In the past few years I have used a few Thermalright products for chipset and CPU cooling upgrades, and the end result has always been a high quality product capable of producing lower temperatures. The Thermalright cooling product that was most recently reviewed at Bigbruin.com was the HR-05 IFX SLI chipset cooler. The cooling performance improvement over the stock chipset cooler was huge, and it is still in use today.


This review will be focused on the Thermalright Ultima-90 Heatpipe CPU Cooler shown in the promotional image above. As the name might imply, the Ultima-90 supports a 90mm fan (or 120mm fan), and is compatible with any Intel LGA 775 or AMD AM2 processor, as well as AMD 939 processors with an optional mounting kit.

Before taking a closer look at the Ultima-90 Heatpipe CPU Cooler provided for review, let's take a look at some published data on it taken from the Thermalright website...

Features:

» Six-heatpipe design for extra fast heat transfer
» Stepping fins to hold 92mm/120mm fans
» Light and easy installation
» High performance, low noise level at competitive price

Specifications:

» Intel: All Intel Socket LGA775 processors
» AMD: Athlon64 / FX / X2 / Opteron Socket AM2 processors
» Socket 939 compatible with 939 bolt thru kit, sold separately.

Packaging:

The Ultima-90 Heatpipe CPU Cooler's package looks about the same as any other product from Thermalright. It is just a simple cardboard box with their logo on the top and the model name/number on the side.


Opening the lid, we find the cooler sealed in plastic bag, which is secured in some foam padding. The small white box off to the right includes the accessories needed for installation.