OCZ Vindicator: Heatpipe Tower Cooling from OCZ
by Wesley Fink on April 5, 2007 4:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Scaling of Cooling Performance
The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme has been the top performer so far in CPU cooling at stock speeds. As overclocks were raised, the performance the Ultra 120 with the Scythe SFLEX fan maintained its cooling advantage. The OCZ Vindicator is average or below average in cooling efficiency with the stock fan. It is clear the stock fan was selected for low noise and not cooling efficiency. However, a swap to the 14 dB-A 72 CFM SilenX fan improved cooling to the levels of the Cooler Master Hyper 6+ and Scythe Infinity - two coolers that reached upper tier cooling performance in our reviews.
At 2.93GHz the retail HSF is running at 41C, compared to 32C with the OCZ Vindicator with the stock fan. This is a delta of 9C. The SilenX drops that temperature to 29C, or a delta of 12C. The delta increases slightly with the stock fan as the overclock increases. At 3.73GHz the idle with the retail fan is 56C compared to the Ultra 120 at 46C - a delta of 10C! Performance improvements are much greater with SilenX fan on the OCZ Vindicator. At 3.73GHZ the SilenX cools to 42C, while at the highest stable overclock of 3.90GHz the Vindicator/SilenX is at 44C. This almost straight line at idle at the top of our testing is an indication the SilenX is effectively cooling at idle all the way to the top speed that could be reached in benchmarking.
Cooling efficiency of the Vindicator, with stock and SilenX fans, was next tested under load conditions. Results are compared to the retail HSF and other recently tested CPU coolers. The OCZ Vindicator with the SilenX fan generated results similar to the Scythe Infinity with Push-Pull fans and reached the upper tier of overclocking performance. Results with the single stock fan were average at best.
By 3.90 GHz - the highest overclock the Tuniq, Thermalright Ultra 120, and Cooler Master Hyper 6+, and push-pull Scythe Infinity could reach with stability - the Vindicator is at 65C with the SilenX fan. This is still worse performance than many of other top coolers at this speed. The Tuniq and Ultra 120 are both at 51C, which is some 14C lower than the Vindicator. Keep in mind that the Vindicator was completely stable at 3.90GHz with the SilenX fan even though it ran a bit warmer. The stock fan could only manage 3.80GHz so the SilenX is a much better fan for overclocking the OCZ Vindicator.
As stated many times, the overclocking abilities of the CPU will vary at the top, depending on the CPU. This particular CPU does higher FSB speeds than any X6800 we have tested, but the 3.9GHz top speed with the top tier heatpipe towers is pretty average among the X6800 processors we have tested with Tuniq cooling. A few of the other processors tested with the best air coolers reach just over 4 GHz, but the range has been 3.8 to 4.0GHz. Stock cooling generally tops out 200 to 400 MHz lower, depending on the CPU, on the processors tested in our lab.
The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme has been the top performer so far in CPU cooling at stock speeds. As overclocks were raised, the performance the Ultra 120 with the Scythe SFLEX fan maintained its cooling advantage. The OCZ Vindicator is average or below average in cooling efficiency with the stock fan. It is clear the stock fan was selected for low noise and not cooling efficiency. However, a swap to the 14 dB-A 72 CFM SilenX fan improved cooling to the levels of the Cooler Master Hyper 6+ and Scythe Infinity - two coolers that reached upper tier cooling performance in our reviews.
At 2.93GHz the retail HSF is running at 41C, compared to 32C with the OCZ Vindicator with the stock fan. This is a delta of 9C. The SilenX drops that temperature to 29C, or a delta of 12C. The delta increases slightly with the stock fan as the overclock increases. At 3.73GHz the idle with the retail fan is 56C compared to the Ultra 120 at 46C - a delta of 10C! Performance improvements are much greater with SilenX fan on the OCZ Vindicator. At 3.73GHZ the SilenX cools to 42C, while at the highest stable overclock of 3.90GHz the Vindicator/SilenX is at 44C. This almost straight line at idle at the top of our testing is an indication the SilenX is effectively cooling at idle all the way to the top speed that could be reached in benchmarking.
Cooling efficiency of the Vindicator, with stock and SilenX fans, was next tested under load conditions. Results are compared to the retail HSF and other recently tested CPU coolers. The OCZ Vindicator with the SilenX fan generated results similar to the Scythe Infinity with Push-Pull fans and reached the upper tier of overclocking performance. Results with the single stock fan were average at best.
By 3.90 GHz - the highest overclock the Tuniq, Thermalright Ultra 120, and Cooler Master Hyper 6+, and push-pull Scythe Infinity could reach with stability - the Vindicator is at 65C with the SilenX fan. This is still worse performance than many of other top coolers at this speed. The Tuniq and Ultra 120 are both at 51C, which is some 14C lower than the Vindicator. Keep in mind that the Vindicator was completely stable at 3.90GHz with the SilenX fan even though it ran a bit warmer. The stock fan could only manage 3.80GHz so the SilenX is a much better fan for overclocking the OCZ Vindicator.
As stated many times, the overclocking abilities of the CPU will vary at the top, depending on the CPU. This particular CPU does higher FSB speeds than any X6800 we have tested, but the 3.9GHz top speed with the top tier heatpipe towers is pretty average among the X6800 processors we have tested with Tuniq cooling. A few of the other processors tested with the best air coolers reach just over 4 GHz, but the range has been 3.8 to 4.0GHz. Stock cooling generally tops out 200 to 400 MHz lower, depending on the CPU, on the processors tested in our lab.
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41 Comments
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yyrkoon - Monday, April 9, 2007 - link
These 40 posts are a mostly 'bitches' from people who 'claim' Anandtech reviewers are 'wrong' ?In case it is not already obvious, Anandtech is an enthusiast site, which means they cater to the overclockers, and people who care about computer hardware in general, not people who can not sleep when someone drops a pin over in china . . .
Seriously, I can understand pointing out typos, and a disagreement or two on the finer points, and what not, but complaining because you think their data is incorrect, based on data given by another site(which obviously is not even in the same class of a site), is plain stupid. Do you actually know for a fact that the data from this other site is correct ? If so, how do you know ? If 30dba is what is considered a quite room, wtf does it matter if Andantech 'claims' the fan used here is 14dba or not ? Personally, I think some of you guys, are entirerly too anal, and need to learn how to socialize a tad better. something like: 'I do not think 14dba is possible on a computer fan(Correct me if I am wrong), but <insert some other point here>' probably would have worked just fine, without sounding like you are bashing the reviewers of the site.
There are many ways to say that you think the data given is incorrect, without sounding like a horses ass, and in the long run, no one is twisting your arm to come here and read the reviews. If you really, really like this other site so much, that you feel it nessisary to come here and bash the Anandtech crew, I think we all can agree, it would be a much better place here, if you just stayed away.
Affectionate-Bed-980 - Friday, April 6, 2007 - link
Real world testing is great, but isnt this how someone's Core 2 duo article got FLAMED to death because there was a bottleneck?When we test fans, yea it's great to know that 14 dB fan won't do jack in my system when my PSU is running around 30.
Just like it doesn't matter that my sticks of RAM can clock to DDR600 because my Opteron 170 won't let me go past 250 HTT anyways, so I can only go to DDR500 anyways unlesss I really want a lower multiplier.
There are limits left and right, but EVERYONE wants to know the specifications and capabilities of THE PRODUCT IN INTEREST. This is similar to high school science or junior high or whenever you learn that in experimenets, your goal is to isolate one variable and test it.
I don't give a damn that my PSU is going to be loud. What if i used a fanless system? There are people out there who want to know how loud this damn SilenX fan is, and we wnat to know how loud it REALLY IS compared to the specs.
I'm tired of hearing how really only REAL WORLD performance matters. Give us the LAB numbers and then give us how real world performance might come into play.
As an engineer, when you look up materials properties like strength tests, hardness numbers, stress concentration data, it's ALL lab samples that are perfect. It's your job when you choose a material to use in applications to understand the real world implications.
Similarly, it's your job to understand that when you pick up a 14 dB fan, that your PSU may still be louder and that your system may not be that quiet.
DrMrLordX - Friday, April 6, 2007 - link
The "product in interest" is the HSF itself, not the add-on fan. The whole point of adding the fan, I suppose, was to show that the included fan produced as much (or more) noise while yielding significantly inferior results.The HSF still wasn't that great even with the add-on fan, so it's all rather academic to me. Unless this HSF sells for a very low price, I can see no reason to shell out ~$50-$60 for it + the SilenX fan when you can get a cooler that performs better for the same amount of money. Choose wisely, and you might even get one that's just as silent.
People need to stop making a mountain out of a mole-hill here. Geez.
strikeback03 - Friday, April 6, 2007 - link
then go read over at SPCR. They try and tell you how loud each component is, Anandtech tries to tell you whether it matters. no point in repeating tests easily available elsewhere.Affectionate-Bed-980 - Saturday, April 7, 2007 - link
Yes I know that. It's great going to SPCR to see good sound testing, but it's just a PITA that I have to hit up like 10 different hardware sites to get information.poohbear - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
wow socket A support for this cooler?!? it prolly costs more than the socket A cpu and mobo put together! lolWesley Fink - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
Socket A is not supported.bob4432 - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
skt 468...sh!t, i missed a whole family of cpus... :(Wesley Fink - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
Typo corrected :)scott967 - Thursday, April 5, 2007 - link
I like the noise testing, but at least in my systems I have a problem with hi freq fan whine. It would be nice in your fan review if you could get a spectrum analyzer and look for noise spikes as well as average dBa.