Review: VapoChill Premium Edition

Conclusion

I really do feel that Asetek have made a concerted attempt to bring refrigerant-based cooling into the mainstream with this new VapoChill design. Once appealing to hardcore enthusiasts only, the VapoChill has evolved into a workable day-to-day design. The much-improved fascia has a lot to do with it. Most people, rightly or wrongly, judge a product on first appearances only. This is, perhaps, where the initial VapoChill designs faltered a little.

This newer design with a stylish, sturdy exterior and quality internal construction makes it a viable proposition for a greater number of people. The essentials are housed in above the motherboard in a closed environment. You wouldn't see them unless you specifically had reason to. The mounting mechanism, for Pentium 4s at least, is a simple affair. Insert 2 screws into the proprietary retention mechanism and you're done. It really is as easy as that. Changing processors over is a 5-minute job if done correctly. Seeing as we have sacrificed space for the cooling, Asetek have maximised the internal space for your optical and hard drives. Gone is the feeling of being cramped in a case.

I'm especially pleased with the lack of noise in operation. Sure, it's louder than, say, a system cooled by a retail Pentium 4 heatsink, but it is no louder than your average aftermarket air cooling. The brains of the outfit are located in a clever ChillControl unit, one that can be re-programmed if necessary. Its job is to ensure that the powerful cooling does its job in an efficient manner. Seeing your evaporator sitting at -30c in Windows takes some getting used to.

I would have preferred a separate mains-powered source for the compressor, as this would have tidied up the internal cabling. A standard PSU is expected to drive a full system and VapoChill without issue. Even the voltages on our supplied Enermax 431w PSU began to fluctuate quite alarmingly from 10.8v to 11.2v under load. Even though no untoward incidents occurred during testing, you'd be looking to invest in a high quality PSU for your VapoChill system. I do like the way the PSU comes away from the main chassis in a matter of seconds through the use of 3 thumbscrews, though.

All the design and cooling in the world isn't worth much if it can't do its intended job efficiently. Our test Pentium 4 2.8GHz CPU was probably suffering from vertigo as we raised its clock speed to a mind-numbing 3.65GHz with apparent stability. Considering that I wouldn't go much above 3.35GHz with an Alpha and Delta 80mm at 7v combination, the extra 300MHz do make a difference. It seemed quite eerie running a processor at 3.65GHz with relatively quiet cooling. What was not eerie, however, was the overall performance.

Quite expectedly, the VapoChill Premium Edition-powered Pentium 4 laid down the most impressive set of benchmarks ever seen at Hexus. 3.65GHz has that kind of effect. Running at 3.65GHz / 1.75 - 1.8v load voltage pushed our load temperatures up to around 18c (read by the internal probe on the P4). This may sound high, but try putting 1.75+v through a 3.65GHz CPU with, say, an Alpha and Delta combination. You'd be looking at 60c+.

With its revised external fascia, improved compressor, and ease-of-use, I can see a real use for the VapoChill above and beyond that of the enthusiast who wants to push their hardware to the limit. Imagine an industry where tasks can take several hours. 3D modelling, animation, and even SETI usually measured in hours not seconds. Having the ability to run at 10%+ higher than conventional cooling will pay dividends over the long run.

Along with the new design, the Vapochill pricing has seen a cut too. We're informed that the following are now the suggested retail prices:

The pricing is now keen for super-cooling, Intel's top-of-the-line processor costs more than the VapoChill P.E in a titanium finish. It soon becomes evident that you do get a reasonable 'bang for your buck'. I can recommend this to anyone who really wants to push their CPUs to the limit, or simply wants to maximise their efficiency. There's nothing quite like a 3.65GHz processor for running SETI or the CPU-hungry UT 2003.

I'll be comparing this premium edition model to the standard VapoChill and Chip Con's Prometeia in an upcoming review. Stay tuned for some cold competition.

Highs

• Easier to setup than you might think

• Construction of case and internals is far removed from earlier models

• It's relatively quiet in operation

• Will almost guarantee a minimum of 10% extra overclocking headroom than air-cooling alone

• Self-contained unit, no intervention is needed

• Is a proven solution for long-term use

• The pricing is now competitive

Lows

• Price, even though it's keen, some will see it as a little too much for just cooling. It depends upon how important you view CPU cooling.

Overall rating, 8.5/10.