I would be lying if I said being a reviewer on Driver Heaven didn’t have its perks with every manufacturer sending me their latest and greatest products. However, the flip side is that I get bombarded with marketing literature from the same companies, claiming their product is the best in its respective class, which quite often could only be classified as wishful thinking.

Today's review product is one which really does fall into the extreme performance category. Asetek’s VapoChill LS is capable of achieving temperatures of minus 50 degrees celcius and allowing users to overclock processors to their limits. Sounds like a lot of fun, so lets hook it up to two of the fastest CPU's currently available – AMD's FX-60 and Intel's Core2 X6800 to see just how far we can push them and to ascertain if it's worth the outlay.

Box Contents – VapoChill LS

We knew a serious bit of kit had arrived when the VapoChill LS arrived on its own pallet! The box isn't much larger than one which would hold a PC case, however it is incredibly heavy at 17Kg.

Opening the box we found the VapoChill unit completely encased in polystyrene and showing no sign of damage which is always great. We un-boxed the unit and this is what we found.

The LS is a very clean looking product though there isn't a lot going on externally. On the front we have a vent which allows the internal front fan (120mm Panaflow) to take in air and along the sides there are additional ventilation holes. The Front panel also features an LED display (3.5x1 inch) which shows temperatures and allows personalisation of the LCD message.

On the back of the VapoChill there is an exhaust fan (again 120mm Panaflow) and the system power cord (pass through which plugs into the PC PSU) enters the back panel.

Finally on top of the unit we have a hole through which the CPU block and cables exit the system. There are also 4 screws which can be used to bolt a case on top of the cooler. Before we take a look at the other contents included with the VapoChill LS here is a shot of the evaporator which provides the copper contact between the VapoChill and the system processor.

Box Contents – Attachments

Shown above are two of the socket kits available for the VapoChill LS, the kit on the left is the full Socket 775 bundle which includes thermal paste, heating elements, CPU attachments etc and on the right we have a shot of the alternative components included in the Socket 754, 939, 940, 478 kit. Other than the listed components the left shot also shows the ChillControl, a detailed picture of this is shown below.

The ChillControl is the nerve centre of the VapoChill LS and serves as a communication centre between the PC and the cooler itself (Via USB). It is possible to connect heater and fan sensors to the ChillControl which can then be monitored and controlled via Asetek's software within windows. The software is easy to use and well laid out which is refreshing to see.

A Quick Overview of how the VapoChill works

For those of you that are looking at a VapoChill system for the first time, here is a short (basic) explanation of how the set-up works.

The VapoChill system contains a closed loop of refrigerant (R404a or R507) which passes between four major components.

The first component is the Compressor. The compressor takes the refrigerant in a low pressure gaseous state and compresses it into a higher pressure gaseous state before it travels to our second major component, the Condenser. The Condenser is effectively a radiator attached to a cooling fan and it is in this section of the system where heat is removed from the refrigerant. It is also in this component that the high pressure gas changes into a high pressure liquid state. Next up in the loop is the Capillary Tube. This tube is a small diameter copper component which provides a restriction in the cooling loop. This restriction allows the coolant to remain at a high pressure liquid state at one end and a low pressure gaseous state the other end. Finally connected to the Capillary tube is the Evaporator. This component is the CPU head/block in a VapoChill LS system. The refrigerant passes into the Evaporator and absorbs the heat from the CPU whilst transforming from a liquid to gaseous state before returning to the compressor where the loop restarts.