We'll only be demonstrating AMD installation, but as mentioned earlier, motherboard is not required for either platform provided there is not a custom setup with your previous cooler.

The first order of business is pulling the rubber fan plugs through the fan itself. This is not hard to do, though we did struggle a bit with one plug. Once they are installed, you can turn them properly in order to slide into the Vendetta 2. This should be done after the heatsink is installed.

The base of the heatsink has some grooves that run along it. For AMD installation, just put the clip in line with it and orient the cooler for your motherboard.

Place the cooler on top of the CPU, after applying thermal paste to it, and clip the Vendetta 2 in place.

Install the fan, plug it in and you're all done.

Performance

We tested the cooler with an AMD X3 8750 and MSI 790GX motherboard. The results below are in Celsius. The CPU was tested at both stock speed and overclocked to 3.0GHz. The comparison coolers will be the Thermaltake V1 and AMD stock cooler. The initial results will be at the fans running full speed, but we will also include performance at the lowest settings at the end.

Idle Temperatures

When the CPU isn't working, the performance is fairly even across the board. 

Load Temperatures

Once things are cranked up, the situation changes. Both Thermaltake and OCZ tie at stock speeds but at 3GHz, there is a 1C difference between the two. 

Load Temperatures - Low Speed

At the lowest fan settings, the OCZ Vendetta 2 is the top performer at 3GHz.

Final Words

Overal we were pleased with the OCZ Vendetta 2 Heatsink's performance. Across the stock and overclocked speeds, the cooler performed much better than the stock cooler and on par with the Thermaltake. We did find the Thermaltake quieter overall at the high speed settings, but at the lower speeds, the Vendetta 2 was less high pitched to our ears. Neither cooler was as silent as the stock cooler, but they did perform on a different level.

As the Thermaltake V1 also employs a heat pipe design, albeit not HDT, we were unable to determine which technique was better. What we can say is the OCZ Vendetta 2 is far cheaper, . The Thermaltake is a good expensive on average.

Otherwise, the OCZ Vendetta 2 performed well, was easy to install and is well built. The low price makes it an attractive option if you're interested in a solid air cooler without the high price. It is a bit on the noisy side at the high speed settings, but the low fan speed performance is enough for everyone except the extreme overclockers.