OCZ Vendetta 2 CPU Cooler Review

FAN DESIGN

The fan which comes with this CPU cooling solution is the exact same one that accompanies the Xigmatek S1283. This 7 bladed 120x120x25mm rifle bearing / Hypro bearing fan is made by Adda; or to be more specific this is the ADDA AD1212DX-A7BGL 120mm low noise fan. This PWM capable fan is designed to run between 800 and 1500rpm and at its maximum nominal speed of 1500rpms it is rated to move 56.3CFM with a lowly 1.57mm H20 of static pressure. As mentioned before, this fan is the same one as the Xigmatek fan and as such should be relatively quiet, of course time and testing will tell if OCZ has tweaked the specifications ADDA used. Yet, one thing is for certain: it is a tight fan which displays very little slop and creates only a moderate amount of vibrations when running full speed.

One interesting thing about it though is the HYPRO bearing (as ADDA calls it) or the “Rifle bearing” as OCZ calls it, is a unique hybrid sleeve bearing design in which a normal sleeve bearing has been modified so there is a continuous groove (when looked at looks a lot like lands and groves of a “rifled” gun barrel) on the bearing shaft which keeps a constant flow of oil moving between the shaft and the bearing. While they may not be as quiet as normal sleeve bearings they do have a longer life expectancy. To make things even more interesting, ADDA has added a magnetic a field to prevent friction between the bearing and fan hub, further increasing the life of the bearing. This special bearing design coupled with those rubber anti-vibration mounting plugs should for all intents and purposes stop any damaging vibrations from reaching the CPU and motherboard.


Another interesting thing about this fan is it uses the newer 4 pin PWM header. This means you can control it either by voltage or PWM. This is great if your motherboard supports it and if it doesn’t, and uses the older 3 pin header style, you can simply let the extra pin out hang over the edge of the motherboard fan header without worry.

The only noticeable difference we found with this OCZ branded fan and the Xigmatek fan was the wires were not only nice and long, they were also fully sheathed. To us this is a perfect example of the difference between a product produced by a relative newcomer and one which has been in the business of customer service for a long time. This may not seem like a big deal but this little tweak does make for a both a cleaner/neater install but also helps keep air flow restrictions to a minimum. To us this attention to detail goes along way to justifying the nominal increase in price the Vendetta 2 has over the reference Xigmatek S1283.

Rather than rely on MTBF numbers, an easier and better way to get a “feel” for what the manufacturer thinks is the real length of time a product should last is to simply look at the length of warranty provided. The length of warranty has been calculated to be long enough so which customers feel secure in purchasing it BUT still short enough it will be “out of warranty” when most fail. Taken for what it's worth, the Vendetta 2 comes with a 2 year warranty (which is 1 yr longer than the Xigmatek S1283). In all honesty, this is very disappointing as OCZ is known as a customer oriented company with great warranty service and for them to only have this level of confidence in their product is not what you would classify as reassuring. OCZ really needs to step up and show us this new technology is reliable with a warranty which reflects their true confidence in it.

With all this being said, OCZ has once again proven experience does matter and which they know how to tweak a design to get the absolute most from it. The only nagging doubt we have about OCZ sticking with the reference fan is it may be fast and quiet but it is lacking in the static pressure department. Hopefully, the OCZ engineers who designed the enhanced heatsink (and those interesting bumps on the fins) were able to take this into account and make a decent value oriented fan into a real winner!