Introduction

The AMD AM2 stock cooler leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to cooling performance and noise levels. So what are you to do with your newly setup AM2 rig, suffer in silence with your high temperatures and loud fan? One option would be to get hold of an OCZ Tempest cooler. Read on to see what XSR thought of it.

A Little About OCZ

Entering the memory market in August 2000, OCZ Technology was built around the determination to manufacture the best high speed DDR and RDRAM. OCZ was founded by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts, and our commitment to the end-user has not digressed. OCZ Technology has been an innovator in many areas. We were the first manufacturer to make Dual Channel optimized memory available to the public, which originally took advantage of nVidia's Twinbank or Dual DDR architecture, found in their nForce chipset. We have now taken that technology and tailored it for the Canterwood, and Granite Bay chipset's. OCZ developed and was the first to implement ULN technology, which has been a critical element in our manufacturing process for some time. We at OCZ diligently work to improve communication with CPU and motherboard chipset manufacturers prior to the release of their products. Only in this manner can we fine-tune our memory's SPD settings, ensuring a synergistic relationship between the memory module, memory controller, and microprocessor. In today’s rapidly evolving semiconductor industry, such communication is not simply research, but a necessary component of our manufacturing process.

Specifications

OCZ's Take on the Tempest

Designed and built to address the demanding cooling requirements of gamers and enthusiasts, the OCZ Tempest is the pinnacle of air and heat pipe cooling technology. The Tempest features four copper heat pipes that rapidly transfer heat away from your CPU up into the dense fin array where the heat is quickly and effectively dissipated. The Tempest's superior heatsink layout allows for a compact footprint while still delivering maximum cooling efficiency and can be used with the vast majority of motherboards and cases.

Gamers will appreciate the Tempest's quiet operation and unrelenting cooling during even the most intense gaming. The Tempest also gives enthusiasts the unprecedented freedom to customize their cooler by providing two sets of mounting holes to accommodate a wide range of replacement fans. Additionally, the fan mounting hardware ensures different fans can be easily swapped in and out without having to remove the installed Tempest heatsink.

The Tempest is quick and easy to install and includes mounting sets for AMD 939/940/AM2 sockets and Intel 775/478 sockets.

Dominate performance-robbing heat, improve system stability and performance—chill out with the OCZ Tempest.