OCZ Vindicator: Heatpipe Tower Cooling from OCZ
by Wesley Fink on April 5, 2007 4:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Additional Fan Tests
Initial test results showed the fan of the Vindicator was heavily slanted to silence. The stock fan provided average to below average results in our cooler overclocking tests. To determine whether the overclocking limitations were a result of the cooler design or the fan selection, additional cooling tests were run with a remarkable new fan we just got in for review.
The SilenX IXTREMA 120 claims to provide the world's best noise-to-airflow ratio. The specifications certainly support that claim with an exceptional 14 dB-A noise level coupled with 72 CFM airflow. Perhaps even more remarkable is the rated watts of 1.92 which should be safe on almost any motherboard fan header.
We extend our sincere thanks to Frozen CPU for providing the SilenX IXTREMA 120 for testing. We are preparing for a roundup of 120 fans and Frozen CPU has provided an assortment of tantalizing fans that we think you will enjoy seeing in the upcoming 120 fan roundup.
The claimed low noise and high output of the SilenX fan certainly sounds attractive, so the IXTREMA was used to see if higher fan output would improve the cooling and overclocking of the OCZ Vindicator. Results with a single stock OCZ fan and a single SilenX IXTREMA 120 are reported in all performance charts and graphs.
Push-Pull Testing
Since a push-pull fan configuration made a significant improvement in our review of the Scythe Infinity cooler, push-pull was briefly tested using two stock OCZ Vindicator fans. Overclocking performance was also tested briefly using two SilenX IXTREMA 120 fans.
Push-Pull results were mixed and not directly comparable to the findings on the Infinity. A stock single OCZ Vindicator fan topped out at an overclock of 3.80Ghz. Using two of the 40 CFM fans allowed us to reach a top stable overclock of 3.87GHz - better than one fan, but still below the top heatpipe tower coolers and the push-pull Infinity.
However, a single 72 CFM SilenX allowed a top stable overclock of 3.90GHz - matching the top results with the Thermalright Ultra 120/SFLEX, Tuniq Tower 120, Cooler Master Hyper 6+, and Scythe Infinity (with two push/pull 46.5 CFM fans). This certainly points to a better fan providing better results with the OCZ Vindicator. The soon-to-be-released Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme remains alone at the top of our performance charts with an overclock of 3.96GHz combined with temperatures among the lowest tested at each overclock.
With these results with a single SilenX we were excited to test the OCZ Vindicator with two SilenX fans. To our surprise two SilenX 72 CFM fans in a push-pull configuration provided no better overclocking than a single 72 CFM SilenX. The conclusion is that increasing airflow in the Vindicator definitely improves performance - moving it from average to a top competitor. However, increasing airflow, even with high output low-noise fans, is not without limits. Eventually you reach the point where increasing airflow provides no further improvements in cooling or overclocking. This optimum point is likely to vary with each cooler and each type of design. It is a subject we will explore further in our 120mm fan roundup.
Since results were the same with one or two SilenX fans, we report results with one SilenX fan and the stock OCZ Vindicator fan. This is also consistent with the fact that two OCZ fans in push-pull improved cooling, but not to the extent of the improvement with one SilenX IXTREMA fan.
Initial test results showed the fan of the Vindicator was heavily slanted to silence. The stock fan provided average to below average results in our cooler overclocking tests. To determine whether the overclocking limitations were a result of the cooler design or the fan selection, additional cooling tests were run with a remarkable new fan we just got in for review.
The SilenX IXTREMA 120 claims to provide the world's best noise-to-airflow ratio. The specifications certainly support that claim with an exceptional 14 dB-A noise level coupled with 72 CFM airflow. Perhaps even more remarkable is the rated watts of 1.92 which should be safe on almost any motherboard fan header.
We extend our sincere thanks to Frozen CPU for providing the SilenX IXTREMA 120 for testing. We are preparing for a roundup of 120 fans and Frozen CPU has provided an assortment of tantalizing fans that we think you will enjoy seeing in the upcoming 120 fan roundup.
The claimed low noise and high output of the SilenX fan certainly sounds attractive, so the IXTREMA was used to see if higher fan output would improve the cooling and overclocking of the OCZ Vindicator. Results with a single stock OCZ fan and a single SilenX IXTREMA 120 are reported in all performance charts and graphs.
Push-Pull Testing
Since a push-pull fan configuration made a significant improvement in our review of the Scythe Infinity cooler, push-pull was briefly tested using two stock OCZ Vindicator fans. Overclocking performance was also tested briefly using two SilenX IXTREMA 120 fans.
Push-Pull results were mixed and not directly comparable to the findings on the Infinity. A stock single OCZ Vindicator fan topped out at an overclock of 3.80Ghz. Using two of the 40 CFM fans allowed us to reach a top stable overclock of 3.87GHz - better than one fan, but still below the top heatpipe tower coolers and the push-pull Infinity.
However, a single 72 CFM SilenX allowed a top stable overclock of 3.90GHz - matching the top results with the Thermalright Ultra 120/SFLEX, Tuniq Tower 120, Cooler Master Hyper 6+, and Scythe Infinity (with two push/pull 46.5 CFM fans). This certainly points to a better fan providing better results with the OCZ Vindicator. The soon-to-be-released Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme remains alone at the top of our performance charts with an overclock of 3.96GHz combined with temperatures among the lowest tested at each overclock.
With these results with a single SilenX we were excited to test the OCZ Vindicator with two SilenX fans. To our surprise two SilenX 72 CFM fans in a push-pull configuration provided no better overclocking than a single 72 CFM SilenX. The conclusion is that increasing airflow in the Vindicator definitely improves performance - moving it from average to a top competitor. However, increasing airflow, even with high output low-noise fans, is not without limits. Eventually you reach the point where increasing airflow provides no further improvements in cooling or overclocking. This optimum point is likely to vary with each cooler and each type of design. It is a subject we will explore further in our 120mm fan roundup.
Since results were the same with one or two SilenX fans, we report results with one SilenX fan and the stock OCZ Vindicator fan. This is also consistent with the fact that two OCZ fans in push-pull improved cooling, but not to the extent of the improvement with one SilenX IXTREMA fan.
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Wesley Fink - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
For those that have complained that our 36db ambient room noise is very high I am posting info from SilentPCReview's article "Noise in COmputing: A Primer" at http://www.silentpcreview.com/article121-page1.htm...">http://www.silentpcreview.com/article121-page1.htm....SPL (dB) TYPICAL ENVIRONMENT AVERAGE DESCRIPTION
140 30 meters from military aircraft at take off Threshold of pain
120 Boiler shop (maximum levels)
Ships engine room (full speed) Almost intolerable
100 Automatic lathe shop
Platform of underground station (maximum levels)
Printing press room Extremely noisy
80 Curbside of busy street
Office with tabulating machines Very noisy
60 Restaurant, Department Store; Noisiest Gamer PC Noisy
50 Conversational speech at 1 meter; Noisy workstation Clearly audible
35 - 45 Quiet office or library; Typical PC Subdued
25 - 30 Bedroom at night, Quiet PC Quiet
20 - 25 Quiet whisper; Very quiet PC
Background in TV and recording studios Very quiet
15 - 20 Super quiet / fanless PC Barely audible
<15 Sounds of internal organs Normally inaudible
0 'Normal' threshold of hearing Not audible
As you can see 35 to 45db is considered a Quiet Office or Library or the noise level of a Typical PC Subdued. At 36db I am at the low end of that noise category. When you discuss noise it is useful to keep these comparisons in mind.
In the revamping of our test bed we will be aiming to drop into the next category if possible using realistic means in our test romm and test platform. We have stated in our reviews that we measure noise at a constant distance above the open side of a system mounted in a PC Case. As we have also said this means you should consider our noise measurements the worst case you will see for the component tested. A closed case reduces noise and greater distance from the component reduces noise. Any measurements that fall below our system noise floor are reported as the noise floor measurement.
bob4432 - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
i would say my bedroom at night is more around 80-100db :)yacoub - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
So basically this thing cools nowhere near as effectively as an Ultra 120 (judging by your charts that show it a good 10 degrees Celcius hotter than the Ultra 120 at given points.Also, what would really make these hsf reviews even more helpful would be to see a nice list fitments on popular boards (a couple 680i, 650i, P965, and 975 boards you have around the labs). Give it a green, yellow, or red for fitment - Green, it fits fine and mounts easily. Yellow, it will fit but requires some frustration and/or 'editing' of the hardware (i.e. adding shims, shaving with a dremmel or similar), and Red, it simply will not fit... caps in the way or similar issues.
Wesley Fink - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
As we said in Final Words " . . . but cooling is not in the same league as the top Tuniq and Thermalright coolers we have evaluated at AnandTech."The OCZ Vindicator is competetive with the better coolers when you add a higher output fan, but the cooling performance is still far below the Tuniq Tower 120 and the Thermalright Ultra 120/Ultra 120 Extreme.
yacoub - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
Please don't miss the important part of my comment, which was not the first sentence stating the obvious, but the larger portion in bold. Thanks.Wesley Fink - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
I didn't miss your bold. Adding fitment info is a good suggestion.poohbear - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
dude, anandtech or any private site should NOT be responsible for testing product compatibility for a company, that's the company's responsibility.did you get my message in bold? good. unless OCZ is gonna pay sites to do this, then anantech shouldnt be doing OCZ's job for them.
DrMrLordX - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
Who got the silentpcreview forum posters all in a tiff? The article wasn't *that* bad. It should be obvious by now that cooling performance and overclocking performance are the two main foci of these articles.As anyone who reads Anandtech regularly should know, Anandtech reviewers doing "sideshow" reviews with limited testing equipment/materials include whatever happens to be handy in lieu of using an extensive array of parts. Someone sent them the SilenX fan, so they used it. Big whoop.
Pay attention to the cfm ratings and ignore the commentary on noise if you're so upset about it.
Overall, I found the review to be "eh" because they reviewed a less-than-exciting hsf. It performed poorly without an add-on fan, and with an add-on fan, it was still beaten soundly by top-tier coolers using included fans (some with lower cfm ratings). I guess I have to ask, "why bother?".
I'm not even entirely sure why they included the SilenX fan other than to discover if the HSF had some kind of potential to be a great balance of silence and performance, but I think we can all agree that the dual low-cfm Infinity holds that distinction.
It IS good to know that a fan comparison is coming up. I guess that may be one reason why the SilenX fan made it into this review . . . we should expect to see it later in the fan review.
Chunga29 - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
My thoughts exactly, for the most part. SPCR has its own niche and this is not the same market. So the noise level is higher than anyone at SPCR would allow? Big deal. I also don't recall reading anything where they stated that the specs of the fan, HSF, etc. were 100% truthful. They just used a fan that almost certainly had a noticeably higher air movement potential, and the testing bears this fact out. For a real-world test case (which SPCR doesn't do) the SilenX was no louder than the original fan and improved cooling. That's somewhat useful information.Actually now that I think about it, I know exaclty why the SPCR guys are pissed. It's the paragraph on page 7:
Looks like someone ruffled the feathers of the "more knowledgeable than thou" silent PC people. You read their testing and it really is quite silly at times. They basically test each part in near total isolation. I can attest to the fact that a "quiet" fan sitting in the open and suspended on foam is not nearly as loud as the same fan in a case. I'm a bit curious as to why the HSF testing environment is so loud, relatively speaking (only 36.4 dB minimum with everything off!?), but at least the results are consistent.
Spoelie - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
You're actually using flawed logic there. How much of the time is your cpu under heavy load? How much of the time has your psu kicked up the pace? The idle and mid load levels are a lot more active and make up the majority of the time of almost any desktop computer. Consider the following for a real world scenario...The corsair and seasonic do not kick up their fans till they provide about 250-300w. This load level will only be achieved when both the vidcard and cpu are under load, a cpu alone will not reach that load level. Now the only case in which both the heavy consumers are under load is gaming, at which point we do not really care about noise levels anymore, since the gaming sound effects will drown out any noisy fan.
However, if we're working in windows, either lightly loaded (browsing, ...) or heavily loaded (encoding a something to h.264, ...) we're much more easily irritated by a noisy computer. The good thing about the other psu's is that in those scenarios, they will be at their base noise floor, and virtually silent, certainly quieter than the OCZ. So at that point we can objectively measure the difference between the fan configurations.
So in essence, PURELY REGARDING NOISE LEVELS, spcr has a more realistic sound measuring system. I do know however that this is not the focus of this article, so it's kinda silly trying to defend the article on these points. Read the article for the overclocking and temperature levels, that's what it's good for.