INTRODUCTION

   Up and until a few years ago most CPU cooler manufacturers didn't pay much attention to all the consumers around the world who asked for new heatsink designs that wouldn't interfere with tall memory modules and mainboard components. Now i don't really blame the people who designed those CPU coolers since back then size was what would sell to gamers and overclockers alike and if you happen to recall the huge V10 by CoolerMaster (or even the V8) then you know what i mean. Well the arrival of the AIO liquid CPU coolers changed all that since they offered zero clearance issues without asking nearly as much as custom water cooling kits. This "forced" manufacturers to take a new approach towards CPU coolers so in the past 2 years we've seen many models claim to offer zero clearance issues with your memory modules and mainboard components (and most actually deliver what they promise). The TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev.A is the latest CPU cooler by Thermalright to feature a "slim" heatsink to allow use of even the tallest memory modules and today we're taking it for a ride.

   Thermalright is an elite design house that manufactures cooling products for computer components for the best quality and performance your money can buy. In 2002, AMD released its first generation Thunderbird CPU and since then we have been there every step of the way to counter high voltage and high heat with innovative design and highly acclaimed cooling solutions not only for AMD but for Intel as well. One of early well known solutions was the SK-6. With many positive and rave reviews under its belt Thermalright bolted to the top as the heat sink manufacturer mostly preferred by Overclockers and enthusiasts around the World. To this day, innovation never left our vocabulary as we keep coming up with leading edge designs staying ahead of the competition.

   Once again we see that Thermalright decided to follow the same successful path so for the TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev.A they've used a rather large/wide yet thin tower (U-type) heatsink to increase total surface area without at the same time having to worry about any clearance issues with memory modules and mainboard components. To make the best out of the large/wide heatsink body Thermalright also bundles their TY-147A ultra-low noise PWM 140mm fan and an extra set of fan mounts just in case you wish to use a second 120/140mm fan in push & pull configuration for even better cooling efficiency. It's been a while since we last had a model from the TRUE Spirit line of CPU coolers by Thermalright so we're also quite interested to see how the 140 BW Rev.A will do when mounted on our test rig.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

This isn't the first time we've seen this box so once again we find a large product image at both the front and rear right next to several awards for Thermalright by German media and right above the product name.

The specifications list is located over at the left side in 3 languages.

More awards for Thermalright are placed on the opposite side along with several drawings pointing to the main features of the TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev.A.

With the TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev.A (heatsink and fan) Thermalright also ships 4 fan mounting clips, 8 rubber fan pads, pouch of thermal conductive material, installation instructions and mounting hardware for Intel LGA775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2 mainboards.

THE TRUE SPIRIT 140 BW REV.A

The heatsink of the TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev.A weighs 610g and stands 165.15mm tall, 155mm wide and 53.4mm deep.

Thermalright has placed their logo on the top fin.

The heatsink consists by a grand total of 49 aluminum fins.

As you can all see the fins are not bend inwards to keep air inside but Thermalright has given them a strange design.

A total of six 6mm copper nickel plated heatpipes pass from the base and through all 49 fins.

The copper base features a mirror-like finish which certainly adds to the overal quality and looks of the cooler.

This isn't our first encounter with the TY-147A 140mm fan (or TR-TY147A as printed behind the fan) so we more or less expect good performance with low noise levels.

Prior to installing the fan you will need to use the bundled pads as seen above.

Once you mount the fan the width of the TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev.A extends to 79.9mm and its total weight goes up to 770g.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   The TRUE Spirit line of CPU coolers by Thermalright isn't and never was their high-end one so we didn't really expect ground breaking performance from the 140 BW Rev.A. However when you have a manufacturer like Thermalright behind a CPU cooler you can always count in getting very good performance levels and although the TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev.A can't compete with the likes of the Macho Rev.B or the Macho Zero (not when actively cooled) still it did manage to keep our CPU at under 60 degrees at heavy load a result that places it in front of 30 other models in our charts. The best news however comes from the audio/noise department since the TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev.A is the quietest CPU cooler in our charts thanks to the TY-147A fan used. Of course two fans of the same type may not spin exactly at the same RPM so another sample may have slightly higher dBA but even if we were to take the 40dBA of the TRUE Spirit 140 Power model (nearly identical to this actually) things wouldn't change much.

   Pricing is one of the strong points the TRUE Spirit line has and since the BW Rev.A model currently retails for just USD49.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 48.16Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) we can't complain now can we? Sure it may not be the best CPU Air Cooler out in the market today but thanks to its size you will have zero issues with your memory modules and that aside it does offer very good performance with very low noise levels and all that for what i consider a very affordable price tag. Honestly i can't seem to find something that would make me hold back in highly recommending the TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev.A by Thermalright and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Very Good Cooling Performance
- Size (No Clearance Issues)
- 140mm PWM Bundled Fan
- Low Noise Levels
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Height (For Some)