DeepCool Assassin VC Elite Review: The best cooler you can’t buy in the USA

DeepCool has been delivering innovative, interesting, and often budget-conscious PC cases and cooling products for more than a decade. Its current lineup includes air and AIO coolers, computer cases, keyboards, power supplies, and other accessories. We’ve been impressed by the company’s AK620 and Assassin IV air coolers in the past. In 2024, the Beijing-based company was banned from selling products in the U.S., but has continued to produce and improve its cooling products for markets elsewhere.

Today we’ll be testing the successor to the Assassin IV, the Assassin VC Elite, as its name implies, features an upgraded vapor chamber coldplate that DeepCool claims increases cooling performance to the point it’s rated to handle CPUs with up to a 300W TDP.

Will DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite make our list of best coolers on the market? On its merits, yes. But again, if you are in the United States, you’ll have to looke elsewhere, no matter how good the Assassin VC Elite’s performance is – and make no mistake, its performance is excellent.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The packaging for the cooler is similar to the Assassin IV, having a square brown box with a cover which showcases the cooler and its design. The cooler is protected by a plastic cover and foam packaging, with the accessories contained in an adjacent box.

Included in the box are the following:

• Heatsink with fans pre-installed
• Intel backplate
• Mounting adapter for a third fan
• Thermal grease cleaning packet
• DeepCool DM9 thermal paste
• Screwdriver
• Mounting accessories

Features of DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite

▶️ Enhanced vapor chamber coldplate and seven copper heatpipes

To transfer heat away from the CPU, this air cooler features seven copper heatpipes connected to the newest feature present in the Assassin VC Elite, which also gives it its name – a vapor chamber (VC) coldplate.

This new design is said to increase the cooling power of the Assassin VC Elite by 20W compared to the Assassin IV, with a TDP rating of up to an impressive 300W.

▶️ Change from quiet to performance modes at the flick of a switch

Like its predecessor, the Assassin IV, DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite supports two modes of operation: Performance and Quiet modes. Performance mode allows the cooler to run at its full speed, whereas quiet mode places a speed limit on the fans to ensure low noise levels.

▶️ Checkerboard Matrix fin design

One of the eye-catching features of the Assassin VC Elite is its use of a checkerboard matrix on its fins, a design choice which is said to help maintain increased levels of air pressure.

The checkerboard matrix is only incorporated into one side of the cooler; the other sides of the heatsinks use a jigsaw-style fin design.

▶️ Sturdy metal backplate

For users of Intel platforms, a sturdy metal backplate is included – much stronger than typical backplates included with air coolers!

▶️ Complete RAM Compatibility, no matter the size of DDR5

On standard AMD and Intel systems, the DeepCool Assassin VC Elite will not overhang or interfere with DIMM slots in any way, ensuring full compatibility with the tallest DDR4 or DDR5 RAM sticks.

▶️ Premium DM9 thermal paste

DeepCool includes its premium DM9 paste with the Assassin VC Elite, which is one of the best thermal pastes out there,on par with ID-Cooling’s Frost X45!

▶️ Mixed size fans

Like its predecessor, the Assassin IV, DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite sports two fans of mixed sizes – 120mm and 140mm, which is said to create a “vortex” effect that increases static air pressure.

▶️ Adapter for (optional) third fan

For those who want the absolute best performance possible, DeepCool has included a bracket adapter that will allow you to install a third fan to the unit if you desire. But as we’ll see in testing, that’s not necessary for most setups.

▶️ Two-in-one screwdriver with Torx and Phillips support

DeepCool also includes a basic screwdriver that supports Phillips screws on one end and torx screws on the other.

▶️ Real world testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 platform:

I place an emphasis on having results that are comparable to real-world use. This means I test CPU coolers inside a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods. Many will test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which in turn makes weak coolers appear stronger than they really are. And some publications have used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions.

I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions where a CPU cooler is used.

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

We’ve recently added testing of AMD’s new flagship sixteen-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This is one beast of a CPU, providing the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market – and can prove quite challenging thermally when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

AM5 and 1851 installation

As with previous DeepCool products, this cooler’s installation is fairly easy.

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will remove the default mounting mechanism.

2. Next you’ll need to install the standoffs. Intel users will slide the black standoffs onto the backplate’s studs.

AMD users will instead take the silver standoffs and screw them against the motherboard.

3. Next, you’ll want to take the mounting bars and apply them to the standoffs, then secure them with the included screws.

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy how to apply thermal paste guide.

5. Next, you’ll need to take the unit’s cover off, and pull the middle fan from the unit – make sure you disconnect the PWM cord before doing so. Then take the cooler, press it against the mounting bars, and secure it with the included screwdriver.

6. Reinsert the middle fan.

7. Reattach the unit’s cover and connect the PWM cables to your motherboard, and you are good to go.