CPU Coolers are things that we all
need, for most people the stock cooler is fine, but for people like
me, they don’t cut it. Even if I’m not overclocking, I prefer to have
my CPU as col as possible, cooler is better overall of course, and
we’ve got many choices when it comes to CPU coolers, but there’s a
new king of the hill as it were, it’s cooler that is outrageously
expensive and extremely heavy, but it gets the job done and looks
good while doing it.

AcousticPC has sent me over the Thermalright True Copper Ultra-120 Extreme CPU
Heatsink – Limited Edition, or TRUE Copper for review. This thing is
huge, coming in at 1900Grams or about 4lbs, it’s enough to bust some
motherboards, but if your board can handle it then get it as it will
provide the best cooling performance of any air cooled CPU cooler on
the market today, and most likely in the foreseeable future as well.

AcousticPC is a company that I can
relate to, I like my PC to be as quiet as possible, and silence is
what AcousticPC specializes in, you can find most anything to make
your PC as silent as possible. AcousticPC was nice enough to not only
provide the TRUE Copper for review, but they also sent over a couple
of the new Noctua NF-P12 fans to use with it for a truly silent and
high performance cooling solution for your CPU.

Product
Name: Thermalright
True Copper Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Heatsink – Limited Edition

Author: Kristofer Brozio

Sponsor: AcousticPC

Tech
Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

Thermalright
True Copper Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Heatsink – Limited Edition

Origin…

Since the release of Ultra-120
eXtreme, it has become the standard, or as the one to beat in a lot
of major CPU cooler comparisons. At Computex 2008,Thermalright
displayed three versions of the Ultra-120 eXtreme; original
(aluminum), black, and copper. Not surprisingly, the copper version
was the one most well received. Many hardcore Overclockers saw it to
be the ultimate air cooling device. Inheriting from its predecessor,
TRUE Copper has six highly efficient heatpipes with every vital part
soldered to them to ensure the highest rate of heat transfer and
durability. This is one of the features that you will see in each and
every Thermalright heatsink.

TRUE Copper’s weight exceeds
all of our previous heatsinks. Due to this reason, we strongly
suggest installing it on a horizontal platform. Even though in our
test lab, TRUE Copper was taken out for a test drive on a vertical
platform and ran without a glitch as the motherboard came out
unscathed. But since not all motherboards are manufactured the same
way in terms of thickness and degree of stress, Thermalright cannot
guarantee the condition of your motherboard after TRUE Copper is
installed for a certainly amount of time. If you insist installing on
a vertical platform, please check to make sure your motherboard is
sturdy enough.

As most experts would expect,
TRUE Copper will be a limited edition to the eXtreme lineup due to
the high cost of copper. If you pass up this chance, you may never
see another TRUE work of art again so don’t wait anymore and grab
one for the collection.

Features:

-Use high quality copper
material for consistent heat absorption and transfer.

-Utilizes six high quality 6mm
heatpipes, strategically positioned to pick up the heat from the CPU.

-Proprietary bent winglet
design to minimize airflow resistance.

-Heat pipes soldered to base
(nickel plated) and fins for optimum heat transfer.

-Stack of 52 pieces of copper
fins, the most over any other heatsinks in the market. Can be covered
entirely by a 120mm fan to absorb all in-coming air flow.

-Vast compatibility list for
multiple multi-core CPUs and platforms.

-Includes both bolt-thru-board
retention mechanisms for Intel 775 and AMD AM2 (backplate included
for both platforms).

-Includes two sets of fan wire
clips for a duo-120mm fan installation (fans not included).

-Includes the NEW thermal
paste, Chill Factor 2 for even better conductivity.

Technical Spec:

* Dimension: L133 x W156 x H38
mm

* Weight: 1900g

* Recommended Fan (120x25mm)

* Heat pipes: six Heat pipes

Material : Pure Copper

Compatibility:

* Intel Socket 775 & AMD
Socket AM2

* Support Intel Core i7
Processor (optional )

* Support Intel Core 2 extreme
and any Socket 775 Processor

* Support AMD Phenom X4 and any
Socket AM2 & AM2+ Processor

Components

* TRue Copper *1

* 775 Bracket *1

* 775 Backplate *1

* AM2 Bracket *1

* AM2 Backplate *1

* 775 Load screws *4

* AM2 Load Screws *4

* CF2 Thermal paste *1

* 120mm Fan wire clip *4

* Anti-ration strip *4

Price:
$99.95 at AcousticPC.com

Noctua
NF-P12 Vortex Control 120mm 9 Blade Quiet PC Cooling Fan

The NF-P12 has been
specifically developed for applications such as CPU coolers that
demand superior pressure and airflow (CFM) performance. Thanks to
psychoacoustic optimizations like the Vortex-Control Notches, the new
SCD drive system and Noctua’s premium-grade SSO-Bearing, the NF-P12
achieves exceptional quietness and long-term stability.

We principally recommend the
NF-P12 for the following applications:

* CPU Cooling – CPU Coolers
with tight fin-spacing

* Water-cooling radiators with
tight fin-spacing

* Power supplies

* Storage solutions

* Computer Cases with very
restrictive fan grills and filters

* All applications with
significant obstruction to airflow

Technical Specs:

* Size 120x120x25 mm

* Bearing SSO-Bearing

* Blade Geometry Nine Blade
Design with VCN

* Rotational Speed (+/- 10%)
1300 RPM

* Rotational Speed with L.N.A.
(+/- 10%) 1100 RPM

* Rotational Speed with
U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 900 RPM

* Airflow 92,3 m³/h

* Airflow with L.N.A. 78,5
m³/h

* Airflow with U.L.N.A. 63,4
m³/h

* Acoustical Noise 19,8 dB(A)

* Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.
16,9 dB(A)

* Acoustical Noise with
U.L.N.A. 12,6 dB(A)

* Static Pressure 1,68 mm H2O

* Static Pressure with L.N.A.
1,43 mm H2O

* Static Pressure with U.L.N.A.
1,21 mm H2O

* Input Power 1,08 W

* Input Current 0,09 A

* Voltage Range 12 V

* MTBF > 150.000 h

Price:
$19.95 at AcousticPC.com

{mospagebreak title=Unboxing Video and Still Pictures}

Unboxing
Video and Stills:

We’re going to be trying things a
bit different for some of the reviews, video unboxing for the more
interesting products. This video was done in 1080i so it should be
decent even at full screen.

Check out the video and see the
stills below it:

Installation,
Testing and Comparison:

Here’s a picture of the TRUE
installed in my system, this is in another system, not the actual
test system, after testing I moved it to my DDR3 based testing setup. Installation is fairly easy, but getting the clips into the cooler on the PSU side can be a real pain, and it’s easier just to pull the PSU out, then put it back in, especially when trying to use two fans for push-pull config.

The testing setup consisted
basically of:

Intel C2D6420

Gigabyte
GA-G33M-DS2R LGA775 Intel G33 Bear Lake mATX Motherboard

1x 120mm Intake cooling fan

1x 120mm Exhaust cooling fan

Housed
in a Thermaltake
Matrix VX Case

Ambient room temperature during
all testing was 19C (+/- .3C).

For
all CPU Cooling testing I use Arctic
Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound to make sure things are even for good comparisons.

I used Orthos Stress Prime to get
load on the CPU, and CoreTemp to log temperatures and then average
them out to get the results shown in the charts.

First up we’ve got testing with
the Noctua NF-P12 fan attached to the CPU heard of the motherboard:

Top of the chart easily…

Next up we’ve got testing with the
fan connected to the Molex, or running at full speed. You’ll see
results for testing with the TRUE Copper with both one fan and two
fans in push-pull configuration:

As you can see we’ve got better
performance with two fans, but even with one fan only the TRUE Copper
tops the charts with a good three degrees better over the next best
performer.

And finally we’ve got testing with
no fan at all:

and here again we see the TRUE
Copper tops the charts, with an average four degrees cooler than the
closest cooler, which is the Scythe Ninja Copper.

Results don’t lie, the TRUE Copper
is the best of the best of the best.

Give me a bit and I’ll be updating
the full cooling charts soon, which I believe we’re now up to about
25 coolers in total for comparison and well the TRUE will be topping
the charts, but it’s still nice to see the full view of things.

Summary
and Comments:

What can I say, the TRUE Copper is
the best cooler on the market today in terms of performance and
quality.

Sure it’s a bit expensive, and it
might break your motherboard, but we all like to push things to their
extremes, and live on the edge.

The TRUE Copper will certainly
give you bragging rights, in not only that it’s probably the most
expensive air cooler out there, but also the fact that it’s a limited
edition and for the fact that it provides the best cooling
performance with or without a fan. You can create a truly silent PC
with this cooler.

DragonSteelMods gives the
Thermalright True Copper Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Heatsink – Limited
Edition a 5 out of 5 score and our Editor’s Choice Award as well.

Pros:

-Excellent performance

-Easy to install

-Looks cool

Cons:

-Extremely heavy

-Expensive

I
would like to thank AcousticPC for the chance to review the TRUE
Copper and for their support of DSM.

review# 534