Installation, Performance, and Conclusion
Installation
The Gabriel includes hardware for both AMD and Intel processors, but I'm just covering Intel here. The process for both begins the same way, with the installation of the metal brackets next to the base of the heatsink.
The feet have washers attached to insulate from motherboard PCB
These brackets include small feet that accept the threads of the mounting screws. There is nothing to the installation process other than placing the heatsink over the CPU, and screwing it in from the other side of the motherboard.
However you decide to manage this – whether by holding the heatsink in place with one hand and attaching the screws with the other, or by placing the motherboard upside down over the heatsink (more feasible with a mini-ITX board) and then attaching the screws – it's tricky to accomplish without the heatsink sliding around, but it can be done.
Once attached it feels very secure and it fit around (and over) components on the motherboard rather well. I was a little worried about the screws holding it in place against the bare motherboard, but a closer inspection shows the included washers adequately padding the screws from the PCB.
The design of the heatsink provides excellent clearance around the components on the motherboard, and I didn't any issues in this area with the heat pipes pointed upward.
There is plenty of space between the edge of the heatsink and the RAM in this orientation, allowing the use of tall memory without any worry about clearance.
With the heatsink in place it's time to run some benchmarks!
Performance
| Test Platform | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i5-6600K |
| Motherboard | ASUS MAXIMUS VIII GENE (mATX Intel Z170) |
| Memory | Crucial Ballistix Sport 8 GB 2400 MHz DDR4 |
| Graphics Card | XFX AMD Radeon 5450 (Fanless) |
| Storage | OCZ Vertex 460 120GB SSD |
| Cooling | DEEPCOOL Gabriel, Noctua NH-U9B SE2, Corsair H75 Liquid CPU Cooler |
| Power Supply | Corsair TX 650W PSU |
| OS | Windows 8.1 64-bit |
I selected a couple of other coolers on hand to provide an idea of how the Gabriel stacks up in the cooling and noise department. In the mix today are Noctua's compact tower-style cooler NH-U9B SE2, and for a closed-loop option the Corsair H75 liquid CPU cooler. Both of these coolers are efficient and very quiet, and while it might make more sense to only test against other low-profile air coolers, these two will at least help put the Gabriel's cooling performance into perspective.
The test setup I employ for cooling is very simple, with all components tested under the same conditions on an open test bench. To provide accurate noise readings a passively-cooled graphics card is used, and the power supply's fan does not spin under the loads I'm using for these tests. Temperatures were recorded using RealTemp software, with the hottest core at the end of one of the identical 5-minute long tests used for these results.
Noise was measured using a digital sound pressure meter positioned exactly 24 inches from the edge of the system. (Note that while great care was taken to take accurate readings with multiple samples taken for each result, the limitation of my instrument is an accuracy of +/- 1.5 dB.) The same meter was used for all tests with a consistent noise floor of 33.6 dBA.
Temperature Results
To create load temps I used the x264 benchmark, separately creating "stress" temps using Prime95 (large FFT torture test). After completing all tests at the stock processor speed, I upped my Core i5-6600K to 4.3 GHz (at ~1.248 V), forcing all cores to run at this speed (default for Intel processors is per-core turbo boost) for a more difficult thermal load. The fans for all coolers used the same preset linear curve (the Noctua cooler has a fixed fan speed based on use of low-noise adapters).
Not surprisingly, the DEEPCOOL Gabriel finished behind the larger coolers in these tests, but these results are actually very good for a low-profile cooler that uses a fan tuned for silence. I was impressed that I was able to keep the overclocked processor well under thermal spec with the Gabriel, and while 4.3 GHz (all cores) @ 1.248 V isn't significantly overclocked for this Skylake CPU, there was enough overhead that I would consider going higher with this cooler.
Noise Results
Here the Gabriel has a good showing at idle and a simulated desktop load, though it loses some ground during the stress test. The Corsair H75 has the advantage of barely spinning up its two 120 mm fans (which idle under 900 RPM) under normal load temps, but the Gabriel was still a very quiet cooler. There is no competing with the Noctua's fixed fan speeds, which were barely audible with the ULNA (ultra low-noise) adapter in place on both fans, and only slightly louder with the LNA (low-noise adapter).
Conclusion
The DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm Gabriel is a compact cooler with an attractive aesthetic, good build quality, and premium feel that belies its $34.99 retail price (when purchased). In testing it proved to be a solid performer, handling even a modest overclock without coming close to the thermal limits of the test system's Core i5 processor. And while the low-profile design is the primary selling point, the Gabriel also offers a high quality 120 mm fan which is very quiet under normal loads.
Strengths
- Low 60 mm profile with fan
- High build quality
- Excellent clearance around motherboard components
- Quiet fan (with a very nice flat cable)
- Good cooling performance for a smaller heatsink
Weaknesses
- Direct installation style isn't the most user-friendly
For the price I can easily recommend the DEEPCOOL Gabriel for anyone looking for an inexpensive air cooler. The mounting system isn't my favorite, but once installed I have zero complaints. Looks nice, too.
So what low-prpfile cooler
So what low-prpfile cooler did you end up putting in your personal system, if you dont mind me asking.
My own system is in flux as I
My own system is in flux as I work on enclosure reviews with all available hardware, but I'm leaning towards the Noctua NH-L9x65. I haven't picked it up yet, so it's been anything from my old NH-U9B SE2 to this Gabriel to my Corsair H75. Right now I'm actually testing another air cooler for an upcoming review. Stay tuned! 🙂
I just ordered an L9x65 from
I just ordered an L9x65 from Amazon. I’ll let you know if it’s any good.
Nice. I really like the more
Nice. I really like the more traditional 92mm size for compatibility.
Looking forward to it. Really
Looking forward to it. Really interesting seeing a larger group of PC enthusiasts getting into the smaller form factor.
would’ve been nice to see
would’ve been nice to see this compared to the stock heatsink and other low profile coolers.
I agree. I bought this for
I agree. I bought this for enclosure review photos, thought it was interesting enough for a quick review. For sure other low-profile reviews will include these results for reference. There were no stock cooler results as Intel has eliminated them from retail unlocked parts like my 6600K. It's a relevent question, I'll see about adding results to the next review as a benchmark.
Thanks for the great review
Thanks for the great review
Thanks!
Thanks!
Would have been nice if you’d
Would have been nice if you’d put mosfet/VRM temps in
the charts.
The good side benefit of down facing coolers…
The downside of water…………………………..
I thought about this, and
I thought about this, and it's a valid question. The next change to cooler testing methodology might indeed be the use of a thermal gun to compare these numbers.
It also would’ve been nice if
It also would’ve been nice if the ambient temperatures for the temperature testing results weren’t left out. Why not just post the actual measured temperatures and be done with it?
Actual measured temps are not
Actual measured temps are not useful between coolers when the ambient temps are not totally controlled. For example, here are the actual recorded numbers with this Gabriel cooler with the stock 6600K:
There's barely a rise in the room leading up to the conclusion of the stress test, so I could easily have just presented those temps with the ambient ~66.6 F noted in the chart. However, look at the results from the Corsair H75 for the same CPU:
Nice consistent room temps for each recorded run, but these are almost a full degree higher than the ambient temps from the initial Gabriel tests (67.5 vs. ~66.6 F).
As much as I'd prefer to use the recorded temps, I have to use delta temperatures as each cooler's room conditions were slightly different.
Nice review. I like to see
Nice review. I like to see other affordable options than just the usual samples that might be given from the bigger brands. To be honest, I’m not much into SFF, but I do try to help people that might be looking for something like this.
I also appreciate the pictures about the RAM clearance (my #1 concern with all coolers), so great work there.
I would also like to see some lower cost options (<$30) to compare to this and other coolers (SFF or even regular sized CPU HSF's). I'm always looking to find solid cooling options on a budget, since most of us are trying to build systems on a tighter budget these days. There was also a typo, I believe, under the 4th picture down. Talking about the screws on the backside of the Mobo. Here is what you wrote: "The design of the heatsink provides excellent clearance around the components on the motherboard, and I didn't any issues in this area with the heat pipes pointed upward." I think you meant to say "and I didn't have/find any issues in this area with the heat pipes pointed upward"
Excellent review, I mean
Excellent review, I mean really nice review, compact, helpful, comparative and well done.
Ill like to try this on a htpc. Thanks
hii dear @sebastian
hii dear @sebastian peak
thanks for review
i use i7 6700 CPU (3,4 ghz-turbo 4 ghz)
İ will not overclock i dont think in future
i dont decides between NOCTUA NH-L9x65 and Deep Cool Gabriel cooler
which one i choice ?
i was a bit disapointed about
i was a bit disapointed about this cooler about the RAM clearance, i bought this for my micro atx board since it was stated on the deepcool site that its compatible with it, im using an MSI A68HM-E33 V2 the ram clearance sucks im using an Corsair Vengeance 1866 and the heatsync itself blocks the fins of my ram, maybe if the heatsync’s orientation can be change on an amd fm2 socket it would be possible for me the use the cooler but the technician told me its imposibble for me to change it since its intended orientation for the AMD CPU socket was as is. So if any1 could give me some advice on what should i do to make use of this cooler. the reviews are good though.
or is there any sample pics
or is there any sample pics on you guys installing this cooler on an AMD board. i noticed most of the reviews i read online only showed the installation of this cooler on an Intel Socket.