Introduction

From the Deepcool website:

Deepcool was founded with the mission of providing the best performance and humanized thermal solutions for worldwide customers. Established in 1996, Deepcool originally produced desktop and server coolers for ODM partners. With the rapid development of personal computers, Deepcool expanded the business into desktop cooling products and laptop cooling accessories.

Deepcool has built up its distribution network in over sixty countries all over the globe, by which end-users can purchase Deepcool products online or in their nearest local stores. With more and more media exposure and publication, such as awards from renowned websites and magazines like Pure Overclock, Tom's Hardware, Guru3d, CHIP, etc., Deepcool now enjoys a good reputation among daily computer users, gamers, and overclockers.

We will always spare no effort to maintain customer satisfaction by serving our customer's ever-changing thermal needs and providing the quickest and most comprehensive service available. As our slogan goes, we wish you all "Enjoy your cool life!"

With the release of many exceptional cases, coolers, fans, and more, Deepcool has been gaining popularity of late. However, they are not new to the PC market and have, in fact, been around since 1996, offering a wide range of products since they opened their doors, including fans, coolers, cases, and accessories. With a drive to satisfy their customers by providing an excellent experience, it is no wonder the company always seems to have a new product on the market.

Deepcool really does offer some great products, like the Gamer Storm line of CPU coolers, which includes the Assassin and Lucifer, and the Maelstrom series of all-in-one liquid coolers. They have expanded into power supplies with the Quanta series, while also introducing cases like the Steam-punk-inspired Steam Castle. With such a strong and growing stable of exceptional products, it is no wonder Deepcool's popularity is growing.

In today's review, I will look at the Maelstrom 120, the smaller sibling to the Maelstrom 240 I reviewed some time ago. Using a single 120 mm fan and a smaller 154 mm x 120 mm x 27 mm radiator, the Maelstrom 120 follows in the footsteps of many other all-in-one liquid coolers, the key differences its features and color theme. As there is an expected performance level for an AIO Coller of this size, I anticipate a solid showing from Deepcool's latest offering, but let us get down to testing the unit before jumping to conclusions.

Packaging and Contents

The box Deepcool shipped their Gamer Storm Maelstrom 120 AIO liquid cooler in is of a good size - certainly not large, it is by no means small. It measures in at roughly 26.5 cm in length, 21 cm in width, and 14 cm in height. The box's size should offer decent protection. At least I hope it does given it has seen better days, having taken a real beating during shipping. The front of the box is covered in a close-up of the pump, a half-rendered, half mechanical drawing with a small image of the cooler in the bottom-right corner. The left side just shows the Gamer Storm logo, cooler name, and the website. On the back, Deepcool listed several technical details and measurements, including the radiator's and pump's exact dimension. AMD and Intel sockets which are supported are also listed here.


The right side again holds the Gamer Storm logo, with an image of the cooler and a list of some of its features, in hard-to-read gray font. The top of the box lists fan, radiator, and pump specifications, along with a laundry list of features.

Contents

Opening the box, I am relieved to see the Maelstrom 120 unharmed. While box took a beating, it did its job by protecting the product, which proves that a few extra cents spent on protecting a product are always worth it to the consumer. Granted, a simple box with a cardboard insert may not be pretty, but it does have a proven track record in terms of protecting the product inside.


Deepcool made sure to support all modern AMD and Intel sockets with the Gamer Storm Maelstrom 120. The Universal backplate and simple, easy-to-use mounting hardware should make installation a breeze. Like other AIO CPU coolers with 120 mm radiators, the Maelstrom 120 can support two fans; however, the screws to do so are not included. Everything else one could need for installation is provided. Thermal compound, though pre-applied, has been included as well.

Common parts supplied for mounting include:

• 4x Radiator screws
• 4x fan screws
• 4x Screw bolts
• 4x Screws for LGA2011
• 4x Black plastic buckles
• 4x Mounting bracket screws
• 4x Thumb screws
• 2x AMD mounting brackets
• 2x Intel mounting brackets
• 1x 120 mm GF120 fan
• 1x Backplate
• 1x CLC unit
• 1x User's manual
• 1x Metal logo sticker