While testing the Vendetta we compared it to Intel’s box cooler; the one you get when buying Intel’s CPUs. We have a couple of interesting coolers in our lab, but we have no up-to-date results, so we’ll refresh our tables soon. We’ve recently tested Asetek’s LCLC water cooling system, which is more than just a cooler, but we still compared it to Vendetta. Asetek has proven that it has what it takes to battle coolers better than Intel’s default ones.



Testbed

Motherboard:
EVGA 680i SLI (Supplied by EVGA)

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo 6800 Extreme edition (Supplied by Intel)

Memory:

OCZ FlexXLC PC2 9200 5-5-5-18  (Supplied by OCZ)
        while testing CL5-5-5-15-CR2T 1066MHz at 2.2V

PSU:
OCZ Silencer 750 Quad Black ( Supplied by OCZ)

Hard disk:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB SATA (Supplied by Seagate)

Below you’ll see tables showing processors at same speeds, but in two cooler usage modes. One mode is Automatic Fan Speed, where the system decides on the optimum fan speed, and the other is Manual Fan Speed, where we simply opted for 100% RPM. In Burn-in tests at 3.6GHz, Intel’s cooler performed very poorly in Automatic mode, so we halted testing right away. You’ll see for yourself if you look at the tables.





Vendetta worked like a charm in this test where Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme 6800 processor ran at default 2.9GHz. We measured maximum 48°C, compared to Intel’s default cooler that reached 76°C.

Asetek ran quite hot, but mostly because it also cools the graphics card (in our case it was 8800 GTX) which increased the CPU temperature. The beauty of LCLC cooling is that not even overclocking will make the temperature soar higher, which is not the case with standard air coolers.

All the coolers performed better when fans ran at 100% RPM. (In LCLC’s case we’re talking about fan radiator).

Now we see the tests with the processor overclocked to 3.6GHz, when CPU temperature rises significantly.



If you’re using Intel’s reference cooler, then you’re taking the risk of frying your CPU, because 115°C is just too much. That being said, we had to turn it off after a couple of minutes.

Around 50°C in idle mode and up to 74°C under a workload is a good result for this processor, overclocked to 3.6GHz. We advise you to keep the Automatic mode while overclocking, because the fan simply gets too loud at maximum RPM.



Vendetta and Asetek are quite even, but Vendetta outperforms it by a small margin when the CPU is under a workload. The good news is that you can use Intel’s reference cooler when overclocking your CPU up to 3.6GHz, but due to the high temperatures, we wouldn’t advise it. Vendetta is a much better choice in this scenario, and unlike Asetek LCLC, you can buy it in retail for only $35.


Conclusion

Vendetta is one of the newer coolers from OCZ, and it runs great. The cooler design is not unique, but OCZ added some of their own magic, and voila – it resulted in great performance. The fan is silent and that’s quite important.

While overclocking, Automatic mode keeps the cooler silent, whereas maximum RPM will render it quite noisy, although the job gets done flawlessly.

Priced at around €30, this cooler is a great deal. Besides, 3.6GHz is a result to drool over, and a minimum investment will make it possible. This cooler is truly for anyone, and we strongly recommend it.  

Update: In the meantime, we've learned that the real price is €23 which makes it looks even better, and this iswhole lotta cooling for peanuts. Therefore, here's an award and this cooler should be highly considered in your Xmas shopping buy list.