Easily one of the most recognizable names amongst enthusiasts when it comes to cooling would have to be Thermalright. For years now Thermalright has been developing some of the industry’s best cooling products, while their most noteworthy product, and likely the one that put the company on the map, is the Ultra-120 Extreme.

Despite being released some three years ago now, the Ultra-120 Extreme is still the company’s flagship product, at least until now. Finally, after all this time, Thermalright announced December last year the successor to the Ultra-120 Extreme. Known as the Venomous-X, this new product looks very much like the Ultra-120 Extreme, though it features a few notable changes.

Something that has not changed is the price, and the Thermalright Venomous-X is already on sale for around $65 US, pricing it alongside the Prolimatech Megahalems. Like the Ultra-120 Extreme and the Megahalems, this new heatsink does not come with a fan, leaving users free to configure the Venomous-X as they choose at their own expense.

Although the Venomous-X looks very much like the Ultra-120 Extreme with a few fancy looking fins that Thermalright call their “bent winglet design”, there is a little more to this new design. For example, the Venomous-X utilizes a patented multiple support pressure vault bracket system that allows users to add pressure directly to the base of the heatsink for better heat transfer.

In the past we have not been impressed with the method that Thermalright has employed for installing the Ultra-120 Extreme heatsink on LGA775, 1156 and 1366 platforms, as it tends to allow the heatsink to move around too much. This new design looks not only to solve this issue, but also provide greater contact between the heatsink base and the processor.

Talking about the base plate, Thermalright has given the copper base a nickel coat with a mirror finish to ensure long term usage and maximum performance, something that enthusiasts have been requesting over the years. In fact, the entire heatsink has been given a nickel coat, which will again ensure long term usage.

Another interesting design aspect that again focuses on the base is the convex copper design. Thermalright has come up with a convex copper base design to improve the thermal conduct and efficiency between the processor and the heatsink. Apparently manufacturing the convex base is a complex task and much more difficult than traditional methods. With all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the Venomous-X…

Thermalright has increased the fin gap distance by 20% to 1.9mm, though despite this the Venomous-X only features 13% less fins overall. The modified fin array has been designed to incorporate a new arrowed bent winglet design which allows air to rapidly pass through the heatsink with minimal resistance.

Like the Ultra-120 Extreme, there are six high quality 6mm heatpipes which Thermalright say are strategically positioned to pick up the heat from the CPU. It is worth mentioning that these are dual heatpipes that run through either side of the fins, so they are quite long. These heatpipes are soldered to the base plate in order to ensure the highest rate of heat transfer and durability.

Unfortunately the Venomous-X does not feature a universal design, meaning that its support is limited to Intel processors only; more precisely LGA775, LGA1156 and LGA1366 processors. However it is possible to purchase the AM2/AM3 bolt-thru-kit for an additional price for those keen to use the Venomous-X with their AMD processor.

Also included in the package are two sets of fan wire clips for a duo-120mm fan installation, though as usual the fans themselves are not included. That said, Thermalright has just recently begun selling retail packages that do include fans, though no such package is available for the Venomous-X and we do not expect that there will be one. Finally, the package also includes a new thermal paste called Chill Factor 2, for even better conductivity.

And then there is the weight, the Venomous-X tips the scales at 755 grams without the fan(s) or bracket system installed. While this doesn't make the Venomous-X the heaviest heatsink we have ever reviewed, it is certainly up there, though armed with the new pressure vault bracket system we are not too concerned with the weight.

Included in the package is a brief yet easy to follow installation guide that shows exactly how to install the Venomous-X on LGA775, LGA1156 and LGA1366 platforms. Starting with the multiple support backplate which must be adjusted for the desired platform, this component is connected to the rear side of the motherboard.

There are four screw pillars included which secure the multiple support backplate to the motherboard from the topside and then the anchoring bracket mount sits over the pillars. The anchoring bracket mount is then fastened using four thumb screws. Next the small tube of thermal paste “Chill Factor 2” is required. The user should apply a thin layer of thermal paste evenly to the top of the processor as well as the base of the heatsink.

The heatsink is then placed over the processor which then allows the pressure adjustable mounting plate to be slotted into place. First the mounting plate must be secured via the two spring loaded screws to the anchoring bracket, which takes just seconds. Then using the pressure adjustable screw, the user can place anywhere from 40 to 70lbs of pressure on the processor.

Finally the user can then install the 120mm fan. The first step is to position the anti-vibration strips on the Venomous-X heatsink so that the 120mm fan can rest on them. Then in order to secure the fan to the heatsink a pair of fan clips is required, this process is again very quick and easy. Alternatively should you wish to install two 120mm fans, Thermalright has provided two sets of anti-vibration strips and fan clips.

Hardware - Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition @ 3.70GHz (LGA1366) - x3 OCZ DDR3 PC2-16000 CL8 Module(s) - Seagate 750GB 7200RPM (Serial ATAII) - ASUS GeForce GTX 285 (1GB) - ASUS P6T Deluxe (Intel X58) - OCZ GameXStream (700 watt) Software - Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) - Intel System Driver 8.4.0.1016 - Nvidia Forceware 190.38

Both the idle and stress tests are run for 20mins and then the lowest/maximum values are recorded. Prime95 is used to place all four cores under 100% load for the 20 minute period. The rooms ambient temperature is kept at 21 degrees.

The idle performance of the Thermalright Venomous-X is highly impressive, as this cooler was armed with the same 120mm 1500-RPM fan used to test the Prolimatech Megahalems, Prolimatech Mega Shadow, Thermalright TRUE Copper and Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. The Venomous-X was able to better the Thermalright TRUE Copper and the Prolimatech coolers by a degree at idle, while it was 3 degrees cooler than the Ultra 120 Extreme.

When stress testing we again found that the Thermalright Venomous-X was a degree cooler than the Prolimatech Megahalems and Mega Shadow. Furthermore, the Venomous-X was two degrees cooler than the TRUE Copper, and 4 degrees cooler than the Ultra 120 Extreme. With a stress temperature of just 64 degrees, we are very impressed with the Venomous-X as this is a new air-cooler record on our test bed.

The Venomous-X may not have crushed this record, but with a stress temperature of 64 degrees, it has set a new all time record for air-coolers. Furthermore, this meant that the Venomous-X was 4 degrees better than the Ultra 120 Extreme and 2 degrees cooler than the TRUE Copper. This is a truly impressive feat for a product that doesn’t look a great deal different to its predecessor.

Where we think Thermalright has really got things right with the Venomous-X is in the mounting design. Often quality coolers are let down by poorly designed mounting systems that do not apply enough pressure in the correct places. The Venomous-X seems to have got this right and we think the improved contact between the base of the heatsink and the processor is largely responsible for the performance gains.

Not only does the new mounting method provide great contact between the cooler and the processor, but it also makes for a quick and easy way of installing the Venomous-X. Although this system can provide a great deal of pressure, at no point did we see it bending the motherboard, as the support backplate appears to take up much of the stress.

Like all high-end CPU coolers the Thermalright Venomous-X is priced aggressively at $65 US, a price which we might add does not include a fan or a means of mounting this heatsink on an AMD platform. The AMD bolt through kit costs around $8 US more, so it’s not the end of the world, but it will bring the total cost to around $73 US, and then there is still a need for at least one 120mm fan.

Still, when compared to the competition, the Venomous-X is not exactly overpriced. The Prolimatech Megahalems costs roughly the same amount, as does the Noctua NH-U12P SE 2 Ultra Silent, though that product does include a pair of fans. The older Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme can be had for around $55 US now, but we would be happy enough to spend $10 US more on the Venomous-X.

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Reviewed By Steven Walton