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Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 Power - Review and Comparison with NH-D14

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LennyRhys

Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
I posted a review over at the bit-tech forum here

Please read and discuss here! :salute:
 
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Nice job...!

I may have missed it though, how many times did you remount each cooler to make sure the mount was ok (as the mount is where the biggest variable is performance wise).

Also, did you normalize for input temps? I read some long paragraph about blow back and input temps but must have missed HOW you adjusted for these things in the end.

Again, thanks!! Great work! :)
 
@EarthDog, thanks.

Coolers were checked twice to verify consistency of load temps. In my experience testing CPU coolers I've never had variable results from different mounts, and I remount my coolers very often. I think that as long as TIM application is more or less of the same amount and in the same place on the IHS, these coolers have such high-pressure mounting systems and they are so well centered that remounting is not going to make enough of a difference to significantly alter the results. Older style retention systems that use heavy springs (like the TRUE) are far less reliable because the spring does not clamp the cooler in place like newer style systems. I guess that's why springs are not really used any more, and with good reason.

Re. intake temps, I actually had to redo some of the tests before I was happy with the results. At one point the intake temp was, say, 20C at the top of the intake fan but 26C nearer the memory, and that's when I was getting a lot of interference from exhaust air, so I pulled the case away from the wall to allow the exhaust air to dispel without getting in the way, and that allowed the intake temp to be more uniform across the path of the intake fan.

The intake temp was monitored and averaged out based on a number of readings over the 20 minute test duration. This only needed to be done on a handful of tests because for the most part the intake temp didn't fluctuate more than half a degree, but it was worth the attention nevertheless.

:attn:
 
@Blaylock, thanks. :) I was very surprised as I expected the TS140P to tie with the NH-D14, not slaughter it! On the landscape of air cooling, a margin of 3 degrees is MASSIVE.

I specifically moved away from testing with stock fans as that is more a comparison of fans than a comparison of heatsinks. To compare heatsinks you must use the same fans at the same speeds. One other reviewer did test the TS140P and the NH-D14 with stock fans and, unsurprisingly, the NH-D14 beats it by about 1.5C... but I don't know how rigourous he was in measuring intake temps and keeping control of the other variables. These sorts of results are good IMO for cursory consideration but they are not nearly in-depth enough to constitute an accurate performance analysis.

As a general note regarding dB(A) performance, the Gentle Typhoons and TY fans have been around for a while and there's a lot of info about the quality of sound and how it changes with speed. The TY-147 is fantastic at 1200rpm because it's extremely quiet but moves a lot more air than any 120mm at that speed or sound level, however I still prefer the TY-143 because it has a lot more reserve power under its hood, and the cooler definitely makes use of it.
 
Sweet :thup: It's a really nice cooler. Originally my plan was to buy it, review it, and sell it, however that's not going to happen because it stomps all over my TRUE and allows me a much higher overclock.

And I'm probably going to get the NH-D15 too, but definitely just for reviewing because I'm not a fan of dual tower coolers. Just too big.
 
Looks great but I don't know why they still can't figure out a decent mounting system. Just copy prolimatech already. If this thing mounted like a megahalems I would order it right now.
 
They need to use thumb screws and attached screws on the crossbar instead of these damn tiny screws. That's really the only thing I find wrong with the mount.
 
I'll probably get one anyways. How often to I really need to take the thing off anyhow. It just would have been nice if they would come up with something a little better.
 
What is wrong with it other than the screws? Just curious. I've used Phanteks, Cryorig, Noctua, etc. and only thing I can find fault with Thermalright is the fracking little screws.. and a good magnetic screwdriver / nut driver solves that problem. Their older mount with pressure adjustment has thumb screws and secured crossbar nuts... Archon SB-E and HR-22 still do.
 
What is wrong with it other than the screws? Just curious. I've used Phanteks, Cryorig, Noctua, etc. and only thing I can find fault with Thermalright is the fracking little screws.. and a good magnetic screwdriver / nut driver solves that problem. Their older mount with pressure adjustment has thumb screws and secured crossbar nuts... Archon SB-E and HR-22 still do.

That's pretty much it. I'm spoiled by the megahalems mounting method.
 
that thing beats the legendary cooper TRUE :shock:

hard to take, but it's already proven.
nice job, Lenny :thup:
 
Screw it. I got one from frozen cpu. the shipping is a little high but they didn't charge tax for some reason so not such a huge difference. I'll post results against the megahalems when it gets here. Everyone says it's better. I hope it's better.
 
I find it truly amazing how different testing reviews come up with such different results. In this area of performance I think it's very important to look at a lot of different reviews since testing methodology can make considerable difference in outcomes. I look for the coolers that seem to consistently come out on top or near the top over many different test reviews. That said, if I only had one info source to go by I would use Frostytech as they do synthetic testing to eliminate a lot of variables.
 
Very little testing is done using an accurate cooler intake air temp. They use room temperature when they should be using the cooler intake air temperature because that is the important temperature, not what the temperature in the room is. Cooler intake temp is almost never the same as room temp .. testing in a case is even worse .. temp can be 5-15c warmer than room .. and that makes CPU temps 5-15c warmer too.

Testing above is not accurate. PH-TC12DX is obviously not as powerful a cooler as NH-D14 or Alpenfohn K2. CLCs are not better than top air either.
 
I guess I'll see in a couple days. I can't promise scientific results but I'll blow the dust out if the megahalems first and put the fans at the same approximate rpm/noise level. If it sucks I'll probably sell it and get a corsair h105. This thing is the biggest object i'm willing to hang off my motherboard.
 
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