bit-tech Shopping: Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme CPU Cooler

• AMD Socket AM2
• Intel Socket T (LGA775)

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Months

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

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

Summary: 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

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Months

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

Weaknesses: The instruction diagrams are unclear.

Summary: 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.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1

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

Weaknesses: 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

Summary: 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.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Month

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

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

Summary: 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.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2 Months

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

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

Summary: 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.