![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Monday , March 29, 2004
- Author:
- Steve Lynch
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
VapoChill XE "Xtreme Edition"
Asetek brings their VapoChill line of vapor phase CPU cooling packages to new levels.
New Socket Kit
In addition to the new refrigerant, the other major change in this product cycle is that VapoChill has released a new CPU socket kit for their VapoChill line of products. Obviously, we jumped on the opportunity to look at the new socket kit while reviewing the new VapoChill XE. This exploded view of the new socket kit may look a bit daunting at first, but kit assembly and use is far more convenient than the old style socket kit.
At this time the new CPU head kit can be found on the newer VapoChill XE systems or purchased separately. These newer systems accommodate both the Intel socket 478 as well as the AMD socket 754/940. A quick look at a US retailer, Frozen CPU, shows three versions of the VapoChill XE currently available: The newer system mentioned above, a standard Intel socket 478 model and an AMD socket A model. All three systems carry the same price tag. The new socket head is $70 US dollars if purchased as a standalone upgrade for current VapoChill owners. Putting cost aside and looking at ease of installation and effectiveness the new socket kit is head and shoulders above the old style socket head.
Out With The Old:
We have noted in our past reviews that attaching the socket kit to your CPU can be difficult, sometimes requiring 3 hands just to get the kit installed. The new socket kit addresses many of these design flaws of the first socket kit.
The old style socket head shown here, although difficult to install, was very much an effective piece of hardware. The major complaints with the old socket cooler was the difficulty installing the unit and getting the cooler to seat correctly on the mating surface of the CPU.
There are a few reasons behind some of the difficulty getting good contact between the CPU and the cooling head. The first reason is because of the way the two-piece clamshell is made. Inside the old socket kit there is a soft foam core around the cooling head. This soft core allowed a great deal of movement during and after head installation. This meant that even a minor incorrect alignment of the head, uneven tightening of the socket kit retention screws, or moving the pipe that leads to the compressor after installation could cause poor contact between the evaporator head and the CPU mating surface.
In With The New:
The new socket kit has improved on the old design in almost every way and once installed is a pleasure to work with. You’ll notice we said “once it is installed”. The VapoChill XE comes standard with the old style socket kit which must be disassembled before the new kit can be installed.
A key enhancement of the new socket kit is the integration of the heating element into the head of the socket kit. This eliminates condensation build up due to a misaligned heating element and makes installation easier by eliminating the need for an extra hand holding the heating element in place while installing the socket kit to the CPU.
Installing the new socket kit was pretty straightforward. We installed the black neoprene foam sleeve over the copper evaporator cooling head. Next we installed the new hard plastic clamshell over that. The two-piece plastic/foam retention mechanism is now installed at the base of the copper evaporator cooling head with the black plastic facing outward, towards the evaporator. The large rigid foam insert is installed last leaving only 1mm of the copper evaporator head exposed.
Now that you have the new socket kit head installed you must now install the retention rods and backing plate to the mainboard. This process isn’t much different from the method used on the old socket kit. Simply attach the heating element, cover it with the enclosed foam insulation pad, line up the metal backing plate and then you are set to install the retention rods to hold the whole thing in place.
Flipping the board over, you must first prep the CPU socket area with the included heat conduction compound to prevent pin corrosion due to condensation. After installing the CPU, the next step is to lay down the upper and lower layers of black foam insulating material. Finally, apply thermal compound to your processor and you are now ready to slide the new socket kit into place.
Installing the socket kit from this point is now a matter of lining up the four retention rods to their corresponding holes, push the head into place, put the springs over the retention rods and use the thumbscrews to tighten the whole assembly down. It is that easy. We installed and removed this unit several times without a hitch and had perfect CPU to evaporator contact each time.