Deepcool Castle 280EX in the test – colorfully illuminated castle

After I have already tested the Assassin III from Deepcool, the first 280 mm cooling so far follows in my reviews. You can find out in the following test whether the AiO can assert itself against the quiet contract killer or just end up as a floating body of water.
It’s not Deepcool’s debut, so you can set a little higher standards.

Packaging / scope of delivery

The design fits in perfectly with the well-known Deepcool cooler and is gray-green. The product image and logos of the compatible RGB software are the only splashes of color, the rear side lists the most important features and specifications in multiple languages. An explanation of the in-house “anti-leak” technology is printed on the side.

For transport protection, the better, but less environmentally friendly foam block with cutouts is used. The water cooling itself is also wrapped in plastic bags, each fan and the accessories come in their own small cardboard box.

The accessory box then comes up with the mounting material, SATA-RGB control and 4-pin PWM splitter. In addition to an RGB adapter for the various connections on the manufacturer’s mainboards, the manual, stick-on Deepcool logo made of metal and an alternative decorative plate for the pump block are also included. Even if thermal paste is already applied ex works, I would have liked to see an extra tube in this price range.

Finally relieved, the proud castle is relatively inconspicuous, apart from the large GamerStorm TF140S 140mm fans. Both are rubberized on both sides at the corners and can be controlled via a 4-pin PWM connection. The cylindrical pump block with its silver color forms a small contrast to the otherwise completely black AiO water cooling.

The radiator is in very good condition, only one side has a few dents here and there in the fins, which must have happened during packing.

Assembly / installation

A separate backplate is also used to attach it to the AM4 socket, so the pre-installed one has to give way first. Four screws are fixed in the backplate with plastic clips and then pushed through the mainboard from behind. With four additional screws, two brackets are attached directly to the pump head and four locking nuts build up the necessary contact pressure. The whole thing is easier, but is okay and works without major obstacles. I have attached the assembly instructions to you:

CASTLE_280EX

Specifications

Below is a summary of the technical data, a complete overview is available on the manufacturer’s website.