OCZ Vindicator: Heatpipe Tower Cooling from OCZ
by Wesley Fink on April 5, 2007 4:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Final Words
The OCZ Vindicator is a full heatpipe tower that is designed to be used with one or more 120mm cooling fans. OCZ also claims that the Vindicator can be used to cool at stock speeds with no fan at all. That is probably true, but our current case setup is really not optimized with cooling paths for fanless cooling. With the barely average results achieved with the stock Vindicator fan it seemed unfair to test and report less than stellar fanless results with a cooling setup not really geared to fanless cooling. We will be making changes to our cooler test bed in the near future, with the goal of realistically reducing noise and improving case airflow using means available to our readers.
The Vindicator is produced in the same plant as the Scythe Ninja Plus Revision B, so it is understandable that the OCZ cooler bears a striking resemblance to the Ninja Plus B. OCZ ships the Vindicator preassembled for Socket T (Socket 775), so it is ready to install on today's most common enthusiast CPU - Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad. OCZ also includes an easy to mount adapter for AMD Socket AM2/939/940/754. The Vindicator therefore fits all current production processors and most recent CPUs except for Intel Socket 478.
The stock Vindicator fan is clearly designed for low noise first. With a meager 40 CFM output and 18.5 dB-A noise rating it is a great cooler for a low-noise PC just as it comes from the kit. If your goal in purchasing a new cooler is silence you will be happy with the full OCZ stock package. The Vindicator name does suggest more though, and overclocking is one arena where OCZ is always a player.
The problem with overclocking, however, is the anemic output of the stock Vindicator fan. If you push overclocking with the Vindicator as far as it will go you end up with a stable overclock on our test bed of 3.80GHz. This is average to below average among the heatpipe tower coolers we have reviewed. Fortunately this problem can be corrected and the Vindicator is capable of much more. Replace the stock fan with the quiet (14 dB-A) and powerful (72 CFM) SilenX IXTREMA 120 and the Vindicator can overclock with the best.
The OCZ Vindicator with the SilenX reached a stable 3.90GHz, which matches the top tier of cooler performance we have tested. This matches the excellent Tuniq Tower 120, Thermalright Ultra 120, Cooler Master Hyper 6+ and the Scythe Infinity with two fans in a push-pull configuration. You can achieve similar but slightly lower results by using two OCZ fans, or similar quiet medium output fans in a dual push-pull arrangement. However two SilenX in push-pull did not really allow a higher overclock, so there is a limit to how much increased airflow will benefit the performance of an air cooler.
For OCZ, the Vindicator is said to be the first in a much expanded line of CPU coolers. We look forward to testing the upcoming OCZ coolers, but we hope the new coolers will be a little more original that the Vindicator. Performance does differ from the similar Scythe Ninja Plus Rev. B primarily because a different fan is used, but the cooler itself is a Ninja Plus Rev. B with a different cut-out design on the aluminum fins.
If you want a quiet PC and modest overclocking you will be very happy with the stock OCZ kit. It is quiet and cools reasonably well. If you are an enthusiast who overclocks, buy another fan and clips and do push-pull for improved performance. For top overclocking performance throw away the stock OCZ fan and substitute something like the super quiet/high output SilenX or the Scythe SFLEX SFF21F. With a better matched fan you can reach the performance levels of the best air coolers available.
However, no matter what you do the OCZ is not quite as effective at lowering temperatures as the Tuniq Tower 120 or the Thermalright Ultra 120/Ultra 120 Extreme. The Vindicator with a better-matched fan will not hold back your overclocking attempts, but cooling is not in the same league as the top Tuniq and Thermalright coolers we have evaluated at AnandTech.
The OCZ Vindicator is a great beginning to an expanded OCZ cooler line. We liked OCZ coolers when they were more plentiful a few years ago. OCZ has that cooler background to be tapped in expanding their cooler product line. We look forward to seeing many new designs as OCZ establishes and expands their selection of cooling products.
The OCZ Vindicator is a full heatpipe tower that is designed to be used with one or more 120mm cooling fans. OCZ also claims that the Vindicator can be used to cool at stock speeds with no fan at all. That is probably true, but our current case setup is really not optimized with cooling paths for fanless cooling. With the barely average results achieved with the stock Vindicator fan it seemed unfair to test and report less than stellar fanless results with a cooling setup not really geared to fanless cooling. We will be making changes to our cooler test bed in the near future, with the goal of realistically reducing noise and improving case airflow using means available to our readers.
The Vindicator is produced in the same plant as the Scythe Ninja Plus Revision B, so it is understandable that the OCZ cooler bears a striking resemblance to the Ninja Plus B. OCZ ships the Vindicator preassembled for Socket T (Socket 775), so it is ready to install on today's most common enthusiast CPU - Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad. OCZ also includes an easy to mount adapter for AMD Socket AM2/939/940/754. The Vindicator therefore fits all current production processors and most recent CPUs except for Intel Socket 478.
The stock Vindicator fan is clearly designed for low noise first. With a meager 40 CFM output and 18.5 dB-A noise rating it is a great cooler for a low-noise PC just as it comes from the kit. If your goal in purchasing a new cooler is silence you will be happy with the full OCZ stock package. The Vindicator name does suggest more though, and overclocking is one arena where OCZ is always a player.
The problem with overclocking, however, is the anemic output of the stock Vindicator fan. If you push overclocking with the Vindicator as far as it will go you end up with a stable overclock on our test bed of 3.80GHz. This is average to below average among the heatpipe tower coolers we have reviewed. Fortunately this problem can be corrected and the Vindicator is capable of much more. Replace the stock fan with the quiet (14 dB-A) and powerful (72 CFM) SilenX IXTREMA 120 and the Vindicator can overclock with the best.
The OCZ Vindicator with the SilenX reached a stable 3.90GHz, which matches the top tier of cooler performance we have tested. This matches the excellent Tuniq Tower 120, Thermalright Ultra 120, Cooler Master Hyper 6+ and the Scythe Infinity with two fans in a push-pull configuration. You can achieve similar but slightly lower results by using two OCZ fans, or similar quiet medium output fans in a dual push-pull arrangement. However two SilenX in push-pull did not really allow a higher overclock, so there is a limit to how much increased airflow will benefit the performance of an air cooler.
For OCZ, the Vindicator is said to be the first in a much expanded line of CPU coolers. We look forward to testing the upcoming OCZ coolers, but we hope the new coolers will be a little more original that the Vindicator. Performance does differ from the similar Scythe Ninja Plus Rev. B primarily because a different fan is used, but the cooler itself is a Ninja Plus Rev. B with a different cut-out design on the aluminum fins.
If you want a quiet PC and modest overclocking you will be very happy with the stock OCZ kit. It is quiet and cools reasonably well. If you are an enthusiast who overclocks, buy another fan and clips and do push-pull for improved performance. For top overclocking performance throw away the stock OCZ fan and substitute something like the super quiet/high output SilenX or the Scythe SFLEX SFF21F. With a better matched fan you can reach the performance levels of the best air coolers available.
However, no matter what you do the OCZ is not quite as effective at lowering temperatures as the Tuniq Tower 120 or the Thermalright Ultra 120/Ultra 120 Extreme. The Vindicator with a better-matched fan will not hold back your overclocking attempts, but cooling is not in the same league as the top Tuniq and Thermalright coolers we have evaluated at AnandTech.
The OCZ Vindicator is a great beginning to an expanded OCZ cooler line. We liked OCZ coolers when they were more plentiful a few years ago. OCZ has that cooler background to be tapped in expanding their cooler product line. We look forward to seeing many new designs as OCZ establishes and expands their selection of cooling products.
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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.