Is the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme not suppost to sit any tighter?

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burningrave101

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I installed my Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme tonight on my DFI P965-S board and I followed the instructions with installation and tightened down the cross brase as tight as I could with the four spring loaded screws but the heatsink twists very easily back and forth. It's sitting pretty tight I guess on the CPU but I can easily turn it back and forth. Is it suppost to be that way?
 
I guess it is. I can also easily spin my zalman while its screwed down pretty hard.
 
yeah i had a SI-92 and you could twist it... it doesnt move up of down but because it is floating on AS5 is will rotate some....
 
It's normal.

My ultra does the same thing. What are your temperatures anyway?
 
I thought the same thing when I first installed mine. I can twist the heatsink 360 degrees with just a touch. I rechecked everything to make sure I installed it correctly because I have never seen a heatsink that is so loose. It is clearly a design defect. You would think that Thermalright would put a little more effort in the mounting system. I have a Noctua NH-U12F installed on my wife's system and its mounting bracket blows the Thermalright 120 away. When I tighten it down the heatsink is mounted on the cpu like cement. I also have a Thermalright HR-05 on my Northbridge and it is just as loose. I read all kinds of reviews about how both heatsinks were so great, but nobody ever mentioned the mounting brackets sucking so bad. I've been checking the temps on my new DFI P965-S and so far they are OK, but I am still worried. Right now I am debating about selling both and installing a Noctua NH-U12F and the original Norhtbridge heatsink. I've built a lot of computers and just don't feel comfortable with a heatsink sitting so loose on my C2D.
 
I have this HSF as well and also noticed that it can still be twisted somewhat after installation. I do not believe this to be a design defect or problem of any kind. The reason you can still move this sink is because 100% of the pressure from the mounting mechanism is concentrated directly in the center of the heatsink base and the mounting arms are not permanently attached to the base. I do not think there is any less pressure applied here than with other mounting mechanisms, it's just that it can still move because the mounting bracket is not attached to and does not rest against the sides of the base.
 
anr11 said:
I have this HSF as well and also noticed that it can still be twisted somewhat after installation. I do not believe this to be a design defect or problem of any kind. The reason you can still move this sink is because 100% of the pressure from the mounting mechanism is concentrated directly in the center of the heatsink base and the mounting arms are not permanently attached to the base. I do not think there is any less pressure applied here than with other mounting mechanisms, it's just that it can still move because the mounting bracket is not attached to and does not rest against the sides of the base.
Click to expand...

That may be true. It would make sense to have the pressure on center of the CPU die so as to maximize heat transfer. If it was tightened down all over it may not make quite as good of contact with the center. Well as long as it doesn't go anywhere and it works as well as it should then I guess I won't worry about it. The "defect" actually came in handy when I was installing it back into my Silverstone TJ09 cause I had to twist the heatsink just slightly to get the mobo tray to slide back in and clear the side of the case lol.
 
DFI p965-s w/ 120 Extreme. It twists. Idle 34c load 65c w/ as5 e6600, 1.48v 9x400 fsb 3.6ghz. Mine twists. make sure you dont peel off the white tape on the X bracket that goes into the back. I peeled mine off and heard it wont come off the motherboard now! :eek: Now in the future I must sell the DFI bored w/ a 120 eXtreme!
 
"dont peel off the white tape on the X bracket that goes into the back"

very smart !!
 
Mansize_tissue said:
I agree; i mean, you can't really expect much lower temperatures at 3.6Ghz on air.
Click to expand...

Well maybe i can. Lapped the cpu and a little bit on the thermalright X.

Before: Idle 34c load 65c w/ as5 e6600, 1.48v 9x400 fsb 3.6ghz
After: Idle 32c load 60c. I may have put to much AS5 on the heat sink.

My room is like 80 degrees though, so thats also why it gets HOT :)
 
rfisher983 said:
Well maybe i can. Lapped the cpu and a little bit on the thermalright X.

Before: Idle 34c load 65c w/ as5 e6600, 1.48v 9x400 fsb 3.6ghz
After: Idle 32c load 60c. I may have put to much AS5 on the heat sink.

My room is like 80 degrees though, so thats also why it gets HOT :)
Click to expand...

Did you lap it recently? How was the finish on the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme; i thought they were usually pretty good?

Brilliant temperature, though!
 
rfisher983 said:
DFI p965-s w/ 120 Extreme. It twists. Idle 34c load 65c w/ as5 e6600, 1.48v 9x400 fsb 3.6ghz. Mine twists. make sure you dont peel off the white tape on the X bracket that goes into the back. I peeled mine off and heard it wont come off the motherboard now! :eek: Now in the future I must sell the DFI bored w/ a 120 eXtreme!
Click to expand...

Those are around the temps I'm getting under load in Orthos at 3.6Ghz+ on my new E6600 but I'm using less voltage. I'm going to try and remount since I did a lot of twisting on the heatsink after I realized it would spin about like a top.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Did you lap it recently? How was the finish on the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme; i thought they were usually pretty good?

Brilliant temperature, though!
Click to expand...

I lapped the cpu very good 220 grit to 2000 grit. There is a lot of scratches on the top part but it feels smooth to my finger. I probably could make the scratches go away if I use some 1200 grit and make it wet like other people say to in the lapping guides. On the thermalright X I only used the 200 grit just to smooth it out a little. Not enough to get to the bronze.
 
Well, people say they are quieter and move more air. Plus, some lights will be nice :)
 
Question for you U-120 Extreme owners: Can the sink be fitted onto the socket in a North/South configuration? Pointed up, not to the side, that is.
 
Al Shades said:
Question for you U-120 Extreme owners: Can the sink be fitted onto the socket in a North/South configuration? Pointed up, not to the side, that is.
Click to expand...

I think, in most cases, it actually fits better horizontally; In fact, with 680i LT boards, you can't do anything but. This may not be the case for all motherboards, though. What did you have in mind?
By the way, this is coming from someone who hasn't actually owned the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, i've just read about it.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
I think, in most cases, it actually fits better horizontally; In fact, with 680i LT boards, you can't do anything but. This may not be the case for all motherboards, though. What did you have in mind?
By the way, this is coming from someone who hasn't actually owned the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, i've just read about it.
Click to expand...

What I need to know is whether or not the mounting mechanism will physically allow the heatsink to be installed running horizontally. This is not clear from the instructions on the
website.

http://www.thermalright.com/a_page/main_support_installation_u120_extreme.htm

What I have in mind is putting it into an Antec 900 case.
 
Al Shades said:
What I need to know is whether or not the mounting mechanism will physically allow the heatsink to be installed running horizontally. This is not clear from the instructions on the
website.
Click to expand...

Bugger. The review with the 680i LT and Thermalright Ultra 120 wasn't what i remembered it as; it's actually a Noctua NH-U12F, not the Thermalright Ultra 120. Sorry.
 
Al Shades said:
What I need to know is whether or not the mounting mechanism will physically allow the heatsink to be installed running horizontally. This is not clear from the instructions on the
website.

http://www.thermalright.com/a_page/main_support_installation_u120_extreme.htm

What I have in mind is putting it into an Antec 900 case.
Click to expand...

As far as I can tell.. the 775 mounting holes are square? As long as they are square, it can go on either way.. the mounting surface is flat all over, it doesn't care which way it is sitting.
 
Da Man said:
As far as I can tell.. the 775 mounting holes are square? As long as they are square, it can go on either way.. the mounting surface is flat all over, it doesn't care which way it is sitting.
Click to expand...

Yep, after inspecting the pictures more closely the, the fitting is definitely seems universal for which ever way you want to mount it. As long as other parts of the motherboard don't restrict it, that is.
 
Here is mine on a DFI P965-S. It fit perfectly.

040jq8.jpg

059pp9.jpg
 
Sweet jebus on a unicycle. That looks way taller than the tuniq. I hope my P182 can keep that baby in there. Btw, is there only one location where you can mount the fan or can you mount it on either side?
 
Alright good to know. I'm going to be spending about 116$ on my entire cooling for this.
 
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