The options range from just a simple heatsink and fan, to liquid and nitrogen cooling. As it goes without saying, the latter solution although offers unprecedented cooling, it is much too unrealistic for most users due to cost and installation issues. That said, air cooling (heatsink and fan) is by no means inadequate for some intense overclocking. The OCZ Gladiator, is a prime example of such product.

The OCZ Gladiator *my apologies for the black and white pictures

OCZ Technology: by overclockers for overclockers

    OCZ Technology is a relatively small company, but they have one specific purpose and dedication, and that's pushing the performance of hardware components to the max, hence the name OCZ which stands for Overlockerz. They offer products such as custom built cases with multiple fans for superior interior cooling, Nvidia video cards with an added heavy duty fan, and of course, heatsinks and fans for CPU cooling which have become popular among overclocking enthusiasts for their decent performance and reasonable price. OCZ Extreme Cool line up of heat sink fan coolers offer a good range of options that should suit the need of everyone depending on the type of overclocking. Their highest performing top of the line model is the OCZ Gladiator all copper socket cooler.

The friendly guys at Overclockerz Store and OCZ sent me not one, but two samples of these beasts. I had heard much praise about these coolers and seen many reviews of them, however after first taking it out of the box I was a bit skeptic of it due to it's small size. Yet after a closer inspection and seeing it's top notch design for maximum cooling efficiency, my expectations instantly increased and I became eager to see it in action. As previously mentioned, unlike most other heatsinks, the Gladiator is made from pure copper which in theory is a more ideal element for thermal conductivity. More on this below.