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

Summary

This is a basic summary preview of the Monsoon II Active TEC CPU Cooler intended for readers who just want a quick look at this new product. If you are interested in going straight to the full review, with all the technical details, more photographs, and comparison tests that you are used to seeing on PC Perspective, please click on this link.

The Vigor Monsoon II is not a typical CPU heatsink fan. In addition to a copper base, large aluminum fins, and 92mm LED fan, the Monsoon II cooler incorporates both heat pipes and active Thermoelectric Cooling. The Monsoon Active Cooling System (MACS) comes with a control module that automatically adjusts the cooler's fan speed and turns on and off the Peltier device to maintain a target CPU temperature. The Monsoon II is a second generations MACS cooler that has been designed to deliver excellent CPU cooling and be easy to install, with models that support both Intel LGA775 and AMD K8 platforms.

Vigor Monsoon II Main Features:

• Active CPU Cooling: The first CPU cooling system to combine software controlled active TEC technology and heat pipe cooling modules
• Automatic Temperature Control: 5.25" bay controller with LCD display
• Ultra-low Thermal resistance provides extreme cooling performance
• Automatic fan speed control
• Fail-Safe Protection

At first glance, the Monsoon II active TEC cooler appears very similar to some of the other high performance, tower-style coolers on the market today. Heat pipes are used to transport heat away from the copper base plates up into a large array of aluminum fins. An aluminum shroud encloses the rectangular fins and allows mounting a 92mm fan, which blows air over the fins to cool them. The fan has a maximum rated speed of 2,600 rpm and features a clear frame and four blue LEDs. The fan is mounted to the shroud with machine screws and silicone vibration dampening washers.

The base assembly of the Monsoon II is where things start to get interesting. Sandwiched between two copper plates is a 40mm Peltier device. The heavy red and black wires are the 12V power leads to the Peltier device. The lower base plate, which sits directly on top of the CPU when the cooler is mounted, is referred to as the cold-plate. It is in direct contact with the Peltier device's cold side. The upper plate is referred to as the hot-plate and is in direct contact with the Peltier device's hot side.

You might assume (as I initially did) that all four heat pipes would be used to transport heat away from the upper, hot side of the Peltier device. However, closer inspection shows that is not the case. Two heat pipes are connected to the upper hot-plate, while the other two are connected to the lower cold-plate!

One of the unique features of the Monsoon II TEC cooler is that the Peltier device is only turned on when needed. When the CPU is idling and when the ambient air temperature is relatively cool, the TEC isn't needed and the processor is cooled via the heat pipes and fins, just like a traditional HSF. At higher loads and/or when the ambient air temperature is above 25°C, the Monsoon II control module turns on the Peltier device for additional cooling.

The control module (management unit) is designed to mount in a spare 5.25" drive bay. A multifunction LCD display is mounted in the center of the front panel surrounded by two buttons; one for selecting the color of the display (blue, green, purple, pink, etc.) and the other for selecting °C or °F.

The Vigor Monsoon II is available in two versions, one that supports AMD K8 (MA-7131-A) processors and the other that supports Intel LGA775 (MA-7131-i) CPUs. Everything needed for easy installation is included with the kit. Overall, the Monsoon II cooler was very easy to install. The main base assembly is square so you can attach the two K8 mounting brackets so the cooler can be positioned in whatever orientation you like. I mounted the brackets on either side of the cooler, which places the cooler in a front-to-back position. The cooler is held in place with two captive mounting screws that run down thru two springs and are secured from underneath with thumb screws.

The Monsoon II active TEC CPU cooler was tested on an open frame Athlon64 K8 test rig. The following data is presented for comparative purposes only. Your actual results may be different depending on the variables unique to your system (CPU, overclock, ambient temperature, case air flow, temperature monitoring, etc). Tests were performed under two different sets of testing conditions: first with a 24°C ambient temperature and then with the ambient temperature artificially raised to 36°C.

Vigor Monsoon II Active TEC CPU Cooler CPU Full Load Temps - AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (Newcastle)
(Standard Test Rig Configuration at 24°C Amb.)
Display°C	TEC V	TEC A	Amb. °C	CPU °C	Tc °C	Delta T	dBA
26	11.22	5.4	23.8	38	32.0	8.2	37.2
(Modified Test Rig Configuration at 36°C Amb.)
Display°C	TEC V	TEC A	Amb. °C	CPU °C	Tc °C	Delta T	dBA
30	11.22	4.8	36.1	39	32.7	-3.4	41.3

Display - Monsoon II controller digital display
TEC V - DC voltage applied to the Peltier device
TEC A - DC current flowing thru the Peltier device
CPU - Temperature reported by Asus PC Probe utility (internal diode)
Tc - Temperature obtained with calibrated thermocouple attached to IHS
Delta T - Fully loaded Tc temperature rise above ambient
dBA - Sound pressure level recorded 3' away (background ~30 dBA)

The performance of the Monsoon II cooler was good during the first set of tests with an ambient room temperature of 24°C but wasn't as good as some other high-performance HSFs currently on the market. With the relatively low ambient temperature the Monsoon's TEC cycled on and off (off most of the time) and the fan cycled between low and medium speed (low most of the time). In this mode the cooler is operating pretty much as a standard HSF with very little assistance from the TEC.

Artificially increasing the ambient room air temperature to 36°C (recycling warm exhaust air) forced the Monsoon II into active mode. This is also a more realistic internal case temperature. Under these conditions performance was outstanding as indicated by a negative Delta T (-3.4°C). Yes, the CPU (cold plate) temperature was actually lower than the ambient room air temperature. In this active mode the TEC was turned on almost constantly and the fan speed cycled between medium and high (mostly medium).

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.

Strengths:

• Outstanding cooling performance - ub-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)

Weaknesses:

• A little noisy when the fan is running at medium or high speed

This is a basic preview of the Monsoon II Active TEC CPU Cooler intended for readers who just want a quick look at this new product. If you are interested in reading the full review, with all the technical details, more photographs, and comparison tests that you are used to seeing on PC Perspective, please click on this link.