Thermalright Ultra-120 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Mari0-Br0s · Post by **Mari0-Br0s** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 7:12 pm

Hey guys, I've just instaled a new Thermalright Ultra-120 cooler on my processor. I want to share my experience with you guys, since I've read a lot of bad topic about this cooler, let me make a positive one!!!

Most of the bad topics I've read, people are getting hight temps because their Ultra-120 didn't have a flat surface, so the thermal paste did not spread like it should has.

Mine is totally flat, and let see how this things cool down a CPU.

First, I've bought this cooler because I overclocked my system, and the temperature was around 50 celcius at idle and 60 celcius at 100% cpu used. The stock fan was getting very noisy and I could'nt sleep anymore.

Here's my system rigs:

AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+ socket 939 @ FX-60
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D
2GB OCZ PC4800 Elite Edition
Antec P180 SPCR black first version
Thermalright Ultra-120
4x Scythe SFF21E 120mm fans

First thing you need to known, is when you overclock an X2 CPU, once you give more than 1.5volt at the Vcore, the temperature of both core goes insane!!!

So here I go, I install this monster heatsink on my socket. (Nota: you need a Thermalright K8 Backplate to install this on any DFI motherboard, sold separately.)(Nota2:Compatible AM2 socket, but mounting equipment sold separately).

Once installed, I installed my 4 sticks of RAM. A lot of huge heatsink like that, give you an hard time installing DIMM modules after having installed them. But this heatsink is different. I had no trouble at all installing my DIMM even after the cooler was installed.

See pictures below, you have plenty of space, even if your RAM has heatspreader.

http://www.overclockersonline.com/image ... tall-7.jpg
http://www.overclockersonline.com/image ... tall-6.jpg

Also, It will leave just enough space to intall the video card in the first PCI-Express 16 slot.(Nota: If you use a big VGA cooler, like the Thermalright HR-03 with the heatsink toward the CPU socket, it is not going to fit.

See pictures below:

WON'T FIT:

WILL FIT:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/rp ... 040366.jpg

Ok, let's start the machine without installing a fan on this things. But still having the two rear and top fans installed in the P180.

Temperature was 50 at idle, it droped at 37 celcius. Not bad at all, but let's test it when the two core are used. I ran two sessions of Prime95, one on each core. Temperature rised instead to 62 celcius and might have got even further, but I stopped Prime95 before my CPU explode, since the maximum temps on an X2 is 65 celcius loll.

Ok so then this heatsink isn't good at all if you want to use it passively, when your system is overclocked. If your system isn't overclocked, I'm sure you should'nt have any problems. My CPU stock voltage is 1.30v, and to overclock it I had to use 1.59v. Like I mentionned earlier, X2's temps goes insane when you put more than 1.50v at the Vcore.

I havn't tested the system at stock speed passively nor actively cooled, I did not see any interest, because of this last fact.

So now let's install a Scythe SFF21E fan on this heatsink, which I make run at 1200rpm(it's top speed). Don't forget, I still have two other fan next to it, P180 design..

System temperature past from 37 celcius at 29 celcius at idle!!!! This is very good, and don't forget that the system is still overclocked. But idle temps are not important when you overclock, so let's run two instance of Prime95, one per core.

Temperature rised again very fast, but did not go over 50 celcius, which is acceptable. Remember, I was getting this temp at idle whith the stock cooler with the fan fully on at 5600rpm and a massive headeck.

Nota: If you are a SLI-DR Expert/Venus user, depending on your case, the Ultra-120 might not fit. Since the CPU socket is to the right of the motherboard and the socket is left to right, compare to upside down on others LANPARTY's, the Ultra-120 might touch your optical drives.

Ultra-D/SLI-D/SLI-DR socket:

SLI-DR Expert/Venus socket:

Here are some reviews:
http://www.overclockers.com/articles1329/
http://www.systemcooling.com/thermalrig ... ra-01.html
http://www.overclockersonline.com/index ... 395&pnum=0
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=268
http://www.bigbruin.com/2006/ultra120_1

SenDog · Post by **SenDog** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 10:33 pm

Nice write-up, I can also vouch for this heatsink, very good performance, and because it's narrow-ish, leaves plenty of space for a thicker fan.

nici · Post by **nici** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 12:59 am

Since the ninja wont fit, i looked into this one, but i would have needed the SLI-DR Expert/Venus orientation of the CPU socket for it to fit...

The HR05-SLi is in the way on the Ultra-D. Though both the Ultra and the Ninja were sold out everywhere anyway..

gb115b · Post by **gb115b** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 3:40 am

i'm really happy with this cooler, after my scythe infinity didn't fit...

Chocolinx · Post by **Chocolinx** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:46 am

I think a majority of us Core 2 Duo people are unhappy with this cooler though. Because the retention for 775 socket is really crappy. Doesn't really put any pressure on the CPU, meaning not allowing a good contact for CPU to Heatsink.

I do have to admit it's an amazing heatsink

I cannot lie lol. Still not the best cooler for passive though.

SenDog · Post by **SenDog** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:49 am

Chocolinx wrote:I think a majority of us Core 2 Duo people are unhappy with this cooler though. Because the retention for 775 socket is really crappy. Doesn't really put any pressure on the CPU, meaning not allowing a good contact for CPU to Heatsink.

I do have to admit it's an amazing heatsink I cannot lie lol. Still not the best cooler for passive though.

I found it doesn't do a bad job, but more often than not, the surface of the heatsink isn't as flat as it could be, from what I read.

PS. The retention clip didn't allow the fan to point straight out the back to the exhaust fan, instead it was only up/down, resulting in having to point the cpu fan upwards to the PSU fan.

Mari0-Br0s · Post by **Mari0-Br0s** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:58 am

nici wrote:Since the ninja wont fit, i looked into this one, but i would have needed the SLI-DR Expert/Venus orientation of the CPU socket for it to fit... The HR05-SLi is in the way on the Ultra-D. Though both the Ultra and the Ninja were sold out everywhere anyway..

You installed your HR-05-SLI towards the CPU socket right ? What if you try turn it upside down? That way the HR-05-SLI shouldn't be in the way at all... am I right ?

nici · Post by **nici** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 12:53 pm

That's right, but im planning on installing a tuner card in there, and i already have a soundcard in one PCI slot and the HR05 upside down would block the remaining PCI slot..

Mari0-Br0s · Post by **Mari0-Br0s** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:50 pm

Try getting a 4x PCI-Express tuner

. This could arrange the problems

! Or you could get like me, the non SLI version of the HR-05, you'll have to use the second pci-express 16x, but at least it won't block any of your PCI slots.

nici · Post by **nici** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:02 am

I thought about that, but with a Ninja that would not work either. If i put the GPU in the lower slot, it would not get any air because the soundcard is in the slot right below.. The GPU cooler eats one PCI slot in the lower PCIe 16x slot. Well 8x , actually. So im stuck with a reasonably sized heatsink like the 9500.