BonzaiDuck
Lifer
There has been an intense discussion under way here for a good part of a week or more, concerning "how to live the good life" with the "good -- or 'best' -- heatpipe cooler."
[See JediYoda's thread: The Zalman 9500 Arrived! ]
A couple months ago -- maybe earlier -- I posted notes that there were new developments in the marketplace competing with ThermalRight's "XP" entries. I said that we needed to find reviews on those other items, and I mentioned a new line of coolers from Asetek: "The Vapochill Micro" line that includes three models of varying effectiveness.
Now, Maximum PC Magazine -- "Just 'Arrived' Today" -- has published a small review of the Vapochill Micro:
"Asetek's Vapochill line of CPU cooling systems has been limited to complicated phase-change water-cooling kits, which require compressors, flux capacitors, and so forth. With the Vapochill Micro, the company has ventured bravely into the air-cooling, um, waters. Though we were initially skeptical, the Micro's compressor-less phase-change performance is every bit as impressive as that of its water-cooling siblings."
Josh Norem of Maximum PC goes on to explain the unit's "huge evaporation chamber," the three "fat" copper heat pipes, the refrigerant, and other features.
Here, again, is where Maximum PC falls down as if it were a bad habit. In the benchmark test, they don't provide enough information to allow us a calculation of the unit's thermal resistance. In other words, they barely mention that they tested both the "UltraQuiet" and "Extreme Performance" models on an AMD system, but they don't say anything about the particular model of AMD processor used. That information would allow us to look up the "Maximum Power" of the processor in Watts on AMD's web-site, and take the benchmark results a step towards an objective comparison with other units we've discussed, such as the CNPS-9500 (TR approx. = 0.158 C/W), or the ThermalRight SI-120 (TR = 0.14 C/W), or the ThermalRight XP-120 (TR = 0.167) -- when the fan is set on "high" -- perhaps around 2,900 rpm.
Such a comparison may not seem useful to the "silence freaks," but it would show what the maximum load processor-temperature would be with sufficient CFM.
Here are the results for the VapoChill Micro "UltraQuiet" and "Extreme Performance:"
Vapochill Micro UltraQuiet: Idle (C) = 38; Load (C) = 54
Vapochill Micro Extreme Performance: Idle (C) = 33; Load (C) = 41
Whichever AMD processor was used in the bench-test, its "stock cooler" showed Idle of 36C and Load of 52C under what we would only assume are controlled room ambients (although the differences between idle and load would still be of interest under varying room temperatures.) It might be possible to identify the processor if one could find the performance specs of the stock cooler which match -- in the difference between idle and load -- those shown here.
Otherwise, the only way we can assess this cooler according to that particular criterion is to determine a range of thermal resistances based on a range of possible AMD processors used in the test. An 8C degree difference between idle and load, is "not bad." How "good" it is depends on which processor was used, and what thermal leakage occurred, or what the Maximum Power thermal leakage spec was for that particular processor.
For the benefit of JediYoda and others -- GrimlyKindo also confessed to me that he was a "silence freak" -- Maximum PC noted that Asetek had given much attention to the quality of the heatpipes, the choice of coolant and some other factors. They bundle the units with their own choice of fans -- a practice similar to that of Zalman, although these fans appear to be standard 92mm units that can be replaced by a Panaflo or other model. Reviewer Norem observed that in other aspects, such as the construction of the shroud that holds the fan and the base plate that attaches to the CPU socket, Asetek fell down on quality and choice of materials.
Maximum PC gave these models (again, there are three) a "KICK-ASS '9'" out of 10 award.
I'm just not thoroughly satisfied or trusting of Maximum PC Magazine's reviews.
Frankly, in making a "consumer-reports"-type of presentation, I think I could do a better job. Or -- I could assist in an editorial and managerial capacity toward that end. But -- hey -- that's why I retired -- fed up with the illusory BS. I'll consider their offer, nevertheless, if they make one . . . . and you know, Anandtech-forum friends -- "they're watching . . . "
[See JediYoda's thread: The Zalman 9500 Arrived! ]
A couple months ago -- maybe earlier -- I posted notes that there were new developments in the marketplace competing with ThermalRight's "XP" entries. I said that we needed to find reviews on those other items, and I mentioned a new line of coolers from Asetek: "The Vapochill Micro" line that includes three models of varying effectiveness.
Now, Maximum PC Magazine -- "Just 'Arrived' Today" -- has published a small review of the Vapochill Micro:
"Asetek's Vapochill line of CPU cooling systems has been limited to complicated phase-change water-cooling kits, which require compressors, flux capacitors, and so forth. With the Vapochill Micro, the company has ventured bravely into the air-cooling, um, waters. Though we were initially skeptical, the Micro's compressor-less phase-change performance is every bit as impressive as that of its water-cooling siblings."
Josh Norem of Maximum PC goes on to explain the unit's "huge evaporation chamber," the three "fat" copper heat pipes, the refrigerant, and other features.
Here, again, is where Maximum PC falls down as if it were a bad habit. In the benchmark test, they don't provide enough information to allow us a calculation of the unit's thermal resistance. In other words, they barely mention that they tested both the "UltraQuiet" and "Extreme Performance" models on an AMD system, but they don't say anything about the particular model of AMD processor used. That information would allow us to look up the "Maximum Power" of the processor in Watts on AMD's web-site, and take the benchmark results a step towards an objective comparison with other units we've discussed, such as the CNPS-9500 (TR approx. = 0.158 C/W), or the ThermalRight SI-120 (TR = 0.14 C/W), or the ThermalRight XP-120 (TR = 0.167) -- when the fan is set on "high" -- perhaps around 2,900 rpm.
Such a comparison may not seem useful to the "silence freaks," but it would show what the maximum load processor-temperature would be with sufficient CFM.
Here are the results for the VapoChill Micro "UltraQuiet" and "Extreme Performance:"
Vapochill Micro UltraQuiet: Idle (C) = 38; Load (C) = 54
Vapochill Micro Extreme Performance: Idle (C) = 33; Load (C) = 41
Whichever AMD processor was used in the bench-test, its "stock cooler" showed Idle of 36C and Load of 52C under what we would only assume are controlled room ambients (although the differences between idle and load would still be of interest under varying room temperatures.) It might be possible to identify the processor if one could find the performance specs of the stock cooler which match -- in the difference between idle and load -- those shown here.
Otherwise, the only way we can assess this cooler according to that particular criterion is to determine a range of thermal resistances based on a range of possible AMD processors used in the test. An 8C degree difference between idle and load, is "not bad." How "good" it is depends on which processor was used, and what thermal leakage occurred, or what the Maximum Power thermal leakage spec was for that particular processor.
For the benefit of JediYoda and others -- GrimlyKindo also confessed to me that he was a "silence freak" -- Maximum PC noted that Asetek had given much attention to the quality of the heatpipes, the choice of coolant and some other factors. They bundle the units with their own choice of fans -- a practice similar to that of Zalman, although these fans appear to be standard 92mm units that can be replaced by a Panaflo or other model. Reviewer Norem observed that in other aspects, such as the construction of the shroud that holds the fan and the base plate that attaches to the CPU socket, Asetek fell down on quality and choice of materials.
Maximum PC gave these models (again, there are three) a "KICK-ASS '9'" out of 10 award.
I'm just not thoroughly satisfied or trusting of Maximum PC Magazine's reviews.
Frankly, in making a "consumer-reports"-type of presentation, I think I could do a better job. Or -- I could assist in an editorial and managerial capacity toward that end. But -- hey -- that's why I retired -- fed up with the illusory BS. I'll consider their offer, nevertheless, if they make one . . . . and you know, Anandtech-forum friends -- "they're watching . . . "
