Finished Looks

The cooler definitely won't grab your attention at first when installed as it features a traditional black and silver design. On a motherboard like the MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC, which features a similar color theme, it blends right in. Even with the ARGB lighting turned on, it doesn't stand out nearly as much as other designs. Depending on your preferences, that could be a good or bad thing.


Memory clearance was perfect, meaning the cooler delivers on its promised features, but when it comes to expansion-slot clearance, it does block the first slot. Now, in the past, this was more problematic, but as more and more motherboards place an M.2 slot here, I don't foresee it being a huge issue. Still, on some Mini-ITX boards or an older platforms, users will want to double-check clearances just to be safe.


When it comes to lighting, the Deepcool AS500 is very subtle, but still aesthetically pleasing. It's not in your face or overbearing. Instead, it simply serves to highlight the cooler a bit and should fit in perfectly with the various ARGB illuminated motherboards and graphics cards that have taken the market by storm.