Price: $30



Deep Cool Gammaxx S40 Introduction:

Deep Cool was started in 1996 and provided desktop and server coolers for ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) partners. The company has a nice line of CPU, notebook, hard drive, and server coolers; as well as individual fans and even a new line of computer cases. With its focus on customer service and satisfaction, Deep Cool is a leader in the cooling market.

Air coolers come in many shapes and sizes. One problem with large air coolers is their size and weight. Add a fan or two and you now have a good portion of your motherboard covered, including the RAM slots. And hanging on your motherboard is all the weight of the cooler and fans. If you forget to plug in the CPU power or the fan, or forget to install your RAM, well, you may have to remove the cooler to gain access to these components. So you can see what a smaller, compact cooler can bring to the table. The Deep Cool Gammaxx S40 is a small cooler with four Φ6mm heat pipes and a single 120mm PWM fan. The size is nice, but let's see how well it can keep your CPU cool.

Deep Cool Gammaxx S40 Closer Look:

The box has a glossy finish and carries a light blue and white color scheme. The front shows the front of the cooler with a quick overview of the socket coverage and features. The back of the box shows the back of the cooler and a close up of the contact surface of the heat pipes. The right side of the box shows the specifications in thirteen languages. The left side of the box shows the socket coverage in more detail and diagrams of the overall dimensions.

Opening the box, you are greeted by the top of the cooler, which is protected with a clear plastic nest, and the hardware box fit nicely next to it. The fan is captured against the hardware box to protect it. Everything slides out of the box with little effort and I noticed that the bottom of the cooler also has a clear plastic nest and that the thermal paste is already applied. As such, I decided to leave the bottom nest on for the rest of the pictures. The packaging seems adequate and nothing is damaged, so let's look at the hardware.

The box contents include hardware to mount the S40 on to all the current sockets from Intel and AMD, including Socket 2011. Is that all there is in the box? Yes. As I mentioned earlier, the thermal paste comes pre-applied, but where is the mounting base for the rear of the motherboard? Well, there isn't one. The Gammaxx S40 uses the standard factory mounting provisions for Intel and AMD sockets. This means that for Intel, the S40 uses stock-style push pins that lock into the existing holes in the motherboard, while for AMD you use the factory-style tab and latch (included) on the existing socket base. The Intel Socket 2011 also uses the stock tapped holes in the factory base. The S40 is light enough to get by without needing a heavy supplemental base that installs behind the motherboard. This is good news if your case doesn't have a cutout for access to the rear of the motherboard and should make for a faster installation.

The instruction set is printed on both sides and includes easy-to-follow graphics for Intel and AMD installations. There is also a warranty card and quality control inspection certificate.