INTRODUCTION

   If you've been reading our reviews for a while now you already know that traditional CPU coolers have no more room for improvement, at least when it comes to their main bodies (heatsinks). Because of that in order to increase the cooling efficiency of CPU air coolers (faster heat dissipation) manufacturers can do one of four things, increase total surface area, place a larger number or thicker heatpipes, use one or more faster/larger fans or do all of the above. However even though large CPU air coolers perform incredibly well and are aimed towards high-end systems higher cost often coupled with clearance issues are deal breakers for the largest percentage of the consumer market. Thermalright has always catered to the needs of every person in the market (even more so now that they've expanded their product lines to include AIO liquid CPU models - reviews soon) and today with us we have yet another of their mid-range CPU air coolers, the True Spirit 120M Rev.B.

   From our beginning in 2001 THERMALRIGHT has always strived to make the best possible cooling solutions available in the computer market. We have implemented many changes in the industry, like convex cooler base and that are now widely used by in industry today. We choose the best possible higher thermal conductivity values materials, our heat pipes, base plate and fin material is state of the art. High standard product is by our possible cooling solutions art design, the premium quality of material, and the performance test many times before release it. Our Art is to keep the best Quality and Performance on our heatsink.

   The True Spirit 120M Rev.B is the newest addition in the True Spirit family of CPU air coolers by Thermalright and consists by an 145mm tall, 132mm long and 58mm wide aluminum heatsink, four 6mm nickel plated copper heatpipes, based made out of C1100 pure copper and an TY-121G 120mm sleeve-bearing PWM fan which can reach speeds of up to 1800RPM and produce up to 77.28CFM of airflow with just 25dBA of noise. Unlike some other models in the True Spirit line the 120M Rev.B may not feature an H.D.T (heatpipe direct touch) copper base for increased cooling efficiency but thanks to the above combination (and an plastic shroud which keeps the 120mm fan in place) it still sports a somewhat high T.D.P (thermal design power) of 160W. So, let's move forward with our review and see just what the True Spirit 120M Rev.B is capable of.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Once again, the box inside which we received the cooler has the same product picture at the front and rear (sole difference is the background color which is olive for the front and yellow for the rear).

The product specifications are printed on the right side of the box in 3 languages.

Moving on the right side we find 6 drawings showcasing the main product features.

Inside the box you will find the True Spirit 120M Rev.B CPU cooler with the TY-121G fan attached, tube with TF4 thermal paste, installation instructions for AMD and Intel mainboards, backplate and all the necessary pieces needed to mount the cooler onto Intel LGA 775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+ compatible mainboards.

THE TRUE SPIRIT 120M REV.B

As mentioned earlier the 590g heavy True Spirit 120M Rev.B is a mid-sized CPU cooler that measures 145mm in height, 132mm in length and 58mm in width.

Inside the grey plastic cover/shroud (much easier to remove and mount compared to metal clips) we find the TY-121G 120mm PWM fan (1800RPM/77.28CFM/25dBA).

Thermalright has painted the top aluminum fin grey and has placed their logo on it (and probably all of the fins as well).

As you can all see the fins feature an angled design which we haven't seen on any of the past True Spirit models to arrive in our lab (according to Thermalright this design helps minimize air resistance).

A total of 46 aluminum fins make up the main body of the True Spirit 120M Rev.B.

The four 6mm thick nickel plated heatpipes are positioned in such a way to further improve heat dissipation.

As usual Thermalright has given the C1100 pure copper base of the True Spirit 120M Rev.B a mirror like finish.

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 is more time consuming 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

   Because of its rather compact size the True Spirit 120M Rev.B may not be able to keep up with the much larger Macho 120 Rev.B model which we reviewed a few weeks back but not only does it outperform the True Spirit 120 Direct but also matches the performance of both the True Spirit 140 Direct and the Macho 120 SBM. Granted this is largely due to the much faster (and clearly noisier) fan used but still the results where better than expected. Honestly the one thing we didn’t like during our tests was the grey color of the 120mm fan shroud/mount which is obviously not for everyone and that’s why i think it would be much better had Thermalright used a black one instead (with black fan blades of course).

   The True Spirit 120M Rev.B CPU Cooler by Thermalright can be purchased for USD44.66 inside the USA (Quiet PC) and for 45.65Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is pretty much on par with what you’re getting in return. Granted the performance/noise ratio is far from the best but if you’re out in the market for a new CPU cooler and you can't find the Macho 120 Rev.B model (it does feature a better price/performance ratio) we strongly recommend checking out the True Spirit 120M Rev.B by Thermalright.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Good Cooling Efficiency
- Zero RAM Clearance Issues
- Fan Shroud/Mount
- Easy Installation

CONS

- Noise Levels
- Overall Availability