt is not as impressive as the Dark Rock Pro 3, 40 dBA is quieter than the Phanteks PH-TC14PE at 46 dBA. This can be attributed to the fans TPE coating and hydro bearings, which, with wider-spaced fins, help keep noise levels in check. With an expected price of $49.99, it manages to make some of the other high-end air coolers look just plain silly in terms of performance. Add to that its solid build quality and good packaging and Deepcool's dedication to quality becomes crystal clear. The cooler can even be used as a passive heatsink should a case have enough airflow. What is more interesting to me, however, is the ability to attach a second fan, which would easily allow the Gamer Storm Lucifer to go toe-to-toe with the likes of be quiet!'s Dark Rock Pro 3 or the Phanteks PH-TC14PE while being more affordable.

Still, some issues are readily apparent. There is the lack of general availability in the USA, which Deepcool will hopefully address as time goes on; availability is not a problem in Europe. The Deepcool Gamer Storm Lucifer also hangs over two of the motherboard's DIMM slots when the fan is installed, although that is to be expected considering its size. That said, use it passively without a fan or with the fan at the rear and memory clearance is good; however, install it in the traditional way and you will have to stick to standard-height memory. Given the cooler's design, the inclusion of a long screwdriver, much like those included with Noctua coolers, would be a nice addition. The cooler's ability to be used as a passive heatsink also feels more like a novelty. A case would need exceptional airflow for it to be viable on, say, my test system's Intel i7 4770K. Such airflow would likely produce more noise than simply using the fan Deepcool provides. As such, passive mode should be for low-wattage CPUs, like an Intel's i3.

My other thoughts come down to its colors, and while they make the Gamer Storm Lucifer unique, they will not appeal to everyone. I also feel Deepcool should forget about the cooler's ability to cool passively as the option for passive cooling doesn't make sense considering how quiet the cooler is under typical load. The fan moves a great deal of air and is exceptionally quiet in most instances, which makes passive cooling feel gimmicky and less useful.

In conclusion, the Deepcool Gamer Storm Lucifer is an exceptional air cooler for the price because it offers low noise levels and manages to give the pricier competition a run for their money.