Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 Revision B & C Review @ [H]

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
Staff member
Joined
May 18, 1997
Messages
55,634
Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 Revision B & C Review - All hardware enthusiast and many gamers are very much aware of just how good Thermalright's Ultra Extreme 120 (TRUE) CPU heatsinks are. Contenders over the last two years have been few. Today the original TRUE vs. TRUE Rev. B and the TRUE Rev. C. Thermalright decided to challenge itself and give the enthusiast a better product.

The TRUE has been at the pinnacle of heat sink performance for some time. It however has never been referred to as a "budget" product. There was a time when this heat sink would cost you upwards of $70 USD sans fan. Thankfully this new edition costs less at ~$59 USD, though there is still no fan being included.
Click to expand...
 
Nice revision, but I will keep my original TRUE - I am really impressed that TRUE is still the best cooler even after almost 2.5 years (I have it since May 2007)

 
Thanks so much for the article. I was wondering what the difference was between the rev. B and C, couldn't find any articles that discuss the difference, and even emailed Thermalright but its been 2 weeks without a response. Looks like the TRUE Rev. C is going to be my next cooler.
 
LittlePud said:
I'm wondering how the TRUE compares to the Noctua NH-U12P SE2...
Click to expand...

Apples to apples (ie if you ran a TRUE in push/pull like the Noctua comes), the TRUE beats the Noctua by a degree or two.

I wish the newer revisions came with the old mounting hardware, but then again I guess if someone's buying a cooler now, they're most likely using either 1366 or 1156 anyway (and not 775). I am surprised though that these don't come with any AM2/AM3 h/w though.
 
Where is my direct touch TRUE!?

Also you mentioned the TRUE Cu but didn't include it in the graphs. This makes me sad as I have one and would to compare to the TRUE.c :(
 
wait so howcome your pic of the new retail box shows a fan attached, but later you say the rev. c still comes with no fan? I plan for this one in my next build, if there is a fan included option I want to compare.
 
would luv to see a Noctua va. Thermalrigth showdown since they are similar in price/performance ranges =). i got all Thermalright now... but would would like to see how Noctua holds up, for my next rigs =P
 
Sojuuk said:
Where is my direct touch TRUE!?
Click to expand...

For what reason?
HDT loses to the TRUE and Megahalem, neither of which uses HDT.
Why should either come up with an HDT cooler when what they have already beats it?
Besides that, HDT coolers are a PITA to get a good TIM spread anyway; I've seen no less than 4 different variations on what TIM to use and how to apply it.

HDT is (at best) a way for a cheap cooler to hang with the expensive coolers. At worst the application is a mess and the performance is not there on an oc'd cpu at higher thermals.

JediFonger said:
would luv to see a Noctua va. Thermalrigth showdown since they are similar in price/performance ranges =). i got all Thermalright now... but would would like to see how Noctua holds up, for my next rigs =P
Click to expand...

It's already been done before; Noctua loses by a few degrees (which I already stated).
The lone thing the U12P had over the TRUE was a flatter base and a better mounting design. The lack of a flatter base on the TRUE has been proven to mean practically nothing, and now that the Megahalem and the newer revisions of the TRUE come with a mounting design similar to the Noctua, there's even less reason to buy a Noctua.

I own 1 TRUE (used to have 2), and 2 Noctuas (NH-U12P and NH-C12P). Is Noctua's mount better? Yes. Does the TRUE beat both of them? Yes. Now that I've done the washer mod, the TRUE beats them both even worse.
 
Sad now, i bought a Megashadow and payed like a lot, and now he new TRUE tops it? Im upset!
 
DASHlT said:
Huh...I just looked in my case, and it looks exactly like the Rev B., and it also has the holes down the middle as well..

Are you sure they NEVER sold Revion B's?....

I mean either way its a TRUE and im happy :)
Click to expand...

RTFA
Page 1 Paragraph 1.
 
zero2dash said:
Apples to apples (ie if you ran a TRUE in push/pull like the Noctua comes), the TRUE beats the Noctua by a degree or two.

I wish the newer revisions came with the old mounting hardware, but then again I guess if someone's buying a cooler now, they're most likely using either 1366 or 1156 anyway (and not 775). I am surprised though that these don't come with any AM2/AM3 h/w though.
Click to expand...

Our orig Noctua article.

Sojuuk said:
Where is my direct touch TRUE!?

Also you mentioned the TRUE Cu but didn't include it in the graphs. This makes me sad as I have one and would to compare to the TRUE.c :(
Click to expand...

You can find them here.

mas said:
wait so howcome your pic of the new retail box shows a fan attached, but later you say the rev. c still comes with no fan? I plan for this one in my next build, if there is a fan included option I want to compare.
Click to expand...

Our picture of the box shows that because that is a picture of the box we were shipped. Yes, we later say "no fan" because no fan is included.

JediFonger said:
would luv to see a Noctua va. Thermalrigth showdown since they are similar in price/performance ranges =). i got all Thermalright now... but would would like to see how Noctua holds up, for my next rigs =P
Click to expand...

Our orig Noctua article.
 
zero2dash said:
Now that I've done the washer mod, the TRUE beats them both even worse.
Click to expand...

With Lynnfield Core i5 and Core i7 processors, I would suggest lapping is very much back in style as the heatspreaders on these CPUs is VERY flat in my experience. That and a thick washer in between the TRUE mounting bracket and the TRUE's block can give you some nice extra PSI on the mounting surfaces. YMMV and beware of tearing up your mobo putting so much stress on it.
 
Kyle, were these retail bought samples or samples supplied by Thermalright? I ask because my experience with Thermalright's heatsinks shows me that their base finish and flatness is very variable, especially in the Ultra120-TRUE series of heatsinks. I had an Ultra120 that had an absolutely horrible job done on the base, with visible defects in the machining and it took me quite a bit of lapping to make it good for use. I have a TRUE that had a base finish that was a bit better but was still slightly convex but usable in it's factory finish. Then, I have a Cu TRUE that came with another horrible base finish, being very convex and off-center on the bulge they made in the base. So if the heatsinks you acquired for this round of tests were supplied by Thermalright themselves, I figure that they probably cherry picked you some good examples for the testing.

I have no problems whatsoever with Thermalright's engineering that goes into their heatsink designs, but I do have serious questions about their quality control at the manufacturing plant on the base finish. I am presently on a rig offshore in the Gulf but will be comparing a Megahelams against my lapped TRUE and Cu TRUE when I get in later this week. It would be nice to have TRUE performance without having to resort to lapping the base right off the bat because of the poor finishes I have gotten from Thermalright.

BTW, you guys keep up the good work on the heatsink and psu testing. The [H] has some of the best reviews around on them.:cool:
 
I've got one of the original TRUE's... Thing is a beast.. When I go with an i7 setup, I'll be getting Rev c for sure..
 
JediFonger said:
would luv to see a Noctua va. Thermalrigth showdown since they are similar in price/performance ranges =). i got all Thermalright now... but would would like to see how Noctua holds up, for my next rigs =P
Click to expand...

The difference between them is a degree or two. The reason I ended up going with the Noctua for the rig I'm putting together right now is price. $65 for a Noctua heatsink with $40 of the best silent fans out there included in the package versus $60 for a TRUE with no fans included made the decision a very easy one for me.
 
I have had an Si120 forever. Its cooling capabilities are legendary. I don't own a TRUE yet but I will.
 
I like how the pic's of the base came out by using graph paper, a brilliant idea :D

It looks like the base is still slightly concave, or am I just getting older?

I just fold a business card in half and use it as a washer.
 
muddocktor said:
Kyle, were these retail bought samples or samples supplied by Thermalright?
Click to expand...

The two samples in the article were supplied by Thermalright. I do however have more than a few here that were purchased and I have never seen any MFG QA problems personally.

vengence said:
For reference a single #6 screw fully torqued down at 14in-lbs will generate about 500lbf of clamping force. Just be careful and know what you are doing.
Click to expand...

No doubt it is a use at your own risk scenario. I crank "the shit" out of water block hold downs all the time without any issues for years now.

3DChipset said:
Is the TRUE Black Edition considered a revision "C" ?
Click to expand...

IIRC it is an Original type. Here is a picture that will show you to compare to your own. Just wind the hole through the middle of the fins bottom up.
 
zero2dash said:
Apples to apples (ie if you ran a TRUE in push/pull like the Noctua comes), the TRUE beats the Noctua by a degree or two.

I wish the newer revisions came with the old mounting hardware, but then again I guess if someone's buying a cooler now, they're most likely using either 1366 or 1156 anyway (and not 775). I am surprised though that these don't come with any AM2/AM3 h/w though.
Click to expand...

Me too on the mounting hardware, As I have a 939 system and so It means I'd have to buy for $7+ups the extra parts, At least for My two 775 PCs I wouldn't have to, But their getting water cooled instead, Where as the 939 doesn't have more than 1 fan in the HP case and It's a 92mm fan at that. :D
 
I wish the newer revisions came with the old mounting hardware, but then again I guess if someone's buying a cooler now, they're most likely using either 1366 or 1156 anyway (and not 775). I am surprised though that these don't come with any AM2/AM3 h/w though.[/QUOTE]

I got one of these for my phenom system and I had to buy AM3/AM2 brackets seperate. I'm not sure why some don't but my True did come with a fan. I bought mine at SVC.com incase you were wondering
 
 
I`m sure all really good for softcore overclockers, but the rosewill also has clips for second fan for push-pull, Kyle or Zero would have to put it to the test to find out the real deal, but it is the best & easiest to install that I have ever used.
 
LOL I trust the experts at this fourm, just bringing it up so I can get an experts opinion on what I`ve experienced, to find out if I`m out of whack or not.
 
Sojuuk said:
TRUE Cu test was with a QX9650 TRUE.c uses an i7 920. If you think those cpus' heat outputs are directly comparable then I will trust your judgment as I have no experience with either.
Click to expand...

Yes I think so. If not, they are not far off at all. The fact is that it is hard to wrong with any of the top end air coolers now days. Find one that fits your install and spacing needs then go from there.
 
Nice review until I got to this part:

The fan of choice is the Thermaltake Thunderblade 120mm fan. It is loud and pushes a ton of air. With air flow being a moot point thanks to this fan, we can now definitively see which cooler reigns supreme.
Click to expand...
specs from TT site

Fan Dimension 120 x 120 x 25 mm
Fan Speed 2000 RPM
Max. Air Flow 78 CFM
Max. Air Pressure 2.97 mm H2O

Seriosly you guys? I don't think I have ever seen anyone use such an underpowered 25mm fan on an elite enthusiast heatsink such as TRUE 120 or Megahalems. Basicaly, you guys are nullifying the effort that was put into installing the sensor on the i7 and all the testing by using such a puny fan, IMHO.

You guys should have at least used at 120x38mm high cfm/ high static pressure fan such as Panaflo or Sanyo Denki if not two 120x38mm fans in push pull configuration.

On my megahalems currently I have two Silverstone FM122s in push/pull configuration and I'm probably going to step up to two 38mm Deltas once I lap the chip.
 
DeadSkull said:
Nice review until I got to this part:


specs from TT site

Fan Dimension 120 x 120 x 25 mm
Fan Speed 2000 RPM
Max. Air Flow 78 CFM
Max. Air Pressure 2.97 mm H2O

Seriosly you guys? I don't think I have ever seen anyone use such an underpowered 25mm fan on an elite enthusiast heatsink such as TRUE 120 or Megahalems. Basicaly, you guys are nullifying the effort that was put into installing the sensor on the i7 and all the testing by using such a puny fan, IMHO.

You guys should have at least used at 120x38mm high cfm/ high static pressure fan such as Panaflo or Sanyo Denki if not two 120x38mm fans in push pull configuration.

On my megahalems currently I have two Silverstone FM122s in push/pull configuration and I'm probably going to step up to two 38mm Deltas once I lap the chip.
Click to expand...

Most of us don't like to have 2 jet engines in our case. Kyle is using the typical fans that people use but to each his own.
 
hv43082 said:
Most of us don't like to have 2 jet engines in our case. Kyle is using the typical fans that people use but to each his own.
Click to expand...

78cfm a jet engine? LOL

I think that's pretty tame, I've got Deltas that do twice that @ about 151cfm, It isn't that loud, if someone thinks It is, then quit being a wimp. :p
 
Microcenters are finally starting to get the RT Rev C in stock. They are $74.99 (includes the fan holder and 1600 RPM fan). That price is pretty good considering it is cheaper than FrozenCPU after the shipping.
 
JokerCPoC said:
78cfm a jet engine? LOL

I think that's pretty tame, I've got Deltas that do twice that @ about 151cfm, It isn't that loud, if someone thinks It is, then quit being a wimp. :p
Click to expand...

Ya'll need some of the fans we have at work. 28Volts and 14,000RPM. Let's just say they aren't made from plastic and they don't cost under 100$. Those sound like a jet engine.
 
xeon said:
Microcenters are finally starting to get the RT Rev C in stock. They are $74.99 (includes the fan holder and 1600 RPM fan). That price is pretty good considering it is cheaper than FrozenCPU after the shipping.
Click to expand...

is it like some kind of bundle or are they stocking a hs + fan package like in the review pic? $15 extra from the quoted msrp for a fan package sounds pretty steep, I wonder what the quality is like.
 
CoolGuy90 said:
Is FrozenCPU a good place to order from? They have the RT Rev.C for $59.99 right now.
Click to expand...

They have the regular Rev C (standalone heatsink) for $59.99. The RT (with fan and cover) is $74.95

If you have a microcenter near you they have the RT Rev C now for $74.95 as well. You'll pay tax but may save overall because shipping is about $10 at frozencpu.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top