by Think of a mod’s chip as a CPU for your computer for a moment, even if you don’t understand anything about your computer stay with me here. It’s essentially the same thing, but a lot less complex than the processor in your computer.
A Core i7 has hyper-threading and is usually clocked somewhat faster than a Core i5 of the same generation. And the Core i3’s are considered entry level CPUs, slower and with less features. Hopefully you aren’t confused yet. Don’t worry this is the only references to computer lingo in this article. Now to explain how this applies to the vaping world.
Mechanical Mods (Mech Mods) are a direct connection from the button to the battery to the atomizer. There is no chip involved. Some mech mods have a MOSFET most don’t. This is not what we are talking about so we are going to skip over mech mods.
Basic regulated mods, like the vast majority out there and almost everything released up to three years ago by companies other than Yihi, Evolv or even Joyetech, used simple and slow chips. Think equivalents of not even the Core i3, but instead, a first-gen Pentium. They just managed power levels, add some protections, and allow for basic user customization.
Then someone came up with the idea to control the temperature of the vape instead of the input power, thus Temperature Control (TC) was invented.
Temperature Control (TC) means that the mod has to respond to the changes in the coils resistance. The faster the mod’s chip is, the quicker the response and the better the quality of the vape.
This is when manufacturers started slapping TC support on the same chips they were using. The results were from mediocre to disastrous, with people proclaiming “TC sucks” because:
a) their device wasn’t properly equipped to support it
b) they didn’t know how to properly set it up
c) they hadn’t tried anything different that actually worked
Yihi and Evolv realized TC was an awesome feature and improved their already good chips to support it. They got faster and better at it. Both chips had almost instant response, because they were the equivalent of Core i5’s in a landscape filled with old Pentiums.
Nowadays, more companies realized people want TC and it’s not only a buzzword. Joyetech, eLeaf and Wismec do have workable implementations of TC if you fiddle with it. They started using faster chips that can respond quickly enough to changes in resistance to avoid scorching your cotton.
Now, while they were playing catch up, Evolv and Yihi upped their game and now they offer Core i7s as their chips. They have instant response and ultra-smooth TC, whereas other mods do offer TC but are still struggling to keep up. Some chips may have banding appear on overheated cotton for some. Other chips may not run at the correct wattage, some chips pulse, among other issues that have been reported by users around the internet.
Now we have Voopoo’s Gene chip and variants, aswell as Smoant’s Ant chip offering up a budget TC experience. Consider these chips like the AMD Ryzen instead of the Intel Core i7’s of Yihi and Evolv. They’re not yet up to par, but they are close enough, and fast enough to properly work with TC leaving all other budget chips behind.
Then, some companies, like SMOK *cough cough* still sell the equivalent of Celerons in shiny clothing as current tech.
In the grand scheme of things, unless you’re trying to use TC it doesn’t matter which chip you use. However I would still recommend using Gene Chip or Ant Chip over something cheaper. I personally find Voopoo Gene chips to be the best option for low – mid range mods.
