Reviews for Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme CPU Cooler

Ultra120 Extreme, the King of Silent Air (so far)

Strengths: Supreme silent air cooling performance. Quality construction. Easy and secure mounting system.

Weakness: Heavy. Expensive. Doesn't come with a fan. Size may be an issue for smaller computers.

Initially, I was worried about the hefty weight of this cooler, and that's why I opted for the Scythe Ninja Rev. B. However, the Ninja's poor mounting system proved to be a major drawback for heat transference, especially when the CPU is overclocked. I finally bit on this cooler because I really wanted to overclock my E6600 (which turns out to be a poor overclocker that chews up voltage quickly--bad luck for me). The Ninja struggled to keep my chip stable at 2.9GHz and temperatures were in the high 60s. On the other hand, the Ultra 120 Extreme (equipped with a 1500rpm fan) keeps my E6600 under 40 Celsius degrees under load at stock speed and under 50 Celsius degrees overclocked at 3.0GHz. These outstanding results are remarkable because my E6600 is housed in a silent PC, where high airflow has been sacrificed for near complete silence. I highly recommend the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, especially for those who wish to strike a compromising balance between cooling performance and silent operation without the desire to upgrade to water cooling. Also, its weight did not turn out to be an issue.


PS. Some people have mentioned the lack of a flat surface for the heatsink, but this design (flaw) was intentional by Thermalright. Though I may not agree with the manufacturer's designers, I still pay compliments to them for creating a cooler that emanates efficiency--even with a non-flat surface.

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The BEST, if not for the QC issue

Strengths: One of the best, if not the best (air cooled) heatsink on the market.

Weakness: One of the most expensive (air cooled) heatsink on the market and no fan. Big & heavy. Most importantly, poor QC; you need to waste even more time get the surface nice and even.

I have bought 2 of these for my computer builds. These are undoutably the best performing air cooled heatsink on the market. The unit is big and heavy, not to mention pricy (and doesnt even come with a fan like Tuniq Tower 120). But they are sacrifices you'd need to make for the best.
However, in no way would these make up for the poor QC on the units I have received (the main reason for -2stars).
I do not ask for mirror finish (though would love it) but I expect the mounting surface to be even at a glance (which is least accurate). The one unit's surface had wave-like machine marks and the other, while mostly even, 1 corner section was machined lower than the rest (meaning you'd need to lap the majority of the metal surface off to get them even).
When you are paying so much for the heatsink (which costs as much as the low end core duo w/fan), I expect and demand quality from my purchase.

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Nice

Strengths: Very fast cooling, cools moy overclocked dual core intel conroe beautifully, from 2.66 to 3.4 ghz per core.

Weakness: the mounting bracket allows the unit to turm when you push it

It does not fit well in my apevia full tower, and i dislike the monting bracket, but for cooling linked with a 120mm fan it rocks. the cores never go over 41 degrees C, even when maxed out a little over an hour straight

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Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme CPU Cooler

Strengths: This is the best as far as air cooling is concerned.

Weakness: The instruction diagrams are unclear.

I bought this for my Q6600. It works so well that you could use it w/o a fan or thermal compound--with well ventilated case, of course. It's that good. This is the best as far as air cooling is concerned. The only problem I had with it was during installation. The diagram illustrating the fan mounting clips was unclear.

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Extreme cooling

Strengths: Superior cooling, top of the line heatsink. Used on socket LGA775, back plate lined up perfectly.

Weakness: Need to remove motherboard to install back plate. Had to slightly turn head sink to clear north bridge heat sink on ABIT IP35 Pro motherboard. Even after screws are tight heat sink can be turned with little effort. LGA775 bracket could have fit heat sink

Even though it has some cons because of it's size, weight and LGA775 bracket, I'd still highly recommend this heat sink, for superior cooling w/120mm fan. Running Q6600 oc to 3.4Ghz at 1.3v I idle at 27C. Running four instances of Prime95 stressing the cpu to the max, it toped out at 58C, and cools back down in a hurry when stopped. Gaming I might get to 42C. Well within the limits of the 62C max for that chip. HS fit with an inch to spare in my Lian-li pro60 II case, but don't install and then try and slide the motherboard tray back in, lol, it's to big for that.

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Ultra 120 IS THE BEST HEAT DESIPATOR ON THE MARKET...

Strengths: Excellent cooling that is just as good as phase change. Very economical.

Weakness: If your environment gets hot, cooling is reduced.

This Thermalright Ultra 120 is an excellent heatsink for the price and ranks right up with phase change for its cooling capacity when you strap on 2 120mm fans. After comparing several reviews on multiple heat sinks and even phase change units, I noticed that this heat sink is the best air cooled heatsink on the planet. It also does just as well if not better than some of the phase change units that actively cool the processor. Its only shortfall is if the environment gets hot it does not cool as well. How many of us use our computer in a 95+ degree environment?

Certainly though, this Ultra 120 is the best cooling you can get for the price. For those bleeding edge enthusiasts with the latest hot quads, use a case with pleanty of ventilation and you will be fine with this. The next step would be to spend $300 or more for active cooling.

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Thermalright Ultra 120

Strengths: The BEST CPU cooling for your gaming PC

Weakness: Base moves slightly, heavy, fan clips a little unstable

I bought this CPU cooler for my budding gaming PC in May 2007 and it definitely does the job, even in tropical environments where the temps in my house during the day can easily top 30C (86F). I currently have an Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (2.2GHz)I get 40C at stock speeds it doesn't cross 44C with a stable overclock to 2.65GHz while doing 'typical' stuff like internet and documents. Obviously the temperatures will be a lot better in an air-conditioned environment, but I am very happy.
Bes sure to use a wide gaming case. In my Thermaltake Armor Jr. case I only have about 2-3 cm clearance between the top of the HSF and the side panel. also get a nice high rpm 120mm fan as it is necessary (heat sink does not come with any fan; I am using a Thermaltake SmartFan with manual fan speed control).

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One of the best CPU Cooler

Strengths: Extremely efficient, keeps my Intel Core 2 Duo processor at very low temps

Weakness: Doesn't come with Fan

This is a huge cpu cooler. Please make sure that you have enough space in your case to fit this monster. I am extremely happy with the way this performs keeping my CPU at very low temperatures. Had they provided a 120 mm fan with this cooler, I would have give all 5 in every dept(and more). But I had to purchase an extra 120mm fan (low noise and have under volted) to run very quite and move less air in order to make my computer quiet.

I have been using this CPU cooler for the last 3 months and I haven't found any issues with it. Keep up the good work Thermalright.

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Ultra120 Extreme CPU Cooler

Strengths: Huge Surface Area for cooling, Super Quiet (with the right fan), excellent build quality

Weakness: none

This CPU cooler is the king of all heatsinks! It is the best air heat sink around! Pair it with a good quality quiet fan, and you can barely hear it run. Allows for great overclocks. I haven't pushed my system too far yet, since I am breaking in new components, but it should be up for the task.

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Very good, but very big air cooler

Strengths: Great air cooling.

Weakness: Massive, no fan, somewhat expensive.

Probably one of the best air coolers you can buy but you will pay for the privilege. This thing is huge and barely fit into my full tower case so be sure to check sizing before purchase.

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ultra 120 extreme cpu cooler

Strengths: best cooling solution for quad cores, backplate mounting system, heatpipes, well packed

Weakness: lack of fan

This is a large cooler designed for advanced air cooling. This type of cooler is more difficult to install and requires more planning in selection of motherboard and case. The base has machined grooves by design because company thinks it improves cooling. Heavy duty lapping is required if you do not agree with that. The cooler uses a backplate and requires removal of the motherboard. I prefer this type of mounting system to the plastic mounts on smaller coolers. Installation of these larger coolers is just more difficult.

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Very big but cool down best

Strengths: Reduce CPU temp nicely; easy to install

Weakness: Bulky, make sure your case can fit

This big heatsink did a nice job to cool down CPU temp. I overclock Q6600 to 350*9 at temp 42 with full load and still cool to touch. No wonder it's rated at the best at the current market.

V.C.

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Ultra 120 Extreme

Strengths: Best air cooler

Weakness: Big, heavy, needed lapping, price

The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme is pretty much the best air cooler on the market right now. I lapped the base and teamed it with the Scythe SFF21F fan. You should consider lapping the base of the heatsink as temperatures will drop a few more degrees. It is quite large so take that into consideration with your motherboard and case. It isn't cheap and doesn't come with a fan, but sometimes you have to pay for great performance.

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The monster heatsink

Strengths: VERY efficient at cooling. Can Be made Silent, best of its class.

Weakness: Very large, heavy but not too heavy. The tips on the end stick out and require a case with 120mm fans otherwise the side of case wont fit. Expensive.

This heatsink is the best air based heatsink I have ever used. Highly recommended. Temps with a quad q6600 are around 30 degrees Celsius with a Scythe 8db fan. Imagine with a better fan. This heatsink is expensive considering no fan with it. Could easily get a coolermaster watercooling kit for around the same price. The attachment for this heatsink is a little scary because the heatsink can twist. If you overclock this heatsink is made for you.

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Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme Review

Strengths: Effective even without a fan Mounting system keeps CPU cooler on CPU securely Does not bend motherboard like other CPU coolers 12 Heat pipes for efficient cooling

Weakness: May not fit in some cases Mounting for the first time may be difficult Must remove motherboard from computer to mount Thermal solution provided is not that thick

This CPU heatsink is very big. It comes with brackets so you can mount a 120mm fan on it for active cooling. If you'd like, you can mount two fans, but it will require a little creative work with zip ties (search on google, there are many people who have done this).

It also comes with anti-vibration strips so when (and if) you mount a fan, it absorb vibrations that would otherwise translate into sound.

Some people complain how even after you mount it, the cooler may twist about an axis perpendicular to your motherboard, but I found that performance is the same (since it will remain in contact with the CPU, regardless of rotation).

I have a Celeron D 331 and it lowered my temps from 40C to 29C while while its idling, I have yet to test load temps.

This may have trouble fitting in some cases, as it is around 160.5 mm tall, so check your tower manual before purchasing.

I had a problem with the thermal paste because it was so runny, even when i used a rice-grain size. However, you can just purchase another thermal paste solution elsewhere.

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Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme

Strengths: Able to cool my CPU really well. the extra heatpipes helps a lot. allows overclocking of CPU to a new level.

Weakness: No fan included with the unit. Quite pricey as compared to the other coolers. It might be difficult to install in small cases since it is a very big cooler.

I've had this for 2 weeks now and I am impressed with its performance. I was able to overclock my Intel E4300 to 3.6 Ghz and was able to maintain a stable system and the temperature of the CPU remained low. I plan to use this on the Quad 6600 next month and hopefully I will be able to push that to new heights.

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Best CPU Cooler

Bestcovery experts have rated the Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme CPU Cooler as a best pick for the Best CPU Cooler. Bestcovery's experts recommend the best products and services for a particular need based on extensive research and evaluations. Click below to see Bestcovery's full review of this product.

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Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme

Testseek.com has collected 32 expert reviews for Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme and the average expert rating is 81 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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