OCZ Vendetta 2

Value

So we've concluded that while the Vendetta 2 doesn't represent a big step forward in thermal performance from its predecessor, the improvement to noise levels brought by the inclusion of a 120mm fan is enormous. However, the Vendetta 2 is a fair bit more expensive than the original Vendetta, which now sells for less than £15, some £8 cheaper than the Vendetta 2.

Despite this, the original Vendetta was so noisy at full fan that running it at top whack wasn't so much silence shattering but silence carpet bombing. With the 4-pin fan working at half flow though it’s very much more tolerable but naturally performance suffers. In contrast we imagine you could quite comfortably run the Vendetta 2's fan at full speed and not have it intrude too greatly over the rest of the noise from your system. This is surely worth the extra.

The advantages of the Vendetta 2 are even more obvious when compared to similar performing low noise coolers like the Noctua NH-U12P, which provides genuinely silent cooling. With a Delta T value of just one degree lower than the Vendetta 2 for a princely £15 more of the pleasure of doing so. For those not looking for true "ultra silent" cooling but who are still trying to avoid their PC becoming a wind tunnel, the Vendetta 2 seems like an extremely compelling choice.

Final Thoughts

I've talked before in heatsink reviews of the difficulty present in heatsink design in striking the balance between cooling ability and noise levels, and it's obviously been on the minds of the heatsink engineers at OCZ. I have no doubt that they could have strapped a high CFM 120mm tornado to the front to the Vendetta 2, have it outperform every other heatsink on the market but have it sound like a jet engine full of angry bees. Instead they've looked to emulate the Vendetta's already impressive thermal performance and fix the problem of high noise levels, something that the Vendetta 2 has achieved very well.

While the OCZ Vendetta 2 isn't silent, or the absolute best thermal performer, it strikes an excellent balance between them considering the £23 price tag. In fact, in some respects we think OCZ might be selling itself short at this price, or we'd happily pay a few quid more for some spare screws and gromits... and a new mounting mechanism. While it might not be up there with the big boys of the Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 or Noctua NH-U12P in performance, for the money there is very little able to touch the Vendetta 2's performance, both thermally and acoustically.

In fact, our only real beef with the Vendetta 2 is its lack of any extras and the terrible mounting system, which really should be bolt through back plate based rather than insanely difficult high tension push pins. The lack of spares is also a concern, especially with the cooler’s reliance on the rubber fan grommets and the fact that they're easily broken.

However, mounting problems and lack of spares aside, the Vendetta 2 still represents a very capable investment for those looking for a new cooler.

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• Performance
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• Build Quality
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• Ease of Use
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• Value
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What do these scores mean?