Thermalright vs Zerotherm: Cooler Faceoff - bit-tech.net Forums

Tim S · 4th Jan 2008, 08:09

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...otherm_nv120/1

We test two 120mm heatsinks designed for the hardcore enthusiast to determine which one dons the crown in this cooler faceoff. How will the widely praised Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme compare to the Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 on the bit-tech grill? Let's find out...

Tyinsar · 4th Jan 2008, 08:22

Several months ago I purchased a Tuniq Tower 120 because it was "almost as good" as the Thermalright cooler, but at half the price (on sale). I'm about to change the fan but now I just wish I'd bought the Thermalright.

impar · 4th Jan 2008, 10:53

Greetings!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyinsar

I'm about to change the fan but now I just wish I'd bought the Thermalright.

And with that you hit the nail in the head.

The price of air cooling is still low when compared to other cooling solutions (and easier to install and maintain), there is no point in geting the second best cooler.
The TRUE120 is the king of air coolers and has been for a while now, the longer it continues in the throne the happier I am with it.

cooper13 · 4th Jan 2008, 13:18

But the PWM cooling doesn't look too good. Which would be better, the Ultra-120 Extreme, or the Thermaltake MaxOrb? How important is the extra heatpipe cooling? I'm trying to decide what to put on an EVGA 780i board, once they come off of back-order!

(Total n00b post/longtime-lurker/first-time-poster -- LOVE the site: I've learned tons in the past few months!)

[USRF]Obiwan · 4th Jan 2008, 14:26

did I see a 10/10 score? Or did I just imagine it.

I could have said: "I told you so" but i did not.

Tim S · 4th Jan 2008, 14:28

it probably would have got a 10 overall if the support for AMD users had been better.

drakanious · 4th Jan 2008, 14:50

From the second page: "Next the fan clips are hooked around the ends of the heatpipes and pushed taught into the corners of the fan to keep it there..."

Couldn't have meant "taut" by any chance?

M1CUZ · 4th Jan 2008, 14:56

I can honestly say the Thermalright is an excellent piece of kit, have one on my Asus Striker Extreme and Q6600, though I must say its a very tight fit on this mobo, the heatpipes actually touch some of the mobo heatsinks. Nice slow 120mm fan, can barely hear it and it keep the chip as cold as the British weather at the moment (read cool) even running at full tilt. Only concern I have with it at the moment is the lack of air directed towards any of the chipset/power heatsinks on the motherboard, as a result the system temp is a little high.... Looking at ways to redirect a little air over them at the moment.

I found installation to be a breeze, just make sure you have a nice flat surface and plenty of space.

Also of note, you might find the fan clips easier to use if you clip them in the right place, they are designed to clip in between the fins of the heatsink and not onto the heatpipes themselves. As shown right at the bottom of the installation guide here -> http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_pa...er_u120ex.html

Top notch piece of cooling hardware.

Bindibadgi · 4th Jan 2008, 15:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by M1CUZ

I can honestly say the Thermalright is an excellent piece of kit, have one on my Asus Striker Extreme and Q6600, though I must say its a very tight fit on this mobo, the heatpipes actually touch some of the mobo heatsinks. Nice slow 120mm fan, can barely hear it and it keep the chip as cold as the British weather at the moment (read cool) even running at full tilt. Only concern I have with it at the moment is the lack of air directed towards any of the chipset/power heatsinks on the motherboard, as a result the system temp is a little high.... Looking at ways to redirect a little air over them at the moment.

I found installation to be a breeze, just make sure you have a nice flat surface and plenty of space.

Also of note, you might find the fan clips easier to use if you clip them in the right place, they are designed to clip in between the fins of the heatsink and not onto the heatpipes themselves. As shown right at the bottom of the installation guide here -> http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_pa...er_u120ex.html

Top notch piece of cooling hardware.

Cool, thanks for the link but where ever you put the fan clips I always found I had one too tight and one too lax or one would ping off as I was putting the other on - there is just better solutions out there.

M1CUZ · 4th Jan 2008, 15:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bindibadgi

Cool, thanks for the link but where ever you put the fan clips I always found I had one too tight and one too lax or one would ping off as I was putting the other on - there is just better solutions out there.

Oh yeah, no doubt there friendlier systems out there, don't know how may of these I would class as "better" though :P, have owned many different thermalright heatsinks over the years and they have always been a fan of the wire clips.

I think the important thing with the ones with the U-120 EX is that they go in between the fins (hooking into the notches down the middle of each of the fins and then onto the bottom of the fan (not right over the top). Made the mistake of trying to get them right over the top of the fan myself and bent one of the clips out of shape (nothing a pair of pliers couldn't fix though)

Either way, nice to finally see a Bit-Tech review of the Ultra-120 Extreme, and nicely done as always.

Yggdrasill · 4th Jan 2008, 16:11

Richard, cant see why you think thats hard to mount the fan. If you read the faninstallation you see that theres two holes that you need to use with the fanwires. http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_pa...120ex.html#fan

Nice review.

seanap · 4th Jan 2008, 18:12

I personally like the ZeroTherm, but that's just my oh-so-not-important-opinion.

Does any one know which HSF is the quietest? I'm looking to build a near silent computer for a disabled person who needs to interact with the computer through voice, so background / fan noise must be minimal, but water cooling is not within budget. I was looking at getting the Zero Therm, but I'm open for other suggestions.

capnPedro · 4th Jan 2008, 18:25

A Scythe Ninja should passively cool most (non overclocked/super high end) CPUs.

chrisb2e9 · 4th Jan 2008, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooper13

Which would be better, the Ultra-120 Extreme, or the Thermaltake MaxOrb? How important is the extra heatpipe cooling?

(Total n00b post/longtime-lurker/first-time-poster -- LOVE the site: I've learned tons in the past few months!)

depends on if you are overclocking the northbridge and southbridge. the maxorb installs easily if that matters to you. no force is required to get the pushpins into the board. kind of a pain to clean the maxorb though, if you hit it with compressed air the dust blows onto the motherboard and then you have to clean it off. not that big of a deal though, since i would do that anyway.

wuyanxu · 4th Jan 2008, 19:01

finally! TRUE120 reviewed.

i love mine 120 eXtreme, it's the best

topping almost every single heatsink tests with a good fan on low speed. it even beats those cheap under 100 pounds water cooling solutions :P it's so good at taking heat away from processors, going from 1.5v to 1.6v didn't change load temperature much at all, was just under 70 for 1.5v, now just over 70 for 1.6v. (no, i didn't leave it for a long time)

only thing is, when you are installing TRUE120, get someone else to hold the cooler, otherwise it may slide about when you try to screw it in.

for a better PWM temperature, you can stick a piece of paper to the fines, to direct air into the PWM. i didn't do that yet my Abit iP35 Pro (rather famous for hot PWMs and bad thermal past on those) is idling at 42c.

Dev25 · 4th Jan 2008, 20:00

was gonna buy a 120 extreme ]
this just make me wanna buy it quicker

SinxarKnights · 4th Jan 2008, 20:29

LoL! Thank you for putting at least one stock temp in there. Those temps are much better than my Arctic Freezer 64Pro cooler. With a 3800+ I get 28C idle and 40C load. With it overclocked to 2.5GHz I get 30C idle and 50C load. I could really use a better cooler or maybe a new system since Phemom don't work with my MB >

cpemma · 5th Jan 2008, 01:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by drakanious

Couldn't have meant "taut" by any chance?

I love English. So logical.

teach/taught

tight/taut

tit/teat

/spam

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanap

Does any one know which HSF is the quietest?

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article30-page1.html

sheninat0r · 5th Jan 2008, 01:52

Hey, I noticed an error about the fans - Noctua doesn't make a 1400RPM model, only 800, 1200, and 1300RPM-ers. The 1300 is also a drastically different design than the 800 and 1200RPM fans, so it would be nice if the model number was listed as well.

hdfreedom · 5th Jan 2008, 07:14

A bit of information. I have the Nirvana 120, and the fan is removable, making it easier to install those 2 mounting screws. I would assume that those sold in the UK are of the same design as those sold in the US. Simply remove the fan before installation, and replace after installation. All you have to do is pinch the 2 ears on the mounting tab at the bottom of the fan stand.

As for the member above that asked about routing air to the other heatsinks, I did that by simply using a 2 rulers and bending the bottom fins on the back downward to direct air at it. Works great and looks stock when done right. I forget what heatsink that had this little feature recently, but it came in handy for me. This again is with the Nirvana 120.

One other bit of info. If you look at the results, the Thermalright always has a lower ambient temp than the Nirvana. By guestimating (I'm not a rocket scientist), this would bring the 2 a little closer to each other after adjustment in temps I believe.

I got my Nirvana on sale for half the price of the Thermalright (not seen the thermalright on sale at all). For the little difference in temps, I think this heatsink does quite a good job in price/performance. Fits my needs well.

4th Jan 2008, 08:09	#1
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	Thermalright vs Zerotherm: Cooler Faceoff http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...otherm_nv120/1 We test two 120mm heatsinks designed for the hardcore enthusiast to determine which one dons the crown in this cooler faceoff. How will the widely praised Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme compare to the Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 on the bit-tech grill? Let's find out... __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

4th Jan 2008, 08:22	#2
Tyinsar 6 screens / 1 card Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: AB.CA Posts: 2,005	Several months ago I purchased a Tuniq Tower 120 because it was "almost as good" as the Thermalright cooler, but at half the price (on sale). I'm about to change the fan but now I just wish I'd bought the Thermalright. __________________ It's not about how life treats you, it's about how you treat life.

4th Jan 2008, 14:26	#5
[USRF]Obiwan Ultramodder Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,220	did I see a 10/10 score? Or did I just imagine it. I could have said: "I told you so" but i did not. __________________ Mascleta: "The most accurate simulation of thunder, humans can simulate..." The answer is 42, so... whats the question again? If you know what 'Peek' and 'Poke' represents, then you are probably as old as me.

4th Jan 2008, 14:28	#6
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	it probably would have got a 10 overall if the support for AMD users had been better. __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

4th Jan 2008, 14:56	#8
M1CUZ Modder Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 54	I can honestly say the Thermalright is an excellent piece of kit, have one on my Asus Striker Extreme and Q6600, though I must say its a very tight fit on this mobo, the heatpipes actually touch some of the mobo heatsinks. Nice slow 120mm fan, can barely hear it and it keep the chip as cold as the British weather at the moment (read cool) even running at full tilt. Only concern I have with it at the moment is the lack of air directed towards any of the chipset/power heatsinks on the motherboard, as a result the system temp is a little high.... Looking at ways to redirect a little air over them at the moment. I found installation to be a breeze, just make sure you have a nice flat surface and plenty of space. Also of note, you might find the fan clips easier to use if you clip them in the right place, they are designed to clip in between the fins of the heatsink and not onto the heatpipes themselves. As shown right at the bottom of the installation guide here -> http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_pa...er_u120ex.html Top notch piece of cooling hardware. __________________ If its not broken... Mod it till it is!!

4th Jan 2008, 13:18	#4
cooper13 What's a Dremel? Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1	But the PWM cooling doesn't look too good. Which would be better, the Ultra-120 Extreme, or the Thermaltake MaxOrb? How important is the extra heatpipe cooling? I'm trying to decide what to put on an EVGA 780i board, once they come off of back-order! (Total n00b post/longtime-lurker/first-time-poster -- LOVE the site: I've learned tons in the past few months!)

4th Jan 2008, 14:50	#7
drakanious Minimodder Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 21	From the second page: "Next the fan clips are hooked around the ends of the heatpipes and pushed taught into the corners of the fan to keep it there..." Couldn't have meant "taut" by any chance?

4th Jan 2008, 16:11	#11
Yggdrasill What's a Dremel? Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1	Richard, cant see why you think thats hard to mount the fan. If you read the faninstallation you see that theres two holes that you need to use with the fanwires. http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_pa...120ex.html#fan Nice review.

4th Jan 2008, 18:12	#12
seanap Modder Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 59	I personally like the ZeroTherm, but that's just my oh-so-not-important-opinion. Does any one know which HSF is the quietest? I'm looking to build a near silent computer for a disabled person who needs to interact with the computer through voice, so background / fan noise must be minimal, but water cooling is not within budget. I was looking at getting the Zero Therm, but I'm open for other suggestions. Last edited by seanap; 4th Jan 2008 at 18:22.

4th Jan 2008, 18:25	#13
capnPedro Deaf forever to the battle's din Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: North-East England Posts: 2,985	A Scythe Ninja should passively cool most (non overclocked/super high end) CPUs. __________________ ASUS M4A785TD-M Evo \| AMD Phenom II x4 955 BE \| D-Tek FuZion 4GB Corsair XMMS3-10666 \| Corsair TX650 Point Of View 8800GTX \| EK FC-8800

4th Jan 2008, 19:01	#15
wuyanxu quad fuelled, GTX200 powered Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: in a room near Soton Uni. UK Posts: 3,943	finally! TRUE120 reviewed. i love mine 120 eXtreme, it's the best topping almost every single heatsink tests with a good fan on low speed. it even beats those cheap under 100 pounds water cooling solutions :P it's so good at taking heat away from processors, going from 1.5v to 1.6v didn't change load temperature much at all, was just under 70 for 1.5v, now just over 70 for 1.6v. (no, i didn't leave it for a long time) only thing is, when you are installing TRUE120, get someone else to hold the cooler, otherwise it may slide about when you try to screw it in. for a better PWM temperature, you can stick a piece of paper to the fines, to direct air into the PWM. i didn't do that yet my Abit iP35 Pro (rather famous for hot PWMs and bad thermal past on those) is idling at 42c. __________________ Death to consolification !!!Core i7 860 @ 4Ghz Cooled by Corsair H50 // Asus P7P55D Deluxe // 8GB of Corsair Dominators @ 1528Mhz 8-8-8-24 // BFG gtx260+ OC2 MaxCore 216SP 896MB // Samsung 64GB SSD // WD Raptor 74GB + Black 1TB + Green 1TB // Corsair Hx620w // Antec p182 // Samsung 24" T240

4th Jan 2008, 20:00	#16
Dev25 Multimodder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: London Posts: 116	was gonna buy a 120 extreme ] this just make me wanna buy it quicker

4th Jan 2008, 20:29	#17
SinxarKnights Modder Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 54	LoL! Thank you for putting at least one stock temp in there. Those temps are much better than my Arctic Freezer 64Pro cooler. With a 3800+ I get 28C idle and 40C load. With it overclocked to 2.5GHz I get 30C idle and 50C load. I could really use a better cooler or maybe a new system since Phemom don't work with my MB >

5th Jan 2008, 01:52	#19
sheninat0r What's a Dremel? Join Date: May 2007 Location: U.S. Posts: 547	Hey, I noticed an error about the fans - Noctua doesn't make a 1400RPM model, only 800, 1200, and 1300RPM-ers. The 1300 is also a drastically different design than the 800 and 1200RPM fans, so it would be nice if the model number was listed as well. __________________ ...with a crowbar.

5th Jan 2008, 07:14	#20
hdfreedom What's a Dremel? Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 2	A bit of information. I have the Nirvana 120, and the fan is removable, making it easier to install those 2 mounting screws. I would assume that those sold in the UK are of the same design as those sold in the US. Simply remove the fan before installation, and replace after installation. All you have to do is pinch the 2 ears on the mounting tab at the bottom of the fan stand. As for the member above that asked about routing air to the other heatsinks, I did that by simply using a 2 rulers and bending the bottom fins on the back downward to direct air at it. Works great and looks stock when done right. I forget what heatsink that had this little feature recently, but it came in handy for me. This again is with the Nirvana 120. One other bit of info. If you look at the results, the Thermalright always has a lower ambient temp than the Nirvana. By guestimating (I'm not a rocket scientist), this would bring the 2 a little closer to each other after adjustment in temps I believe. I got my Nirvana on sale for half the price of the Thermalright (not seen the thermalright on sale at all). For the little difference in temps, I think this heatsink does quite a good job in price/performance. Fits my needs well.