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Almost four years ago, we took
at a look at Asetek's original version of the Vapochill
designed for the Pentium III, and we came away impressed.
The enclosure was a basic beige full-tower, which by today's
standards isn't very exciting. The installation was
tedious, but we were able to take a Slot 1 933MHz Pentium
III all the way up to 1.16GHz, using an Abit CX6
motherboard. No small feat considering it was June of
2000 and Intel was still using a .18 micron manufacturing
process to build their CPUs. A couple of years
later, Asetek updated the Vapochill for compatibility with
newer Athlons and Pentium 4s. They also introduced a much more
contemporary and stylish enclosure. We took a look at
that model as well, and were equally as impressed.
With the updated model, we were able to keep a 2.8GHz
Pentium 4 stable at speeds over 3.3GHz. Next came the
Vapochill XE, which again upped the ante and gave us the
ability to run a 2.4GHz "Northwood" Pentium 4 at almost
3.7GHz. Although its cooling performance has always
been stellar, the universal consensus what that the
Vapochill was fairly difficult to install. Asetek
listened to their customers and Tech Journalists around the
world that have worked with the Vapochill, and have recently
released an updated CPU kit, that makes working with the
Vapochill much easier. We've documented what it takes
to retrofit a Vapochill with the new mounting kit, and have
some updated temperatures to report using some new cutting edge
hardware. Read on and check it out...
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Specifications & Features of the Vapochill |
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The King of Coolers |
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Case Feature Set
Main board types supported ATX / extended ATX
Full length graphics adapters supported
Slots for 7 extension cards
3 x 5 1/4' drive bays (external)
1 x 3 1/2' drive bay (external)
5 x 3 1/2' drive bays (internal)
ATX connector shield
Mounting options for fan cooling of HDD, 120 mm fan
Mounting options for fan cooling of case, 3 x 60 mm
fans
Dimensions (DxWxH)
Weight: 11.8 kg / 26.0 lbs
Visuals
Larger Mid-Size ATX Case
Case cover coated with black or white powder paint
(granular surface)
ChillControl LED Readout For Temperatures and Clock
Speed
Standard and Optional Equipment
Designer front bezel
Power and reset switches
Blue LEDs for power and HDD indication
120 mm fan (optional)
Power supply (optional)
Thumb Screws For Power Supply and Case Side Panels
ChillControl Protection Circuit w/ LED Display
ChillControl Software For End User Performance Setup |
Asetek's new CPU kit is not yet
illustrated on their site, but we have the full the package
on display for you right here. The kit includes
form-fitted foam shrouds for 478, 754 and 940 pin sockets, a
CPU shroud that incorporates a heating element, a metal
plate that reinforces the motherboard underneath the CPU
socket, thermal paste, mounting hardware and lastly a piece
of foam tubing.
If you head on over
to this review and peruse the installation process for
the original Vapochill CPU kit, you'll see that it was somewhat complex, and required the
use of tools and adhesive foam. Once installed,
swapping out processors meant pulling out your screwdriver, and
unscrewing a U shaped bracket from a couple of custom rails
that ran through the stock plastic P4 CPU mount. The
problem with this setup was re-mounting the U shaped bracket
was difficult and getting the cooling element to mount flush
with the CPU took some practice. There were only two screws
on either side of the socket holding the bracket in place,
so an extra half turn on one of the screws meant the cooling
head was no longer perpendicular to the CPU.
The new CPU kit mounts using
four, spring-loaded thumb screws, which makes it much easier
to get at your CPU, and results in perfect mating of the
cooling element and processor every time. Before we
could enjoy the benefits of the new kit, however, we had to
retrofit our existing Vapochill with the updated hardware.
The first step was disassembling the original mounting kit.
We removed the mount, and took apart the plastic clamshell
surrounding the Vapochill's cooling element, until we were
left with only its copper evaporator. Then we
discarded the original heating elements and foam, as they
are no longer used with the new CPU kit.
Next, we outfitted our
motherboard with the new mounting hardware. First, we
removed the stock plastic CPU mount from our motherboard.
Then, a layer of foam and a heating element meant to prevent
condensation from forming under the CPU socket is attached
to the metal plate. Next, four threaded poles are
screwed to the plate, through the holes in the motherboard. At this
point, we installed our CPU, making sure to coat its pins
with non-electrically conductive thermal paste (this
prevents condensation from forming on the pins, corroding
them), and slid one of the fitted pieces of foam over the
poles around the socket. Then another piece of
foam is installed over that, so only the CPU is exposed.
We had to install the CPU
shroud, heating element and protective foam around the
Vapochill's cooling element next. The piece of foam
tubing included in the kit slides over the original down-tube,
followed by the new CPU shroud. Two plastic,
interlocking keys are then installed between the copper
evaporator and shroud and the whole unit is locked into place
with a large piece of hardened foam insulation. When
all is said and done, a small portion of the copper
evaporator should be left exposed. From here, all that is left to
do from here is slide the assembled shroud over the socket,
and mount it in place with four spring-loaded thumbscrews.
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