INTRODUCTION

   I really can't say with certainty that this summer is the hottest I’ve ever experienced where i live (it certainly feels like it) but what i can say is that it's very hot and so it really shouldn't come as a surprise that we have decided to try and dish out as many CPU cooler reviews as we can. Lately we have released quite a few low-profile CPU cooler reviews for all types of mITX/mATX systems and so since we have cleared our lab from that type the time has come to also cater to the needs of people who are looking to buy the higher performance tower size models. Thermalright has the pleasure of sitting ontop of the charts worldwide right next to other leading manufacturers like Noctua and be quiet! thanks to their high-end Archon and Silver Arrow models. Today on our test bench we have their latest offering called the True Spirit 140 Power a CPU cooler aimed at mid-end users who are simply not willing to pay much for cooling.

   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.

   The True Spirit 140 Power is a single 140mm CPU Cooler which not only follows the same tower design as the Archon X2 but it’s almost identical in measurements and so that should help it avoid any clearance issues with mainboard components and ram modules. These two coolers however are by no means identical thanks to four main differences, build quality, design of the fins, positioning of the heatpipes and the two 140mm fans (the Archon has) so it's really no coincidence that the Archon X2 is the top single heatsink model in the Thermalright product line. Still aside the fact that we're talking about a CPU cooler made by Thermalright because of its very high T.D.P (Thermal Design Power) of 360W, overall size, six 8mm heatpipes and 140mm fan the True Spirit 140 Power should perform quite well if not identically to the original Archon so let's check it out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Thermalright ships the True Spirit 140 Power inside a box with a large product picture at the front right beneath the company logo and above several award logos given to various Thermalright products over the years (not for this particular model).

The specifications list is printed on the left side of the box in 4 languages.

On the right side we see some of the features of the True Spirit 140 Power.

Finally another product picture is placed at the rear of the box.

Along with the True Spirit 140 Power heatsink you will also receive the TR-TY147 140mm PWM fan, installation instructions, 4 wire fan clips, thermal compound, four sets of rubber and silicone shock-absorbing pads and mounting hardware for Intel LGA775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2 compatible mainboards.

THE TRUE SPIRIT 140 POWER

The 880g heavy heatsink of the True Spirit 140 Power measures 171.2mm in height, 155mm in width and 53.4mm in thickness.

Thanks to its height the heatsink has a total of 46 aluminum fins.

Although not closed on both sides the fins are actually designed in such way to improve airflow levels.

The top fin is painted black and as you can see you can add a 2nd 120/140mm in push & pull if you want.

There are six 8mm all-copper nickel plated heatpipes that leave the base of the cooler and pass through all of its fins.

As usual for a Thermalright cooler the base of the True Spirit 140 Power features a nice mirror like finish.

The TR-TY147 140mm PWM fan spins up to 1300RPM to produce up to 73.6CFM of airflow with just 21dBA of noise.

Prior to installing the fan you should add the silicon pads on all 4 corners to reduce vibration.

With the pads and the TR-TY147 fan mounted the True Spirit 140 Power is now 80mm thick.

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

   Well although i didn't really expect to see such cooling performance results the True Spirit 140 Power actually matched the performance of the single fan Archon SB-E model and just in case you're all wondering yes that's a very good thing. Of course the Archon SB-E X2 model is still quite superior to the True Spirit 140 Power thanks to its dual fans but on one hand that was something we expected all along while on the other you should get similar results if you strap a second fan onto the True Spirit 140 Power. Quality is also very good as is the 140mm TR-TY147 fan since its noise levels never went above 41dBA thus making the True Spirit 140 Power the most silent CPU Cooler in our charts (at load that is).

   With a current price tag set at USD54.95 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 39.99Euros inside the EU (PC-Cooling.de) the True Spirit 140 Power CPU Cooler by Thermalright offers a very good price/performance ratio which I’m positive consumers will not ignore. Now i do prefer dual heatsink models like the Silver Arrow more since they are obviously the way to go if you want the best possible cooling performance from a tower CPU Cooler but there's no denying that the True Spirit 140 Power performed extremely well. The only issue i can think off that might trouble some potential buyers is its height something which Thermalright is quite familiar with and that's why they've also released the True Spirit 120i model. Overall the True Spirit 140 Power delivers on everything Thermalright promises and since its price/performance ratio is hard to come by it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

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

CONS

- Height (For Some)