MODTHEBOX.COM - Canada's Premier Case Modding Source - Reviews - VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Series Cooler Review

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In order to cater to the Ultra Low Noise advertising included with the VapoChill Micro; Asetek has bundled a simple Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) fan controller mounted on a single PCI plate. The unit provides continuous power to the 90mm cooling fan via a series of digital pulses based on supply voltage. By rotating the small chrome silver knob from left and right allows consumers to vary the power wattage ranging from Low (7V) to High (12V). The increased duration of pulses speeds up the rotation of the fan blades and also adjusts the RPM speed.

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One of the biggest critiques that I have for most coolers on the market is the design of the clipping mechanism. A well designed or poorly executed clipping mechanism can essentially make or break a heatsink cooler design. The clipping mechanism on the VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Series Cooler is very easy to use and can be installed in less than 10 minutes. Depending on the processor being used Asetek has designed a different CPU mounting plate for each platform. The image on the left is for AMD Socket 754/939/940 (AMD K8) and the image on the right is for Intel P4 Socket 478. The installation process begins with the placement of two support clips that are inserted into the stock CPU retention bracket. Once the mounting clips are installed, the VapoChill Micro is lowered onto the CPU itself and secured using two locking clips. Prior to mounting the VapoChill Micro a thin layer of Arctic Silver 3 Thermal Compound was applied to the core of the CPU.

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Testing:

To start performance tests, I assembled the following pieces of hardware to complete the system:

DFI LAN Party Pro875B Motherboard

Intel Pentium 4 3.0E Processor

2 x 512 MB Corsair XMS3200LL Pro Series Twinx Memory

2 x Maxtor D40X-GL 60 GB Hard Drive (Raid 0)

Lite-On LTR-40125S 40x12x48x CD-Rewriter

Panasonic 1.44 Floppy Drive

SilverStone SST-ST30NF Aluminum PSU

The "Burn-In Wizard" from SiSoft Sandra 2005 SR2 is used to put the CPU under concentrated load for a pre-determined amount of time. The options selected in "Burn-In Wizard" run the CPU and CPU Multimedia benchmarks for approximately 15 minutes. The system is left alone for approximate 15 minutes before the burn-in test is performed. Maximum temperatures are measured in degree Celsius and recorded using an independent thermal probe and Motherboard Monitor 5.3.7.0 for idle and full load. Ambient room temperature was measured at 29 degrees Celsius. For comparison, I will be testing the VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Series Cooler against a Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler.

The overall performance results indicate that the VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Series Cooler does manage to hold its own against the Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler. I purposely used an Intel Pentium 4 3.0E Processor since this particular processor revision is known to generate the most heat on the P4 platform. The performance margin between both heatsinks ranged between 3-5 degrees in all test beds for idle and load modes. Both heatsinks include adjustable fan RPM control which allowed me to lower the fan speed for idle and raise it for better cooling in load modes. The VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Series Cooler has a slight advantage since you can pair the unit with two other fans in the Asetek product line (High or Xtreme). In terms of noise level, there really is no clear winner since both products were excellent and perfect for low noise environments.

Conclusion:

Asetek's latest efforts into the crowded heatsink market have certainly paid off with the introduction of the VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Series Cooler. The overall construction of the VaporChill Micro is good and can easily be classified as one of the more unique designs currently in the consumer market. The universal mounting mechanisms make this product ideal for a wide variety of computing platforms along with a selection of three different Asetek branded fans (Ultra Low Noise, High and Extreme). The PWM fan controller is a nice accessory add-on that allows consumers to adjust the RPM speed levels of the 90mm cooling fan to suit their particular environment. By far the best feature of this product is the use of Asetek's form of Heatpipe Technology with the inclusion of three copper tubes and a copper base that doubles as an "evaporation chamber". During my evaluation I didn't experience too many issues with the VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Series Cooler but can add-in some comments. As previously mentioned the bundled plastic fan shroud is very flimsy and doesn't do a good job of protecting the aluminum fins. It’s a shame that this one was the area where Asetek decided to go cheap. Pre-applied thermal paste may simplify the installation process but its better to include a small portion of high quality thermal paste that consumers can apply on their own. Finally, consumers may run into spacing issues due to the height of this particular unit. Since this product is marketed as a low noise product, I couldn't install it into any of the HTPC style cases that I own. Owners of mid-tower or server tower cases on the other hand shouldn't have any issues installing this product. Overall, I was pleased with the VapoChill Micro Ultra Low Noise Series Cooler and award a final rating of 8.5 out of 10. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Asetek website for more information or discuss them in our forums.

Pros:

Universally compatible with a wide variety of platforms
Light weight
Three different cooling fan models available
Includes a PWM fan controller
Evaporation Chamber Technology
Price

Cons:

Flimsy plastic fan shroud

Pre-applied thermal paste

May cause some spacing issues in certain cases