Before you can start using the Vapochill LS, you have to make some preparations to the motherboard as well as some assemble the final parts of the Vapochill unit. The motherboard shown is the Abit IC7-MAX 3 which was used throughout this article.
1) First, the clamshell assembly has to be fitted onto the evaporator head. Why isn’t this done right from the factory you might ask? So that mounting kits for future socket arrangements can be made, that’s why! Simply take the large heating element, stick it into the inside of the clamshell. Roll back the insulating cladding from the copper evaporator head and secure the clamshell in place with the two large pieces of stiff polystyrene. Once in place, roll back the insulating layer and place the final piece of stiff polystyrene (with the large circular hole in the middle) over the evaporator head. If all has gone well, you should have about 2mm of the copper head protruding from the bottom of the insulation as shown below.
2) Next, the back plate has to be assembled. No more sticking pads to the motherboard ala Vapochill XE you will be pleased to hear. This time the rear heating element and insulation pad sticks onto an aluminium backing plate. Once stuck on, it can be mounted to the back of the motherboard by screwing in either two (Athlon 64) or four (Socket 478) mounting posts from the front.
3) As with all Vapochills before it, the LS requires you to fill the CPU socket with thermal compound (supplied). Really work the paste into each hole and also into the central cavity, where you also place the appropriate piece of foam before installing the CPU. I highly recommend that you pack as much of the stuff on as you can, as the idea is to make a totally air-proof seal against the outside world. This will stop the pins of your CPU from corroding away. A chip that has not been protected in this way will only last around 4-6 months before it is rendered inoperable by corrosion!
4) The final part of the installation borrows heavily from Asetek’s new experience in mounting the Waterchill water cooling kits to boards. The clamshell is screwed into place via two large oversized thumbscrews.
Once we are up and running in terms of mounting the cooling head to the board, all that remains to be done is to connect up the Chill control circuit board to the Vapochill LS and your cases on switch. The chill control connects to the Vapochill unit via a black control cable and a second ribbon cable which controls the LCD. It connects to the motherboard via the on-switch jumper and a USB header. Finally, plug in a single Molex connector from your PSU to power the chill control and away you go. The chill control can then be mounted within your case using the supplied plastic self-adhesive spacers.
You should now be ready, as the manual says, to do some serious overclocking, or at least you can once you have installed the Vapochill control panel software. This allows you to control aspects of the Vapochill from within Microsoft Windows.
