W1zzard
12-06-2005, 10:02 PM
[Page=Introduction & Packaging]
Introduction
I would like to thank Thermalright (http://www.thermalright.com) for supplying us with the test sample.
<table border="1" class="resulttable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th colspan="2" scope="row">Dimensions</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Heat sink (base,front)</th>
<td scope="row">L30xW24xH2 (mm)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Heat sink (body,front)</th>
<td scope="row">L80xW80xH20 (mm)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Heat sink (body, rear/with fan)</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">L80xW80*H28.5 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Rear heat sink to VGA card</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">6 mm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="2" valign="top" scope="row">Fan</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Maker:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">OEM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Size:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">80x 80x 15 (mm)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Bearing:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Two Balls</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Voltage:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">12V</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Speed:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">2500 rpm </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Air flow: </th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">24.84CFM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Noise level: </th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">31.3 dbA </td>
</tr>
</table>
Compatibility
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0">
<tr>
<th>Video Card</th>
<th align="center" nowrap>Interface</th>
<th align="center" nowrap>Compatible</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 Ultra </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 Ultra </td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 GT </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 GT</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 </td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6600 GT </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6600 GT </td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6600</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6600</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7800 GTX </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7800 GT </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X850</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X800XT</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X800XT</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X800XL</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X800XL</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X700</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X700</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9800</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9800</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
</table>
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/package_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/package.jpg)
Box contents:
VGA cooler
Several screw packages
Thermal Paste
Thermalright Sticker
8 Ramsinks
Instruction manual
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contents.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/foam_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/foam.jpg)
A small block of foam makes sure that the delicate heatpipes will not get bent during transport.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/surface1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/surface1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/surface2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/surface2.jpg)
The cooler base is made from nickel plated copper which is flat in the center, but the edges are quite curved. However, this part will never make contact with the GPU die, so it does not matter here.
[page=The Cooler]
The Cooler
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/heatpipes_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/heatpipes.jpg)
On the previous Thermalright V1 there were two heatpipes. In order to increase performance a third heatpipe has been added to the Ultra version.
Following are a few shots to give you a better view of the cooler.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler5.jpg)
[pagE=Installation]
Installation
The installation of the V1 Ultra is long and complicated. It took me about one hour to get it installed, and I think I'm not a newbie when it comes to VGA cooler installations.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation3.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation5.jpg)
The manual points out that you should not install the metal tabs with the protruding part facing up - I promptly did it wrong on the first try.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation6_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation6.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation7_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation7.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation8_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation8.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation9_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation9.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation10_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation10.jpg)
Getting the cooler over the videocard is a major pain. It takes a steady hand and patience to put the cooler on without messing up the thermal paste. This method of mounting also poses the risk that you break off a small component on the backside while sliding the cooler over the card. But if you are careful and take your time, everything will be fine.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation11_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation11.jpg)
When the cooler is installed, there are only a few millimeters of space on the backside between metal and electronic components. I don't want to imagine what happens if the cooler touches them. On my X850 PCI-E a metal part was right on top of the case of the VIVO chip, which blocked the whole construction from getting further to the components. Good coincidence.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/screw1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/screw1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/screw2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/screw2.jpg)
Another issue was that the screws were too short. Good that the screws are a standard size. Digging through my tray of screws, I quickly found some compatible ones which were long enough to fit. Be careful that your total screw length is not too long, or you could damage the PCB.
Now the next issue I had here was that the holes of the black metal plate and the aluminum cooling plate did not perfectly match. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get in all screws. Since I'm not the person to let such issues "screw" my experience, I grabbed the power drill and enlarged the holes in the aluminum plate by drilling a 4mm hole into the existing ones. It was very easy to drill through the aluminum. Now everything fit fine. Be careful with the metal cuttings, if they end up on your video card they can easily cause a short circuit.
I did notify Thermalright of these problems and they are looking into getting them fixed.
[PAGE=Performance]
Performance
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contact1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contact1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contact2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contact2.jpg)
After the initial installation the heatsink was immediately removed and the contact area was inspected. The contact is excellent, while we don't see the ATI logo shine through this time, the suction force was big enough to suck in some thermal paste near the edges. What I find also important to note is that the contact pattern seems to be very uniform around the die.
[hr]
For the overclocking tests I used my ATITool overclocking utility version 0.25 Beta 10. ATITool has the unique ability to detect artifacts, or flaws, in a rendered image. As defined by ATITool, the maximum stable overclock on a card is the speed at which it is able to consistently (15 minutes in this test) produce no errors, or artifacts. ATITool detects ANY artifacts, even ones which will not be visible in game. Using the human eye to detect artifacts introduces subjectivity into the test, so despite the fact that an ATITool tested overclock will be characteristically lower than a human one, I will use this.
Temperature was measured with one case side open by reading the on-die thermal diode of our X800 Pro PCI-Express. Idle temperature was measured after letting Windows sit one hour at the desktop. Load temperature was measured after running 3DMark2003 looped for one hour. Both at the card's default clock of 507 / 520 MHz.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/stock1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/stock1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/stock2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/stock2.jpg)
We will be comparing the Thermalright V1 Ultra against this stock cooler of the X850 Pro. As you can see, the stock cooler has a copper base, is big and has memory cooling as well. Its cooling performance is comparable to an Arctic Cooling Silencer (just much more louder). The fan speed is varied based on temperature. For all temperatures below 65°C it is 54%. To have another value to compare to, I used ATITool to force the stock fan to always run at 100%.
Arctic Silver Lumière was used as thermal interface material for the GPU core in all installations. Lumière is a specially engineered testing compound - it needs no settle in time to reach its maximum performance, but it's not designed for permanent use.
In order to give you a feeling how well this cooler works on different fan speeds we ran the fan at the default of 12V and additionally 7V and 5V. The 7V setting can be achieved by connecting the red (5V) and the yellow (12V) cable from the PSU to the fan. 12V - 5V = 7V. This is perfectly safe even for permanent use and does not pose any risk to your components.
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Radeon X800 Pro PCI-E</th>
<td>Maximum Core Clock</td>
<td>Fan Noise </td>
<td>Temperature Load</td>
<td>Temperature Idle</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler - dynamic fan</th>
<td>579 MHz</td>
<td>48 dbA</td>
<td>58°C</td>
<td>32°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler - fan 100%</th>
<td>582 MHz</td>
<td>62 dbA</td>
<td>52°C</td>
<td>31°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">V1 Ultra 12V </th>
<td>596 MHz</td>
<td>56 dbA </td>
<td>43°C</td>
<td>29°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">V1 Ultra 7V </th>
<td>590 MHz </td>
<td>42 dbA </td>
<td>47°C</td>
<td>31°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">V1 Ultra 5V </th>
<td>584 MHz </td>
<td>34 dbA </td>
<td>52°C</td>
<td>33°C</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/graph2.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/graph3.gif
Wow. When I first had the cooler in my hands I would have never expected to see such good cooling performance. Even at the ultra-quiet 5V setting this cooler works better than the stock cooler. When you crank up the fan speed you can will get an amazing increase in your overclock. We reached 596 MHz here, with the Thermaltake Tribewater Watercooling unit we reached 591 MHz. While 5 MHz is not much effectively it still shows how well the Thermalright V1 Ultra will cool.
[page=Fan Noise, Value & Conclusion]
Fan Noise
In order to give a measurement of how loud the fan is, we used an IEC651 Type II sound level meter on the dbA slow setting.
The distance between fan and sound level meter was 10cm. Please note that this is very little, compared to the "standard" measurements, which are made at 1m distance. We had to do this, to get proper readings with our sound level meter, because we obviously can't spend thousands of dollars on audio measuring equipment.
The cooler was connected to an external lab PSU. 12V is the standard rated fan speed. For easier comparison we also tested the fan noise at 7V and 5V.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/graph4.gif
At 5V you will not hear the fan over the other components in your system. At 12V it is audible but not too loud.
If the fan is too loud for you, or you need more cooling performance, no problem. The fan is a standard 80mm fan which can be easily replaced.
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The Thermalright V1 Ultra can be yours for about $45. Really expensive for a VGA cooler.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Awesome performance
Quiet
Wide compatibility
Fan can be changed
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Horrible installation
May need some rework/longer screws
Does not connect to video card fan output
Expensive
</td></tr>
<tr><th>8.4</th>
<td>The Thermalright V1 Ultra delivers excellent cooling performance, even when the fan is running slow. Good cooling performance does not mean that it is loud, the fan noise is very acceptable.<br />
What I really didn't like was the complex installation, but you have to be a bit patient with Thermalright. They are a new player in the VGA cooling business and their products sure seem to be able to compete with the best of the competition. The other installation issues can be easily fixed yourself. I would also assume that Thermalright will fix the problems soon.<br />
The price of $45 is a bit steep but cooling performance has its price. I would also assume that the price will drop quickly once the product becomes more popular and mass production can ramp up.
</td></tr><tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/recommended.gif</td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
I would like to thank Thermalright (http://www.thermalright.com) for supplying us with the test sample.
<table border="1" class="resulttable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th colspan="2" scope="row">Dimensions</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Heat sink (base,front)</th>
<td scope="row">L30xW24xH2 (mm)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Heat sink (body,front)</th>
<td scope="row">L80xW80xH20 (mm)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Heat sink (body, rear/with fan)</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">L80xW80*H28.5 </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Rear heat sink to VGA card</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">6 mm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="2" valign="top" scope="row">Fan</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Maker:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">OEM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Size:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">80x 80x 15 (mm)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Bearing:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Two Balls</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Voltage:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">12V</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Speed:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">2500 rpm </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Air flow: </th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">24.84CFM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Noise level: </th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">31.3 dbA </td>
</tr>
</table>
Compatibility
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0">
<tr>
<th>Video Card</th>
<th align="center" nowrap>Interface</th>
<th align="center" nowrap>Compatible</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 Ultra </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 Ultra </td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 GT </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 GT</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6800 </td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6600 GT </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6600 GT </td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6600</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6600</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7800 GTX </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7800 GT </td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X850</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X800XT</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X800XT</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#FF6666">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X800XL</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X800XL</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X700</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>X700</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9800</td>
<td align="center">PCI-E</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9800</td>
<td align="center">AGP</td>
<td align="center" bgcolor="#99FF66">Yes</td>
</tr>
</table>
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/package_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/package.jpg)
Box contents:
VGA cooler
Several screw packages
Thermal Paste
Thermalright Sticker
8 Ramsinks
Instruction manual
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contents.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/foam_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/foam.jpg)
A small block of foam makes sure that the delicate heatpipes will not get bent during transport.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/surface1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/surface1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/surface2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/surface2.jpg)
The cooler base is made from nickel plated copper which is flat in the center, but the edges are quite curved. However, this part will never make contact with the GPU die, so it does not matter here.
[page=The Cooler]
The Cooler
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/heatpipes_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/heatpipes.jpg)
On the previous Thermalright V1 there were two heatpipes. In order to increase performance a third heatpipe has been added to the Ultra version.
Following are a few shots to give you a better view of the cooler.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/cooler5.jpg)
[pagE=Installation]
Installation
The installation of the V1 Ultra is long and complicated. It took me about one hour to get it installed, and I think I'm not a newbie when it comes to VGA cooler installations.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation3.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation5.jpg)
The manual points out that you should not install the metal tabs with the protruding part facing up - I promptly did it wrong on the first try.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation6_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation6.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation7_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation7.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation8_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation8.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation9_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation9.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation10_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation10.jpg)
Getting the cooler over the videocard is a major pain. It takes a steady hand and patience to put the cooler on without messing up the thermal paste. This method of mounting also poses the risk that you break off a small component on the backside while sliding the cooler over the card. But if you are careful and take your time, everything will be fine.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation11_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/installation11.jpg)
When the cooler is installed, there are only a few millimeters of space on the backside between metal and electronic components. I don't want to imagine what happens if the cooler touches them. On my X850 PCI-E a metal part was right on top of the case of the VIVO chip, which blocked the whole construction from getting further to the components. Good coincidence.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/screw1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/screw1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/screw2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/screw2.jpg)
Another issue was that the screws were too short. Good that the screws are a standard size. Digging through my tray of screws, I quickly found some compatible ones which were long enough to fit. Be careful that your total screw length is not too long, or you could damage the PCB.
Now the next issue I had here was that the holes of the black metal plate and the aluminum cooling plate did not perfectly match. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get in all screws. Since I'm not the person to let such issues "screw" my experience, I grabbed the power drill and enlarged the holes in the aluminum plate by drilling a 4mm hole into the existing ones. It was very easy to drill through the aluminum. Now everything fit fine. Be careful with the metal cuttings, if they end up on your video card they can easily cause a short circuit.
I did notify Thermalright of these problems and they are looking into getting them fixed.
[PAGE=Performance]
Performance
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contact1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contact1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contact2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/contact2.jpg)
After the initial installation the heatsink was immediately removed and the contact area was inspected. The contact is excellent, while we don't see the ATI logo shine through this time, the suction force was big enough to suck in some thermal paste near the edges. What I find also important to note is that the contact pattern seems to be very uniform around the die.
[hr]
For the overclocking tests I used my ATITool overclocking utility version 0.25 Beta 10. ATITool has the unique ability to detect artifacts, or flaws, in a rendered image. As defined by ATITool, the maximum stable overclock on a card is the speed at which it is able to consistently (15 minutes in this test) produce no errors, or artifacts. ATITool detects ANY artifacts, even ones which will not be visible in game. Using the human eye to detect artifacts introduces subjectivity into the test, so despite the fact that an ATITool tested overclock will be characteristically lower than a human one, I will use this.
Temperature was measured with one case side open by reading the on-die thermal diode of our X800 Pro PCI-Express. Idle temperature was measured after letting Windows sit one hour at the desktop. Load temperature was measured after running 3DMark2003 looped for one hour. Both at the card's default clock of 507 / 520 MHz.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/stock1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/stock1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/stock2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/stock2.jpg)
We will be comparing the Thermalright V1 Ultra against this stock cooler of the X850 Pro. As you can see, the stock cooler has a copper base, is big and has memory cooling as well. Its cooling performance is comparable to an Arctic Cooling Silencer (just much more louder). The fan speed is varied based on temperature. For all temperatures below 65°C it is 54%. To have another value to compare to, I used ATITool to force the stock fan to always run at 100%.
Arctic Silver Lumière was used as thermal interface material for the GPU core in all installations. Lumière is a specially engineered testing compound - it needs no settle in time to reach its maximum performance, but it's not designed for permanent use.
In order to give you a feeling how well this cooler works on different fan speeds we ran the fan at the default of 12V and additionally 7V and 5V. The 7V setting can be achieved by connecting the red (5V) and the yellow (12V) cable from the PSU to the fan. 12V - 5V = 7V. This is perfectly safe even for permanent use and does not pose any risk to your components.
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Radeon X800 Pro PCI-E</th>
<td>Maximum Core Clock</td>
<td>Fan Noise </td>
<td>Temperature Load</td>
<td>Temperature Idle</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler - dynamic fan</th>
<td>579 MHz</td>
<td>48 dbA</td>
<td>58°C</td>
<td>32°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler - fan 100%</th>
<td>582 MHz</td>
<td>62 dbA</td>
<td>52°C</td>
<td>31°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">V1 Ultra 12V </th>
<td>596 MHz</td>
<td>56 dbA </td>
<td>43°C</td>
<td>29°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">V1 Ultra 7V </th>
<td>590 MHz </td>
<td>42 dbA </td>
<td>47°C</td>
<td>31°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">V1 Ultra 5V </th>
<td>584 MHz </td>
<td>34 dbA </td>
<td>52°C</td>
<td>33°C</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/graph2.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/graph3.gif
Wow. When I first had the cooler in my hands I would have never expected to see such good cooling performance. Even at the ultra-quiet 5V setting this cooler works better than the stock cooler. When you crank up the fan speed you can will get an amazing increase in your overclock. We reached 596 MHz here, with the Thermaltake Tribewater Watercooling unit we reached 591 MHz. While 5 MHz is not much effectively it still shows how well the Thermalright V1 Ultra will cool.
[page=Fan Noise, Value & Conclusion]
Fan Noise
In order to give a measurement of how loud the fan is, we used an IEC651 Type II sound level meter on the dbA slow setting.
The distance between fan and sound level meter was 10cm. Please note that this is very little, compared to the "standard" measurements, which are made at 1m distance. We had to do this, to get proper readings with our sound level meter, because we obviously can't spend thousands of dollars on audio measuring equipment.
The cooler was connected to an external lab PSU. 12V is the standard rated fan speed. For easier comparison we also tested the fan noise at 7V and 5V.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermalright/V1Ultra/images/graph4.gif
At 5V you will not hear the fan over the other components in your system. At 12V it is audible but not too loud.
If the fan is too loud for you, or you need more cooling performance, no problem. The fan is a standard 80mm fan which can be easily replaced.
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The Thermalright V1 Ultra can be yours for about $45. Really expensive for a VGA cooler.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Awesome performance
Quiet
Wide compatibility
Fan can be changed
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Horrible installation
May need some rework/longer screws
Does not connect to video card fan output
Expensive
</td></tr>
<tr><th>8.4</th>
<td>The Thermalright V1 Ultra delivers excellent cooling performance, even when the fan is running slow. Good cooling performance does not mean that it is loud, the fan noise is very acceptable.<br />
What I really didn't like was the complex installation, but you have to be a bit patient with Thermalright. They are a new player in the VGA cooling business and their products sure seem to be able to compete with the best of the competition. The other installation issues can be easily fixed yourself. I would also assume that Thermalright will fix the problems soon.<br />
The price of $45 is a bit steep but cooling performance has its price. I would also assume that the price will drop quickly once the product becomes more popular and mass production can ramp up.
</td></tr><tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/recommended.gif</td></tr>
</table>