How much does fancy packaging matter? Ultimately, it can't be that critical, otherwise the Deepcool Ice Matrix 400 would have this thing completely wrapped up.
Whether it's the neat little boxes or the lovely, dense white foam padding, there's evidence everywhere that somebody at Deepcool headquarters really cares.
Fortunately the attention to detail spills over into stuff that actually matters. Like the rubberised chassis for the 120mm fan, which is designed to keep vibrations, and therefore noise, to a minimum. It's an innovation that's worthy of a bona fide patent. How do you like them apples, other cooling companies?
The overall construction is pretty trick for the money too, with nickel-plated copper for both the cooling block and the heat pipes. That said, the aluminium fins are fairly modestly proportioned.
The consequently slim profile of the radiator makes for easier installation and broader system compatibility. But it doesn't bode all that well for cooling performance. So it proves in our benchmarks.
The Ice Matrix isn't a disaster, but it brings up the rear among the larger, actively cooled efforts. Only the bonkers-big but passively cooled NoFan CR-95C and the pint-sized Scythe Katana 4 produce worse temperatures.
But the real deal breaker for us is the fact it gets perilously close to 80 degrees running at a maximum overclock of 4.9GHz. That's not a temp we'd be happy to tolerate for the long haul.
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