Final Thoughts and Rating
...the much-vaunted vapour chamber hasn't managed to deliver an exceptional level of cooling performance.We were looking forward to seeing what Sapphire's Vapor-X technology would bring to the CPU cooling market, but the first retail product has struggled to live up to its potential.
The Vapor-X looks an attractive solution - both on paper and in the flesh - but in use it never manages to truly impress. Despite an eye-catching design, Sapphire appears to have missed a trick by using a mounting system with a surprisingly-large bracket that simply won't fit certain motherboards.
What's most disappointing, however, is that the much-vaunted vapour chamber hasn't managed to deliver an exceptional level of cooling performance. The Vapor-X will of course outperform a stock Intel cooler, but it struggles to keep up with alternatives at the £50 price point and, unless you're bewitched by the blue LEDs, it's a cooler that's tough to recommend.
The Good
Meaty appearance
Blue LEDs suit certain builds
PWM-controlled fansThe Bad
Unimpressive cooling performance
Install plate won't fit all motherboardsHEXUS Rating
Sapphire Vapor-X Universal CPU Cooler
HEXUS Where2Buy
The Sapphire Vapor-X Universal CPU Cooler is available to purchase from Overclockers UK.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
Related Reading
9 Razer moves into PC components with AIO coolers, PSUs and fans
Big opportunity for growth, company says.
8 Corsair launches iCue Elite LCD AiO CPU coolers
These feature an LCD display on the pump block for animations, images, and sys info.
2 Noctua launches Chromax NH-U12A cooler and NF-A12x25 fans
You can now get matching Chromax NA-HC7 and NA-HC8 heatsink covers too.
