Review

PC Perspective
July 2006
Vigor Monsoon II Active TEC CPU Cooling System

Summary  | Introduction and Features  | Background Theory  | Components and Design  | Components and Design(Cont'd)
 | Vigor Force Super Tower Case and Surf HDD Cooler  | Installation  | Testing  | Conclusions

Conclusions

The Vigor Monsoon II active TEC CPU cooler from Vigor Gaming combines the features of a high-performance HSF with a Peltier device to provide sub ambient cooling without the disadvantages normally associated with Thermoelectric Cooling. Overall, I was impressed by how well the Monsoon II cooler performed. It was easy to install and produced very good results ¡V actually cooling the fully loaded A64 3200+ processor more than 3°C below the ambient air temperature. The Monsoon II offers better cooling performance than most high-performance HSFs or water-cooling systems that rely on standard convection cooling, making it well suited for even mild overclocking. (For extreme overclocking you may want to go with a higher capacity, water cooled TEC CPU cooler, along with the added complexities of a dedicated power supply and condensation protection.)

Power consumption for the Monsoon II active TEC cooler is a minimal 5 amps on the +12V rail so a large, dedicated power supply is not needed. The unique design of the Monsoon II eliminates potential problems with condensation and provides fail-safe protection for the CPU even in the unlikely event something should cause the Peltier to fail.

As you might expect, all this high-tech innovation comes with a rather hefty price tag. The MSRP for the Vigor Monsoon II is $149.00 USD with an anticipated street price of around $129.00 USD.

Strengths:

• Outstanding cooling performance - sub-ambient CPU temperatures
• Good build quality
• Easy installation with flexible mounting options
• Automatic temperature control
• Fail-safe protection for CPU
• Looks cool (blue LED fan, sleeved cable, black fan shroud)

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