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Asetek VapoChill Mk2 Premium Edition |
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Performance Summary, Pricing, Conclusions
Performance Summary
Well, there's no denying the performance gain. We saw the extra headroom afforded by the VapoChill unit give us a corresponding rise in system performance. The rule of thumb on Asetek's forums seem to be that people expect about an extra 10% performance from the VapoChill over a maximum air-cooled overclock - we demonstrated that and more. It's clear that, if squeezing the most from your CPU is your goal, a VapoChill is a very effective way to do that.
It has to be noted that we couldn't demonstrate anything to support Asetek's claim that the CPU will perform quicker when VapoChilled, than when running at the same speed and aircooled. The only instance I can think of, and AseTek agree, where that would make a noticeable difference to performance, is if a P4 CPU, when aircooled, reached the thermal throttling threshhold and slowed down. If it were VapoChilled then that temperature wouldn't be reached and the speed wouldn't be affected. But, I don't think that was the intended meaning of whoever wrote that paragraph in the VapoChill manual and AseTek are likely to revise it.
Pricing and Availability:
Getting pricing is a little tricky, because there are no official distributors in Australia yet. So, you can't simply browse to a website and get an Australian dollar price. However, Asetek accept orders directly via their website and claim to have shipped many systems to Australia in the past. Their pricing for the unit as reviewed (Titanium finish, Premium Edition, Mk2 Vapochill) is 585.00 Euro plus 95.00 Euro for shipping and insurance. Converting 680 Euro into AUD gives us approximately, at time of writing, AUD $1200 to get it into the country. The cheapest option (White colour, Standard Edition) is 482+95 Euro, so about AUD $1036. I paid AUD $64.12 in Customs duty upon arrival, for a commercial sample marked at $10 USD value. It's a lottery as to whether you'd get hit with Customs duty or not, and how much the value would be for a proper retail-purchased unit I couldn't tell you - up to a couple of hundred dollars I would imagine.
All up, that's a non-trivial amount of money to most people. Asetek say that one of the major improvements to the Mk 2 VapoChill is a big price drop - that's great, but I still think the price is going to be a major factor stopping a lot of people buying it. That's not to say I think it's overpriced - I just know it's well out of the budget of most enthusiasts. I don't think Porsches are overpriced, but that doesn't mean I can afford one. Corporate users such as scientific, graphic or mathematical people for whom computer time really is money can much more easily justify the cost of a VapoChill, by considering the future savings or earnings that more CPU power will allow.
The classic argument is that by purchasing a VapoChill, you can save money on a CPU. Instead of forking out over $1000 for the latest P4, for example, you could purchase one for only a few hundred dollars and, via the use of a VapoChill, end up with a similar speed or even higher. Remember, a VapoChill purchase is not just for one system. You can keep it for several generations of your PC, with CPU upgrade kits and the latest motherboard, keeping yourself well in front of the bleeding edge almost indefinitely. In that light, the sting of the initial purchase seems not so harsh.
A further note about availability. Although there is not yet an official point of contact in Australia, Asetek are currently looking at establishing at least one. This will be better for Australian users, with retail units and support available locally. You can of course order direct from Denmark and I've spoken to a few people who have done exactly that, with good results. I expressed my concern to Asetek about support - if the machine fails under warranty, shipping the box back to Denmark from Australia would be a considerable expense. They explained that, if you go through the support process and receive an RMA authorization from them, they will cover the cost of shipping the box back and forth and of course the repair cost under warranty.
Update: Asetek have informed me that PC Range are now official VapoChill agents in Australia.
Conclusions:
In this review I've suggested a few things that were frustrating, and some things that need improving. Overall though, I am impressed. The VapoChill really does take you well beyond the limits of air-cooling in a professional, confidence-inspiring way. The configurability of the unit coupled with the headroom it adds to any extreme PC really make for a tweaker's heaven. Frankly, I think this is the ultimate tool for the hardcore performance enthusiast - those who can afford it.
My thanks to Asetek for the opportunity to review this fascinating peice of equipment. Thanks also to Plus Corporation, Altech Computers and SecretNet for providing components at short notice to help with testing for this review.
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