Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme Gets Revised

[btarunr]

Thermalright's iconic Ultra 120 Extreme (TRUE) CPU cooler has a new revision. TRUE Rev. B brings along a small design change that the company claims improves its cooling performance a little. Most of its 52 aluminum fins barring the top one have a 'V'-shaped cutting in the center. This perhaps increases turbulence (for better heat dissipation) a little. The resulting temperature drops are estimated around 1~2 °C. TRUE Rev. B has started selling in China for RMB 530 (which is around $79), including fan. Without the fan, $72.95 is all it takes.

http://www.techpowerup.com/img/09-09-02/54a_thm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/img/09-09-02/54a.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/img/09-09-02/54b_thm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/img/09-09-02/54b.jpg)

Source: Expreview (http://en.expreview.com/2009/09/02/thermalright-ultra-120-extreme-rev-b-tips-up.html#more-5049)

[arroyo]

WOW, they made a hole inside TRUE !!! :eek: OMG that's genious.

I'm going to mod mine TRUE. I would make twice as much holes as they made. THERE WOULD BE HOLE IN TRUE. :rockout:

[inferKNOX]

Thermalright told me that they're going to revise the TRUE 120 design, heat pipes & retention kit to fit well and allow space for both the the closest RAM slots, and the highest PCIe Card simultaneously on the MSI 790FX-GD70 and other AM3 motherboards whose PCIe and RAM slots are close to the CPU socket.
I wonder if this is supposed to be it, because the heat pipes look the same...:confused:

[twicksisted]

pity they diddnt revise it by selling the cooler with a flat surface instead of the rounded heatsink surface on the one I bought (and subsequantly put into my secondary rig)

[Mussels]

its a good basic design, so i'm glad they're doing tweaks.


less metal without hurting temps also means its lighter and cheaper to produce - all good things.

[inferKNOX]

This definitely can't be the revision I'm expecting.
Which good thing, because everyone has been complaining that Thermalright need to make a TRUE that has direct contact between the CPU and Heatpipes, which Xigmatek is doing and actually beating the TRUE (in quite a few reviews out there), whilst still providing lower prices, partially (IMO) because of less metal used on the block contacting the CPU.
The price of this "rev. B" cooler is way too high. Seems like a gimmick to me. :p

[tkpenalty]

This definitely can't be the revision I'm expecting.
Which good thing, because everyone has been complaining that Thermalright need to make a TRUE that has direct contact between the CPU and Heatpipes, which Xigmatek is doing and actually beating the TRUE (in quite a few reviews out there), whilst still providing lower prices, partially (IMO) because of less metal used on the block contacting the CPU.
The price of this "rev. B" cooler is way too high. Seems like a gimmick to me. :p

The actual reasoning behind the HDT cooler's better performance isn't only because of the heatpipes being closer, its mostly because of the thicker heatpipes; they move more heat versus the thermalright. But yeah, it would be great if thermalright shamelessly adopted HDT. You have to bear in mind that its probably patented in taiwan and thus its probably out of thermalright's reach.

[inferKNOX]

The actual reasoning behind the HDT cooler's better performance isn't only because of the heatpipes being closer, its mostly because of the thicker heatpipes; they move more heat versus the thermalright. But yeah, it would be great if thermalright shamelessly adopted HDT. You have to bear in mind that its probably patented in taiwan and thus its probably out of thermalright's reach.
Yeah, I know what you mean about the heatpipe thickness, but I was just stating the general complaints.
Surely there are other companies have heat-pipes in direct contact on their coolers!:twitch:
Isn't such a patent far too broad?!:mad:

[Mussels]

Yeah, I know what you mean about the heatpipe thickness, but I was just stating the general complaints.
Surely there are other companies have heat-pipes in direct contact on their coolers!:twitch:
Isn't such a patent far too broad?!:mad:


all the other companies use rebranded versions of xigmatek coolers.


Its not 'too broad' since coolers work without it. its not like they're patenting heatsinks with a fan on em.

[leonard_222003]

Which good thing, because everyone has been complaining that Thermalright need to make a TRUE that has direct contact between the CPU and Heatpipes, which Xigmatek is doing and actually beating the TRUE (in quite a few reviews out there), whilst still providing lower prices, partially (IMO) because of less metal used on the block contacting the CPU.
The price of this "rev. B" cooler is way too high. Seems like a gimmick to me. :p

Care to point me to that review where xigamtec beats the TRUE ?

Don't you like those reviews where they don't specify what cooler they put on the TRUE ( it could be a 500 rpm or a 5000 rpm cooler ) and they get xigamtec or some other brand as the winner ( sponsors sponsors and paid reviews ).

Many enthusiasts tested sycthe , xigamtec , cooler master and ...... , bottom line was HDT is bullshit and all marketing , cuts costs of cooler , and of cousre TRUE is still the king , not the best because there are some huge coolers that weight over 1 kg ( cooler master V10 i think ) but at that reasonable size the TRUE beats any bullshit cooler with fancy HDT if they are tested with the same vent. on them.
There are some huge coolers that match or beats the TRUE performance , but they always have some drawbacks , eighter they are HUGE and block ram slots , don't fit , very heavy that might damage the MB , or it is a water cooler wich is more expensive.

[h3llb3nd4]

Thermalright need to make their coolers flatter, god there was a huge gap between it and mah E7400!

[leonard_222003]

Thermalright need to make their coolers flatter, god there was a huge gap between it and mah E7400!

That cooler is called Intel edition , that bump it has it's specially made for core i7 to improve cooling.
It doesn't help the 775 socket or amd sockets but what can we do :) , you can lap it and get 1-2 better C.

[LaidLawJones]

I see that I was not the only one with a round base on my extreme. There was ~10-15% of the cooler that was not contacting the surface. It took 3 sheets of emery paper to flatten it out and put the correct finish on.

In future reviews, how about someone holds a knife edged straight edge across it (at several different angles) instead of showing that penny reflection which proves nothing.

In response leonard, so now I know why they did it. Mine was an AMD chip. It made a 5c temp difference and brought both my cores closer to the same temp. I happen to have access to a surface plate, but the same results can be achieved using a new thick piece of scrap plate glass.

[Initialised]

Any word on socket 1156 compatibility?

[Mussels]

I see that I was not the only one with a round base on my extreme. There was ~10-15% of the cooler that was not contacting the surface. It took 3 sheets of emery paper to flatten it out and put the correct finish on.

In future reviews, how about someone holds a knife edged straight edge across it (at several different angles) instead of showing that penny reflection which proves nothing.

i lapped mine as well. it was nowhere near flat at all.

[dr emulator (madmax)]

28132 with this 28133 i need them to look at ;)

[newtekie1]

The base on the Ultra-120s definitely needs lapping, mine was also not flat...

Not really a big deal though, I lap all my coolers anyway, except Zalmans.

[twicksisted]

That cooler is called Intel edition , that bump it has it's specially made for core i7 to improve cooling.
It doesn't help the 775 socket or amd sockets but what can we do :) , you can lap it and get 1-2 better C.

i doubt that to be true because i bought one of those way before nehalem was released... ages ago when they first came out... and it had no fitting for 1366 either...only 775 and amd

The base on the Ultra-120s definitely needs lapping, mine was also not flat...

Not really a big deal though, I lap all my coolers anyway, except Zalmans.

you would this that after spending £50 on an air cooler... which at the time was the priciest, you wouldnt have to hack the thing and lap it though ;)

[Mussels]

i doubt that to be true becuase i bought one of those way before nehalem was released... ages ago when they first came out... and it had no fitting for 1366 either...only 775 and amd

the difference is that the new one will likely come with 1156 and 1336 adaptors.

[twicksisted]

the difference is that the new one will likely come with 1156 and 1336 adaptors.

yes, the new one does... but that dosent explain why the 775 version was exactely the same (rounded on the bottom)

[Mussels]

yes, the new one does... but that dosent explain why the 775 version was exactely the same (rounded on the bottom)

it came with a convex bottom due to the uneven nature of the CPU's - it gave better contact to the hotspots on dual core CPU's, since they didnt think that intel would stick two dual cores to make a quad core (thus moving the hotspot) or that intel would release convex CPU's as well.

|| - both flat
)| - what TR expected (the main part still has good contact)
)( - what TR got when intel stopped making flat CPU's for no reason

[dr emulator (madmax)]

arghh the i7 isn't straight :eek: for the money it costs i'd expect it to be perfect :shadedshu

[twicksisted]

it came with a convex bottom due to the uneven nature of the CPU's - it gave better contact to the hotspots on dual core CPU's, since they didnt think that intel would stick two dual cores to make a quad core (thus moving the hotspot) or that intel would release convex CPU's as well.

|| - both flat
)| - what TR expected (the main part still has good contact)
)( - what TR got when intel stopped making flat CPU's for no reason

im not debating that its a good cooler or not... its just when i purchased it it had no mention of this... only after buying it and spotting how warped it was (and not evenly as youd expect either)... I think that operhaps if their goal was to make better contact for intel CPU's then they shouldve stated so on the box and not just called it a 775 cooler when theres so many different types of chips (or included an amd retention bracket either).

If this was such a feature... the surely it wouldve been spalyed all over the box in hyped ad speak (heatpipes etc... like they always do)... it just kinda seems like a design flaw that they found an excuse for ;)

[trt740]

Guys Thermalright has addressed the lapped not lapped ,flat not flat issue several times. I emailed them and they said the design was made intentionally that way including the machined base. I was told by Thermalright the machine marks held the thermal paste in place better not allowing air pockets and that the smile shaped base was made that way on purpose to make better contact with ceratin cpu cores on certain cpus. I was also told the base was ment to swivel to allow the heatsink to be angled or moved slightly in any direction to make mounting more compatible. There have been several threads dedicated to lapping tests that say it does next to nothing on most cpus. Do I believe that (not so sure but don't kill the messenger). Also with the same air flow no Iggy beats a TRUE. It a good cooler but it doesn't beat a TRUE. There is nothing wrong with the TRUE even the MEG cannot outright beat it and it's based on it's design. Match it in some cases yes but beat it no. DHT hasn't proven itself superior even my Noct beats every direct touch cooler out and is very close to the TRUE, but doesn't beat it. You could argue that there are coolers that can provide similar performance to the TRUE and even beat it under certain circumstance, but on a consistent basis the TRUE is still the King of air cooling.

[inferKNOX]

Care to point me to that review where xigamtec beats the TRUE ?

Don't you like those reviews where they don't specify what cooler they put on the TRUE ( it could be a 500 rpm or a 5000 rpm cooler ) and they get xigamtec or some other brand as the winner ( sponsors sponsors and paid reviews ).

Many enthusiasts tested sycthe , xigamtec , cooler master and ...... , bottom line was HDT is bullshit and all marketing , cuts costs of cooler , and of cousre TRUE is still the king , not the best because there are some huge coolers that weight over 1 kg ( cooler master V10 i think ) but at that reasonable size the TRUE beats any bullshit cooler with fancy HDT if they are tested with the same vent. on them.
There are some huge coolers that match or beats the TRUE performance , but they always have some drawbacks , eighter they are HUGE and block ram slots , don't fit , very heavy that might damage the MB , or it is a water cooler wich is more expensive.

Whoa, a little passionate there!?:eek:
I don't remember where exactly, it was something I read in passing as I was looking around for which cooler is a good one to compete with the TRUE when I saw the problem of the heatpipes getting in the way of the RAM slots on the GD70. Quite a few people said it. Only marginally though; what made Xigmatek good was that there was that marginal performance increase came at a cheaper price.
However I remember the bad part was that Xigmatek include a custom fan attachment, which means you can't just strap any on like with the TRUE. Also, I remember that the TRUE and Xigmatek were trading blows, some reviews saying one is the winner, some the other. Don't even remember which Xigmatek it was though...:o

I'm happy with my ZEROTherm Nirvana NV120 for now though. I'm only worried that it only takes a proprietary fan, so if it dies, I'm in trouble.:ohwell:

[Mussels]

trt740: lapping only helped me since my CPU and my heatsink were both convex. my cores had a 10C difference between core 1 and core 4 - lapping reduced that. i believe lapping the CPU made the most difference.

inferknox: you can use any fan with a xiggie. they use a funny little rubber mount, but thats transferable to any standard fan, and you could always resort to zip ties.

[aj28]

It's a hunk of metal. Lower the price.

[tigger]

Leonard,your not even using a TRUE or a Xiggy so how are you such an expert on which is the best anyway.

[BazookaJoe]

TRUE is the best cooler ever, and it's BIG so I feel like a real man!

[Selene]

As a long time user of the TRUE, I just love it, and plan on using this for every build I do from now on.

[Kitkat]

the design is already ace and world renound if they FOUND something as simple as cutting a v hole makes a diff lol DO IT! Next they will find that bending the top right fin UP and the lower left -30 fin DOWN is the secret code to - 10 degrees. lol so DO IT lol

[sttubs]

I picked up a TRUE with a package deal. What rpm of fan do you recommend? The E8400 will be overclocked to ~3.8-3.9 & the case has great airflow.
TIA

[newtekie1]

I have both in machines right now and I'll clear up a few things:

Does the Xigmatech match or beat the TRUE's performance? No, but the two are very close. Close enough that I would say it doesn't make a difference.

Is the TRUE worth the price over the Xigmatech? Yes! Cooling performance is only part of the equation. The Xigmatech coolers are cheaper for several reasons:

No Nickle Plating(looks worse)
Cheaper Mounting Brackets(Push Pins!!! They sell a bolt through kit for 775, why not just include it instead of the BS push pin brackets? And they don't even offer a bolt through kit for AM2/3.)
Lower Quality

The TRUE is a high quality heatsink, you can look at it and feel it, and just know that it is of the highest quality. The same can not be said about the Xigmatech coolers. They feel a lot cheaper, and the quality is just not up to the level of the TRUE.

And the issues with lapping the TRUE aren't that major, both my Xigmatechs required lapping also. They weren't as bad as the TRUE, but there were large gouges in the copper of the heatpipes, large enough that I could get my thumb nail stuck in them when running it across the surface. A quick hit with 1500 Grit solve that though, while the TRUE took 400, then 800, then 1000, then 1500 because I had to get the base flat first.

[Bjorn_Of_Iceland]

The curved base surface is actually meant to be curved (convex).

Its designed for procs with heatspreaders and are actually effective. (in fact a swiftech Apogee GTZ water block even have a convex surface.)

TRUE design truly is.. ahead of its time.

[Kitkat]

I have both in machines right now and I'll clear up a few things:

Does the Xigmatech match or beat the TRUE's performance? No, but the two are very close. Close enough that I would say it doesn't make a difference.

Is the TRUE worth the price over the Xigmatech? Yes! Cooling performance is only part of the equation. The Xigmatech coolers are cheaper for several reasons:

No Nickle Plating(looks worse)
Cheaper Mounting Brackets(Push Pins!!! They sell a bolt through kit for 775, why not just include it instead of the BS push pin brackets? And they don't even offer a bolt through kit for AM2/3.)
Lower Quality

The TRUE is a high quality heatsink, you can look at it and feel it, and just know that it is of the highest quality. The same can not be said about the Xigmatech coolers. They feel a lot cheaper, and the quality is just not up to the level of the TRUE.

And the issues with lapping the TRUE aren't that major, both my Xigmatechs required lapping also. They weren't as bad as the TRUE, but there were large gouges in the copper of the heatpipes, large enough that I could get my thumb nail stuck in them when running it across the surface. A quick hit with 1500 Grit solve that though, while the TRUE took 400, then 800, then 1000, then 1500 because I had to get the base flat first.


annnnnnnnd i do like xig's coolers they are just as awsome yeah got some probs but another thing is some of them can only be mounted a cirtan way on AMD computers , so thats another thing to keep in mind too

[mascotzel]

no one ever heard of Megahalems?

it beats TRUE

[leonard_222003]

Leonard,your not even using a TRUE or a Xiggy so how are you such an expert on which is the best anyway.

I have the TRUE in my system right now but i didn't update the system details , i'll do it just for you :).
Also i saw the xigmatec dark knight or something like that in action , up to 65-70 C and 1.5 V on a core duo E5200 both were about the same with 2-3 C better for the true but not so significant , this was done with a friend , then we uped the voltage to 1.6 , TRUE holded the very hot CPU to 75 C full load of orthos , xigmatec failed and was going for over 83 , we stoped on the xigamtec.
You can really see the perfomance of a TRUE in a very hot scenario , if you buy it for a normal overclock then it's a waste of money.
Most people see coolers below the TRUE losing by 1-2 C and say why is this so much more expensive , it's just not worth it , but at what temperatures are these results ? 50-70C ? not enough to really push the TRUE , go for much more and you will see the TRUE leaves the competition behind.
Other thing to consider is how well the TRUE scales with a better airflow , some coolers just don't benefit from a better airflow at some point , put a delta 5000 rpm cooler on the TRUE and you make history with some huge overclock.
Mascotzel is right , Prolimatech Megahelms is a bit better than TRUE , also there is Thermolab Barams or Cogage True spirit who also match or beat the TRUE by a little bit , the Cogage is a mini TRUE with impressive perfomances at normal overclocks , at the size of cogage i think no one is better except water cooling :) .
Wonder what all these companies have in common with Thermalright ? they all worked at Thermalright , left at some point and started their bussines separately.

[Kitkat]

cool results, atleast we know what the next inovation will be in all coolers lol

[WOOKZ]

3 words not said yet zig thors hammer

[leonard_222003]

3 words not said yet zig thors hammer

Because it doesn't exist for people who know a thing or two about coolers
First of all it isn't better than a TRUE
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=300&Itemid=62
being released after the TRUE everybody would've expected to beat the king , it doesn't , it just equals it and i think the TRUE is still better in a hotter scenario;

http://vr-zone.com/articles/heatsink-showdown-cooler-master-v10-vs.-xigmatek-thor-s-hammer/6605-10.html

it doesn't scale with better airflow , so that pantented bent fins thermalright has it isn't some marketing bullshit like HDT.

[trt740]

Because it doesn't exist for people who know a thing or two about coolers
First of all it isn't better than a TRUE
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=300&Itemid=62
being released after the TRUE everybody would've expected to beat the king , it doesn't , it just equals it and i think the TRUE is still better in a hotter scenario;

http://vr-zone.com/articles/heatsink-showdown-cooler-master-v10-vs.-xigmatek-thor-s-hammer/6605-10.html

it doesn't scale with better airflow , so that pantented bent fins thermalright has it isn't some marketing bullshit like HDT.

All the bent fin thing is to allow bigger surface area in a smaller space and to direct some air flow over the power regulators and it does help in both cases.

[From_Nowhere]

Sweet! A new [small] revision on a badass cooler, but I still see no reason to change mine out yet.

[trt740]

Sweet! A new [small] revision on a badass cooler, but I still see no reason to change mine out yet.

If you want the real mini True this is it and with two 92mm fans is very close to the same cooling ability of the TRUE and it is actually made by Thermalright http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/product_page/cpu/utm90/product_cpu_cooler_utm90.html This is a bad ass little cooler and size wise is a bunch smaller than the TRUE.



I have said a bunch of great things about the TRUE but here are some bad!!!!!!
1. The fan holders should come standard with the TRUE black and not the wire holders.
2. Two fans should come with the TRUE black
3. The mount should not scratch the TRUE blacks finish when installed and it does.
4. Once installed you should not have to remove the motherboard to change the CPU.
5. The TRUES fins are easily bent and scratched

For those reasons I switched to the Noctua
1. Similar performance within a degree or two of the TRUE
2. a fraction smaller
3. Two fans come with it and they are arguably the best 120mm fans made
4. Better mounting system that once installed the motherboard doesn't need removed to change the cpu. Also includes a screw driver.
5 Much stronger frame and fins that are hard to damage and bend, and because of this the fan wires work easier.


Noctua negative: it not a ugly cooler but it's not a TRUE and is nowhere as nice looking plus the fan color is fugly.

If Thermalright would have fixed those thing I would never have switched. cutting a triangle into the TRUe is bullshit just fix those few things/ Heck the Meg could have fixed these thing and in some cases they did but then there is no AMD mount and only one fan? So they dropped the ball as well.


Here was my old TRUE Black one of three I owned, plus a Ultima 90

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=81760&highlight=True+black

[newtekie1]

You don't have to remove the motherboard to change CPUs with the TRUE.

You can permanantly mount the back plate to the motherboard by removing the covering on the foam and exposing the extremely sticky tape under it. And trust me, it is permanant.

If you want a less permanant solution, you can just us a little tape to hold the back plate in place on the back of the motherboard.

[trt740]

You don't have to remove the motherboard to change CPUs with the TRUE.

You can permanantly mount the back plate to the motherboard by removing the covering on the foam and exposing the extremely sticky tape under it. And trust me, it is permanant.

If you want a less permanant solution, you can just us a little tape to hold the back plate in place on the back of the motherboard.

Trues don't come with adhesive on the mount anymore on mine in the photo it is a plain piece of plastic. Also it makes zero sense to mount your bracket permanently to a motherboard.

However, with the New C revison, the X bracket is gone and the heat sink can be removed without taking out the motherboard and FYI adhesive was removed along time ago from the TRUEs back plate. Like three revisions ago. At least that been fixed

True revision c mounting instructions http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/download_images/booklet/tb120revc/1366.pdf

[WOOKZ]

CHOICES R CHOICES buy what u like both are good that's why they cost a motza

[trt740]

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=62
CHOICES R CHOICES Review maybe people could read

Thats one review and that's definitive? It really beats the hell out of the TRUE? Also that test uses socket temperature and is hardly accurate. Read how they got these temps ( http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=13 ) Just about every review lists the MEG and TRUE neck and neck and they should be since they were designed by the same team of people and one was designed from the other.

[WOOKZ]

i was going to buy true black but was not available to me so i scrounged suppliers for a hammer chipper with my purchase

[Hayder_Master]

why not direct touch pipes, and basic design like the old one

[From_Nowhere]

If you want the real mini True this is it and with two 92mm fans is very close to the same cooling ability of the TRUE and it is actually made by Thermalright http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_page/product_page/cpu/utm90/product_cpu_cooler_utm90.html This is a bad ass little cooler and size wise is a bunch smaller than the TRUE.

I was not referring to the size of the cooler. I was referring to the small revision of the TRUE 120. The TRUE 120 rev. B is nice, but it's no reason to upgrade if you already have a good cooling setup.

[inferKNOX]

No Nickle Plating(looks worse)
Cheaper Mounting Brackets(Push Pins!!! They sell a bolt through kit for 775, why not just include it instead of the BS push pin brackets? And they don't even offer a bolt through kit for AM2/3.)
Lower Quality
Have you come across the Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283?

[Bo_Fox]

trt740: lapping only helped me since my CPU and my heatsink were both convex. my cores had a 10C difference between core 1 and core 4 - lapping reduced that. i believe lapping the CPU made the most difference.

inferknox: you can use any fan with a xiggie. they use a funny little rubber mount, but thats transferable to any standard fan, and you could always resort to zip ties.

Yo, same here! Lapping my IFX-14 made a huge difference!

The base was so convex that when I put it on a table, it wobbled! I had to go back to Lowe's to get more sandpaper, since all the recommended amount I had was used up for lapping off so much copper! After more than 1 hour of grinding, it was finally flat.. oh man, my hands were so sore (with a few cuts on my fingers from the fins.. yeah, I shoulda wore gloves).

Roughly 7-10 degrees cooler now under idle, but it could also be because I added washers to the backplate to increase the pressure (which was lost due to lapping nearly 2mm of copper off). There was more pressure this time around anyways. That's on a Core i7 920 oc'ed to 4 GHz.

The IFX-14 is better than TRUE by at least 5 degrees on Core i7's, according to the recent reviews. It just performs better on those bigger chips than on Core2's. I am not sure why, but all the reviews using Corei7's clearly show how the IFX-14 is really that much better than the rest of all others, including Megahalems, Mugen2, Baram, Noctua, etc... My own IFX-14 barely becomes hot to touch, with two 2000rpm fans in push-push configuration. It's a mini room-heater though when I fold with all 8 threads.

[trt740]

Yo, same here! Lapping my IFX-14 made a huge difference!

The base was so convex that when I put it on a table, it wobbled! I had to go back to Lowe's to get more sandpaper, since all the recommended amount I had was used up for lapping off so much copper! After more than 1 hour of grinding, it was finally flat.. oh man, my hands were so sore (with a few cuts on my fingers from the fins.. yeah, I shoulda wore gloves).

Roughly 7-10 degrees cooler now under idle, but it could also be because I added washers to the backplate to increase the pressure (which was lost due to lapping nearly 2mm of copper off). There was more pressure this time around anyways. That's on a Core i7 920 oc'ed to 4 GHz.

The IFX-14 is better than TRUE by at least 5 degrees on Core i7's, according to the recent reviews. It just performs better on those bigger chips than on Core2's. I am not sure why, but all the reviews using Corei7's clearly show how the IFX-14 is really that much better than the rest of all others, including Megahalems, Mugen2, Baram, Noctua, etc... My own IFX-14 barely becomes hot to touch, with two 2000rpm fans in push-push configuration. It's a mini room-heater though when I fold with all 8 threads.

it should be it's 3 times the size of a TRUE and won't fit in half the case out :laugh: I think we are talking normal conventional coolers here.

[newtekie1]

Have you come across the Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283?

I have, any while it does look a litte better, it still isn't that great. The nickle plating is very cheap looking when you see it in person. Almost like it was just thrown on as an afterthrough(which it was). While the TRUE looks like some actual through was put into it. The nickle has been polished, and looks nice, unlike the Dark Knight.

Also, it doesn't help the coolers quality any, it still feels cheap. And the quality control standards are Xigmatek leave a lot to be desired. All 3 that I've ordered have had bent fins on arrival. I guess bent fins shouldn't really be an issue since you have to bend them to get the stupid rubber fan mounts in anyway...

[marsey99]

wow, this redisgn is almost on par nvidias lazieness with the 9xxx range.

ifx-14 still kills and the more volts you throw at it the more it streches its legs.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/core-i7-coolers-roundup_19.html#sect0

[trt740]

wow, this redisgn is almost on par nvidias lazieness with the 9xxx range.

ifx-14 still kills and the more volts you throw at it the more it streches its legs.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/core-i7-coolers-roundup_19.html#sect0

The ifx-14 is incompatible with over half the motherboards and cases made and after you buy all the needed fans it's crazy expensive. It's really not a option for most people.

[Bo_Fox]

The ifx-14 is incompatible with over half the motherboards and cases made and after you buy all the needed fans it's crazy expensive. It's really not a option for most people.

True, but the IFX-14 is compatible with practically all of X58 motherboards out there. It could fit in my medium/small ATX case. It can be rotated so that the air blows vertically or horizontally, and you can use it with only 1 fan in the middle, sucking air through one tower and pushing it through the other (a 38mm fan can be in the middle, for more effectiveness using the same RPM and equal noise as a 25mm fan). If it is not compatible with your (small) case, you could rotate it so that it does not touch the power supply above.

Anyways, I would think that the TRUE is definitely a great cooler anyways.. I almost bought it after all, before taking the plunge for an IFX-14. My next one would be Xigmatek Thor's Hammer:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/images/reviews/cooling/Xigmatek_S126384/Xigmatek_Thors-Hammer_S126384_Upright_Corner.jpg
because it just looks so cool with all of the neat features (4 thick HDT heatpipes and 3 regular ones on top), Baram-like fins, etc.. if I decide to get this:
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/svcompucycle_2068_81495141
http://www.svc.com/acts-t.html

[trt740]

Thors hammer has a poorly constructed base from what I read in reviews , but is very good but not as good as a TRUE close but not as good.