Asetek VapoChill LightSpeed [AC]

Conclusion:

Overall, I must say I am thoroughly impressed with the VapoChill LightSpeed. Despite my initial trouble with the blown fuse, and a few quirks with the LCD display here and there, it performs flawlessly.

With the VapoChill LS I was able to add another 480MHz to my 2.4C overclock (1GHz overclock total), and was able to overclock a 3.0E Prescott (which are known for running very hot) by 1GHz. A 1GHz overclock on any chip is a great accomplishment, and to achieve that on two very different chips says a lot about the cooling that is being used. Even with the extremely hot Prescott chip at 1.55V and 4GHz, the CPU still only rises to -11C at full load on the processor. Considering most people report temperatures of 70C+ on this processor with air cooling I'd say that -11C is no small accomplishment.

In addition to being very high performance, the LightSpeed is also quite easy to use.  Installation was a very involved process, but I don't think any of it was particularly challenging as long as the instructions are closely followed. Asetek has done an excellent job in making their new universal, and essentially foolproof, clamshell mounting kit. It takes all of the guesswork out of aligning the evaporator head and and very sturdy and attractive setup. The VapoChill Control Panel software is extremely easy to use and gives an incredible amount of control over the LightSpeed. An added bonus is the ability to install multiple extra fans and temperature sensors on the ChillControl board and then monitor and control them through the Control Panel software. All of the materials and construction of the unit are very high quality, and features like the LCD display are included at the base price (which beats the competition's by a significant margin). If you are interested in phase change cooling and need extreme performance at a good price then I would give the VapoChill LightSpeed my highest recommendation.

I give the VapoChill LightSpeed [AC] a 4.5 of 5 points because it performs amazingly, was designed and built well, and is easy to use. I only took away the half point from perfection because the LightSpeed does have a few odd quirks that popup sporadically. Also, had I been under warranty and not been able to resolve the fuse issue myself, then it would have been an incredibly big hassle to ship the unit back to the factory for repair/replacement.

Rating: 4.5/5.0