Questions of the Month-April 2011

Questions of the Month” is a blog feature that will address some of the questions that come to us about our products and technology. Feel free to submit your own questions to [email protected]. Today we’ll be looking at where to find Asetek liquid cooling as well as how to make sure it is performing and its peak potential.

I am experiencing higher than expected temperatures on my CPU while using my Asetek liquid CPU cooler. What are some recommended steps I can take to fix this?

While there are many variables that can contribute to high CPU temperatures, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to make sure your Asetek liquid cooler is performing at its peak potential:

1. What is your ambient (room) temperature? Naturally, the higher the ambient temperature, the higher the CPU temperature.
2. Is the fan that is attached to the radiator set up as intake and pulling in the coldest air possible? If you placed your radiator on what was the exhaust port and set it up as an intake, did you reverse the direction of at least one other fan to balance airflow through the chassis?
3. Is your fan spinning at its highest RPM? If so, should you consider a higher RPM fan or a second fan for a push/pull configuration?
4. Is your pump plugged into the correct motherboard header? You can check this by looking at the reported RPM in the BIOS. It should be showing 1400 RPM which, incidentally, is half the actual speed.
5. When is the last time your chassis was cleaned? It is a good idea to remove any dust buildup from your radiator as part of your normal chassis cleaning routine.

If you go through the above questions and are still experiencing higher than expected temperatures, you may want to consider reseating the water cooler. Be sure to wipe away existing Thermal Interface Material (TIM) and reapply fresh TIM prior to reinstalling the water cooler on your CPU.

Where can I purchase Asetek liquid cooling?
Asetek liquid CPU coolers are generally available to purchase in two different areas:

1. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs): OEMs build their systems from the ground up to include Asetek liquid cooling. Asetek can be found in HP Z400 and Z800 workstations, Dell Alienware gaming PCs and from many specialty PC builders. A complete list is available here.
2. Building your own computer? We’ve got you covered through our DIY retail/e-tail partners. A list of current products is available here.

I have an Asetek VapoChill. Where can I get support for it?
Asetek has a loyal following of enthusiasts who love and still use the various incarnations of the VapoChill (and WaterChill). Although it is a legacy product, basic support and replacement parts are provided by our team in Denmark. You can visit http://support.asetek.com to submit a trouble ticket.

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