Conclusion
It's hard to say whether a £512 cooling system is worth it. I'd much prefer a different case design, but it definitely grows on you. Don't let it put you off initially.Being a steel case, it's heavy, and there are some sharp edges inside. Asetek have done their best to get rid of them, or mask them off with plastic beading, but a stray few persisted on the sample, especially around the motherboard tray area. I'm sure retail units will have 99.9% of them filed away and away from finger tips.
But, the cooling performance is simply excellent. R404a and the BD35F compressor really do the job, it's easy to fit, and I have no complaints with how it actually cooled the test system.
Does it cool well enough compared to a Prometeia Mach II, with its 200W chiller? Yes, even a P4 @ 4GHz+ is within the limits of an XE. All commercial processors can be taken to the limit in an XE.
The specified VapoChill XE is available in a couple of configurations, both standalone and in the tested 'with case' configuration, plus the older models are still around and available for less money. Get an SE and R404a it? You can grab an XE in the UK for the stated price from Chillblast, Kustom PC's and shortly Overclockers UK.
There's a lot of if's and but's with an £512 cooler I guess. Expensive, but cools like nearly nothing else you can buy. A quick look around UK Prometeia retailers shows that it's even a little cheaper than a Mach II, and while the VapoChill case isn't the most attractive in the world, it's an order of magnitude more attractive than the Mach II case.
Personally, I'd recommend a 2nd hand SE unit, preferably standalone, with a nice modified aluminium case and R404a refrigerant. If that's not an option, the XE is worth your money. Asetek have an excellent set of user forums and they even help you with an SE to XE modification. I'm addicted to phase change now, Asetek will have to prise this unit from my cold, dead, R404a chilled hands. The performance and new ChillControl make VapoChill'ing an attractive proposition for the hardcore enthusiast with deep pockets.
Finally, I hope you enjoyed the way the review was written, like a users guide. It felt like the best way to present the experience of using phase change to you as a reader, and also potential customer of Asetek or Chip-Con. I hope my fumblings didn't put you off, it's a cinche to fit these things.
Score
Pro's
Monstrous cooling performance
New ChillControl unit
The SE to XE modification is a cheap way to get XE performance
Con's
Average case, you seem to either like it or love it
Thanks
Asetek for the sample, especially Toke for answering my queries quickly
