Asetek VapoChill LightSpeed [AC]

Introduction:

It is a very special day in every serious overclocker's career when they are able to take the big leap into the world of phase change (also called "vapor compression") cooling. For those who are unfamiliar with phase change, it is essentially the same concept as an air conditioning or refrigeration system, except that a refrigerant is evaporated in a small block mounted directly on the CPU. What this equates to is the ability to maintain extremely cold temperatures on a processor, even under load.

In the world of phase change CPU cooling there are two giants, Asetek and Nventiv. Asetek manufactures the VapoChill and Nventiv manufactures the Prometeia. In the past, the Prometeia series (or "Prommy" as overclockers like to call it) was always known as the highest performance solution available by retail means, while the VapoChill series has been known as having the best performance per dollar spent. Recently though, Asetek has brought a new challenger to the forefront that is vying for a spot as the top dog in phase change cooling. The new VapoChill LightSpeed [AC] has been loaded to the brim with the features and power that overclockers look for, and still beats the Prometeia on price by a large margin. Today I'll be putting a VapoChill LightSpeed [AC] through its paces to see if it really is the new powerhouse of phase change cooling.