TheDeeGee:

The middle 140mm fan is proprietary, and nothing else will fit to replace that without modding the replacement fan. It's a 140mm fan frame with 120mm hole spacing and all corners removed. Only the front 120mm fan can be replaced with a standard form factor.

Quite a few rounded 140mm fans will fit. Given this being the original https://www.techpowerup.com/img/3aitX4XbWbRgo0cq.jpg Thermalright TL-D14 140mm should work

Carfax:

My take so far is that it ties or edges the NH-D15 while having far superior aesthetics and RAM compatibility. There are conditions associated with that however, in that the Assassin IV needs either a well ventilated case due to having its default fans in a pull-pull setup, or a third fan to push more air into the heatsink, but that further limits RAM compatibility. Designing effective heatsinks that have a high degree of compatibility without sacrificing performance is more complicated than what most people would think. I can see why Deepcool made the changes they did to the Assassin IV, and it's a good compromise for perfect RAM compatibility. Here it is edging the Noctua NH-D15 and Tomshardware didn't use an open test bench, they tested using a Be Quiet! Silent Base 802 which has two intake fans and one exhaust fan. Under these conditions the Assassin IV performs well. Hardware Canucks likely used an open test bench but the reviewer didn't state his testing methodology so I can't say for sure. https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NJjBCEG7VUTgXoyarAPdp6-970-80.png Some not so bright people though are going to install this thing in a tiny case with one exhaust fan and wonder why it doesn't perform well.

that's a single fan d15s

TheDeeGee:

The middle 140mm fan is proprietary, and nothing else will fit to replace that without modding the replacement fan. It's a 140mm fan frame with 120mm hole spacing and all corners removed. Only the front 120mm fan can be replaced with a standard form factor.

it's a deepcool fan.

Astyanax:

Quite a few rounded 140mm fans will fit. Given this being the original https://www.techpowerup.com/img/3aitX4XbWbRgo0cq.jpg Thermalright TL-D14 140mm should work

or their own gf140 https://www.techpowerup.com/img/15-02-09/21d.jpg

I wonder how it would perform with the Noctua A12x25 and the new 140mm fan. The noise profile would certainly be more pleasant.

cucaulay malkin:

or their own gf140

true, thanks for finding that i couldn't get their site to load lol.

cucaulay malkin:

that's a single fan d15s

So both the D15S and the Assassin IV rely on well ventilated cases to perform well due to unusual fan configuration.. I still give the edge to the Assassin IV due to it having 7 heatpipes rather than 6 like the Noctua however. I'll update this thread with my experience next week when I install the Assassin IV in my system!

Carfax:

I still give the edge to the Assassin IV due to it having 7 heatpipes rather than 6 like the Noctua however.

The next generation D15 will have 8 heatpipes. Ofcourse you're still battling tall ram modules, but there are plenty low (normal) profile kits out there. It's only a problem if you're more into bling bling over function.

Love the Borg cube look. Hope it has no RGB tax... Would be overkill for an X3D CPU.

Valken:

Love the Borg cube look. Hope it has no RGB tax... Would be overkill for an X3D CPU.

Can't go overkill if you aim for a near silent PC. I have a D15 on my 65w 11700, due to that i only really have to run the fans 500 RPM.

TheDeeGee:

The next generation D15 will have 8 heatpipes. Ofcourse you're still battling tall ram modules, but there are plenty low (normal) profile kits out there. It's only a problem if you're more into bling bling over function.

The Cooler Master MA824 Stealth used in the Tomshardware review also has 8 heatpipes. It performs very well and it has two fans in push pull config, but the Assassin IV still manages to edge it. MasterAir MA824 Stealth CPU Air Cooler | Cooler Master

@Carfax if something is reliable, has not (much) to do with the type (of cooling). how about cars? right, doesnt work... 😀 ppl messing up custom loops is because they didnt do their homework. been using LC (custom/AIO/Kits) since about 2005, have build/upgraded about 20 with AIOs, not a single fail, and with units like alphacool, you can replace/upgrade (uses G1/4). and even if the cpu stays cool (like on LC), its definitely not going to be silent, nor will anything inside the case be as cool as a pc with rad dumping the heat outside the case. and when working on my rig(s), i have seen (broken fan/testing) 30-50$ air coolers (short of big towers with massive mass/fins) lasting maybe till bios POST, maybe starting to boot, before board shut down (cpu temps), while my LC loop (without the pump running) wasnt even at 70C after booting into win. not even talking about heat transfer (at vs water) when its working (properly).

fry178:

@Carfax if something is reliable, has not (much) to do with the type (of cooling). how about cars? right, doesnt work... 😀 ppl messing up custom loops is because they didnt do their homework. been using LC (custom/AIO/Kits) since about 2005, have build/upgraded about 20 with AIOs, not a single fail, and with units like alphacool, you can replace/upgrade (uses G1/4). and even if the cpu stays cool (like on LC), its definitely not going to be silent, nor will anything inside the case be as cool as a pc with rad dumping the heat outside the case.

You're probably right. I've never had liquid cooling before even though I've been tempted, but one of the things I like about air cooling as well is that it's quick and simple. Looking at some of the custom loops, it seems like a TON of work to install, trouble shoot and maintain it even though the cooling capability is top notch.

and when working on my rig(s), i have seen (broken fan/testing) 30-50$ air coolers (short of big towers with massive mass/fins) lasting maybe till bios POST, maybe starting to boot, before board shut down (cpu temps), while my LC loop (without the pump running) wasnt even at 70C after booting into win. not even talking about heat transfer (at vs water) when its working (properly).

I think I've only had one fan that I can remember fail and that was over twenty years ago.

@Carfax i also like less space around the cpu taken, so better airflow (silent case fans), and les cramped if you work on it. look at the alphacool. used it on multiple computers, you can run it stock, or like i did for a few, use it as the base for a loop, exchanging cpu block/pump/res for something different. rad is copper not alu, so can be carried over. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQ6DB4W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 i paid ~30$ for a D5 clone, about 35~ for a (cpu) block clone, ~30$ for a 500ml res, and replaced the tubing for larger diameter (and clear), but kept the quick connect ones, so i can remove/"move" the gpu/cpu block without having to remove loop/everything. this way i didnt have to shell out all at once, and was able to wait for stock/sales on parts. my 5800 runs 25-27C idle while rig is inaudible (at 2ft distance, rig on the desk), about 80C under full load (no PBO, im gpu limited), nothing else passes 65-70C, all while also cooling the 2080S, staying below 55C all times, so it can boost almost indefinitely to 2-2.2ghz.

Well, I installed my new Deepcool Assassin IV today. 🙂 Installation went smoothly, but when I booted up my motherboard started to complain that the CPU fan speed was too low or something, which is odd because I set the both of them to their maximum limit, which is 1,700 rpm. So I set that alarm to ignore and all was good. As for my testing, so far it seems that I've gotten a 1 to 2 degree Celsius reduction in idle temps, and a underload using CBR23, I'm seeing a 3 to 4 degree temp reduction at stock clocks with a 13900KF during the first run. This is compared to my former modified Noctua NH-U12A which had two Phantek T-30 fans, which are both capable of 3,000 rpms. If the Noctua had stock fans installed, the difference would have been more like 5 t o 6 degrees in favor of the Assassin IV I wager. And this is considering that the Assassin IV is very quiet (can't even hear it over my case fans) compared to the T-30 fans, which sound like jet turbines. Also, this cooler thrives on positive air pressure setups due to having a pull-pull fan config. I have a Fractal Design Torrent RGB case, which has 5 intake fans and one exhaust fan (which I bought separately), so tons of air is being pushed into the case and through the heatsink opening allowing it to perform well. I think that's why the reviews can show so much discrepancy, because some reviewers test on open benches which reduce the amount of air going through the heatsink significantly. But if you have a strong positive air pressure setup in your case, then this cooler will beat the Noctua NH-D15 by a hair while providing perfect RAM compatibility. I haven't tested overclocked settings yet, but I will report back later. https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/2310x1739q70/922/pcLE4a.jpg