OCZ Tempest CPU Cooler

Over the past year, I have become somewhat of a big fan of OCZs products. In that time, I have taken a look at around 10 of their memory kits, some which were better than others. Overall though, I am impressed with their lineup because they are truly designed by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts. Since they are already doing well in the memory and power supply market, it only makes sense to spread themselves around a bit more. We found out what new market they chose with the announcement of the Tempest CPU cooler a few months ago.

Normally, I am not interested in CPU coolers to any large degree. Most of the time, I find most of them look the same, and have similar cooling ability. Something about the Tempest caught my eye though, and it wasn’t just the bright blue LED. Looking at some of the coolers Scythe, Zalman and others offer, OCZ chose to create one that was very low profile. That is to say that it’s much shorter than some others out there. That intrigued me because if it cools as well as it says it does, then this would be a great air solution that won’t hog a lot of space inside your tower.

Here are some quick stats as provided by OCZ:

Features
• For Sockets AMD 939/940/AM2, Intel 775/478
• Pure Copper base plate (Titanium coated) and 4 heat pipes for superior heat dissipation
• Pure Aluminum fins for ultimate durability
• Weight (w/out fan) 580g
• Dimensions: (L)95.25 x (W)87.62 x (H)51.24mm

Includes
• 92mm Fan
• Thermal Compound

Fan Specs
• Low-Noise
• 2500RPM +/-10%
• 44.0 CFM
• 2-Ball Bearing
• 3 pin connector
• Blue LEDs

The cooler includes all of the required brackets and mounts to hook it up to virtually any recent system. I was pleased to see AM2 was supported, so I decided to test it out on that system.

The Tempest arrived in a semi-tall package that is rather flimsy. It holds everything into place no problem, but if you were to re-package it, it would not be that sturdy. You can see that the fan does not come attached. It’s up to you to decide whether you want it to suck air away from the cooler or blow air at it. Apologies for the poor pictures… the time that these were taken, a cheap camera was the only thing lying around.

After taking everything out, this is what you will see. The cooler, fan, manual, brackets and mounts. Also some thermal putty there, if you don’t have anything else on hand. Though it doesn’t look like much here, -everything- is included that you will need. They have also supplied a few extra screws in case you lose a few.

The fan that is included is great looking… I absolutely love it. It is only 2500RPM, 44CFM, but it’s designed to be quiet. It requires a 4-Pin power connector to plug into, which in my case, is easily accessible.

Here is the cooler without the fan. As you can see, it’s very low profile. OCZ obviously had the idea of not hogging the inside of your case, which is welcomed. It feels solid, which says a lot for it’s durability. The entire unit is encased with many aluminum fins, with four copper heatpipes piercing through them. The heat will leave the CPU, hit the heatpipes and travel along to the other side. It’s a simple concept, but it makes sense.

From the top, you can actually see quite clearly the pipes running through.

Though it’s hard to tell with the bad images, the base is copper with a titanium finish. The pipes run directly underneath it.

On the other end, we see a couple copper nipples sticking out, though it was not a cold day. We can also see OCZs logo etched in the side.

Lastly, here is the unit in all its glory. I have no complaints about the design or look of the cooler… in fact I am rather impressed with it despite it being rather simple.