Published in Reviews

OCZ Vendetta Cooler goes up to 3.6GHz

by on29 November 2007

Index

ImageImage

Review:  Say V for Vendetta

 

Today we tested yet another heatpipe cooler, and this time it's OCZ Vendetta. Vendetta is one of the newer OCZ coolers, and you can mount it on any Intel or AMD processor. Its design is different from the usual cooler designs, it’s reasonably priced, and checking it out is definitely worth it.

Image

The package is built to survive all kinds of transport conditions, and the cooler itself is foam protected. The box lists all the important info. It’s intended for use with all Intel Socket 775 processors, as well as all AMD sockets (AM2, 754, 939 and AM2+). Vendetta is not a large cooler, so putting it in smaller cases will not be a problem. Along with being compatible with all the above mentioned sockets, there is still a possibility that due to the size of the chipset cooler, certain motherboards won’t be able to house it. Dimensions are (L) 97 x (W) 79 x (H) 134mm. In the box, you’ll get everything you need to set this cooler up, including thermal paste and a brief installation manual.

Image

What’s interesting about this cooler is the way in which the heatpipe rests against the processor. Unlike the usual coolers, where only the cooler’s base rests on the CPU, all three copper Vendetta heatpipes rest on the processor, so the effectiveness is greatly increased. The heatpipes and fiin design are taken from Xigmatek. The above mentioned method not only increased the effectiveness of the cooler, it also made it possible to save some money, as the base is now partly manufactured from aluminum; of course, aluminum is much less expensive. The rest of the cooler is made of aluminum, so the cooler is not heavy. On the picture below you can see the V shaped design, which is also responsible for the name.

However, the V design wasn’t picked just for the aesthetics. You’ll notice that the cooler surface that’s touching the fan is much larger than we see in coolers with flat edges. The passive part is bent inwards so the surface affected by the blowing fan is increased.

Image

The top side of the cooler has the logo on it, and you can see that the cooler is mounted with rubber latches, which decrease vibration and render it quiet. The fan is 92mm in diameter and it’s easy to replace. While mounting this cooler, it’s highly advisable that you first mount the cooler on the board, and mount the fan afterwards. That’s mostly due to push-in latches that are hard to reach when the fan is mounted. On the other hand, if you have no space left in the case to separately mount the fan, then you’ll have to try a little harder to engage the push-in latches. Once they’re in place, they hold pretty well.

Image

Fan speed is 1200 to 2800 RPM, but the cooler is very quiet during usual tasks. Still, maximum RPM is another story. The package claims that noise level is between 22 and 34 dBa, with airflow of 39-54.6CFM. You can connect it to PWM with a 4-pin connector, which will enable AUTO and MANUAL fan speed settings. In the package we found an additional adapter that lets you hook the fan straight into the PSU.

Image

Image

A side view reveals three heatpipes going from the core to the top of the cooler. Aluminum has been used here as a means to keep the heatpipe in place. Copper takes in temperature really well, but aluminum gets rid of it easier, so this is a great combination.

Image

Mounting this cooler on AMD processors is simple – you need to place the metal pin over the cooler base groove (you can see it on the pictures) and latch in to the socket. Mounting it on Intel’s processors is a bit more complicated, because you have to mount two slots for Intel’s push-in pins, and you do it with two screws on the bottom of the cooler’s aluminum base.

Image


Image



Prev Next »

Last modified on 30 November 2007
Rate this item
(0 votes)