AseTek Yesterday And Today
Plenty of water has flowed under the bridge since the first VapoChill system was launched. In addition to the numerous detail enhancements, which are scattered throughout this article where appropriate, the company has dedicated itself to perfecting the entire system.
The main component in its strategy was to integrate the production of the cases into AseTek so that it could respond to suggestions and customer requests more quickly. That led to the elimination of the U-shaped case cover, the introduction of removable side doors and several color combinations. The case is also available without the cooling unit, making it suitable as a housing for a standard system. The cooling openings are still useful, as they are ideally designed for a heat exchanger in a water-cooling system.
The VapoChill case has gone through several improvements since it was first launched:
- Five (instead of three) hard-drive bays;
- More room for extended ATX boards and full-sized plug-in cards;
- Blue power LEDs;
- Room for three 60 mm case fans and one 120 mm hard-drive fan;
- Cooling unit separated from lower section by a metal plate;
- Better workmanship.
The investment of more than $500 in a cooling system will still mean you should look several times before you leap. But what is truly heartening is the fact that AseTek is working more closely than ever with major names in the industry (the most important example being Asus). And that helps AseTek to meet what is for many customers an essential requirement: continuity. In this price class, enhancement and support are key - users expect to still be able to find suitable CPU kits two years down the road.
