Conclusion:
OCZ Technology's latest entry into the CPU cooling market provides an excellent option to enthusiasts with any of the latest processors from AMD or Intel! It represents what we expect from OCZ; high quality and high performance. I hope OCZ continues to work in the CPU cooler field, and look forward to their next cooler to see what improvements they can come up with.
Receiving an 11 degree Celsius drop during load conditions is impressive. Whenever you can cool your components you increase the chances of an extended life, and allow them to work better. Another plus is that the use of a circular 92mm fan allows the cooler to maintain a relatively small footprint, while still maximizing airflow.
The biggest negative to this cooler is the lack of wrapping on the power cable. I know that seems like a small detail, but small details are what can take an above average piece of hardware to being a top notch piece of hardware. The second negative is that I was unable to control the speed of the fan. You do not always need to have the fan running on full speed, and having a fan speed controller included would be nice for those times when you would like to turn the fan down for silent operation.
A search of
PriceGrabber shows the OCZ Tempest is available starting at $49.99 (US). I'm sure in the next few weeks/months this cooler will begin to show up at more stores with more competitive pricing. For a high quality CPU cooler, this is not a bad price, and is about average for similar coolers.
Given the performance and overall features I award the
OCZ Technology Tempest CPU cooler the rating of "Highly Recommended".
Pros:
» Easy universal installation
» Complete package with clear instructions
» Quiet
» High performance
» High quality craftsmanship
Cons:
» Fan cable not wrapped
» Not able to control fan speed
Special thanks to
OCZ Technology for providing the OCZ Tempest CPU Cooler to Bigbruin.com for review!
