Final Thoughts and Conclusions

The Monsoon II Lite active TEC CPU cooler from Vigor Gaming combines the features of a high-performance HSF with a Peltier device to provide excellent cooling while eliminating most of the disadvantages normally associated with Thermoelectric Cooling.  Once again, I was very impressed by how well the Monsoon II Lite cooler performed, especially with high ambient air temperature.

 

The Monsoon II Lite was easy to install and produced very good results, even when mounted on a red-hot Presler 955 CPU in a warm environment.  The Monsoon II Lite 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.)

 

Vigor Monsoon II Lite Active TEC CPU Cooling System Review - Cases and Cooling 28

 

Power consumption for the Monsoon II Lite 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 Lite 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.

 

The Vigor Monsoon II Lite is currently available from Newegg for $109.99 USD, and the original Monsoon II with LCD display controller is available for $149.99 USD. 

 

Strengths:

 

  • Outstanding cooling performance (at higher ambient temperatures)
  • Very 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)
  • TEC doesn’t require a dedicated power supply

Weaknesses:

 

  • A little noisy when the fan is running at high speed
  • Average performance in cool environments

Bottom line: If you have cool ambient room air temperatures and good case cooling, then the Monsoon II Lite may not offer much of an advantage over a more traditional, high-performance heatsink fan, especially for the money and noise.  But if you are operating in a relatively warm environment and want to keep your CPU cool, then the Monsoon II Lite has the potential to deliver outstanding cooling performance.

 

I would like to thank Vigor Gaming for sending us the Monsoon II Lite active TEC CPU cooler to review – thanks!  Be sure to use our price checking engine to find the best price on any of Vigor Gaming’s products or anything else you may want to buy!

 

And if you have any questions or comments about the article, or would like to see what others have to say about the Monsoon II Lite active TEC CPU cooler, just click into this thread in our forums to join in the discussion!
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