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1 2 3 4 5 NextThermalright TRUE Spirit 120M CPU Heatsink
December 25, 2012 by Lawrence Lee
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Product
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Thermalright TRUE Spirit 120M
CPU Cooler |
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Manufacturer
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Thermalright |
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Street Price
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Thermalright is a legend, having made their bones manufacturing high performance
heatsinks at a time when aftermarket cooling was still a niche segment within
the already niche enthusiast market. The Ultra-120
and Ultra-120
eXtreme are two of the most iconic CPU coolers in DIY PC history, setting
standards that others strive toward to this day. It's amazing that variations
of the "TRUE" are still produced and are among the most popular heatsinks
despite not having undergone any significant design changes. The TRUE being
sold today is essentially the same as original from 2007.
As a brand, Thermalright was once considered to be strictly upper class, selling
high-end offerings at high-end prices. This reputation has changed over the
past few years thanks to overtures extended to more thrifty enthusiasts. Under
a subsidiary brand, Cogage, they launched a series of affordable coolers like
the True
Spirit, essentially a slightly smaller version of the Ultra-120 stripped
of its nickel-plating. These products turned out to be fairly successful, though
they undoubtedly cannibalize some of Thermalright's care sales. More recently,
Thermalright pushed out the HR-02
Macho, a beast-sized cooler with a surprisingly reasonable price-tag.
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The TRUE Spirit 120M.
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According to Thermalright the new TRUE Spirit 120M's defining characteristic
is being the "world‘s smallest 120mm fan based tower cooler."
The 120M shaves off about 15 mm from the typical ~160 mm height from typical
tower heatsinks with 120 mm fans. While heatsink height limitation is not a
problem with the majority of cases, some cases have a fan located in the upper
half of the side panel that can potentially interfere with tall CPU coolers.
Like the original True Spirit, costs have be cut by stripping the heatsink
of the nickel-plating which makes the Thermalright all-chrome aesthetic. The
visible copper color of the heatpipes and the rougher finish on the aluminum
fins gives it a less finished. Frankly, it looks like a Scythe or Cooler Master
heatsink sporting a pilfered Thermalright design.
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Box and contents.
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The package is nothing special, a black and yellow cardboard box containing the heatsink, a 120 mm PWM fan, mounting gear safely stowed in plastic, and a brief set of installation instructions.
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Feature & Brief
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Our Comment
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World‘s smallest 120mm fan based tower cooler.
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Most tower heatsinks with 120 mm fans are about 160 mm tall which can cause case compatibility problems. |
| Made specifically for Micro ATX & mini tower case user. |
Mini towers have varying heatsink height limitations. MicroATX motherboards on the other hand, generally have similar layouts to ATX boards, so this shouldn't be an issue. |
| Universally compatible with all modern sockets on the market. |
Universal compatibility should be standard on all aftermarket coolers. The original TRUE Spirit was for LGA1366 only. |
| Convex copper base design, to ensure the highest thermal conducting thermal efficiency between the CPU and the heatsink. |
A tried and true design that has only been tweaked since its introduction. |
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| Heatsink Dimensions |
Dimension: L132mm x W57mm x H145 mm |
| Weight |
470g (including fan) |
| Heat pipes |
four heat pipes |
| Fan Dimensions |
L120 x W120*H25mm |
| Rated Speed |
700~1500RPM±15% |
| Noise Level |
17~28.5 dBA |
| Air Flow |
24.8~53.3CFM |
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