Overclocker Cafe - OCZ Dominator 2 HSF

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OCZ Dominator2

Manufacturer: OCZ Technology
Supplied by: OCZ Technology
Price: $16.99

by Dean Barker (10/31/2001)

Introduction:

Just a few weeks ago we reviewed the OCZ Dominator Heatsink. Here we are, not even a month later with its successor, the Dominator 2. The primary difference between the old and the new is in the increase of the sink's surface area. This was done by adding an additional 6 fins to bring the total (not counting the sides) up to 46. How much of an impact will this have on the Dominator's performance we will soon find out. The Dominator 2 is priced ridiculously low like its predecessor. So cheap in fact, that its price rivals OEM type heatsinks and completely blows away the more pricey performance cooling solutions. This is done by mixing the tried and true with new design ideas. Combining single block aluminum construction with a bad ass fan sitting on top and thin fin technology seem to show that all the ingredients are here for a winner sink. Let’s look a bit deeper before we render any verdicts. Before we get too far along; thanks go out to The Overclockerz Store for shipping this product out to us for review.

What fan you use on your heatsink is almost important as what sink you use. A good sink can be crippled with a low volume fan. The Dominator 2 gives you a choice of one of two fan options, both of which are attention getters. The first is a Y.S. Tech 60x60x25mm that pushes 40 CFM at 7,200 RPM while making 46 dBA of music for your ears. (I'm kidding. Us old guys hate loud fans.) The other fan option is the infamous Delta “Tall Boy” 60x60x38 that moves 50.15 CFM at 8,000 RPM all to the tune of 54.5 dBA. Pretty much whatever fan you select you are going to get one helluva blower. Too bad ear plugs aren’t included. Our test sample came with the Y.S. Tech fan so our test results are expected to be a bit higher than its Delta clad twin. A nice feature OCZ thought of was wiring the fan with a 4 pin Molex connector and a RPM cable. This way you can monitor the RPMs of your fan while powering the sink off your main power supply. Either fan will suck a lot of power, so much so that you plug this mojo into your mobo header and you may well suck the life right out of it. It’s about time the high performance heatsinks came wired this way instead of just throwing a 3 to 4 pin adapter in. If you are like me, one more piece of cable or wire in your box is the last thing you need. Kudos to OCZ on the attention to detail.

Flipping the Dominator 2 over exposes a beautiful smooth shine. Outstanding actually. I really like the attention heatsink makers are putting into their respective product’s base. And OCZ is no exception either. No lapping is needed at all. The Dominator 2 is billed as being of “single piece construction.” The base and fins seem to be from a single piece of aluminum thus eliminating any questionable contact between the two, as we have seen with other sinks.

The clipping mechanism is identical to that of the original Dominator. It is designed to be a tool-less clip. I could attach and unattach the clip with no tools but things always seem to go much smoother and faster with a screwdriver pushing the clip down through the fan.

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