Thermalright’s Ultra-120 is designed to take on the biggest, coolest heatsinks on the market — and win. But, like most performance heatsinks, it has closely spaced fins that are designed to do well with lots of airflow. That doesn’t always square well with SPCR’s goals for low-airflow systems. We’ve put it head to head with the Scythe Ninja … We have a new silent champ.
August 6, 2006 by Devon
Cooke
| Product | Thermalright Ultra-120 Socket 775 / 754 / 939 / 940 CPU Heatsink |
| Manufacturer | |
| Market Price | ~US$45 |
Thermalright is no stranger to the high end heatsink market. Their designs
have performed near the top of the pack for years, and the Ultra-120 promises to be no
exception. It’s not Thermalright’s first tower heatsink, but it is
the biggest. As a general rule, bigger is better when it comes to heatsinks,
so we expect great things from it. Nevertheless, it seems a little odd that
Thermalright felt the need to develop the Ultra-120. After all, they already
has an excellent tower cooler
in the HR-01, why develop another one?
lacks fan mounts and is intended for low-airflow performance. With proper system
and airflow design, the HR-01 is capable of cooling nearly any processor on
the market, but the absence of a fan mounting system does not give it
much headroom. More to the point, these characteristics mean the overclocking
community is unlikely to perceive the HR-01 as a good fit for its needs.
Hence, the Ultra-120, a massive tower heatsink designed for the speed-at-any-cost
enthusiast. It stands to the HR-01 as the Scythe Shogun stands to the
Ninja: The Ninja is the clear victor at low fan speeds, but their roles
are reversed when the fan is cranked up.
Every Thermalright product we’ve seen comes in a similar heavy cardboard
box…
…packed as safely as we’ve ever seen.
Mounting hardware for LGA775 and K8 sockets, thermal interface material,
fan clips and fan pads.
| Thermalright Ultra-120: Feature Highlights (from the product web page) | |
| Feature & Brief | Our Comment |
| Quiet and powerful cooling due to multiple heat pipes and large aluminum fin area | Good fundamentals. |
| Proprietary bent winglet design to minimize airflow resistance | We’ll take their word for it, but surely unbent fins are less restrictive… |
| Heat pipes soldered to base (nickel plated) and fins for optimum heat transfer | Improved heat transfer over press-fitted fins. |
| Include both bolt-thru-board retention brackets for Intel and AMD | Unfortunately, this excludes AM2 systems, at least for now. |
| Thermalright Ultra-120 Specifications (from the product web page) | |
| Heatsink Dimensions (L × W × H) | 63.5 × 132 × 160.5 mm |
| Weight | 745 g |
| Recommended Fan | All 120mm Fans |
| Compatibility | INTEL: All Intel P4 LGA775 processors AMD: Athlon64 / FX / X2 / Opteron all models A customized retention bracket for Ultra-120 AM2 will be out in July, 2006 or sooner. |
The Ultra-120 is larger than the HR-01 in every dimension — by as much as two
centimeters for width. It is also much heavier, weighing in at almost three
quarters of a kilogram. Combined with a height that is likely to cause compatibility
issues in narrow cases, the weight will place high
cantilever force on the motherboard. Perhaps this is why Thermalright has opted
to provide a “bolt-through-board” mounting system rather than the
clips that they included with the HR-01.
Our early sample came with a fittings for the 2-bolt system of earlier AMD K8 boards, but not the 4-bolt setup of AMD’s AM2 socket. Thermalright apparently ships the latest Ultra-120s with an adapter for AM2, but it’s not clear exactly which one, as there are several listed at the bottom of Thermalright’s accessories page. It should also be possible to mount the Ultra-120 on a Socket 478 system by using
the P4-478
Heatsink Retention Kit — also designed for the HR-01.
Despite its size, motherboard compatibility should be fairly good, as the fins
are high enough above the base to avoid most of the components on the motherboard.
Besides, the modern sockets that the Ultra-120 is compatible with allow for
plenty of room around the CPU. Compatibility issues are more likely to arise
with motherboard / case combinations where the heatsink hangs over one edge
of the motherboard. At the time of writing, Thermalright did not list any incompatible
motherboards on their web site.
PHYSICAL DETAILS
The Ultra-120 consists of a massive stack of aluminum fins held
together by four U-shaped heatpipes. The bottom of the “U” in each heatpipe is permanently clamped/embedded in the base, and eight vertical heatpipe lengths run up through the fins in two groups. There’s also a “seam” running down each
side. In concept, it’s not different from most other tower heatsink except
for the odd “bent winglets” which supposedly decrease air restriction.
It is possible that the winglets are designed to help the air enter between the fins. If you look at the direction that the fan spins and its relation to the winglets, the winglets may help “catch” the air better. This is conjecture.
No fan is included, as usual for Thermalright heatsinks, but there
is no question that it is intended for use with a 120mm fan. Two fan clips are
included, as well as a pair of thin silicone strips that are meant to provide
a vibration-damping cushion between the fins and the fan.
Quite possibly the tallest heatsink we’ve ever reviewed.
The fins are tightly spaced in comparison to many of the tower heatsinks we’ve
seen, which suggests it will perform best with a higher pressure fan — unfortunate
from a noise perspective, but quite likely to make performance-seekers happy.
The fins are slightly contoured so that there is a slight space (3~4 mm) between
the fins and the blades of the fan. This is not an uncommon design; the intent
is to reduce back pressure from the heatsink, allowing a lower pressure fan
to be used. Even so, the space is unlikely to fully compensate for the close
fin spacing.
Lots of clearance around the base.
The fins do not start until about an inch and a half above the base, which
leaves plenty of room for tall capacitors and heatsinks on the motherboard.
Unfortunately, this means that the fan — and the airflow that goes with
it — is likely to blow over these components, not through them.
High powered processors generate a lot of heat, and not all of it is generated
in the CPU itself. The voltage regulation modules (VRMs) that surround the
CPU socket also get quite warm under load, and the Ultra-120 does not provide
cooling for them. This failing is common to most tower designs, and it’s worth
thinking about providing some secondary cooling around the base in a high power
system.
Bent fin tips — for what purpose?
The “bent winglets” are probably the most unusual part of the design.
The product page suggests that they are intended to minimize
airflow resistance, but this seems odd given that they serve to add kinks in
the airflow path. As mentioned before, perhaps they are designed to take advantage of the angle of
the airflow produced by the axial fans commonly used for CPU heatsinks.
Effective or not, the exact technical details are really only relevant to engineers.
We’ll be happy so long as the heatsink as a whole performs well.
The heatpipes are quite thick, and are nickel-plated, keeping a consistent
silvery appearance that looks more finished than it would without. The eight
vertical pipes are clustered in two groups of four, with each cluster located
about a centimeter from the outer edge of the heatsink.
Heatpipes run up into the body of the heatsink.
INSTALLATION
Installation is a simple matter, as the Ultra-120 uses a similar mounting system
as the HR-01. In fact, mounting clips for the two heatsinks should be compatible
with each other, although they come with different clips. The HR-01 included
clips that attached to the stock retention module on Socket 754/939/940 systems,
and a separate clip was available for Socket 478. This is not the case for the
Ultra-120, which uses clips that are secured by metal backplates. It also includes
a clip for Socket 775, which was not included with our original sample of the
HR-01.
All of the clips work in a similar way.
Each clip has a raised bump that fits into a depression in the base
of the heatsink. The clip fits easily between the heatpipes, and holds the heatsink
securely once it is in place.
One drawback: AMD-based systems, which do not have symmetrical mounting holes,
allow the heatsink to be mounted on only one orientation. Until Thermalright
releases an S-clip for the Ultra-120, some motherboards may be stuck with the
heatsink hanging vertically when it would be better suited to be horizontal,
or vice versa.
With the clip in place, finishing the installation is as simple as screwing
in the spring-loaded screws until they stop turning. The springs ensure that
the motherboard is kept under the correct tension (note that the clips designed
for the HR-01 don’t do this, and may provide less tension than the stock clips).
The clip fits between the heatpipes into a depression on the base.
The base looks smooth, but is marked with hundreds of tiny ridges that could
barely been seen.
They could be felt with a fingernail.
Because no fan is included with the Ultra-120, installing the fan is an extra
step on its own. It’s a three step process:
- Stick the silicone strips on to the fan.
- Attach the fan clips to the heatsink.
- Put the fan in place and secure using the fan clips.
The only nontrivial step is step two, which is made difficult by unclear instructions
and poor fit. The fan clips are made of steel wire that is slightly more than
a millimeter thick. Given that the fin spacing is roughly the same, it seems
obvious that the clips should be hooked between the fins. The question is where.
The photograph below shows the correct position for the fan clip. Hooking the
clip around the far end of the metal “seam” is easier and seems more
intuitive, but results in a clip that is too short to secure the fan safely.
Thermalright’s
instruction sheet has a good illustration showing “the designated hole”
for the fan clip.
Slipping the fan clip into the correct position is tricky because the wire
gauge of the fan clip is very close to the size of the hole it is supposed to
fit into, and it will not fit unless it is at the correct angle. It took us
a minute or two of fiddling before we got it right.
The end of the fan clip needs to slip into the hole in the center
of the heatsink —
not around the far end of the metal “seam”.
Unfortunately, the fan clips are not compatible with fans with closed screw mounting holes,
such as our reference Nexus 120mm fan. We had to cut out the closed screw “sleeves” with a hacksaw
before the clip could be slipped into place.
TESTING
Our socket 775 test bench was used to test the Ultra-120. Details of the system
are outlined below. So far, seven heatsinks have been tested on this system:
The Arctic Cooling Freezer 7
Pro, the Spire Verticool
II, the Arctic Cooling Alpine
7, the Zalman CNPS8000,
the Scythe Ninja, the Thermalright XP-120, and, most recently, the
Apack ZeroTherm BTF80 & BTF90. No other SPCR heatsink test results are
directly comparable with the results of this review. The Pentium 520 used in
this test is cooler than most of Intel’s soon-to-be-forgotten Prescott and Presler
chips, but it is still 15-20W hotter than the P4-2.8 Northwood used in our socket
478 HS testing platform. On the other hand, it is also hotter than almost about
every AMD processor on the market, not to mention Intel’s new Core 2 Duo chips,
which draw much less power than the Intel 520.
On the test bench…
Test Platform
- Intel
520 processor (P4-2.8 Prescott, 1 MB cache, 800 MHz FSB in
775 casing). The Thermal Design Power is 84.0W. The Maximum
Power, as calculated by CPUHeat
& CPUMSR, is 100.76W. - AOpen
i915Ga-PLF motherboard – Intel 915G Chipset; built-in VGA. Reviewed
by SPCR. - OCZ DDRAM PC-4000, 512 MB
- Fujitsu
MHT2080BH 80GB notebook drive in Smart
Drive (hard drive noise containment box). - Antec Neo HE 430
power supply - Arctic Silver
Ceramique Thermal Compound - Two-level open platform with foam damping feet. Motherboard on
top; most other components below. Eases heatsink changes and setup.
Measurement & Analysis Tools
- CPUBurn
processor stress software - SpeedFan
version 4.27 software to show CPU temperature - A custom-built variable DC power supply that allows us to dial in
the exact voltage to the fan - B&K model 1613 sound level meter
- Seasonic
Power Angel AC Power meter - High resolution digital
audio recording system
The Ultra-120 was tested with a Nexus 120mm fan — a very quiet, low airflow
fan that has become our reference for heatsink testing. This may put the Ultra-120
at a slight disadvantage, since our test is biased to favor heatsinks that do
well with low airflow. This reflects our desire for low noise. It is nearly
impossible to build a quiet system with high airflow, so our emphasis
on low airflow is appropriate.
Load testing was accomplished using CPUBurn to stress the processor, and the
graph function in SpeedFan was used to make sure that the load temperature was
stable for at least ten minutes.
The ambient conditions during testing were 16 dBA and 23°C.
TEST RESULTS
| Thermalright Ultra-120 with Nexus 120mm fan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fan Voltage | Temp | °C Rise | °C/W MP | °C/W TDP | Noise (dBA@1m) | ||
| 12V | 39°C | 16 | 0.16 | 0.19 | 23 | ||
| 9V | 42°C | 19 | 0.19 | 0.23 | 20 | ||
| 7V | 46°C | 23 | 0.23 | 0.27 | 18 | ||
| 5V | 52°C | 29 | 0.29 | 0.35 | <17 | ||
| Load Temp: CPUBurn for ~20 mins. °C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient at load. °C/W MP / TDP: Temperature rise over ambient per Watt of CPU heat, based on CPU’s Maximum Power (100W) or Thermal Design Power (84W) rating (lower is better) Noise: SPL measured in dBA@1m distance with high accuracy B & K SLM | |||||||
The acoustic characteristics of the Nexus 120mm fan have been documented extensive in previews articles and reviews,
so a detailed analysis of the noise will not be provided here. Listening from a
distance of one meter in our quiet lab, it is very quiet at full speed, barely
audible at 9V, and completely inaudible below 7V. The noise is smooth and low
and motor noise is almost nonexistent below 9V. In the 7~9V range where it is
most likely to be used, the dominant noise is a slight whoosh of air turbulence.
As the numbers show, the Ultra-120 is an excellent performer, we do not doubt
that it is capable of cooling our hot test processor inaudibly, as the temperature
is acceptable even at 5V. Unless heavy overclocking is involved, the only current processors that may need a faster fan are Intel’s
hot 8xx and 9xx series, which we’ll be happy to wave goodbye to soon.
COMPARISON
Just how good is performance? A direct comparison, using the same fan, is really
the only way to know. Fortunately, we have tested our current champion, the
Scythe Ninja, as well as a Thermalright XP-120 using the same fan on the same
test bed, so it is easy to see which heatsink performs best:
| Heavyweight Heatsink Comparison with Nexus 120mm fan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fan Voltage | Noise (dBA@1m) | XP-120 | Scythe Ninja | Ultra-120 | |||||
| °C Rise | °C/W | °C Rise | °C/W | °C Rise | °C/W | ||||
| 12V | 23 | 24 | 0.24 | 19 | 0.19 | 16 | 0.16 | ||
| 9V | 20 | 27 | 0.27 | 22 | 0.22 | 19 | 0.19 | ||
| 7V | 18 | 32 | 0.32 | 24 | 0.24 | 23 | 0.23 | ||
| 5V | <17 | 47 | 0.47 | 29 | 0.29 | 29 | 0.29 | ||
| °C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient at load. °C/W MP: Temperature rise over ambient per Watt of CPU heat, based on CPU’s Maximum Power (100W) rating (lower is better) Noise: SPL measured in dBA@1m distance with high accuracy B & K SLM | |||||||||
In this case, numbers tell the story better than words. The Ultra-120 beat
the Ninja at every voltage level except the lowest, where the two were equal.
The victory wasn’t large or earth-shattering, just two or three degrees, but it was there. The XP-120 — a one time champion at SPCR —
is a distant third in all cases, clearly unable to compete at such low airflow.
As exciting as it is to crown a new heatsink king, the results here bear putting
into perspective. The Ultra-120 did not win by a knockout the way the Ninja
did when it first showed up. Its victory was hard-fought, and it’s quite likely
the results could have been different in a slightly different setup. And —
let’s be honest — the Ninja is already good enough to cool the vast majority
of systems without increasing system noise. The Ultra-120 can make the same
claim, but the difference isn’t enough to justify an upgrade from one
to the other.
If noise is not a concern, we wholeheartedly recommend the Ultra-120. The difference
between the Ultra-120 and the Ninja was greatest when the fan was at full speed,
which suggests that the gap between the two would be wider with a higher airflow
hand. On the other hand, the Ninja is specifically designed for fanless operation,
and is almost certainly a better choice for a passively cooled processor.
NOISE RECORDINGS IN MP3 FORMAT
Nexus 120mm fan: 5V-7V-9V-12V, 5s Ambient between
levels: One
Meter, One Foot
Comparatives:
APack ZeroTherm BTF80 & BTF90: 5V-7V-9V-12V, 5s
Ambient between levels: One
Meter, One Foot
Arctic Cooling Alpine 64: 5V-7V-9V-12V, 5s Ambient
between levels: One
Meter, One Foot
Scythe Mine w/ stock fan: 5V-7V-9V-12V, 5s Ambient
between levels: One
Meter, One Foot
| HOW TO LISTEN & COMPARE These recordings were made The one meter recording is The one foot recording is More details about how we make these recordings can be found in our short article: Audio Recording Methods Revised. |
FINAL CONCLUSIONS
The Ultra-120 is the most efficient heatsink we’ve
tested, and ultimately, that’s what counts. Despite concerns over fin spacing,
it managed to beat the Scythe Ninja, even with our tough low-airflow test. Unless
you’re planning to cool the CPU passively, you can’t do better than the Ultra-120.
The installation system is simple and easy to use, and should have full support
for AM2 in the near future. Until then, the K8 clip for the HR-01 is a good
substitute.
The biggest drawback is that with the K8 mounting hardware, the heatsink fan’s orientation is dictated by the orientation of the motherboard’s heatsink retention bracket. If it runs “east-west”, the fan will be positioned to blow towards the back panel. This is the preferred orientation, because the hot air will be exhausted by the back panel case fan than almost every system will have. If the HS retention bracket orientation is “north-south”, the fan on the Ultra-120 will blow up towards the power supply, which may cause its internal fan to ramp up in speed and become noisier under load.
The lack of a fan may also be a
drawback for some, although most silencers will want to pick their own anyway.
Just remember to choose a fan with open screw mounting flanges — or be prepared to modify
one with closed flanges. The only other quibble is that
it may be too large to fit into some systems, but the same applies to just about
every high-end heatsink these days.
A year after yielding the cooling throne to the upstart Scythe, Thermalright
is back on top. We’re happy to see it: Competition
is sure to spur more development and perhaps help prices fall.
| Pros
* Top-notch performance * Inaudible cooling is possible with the right fan * Simple installation procedure * Well packaged * Silicone strips help damp fan noise * Relatively inexpensive | Cons
* No fan included * Fan clips are difficult to install * Very large and heavy * Fan direction not user-adjustable with AMD clips |
Much thanks to Thermalright for the review sample.
* * *
Articles of Related Interest
Recommended Heatsinks
Thermalright HR-01 CPU
Heatsink
Scythe SCNJ-1000 Ninja
Heatsink
Thermalright XP-120:
1st 120mm fan CPU Heatsink
* * *
