Installation with this heatsink
wasn't quite as easy as it was with the Dominator 2, mainly
because this has three clips on each side. In order to help
you out with this, OCZ has put a slot that allows you to use
the aid of a screwdriver to get it onto the motherboard socket.
There is also a thumb clip, if you can manage it. Once you get
it into place, it's staying in there. Having three clips on
each side makes it very, very secure.
Although we're happy with the
temperatures of this, we weren't amazingly impressed when compared
to OCZ's Dominator 2. This is a result of the quieter 80mm fan.
It just isn't as powerful and doesn't throw air as deep as the
60mm we used last week. Just for fun, we put on the 60mm fan
that we used last week, and we received temperatures exactly
the same as the Dominator 2, the only difference being this
cooled down faster. We were also disappointed that the 80mm
fan had to cover up this beauty of a heatsink.
Luckily, this heatsink does make
up for it's average cooling in other places. First off, this
thing is near silent. Compared to the YS-TECH fan that came
with our Dominator, this one's barely even noticeable. Another
reason we liked it was because of the short time it took to
cool down the processor after an extended period of a full load.
And we can't forget to mention its' great looks. Also, while
the Dominator could have used a little more lapping, this heatsink's
contact point was VERY smooth and didn't require any lapping.
It was almost as if it were a copper tinted mirror.
One thing we were disappointed
with was that our fan never sensed that it needed to spin faster
due to higher temperatures. It would have been nice if OCZ had
included a switch to allow you to change the fan speed manually.
Also, with the heatsink being so heavy, you must be very careful
when installing this. We were being careless and in the process,
we did chip our processor. Luckily it still runs fine.
Anyone who is looking for a quiet
HSF should definitely look into this, it provides great cooling
for it's noise level. Those timid overclockers out there should
enjoy this, and may be able to take advantage of the fan's 5000
rpm mode. However, if you're an extreme overclocker, you may
want to look into this heatsink, but instead of ordering with
an 80mm fan, opt for a 60mm Delta or Ys-Tech. Oh, and please
be careful while installing this heatsink or changing what fan
is on it while it's in the computer. If you're being careless
(like us) then you may chip your processor (like us). However
you might not be so lucky that the processor continues to work
(...like us).
Again, a special thanks
to OCZ Technology
for supplying me with this heatsink. Be sure to check their
website for other fantastic products, and to find out where
you can buy them!
Pros: ·Very quiet ·Looks good ·Dual Speed Fan...sorta ·100% copper
Cons: ·Not as good cooling as cheaper models ·Must be careful not to chip processor
when installing ·Fan may not speed up if your temps aren't
high enough ·80mm fan covers up the pretty heatsink
Final Score: B+
Questions, Comments? E-mail me here.
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Aim: ShadowOcHardware
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