Final words and conclusion
The ALC Vantage is the successor of the ALC ECO, and the ECO was already really good. Based off that success the Vantage ups it a notch. Cooling performance wise we see very comparable numbers to what we see with the ECO and the ECO certainly left us a very solid impression for this category of coolers.
The Vantage's overall baseline performance is just as good as any high-end heat pipe based cooler out there. With regular processor clocks frequencies it is offering normal decent cooling, it is not a superb cooler or anything in performance, nope run of the mill good.
Where it shines though are the noise levels, or let me say that a bit better, the lack of them. We put the unit in performance mode and only if we overclock the processor with added voltage under 100% stress the cooler, once it breaches a threshold can be heard. But even then the noise levels topped out at only 40 nearing 41 DBa, which is comparable with normal fan noise, and remember that's under full multi-core processor load -- overclocked.
As always we test these coolers in several conditions. We have tested the cooler with a Core i7 750 quad core 2.67 GHz processor at default, but also took it way up towards 4.2 GHz with a far too high 1.5v assigned to the CPU core. That's where the ALC units shine and really make a difference. At such levels our processor remained under control at roughly 70~75 Degrees C.
We can't complain installation wise either. The concept has been thought through very well. Many CPU cooling manufacturers can learn a thing or two here. Place the backplate on the motherboard, assign the proper screw holes and secure the cooler. A thin layer of thermal paste has already been applied for you. Secure the fan/radiator combo, connect the power cables and boom, you are good to go.
So we established that the cooling performance is good, not terrific, but simply put good. The bliss of this product is of course that little LCD screen. It truly is severe coolness to look at. Here's where CoolIT really outdid themselves as not only does it look good, it's very configurable. You can readout the CPU base block temperature, RPM on radiator fan and pump, you can setup your preferred performance level, but the one thing that is just great is the simple fact that you can choose six backlight colors. Chances are that some of you have an ASUS motherboard, you prefer red or if you have an MSI motherboard, blue likely is your preference. And so on, very simple, very clever and very functional.
Are there any real negatives to report you might wonder ? Well no not really. I can nitpick here and there of course. I mean it's good cooling, but not excellent, switching a performance mode will require you to open up your chassis to reach the preset buttons and sure, your motherboard needs to come out during installation as a back plate needs to be installed. But again, this is really nitpicking so I am gonna stop right here and now.
Yeah, we can conclude the review here I guess. The CoolIT ALC Vantage comes much recommended in my book. You'll receive an easy to install product that has good cooling capacity, hardly makes any noise and is as bling as Paris Hilton topless on the beach. We love that, and as such we like to very much recommend this product. Currently you'll be able to find it at a price of 115 USD, and once it dips to 99 USD this product is going to sell like crazy, at least we hope so as this product really deserves that.
Props to CoolIT for a job well done !
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