OCZ Gladiator MAX

OCZ send us their latest air cooler, the big brother of the Gladiator 92mm HSF. The MAX features 120mm fan support, 4 heat pipes which touch directly the CPU IHS. OCZ’s core business has been and still is PC memory; but they’ve branched out successfully into other areas, we previously tested their Vendetta series of CPU coolers are were quite pleased by the value and performance offered.

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.

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OCZ Gladiator MAX

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OCZ Gladiator MAX
- Intel S775 / AMD AM2/939 (S1366 with separate $10 mounting kit)
- Heatsink : 717 gram (557gr without fan)
- 800~1500rpm 120mm PWM fan
- ~$40

The Gladiator Max is a supercharged version of the Vendetta 2, they have plenty of features in common, fan mounting method, fin design and layout, the fan (AD1212DX-A7BGL) is also the same one as on the Vendetta 2, a re-badged Arctic-Cooling AF12025 PWM. The main difference then is the extra heat pipe.

Inside the standard package you find a small bag of thermal paste, installation manual, push pin mounting for S775 and clip for AM2/S939. The separately available ForceII accessory adds bolt-through mounting for S775 and S1366. For those paying attention, the Xigmatek Thor’s Hammer features the same mounting kit; revealing the original OEM of recent OCZ HSF series.



Standard installation on S775 with the push-pins is very easy and takes only a few minutes. The bolt through method takes only a few extra minutes but does deliver a much tighter fit. The Gladiator is quite compact and won’t pose any compatibility issues, with plenty of room around the socket left.



OCZ has never shied away from competition, so we’ll put it up against Xigmatek HDT-S1283 and Thermalright Ultra-120 extreme



We used the bolt-through kit for all tests except one, we did one test with the Push-Pins mounting method, marked (PP) in the chart; with the stock fan the difference in heatsink mounting is good for a 1.5°C drop in CPU temperature. The stock fan offers a good performance/noise ratio, not quite silent at 12v though, but beating the NCB at 12v. At low fan speed the Gladiator MAX is quite good, matching performance of the Ultra-120 Extreme. With more extreme cooling (Delta 3200rpm) the performance is stellar, only trailing the TRUE by a few degrees. Overall price/performance/noise not as good as the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 but a close second!

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In summary here are the strong/weak points of the OCZ Gladiator MAX:



+ Good Performance/noise ratio
+ Easy installation, either with push pins or bolt-through kit
+ Competitive price

- Bolt-through kit not standard