Thermalright XP-120:

The XP-120 features native 120mm fan support, quite a rarity in the CPU cooler market, when it was first introduced a lot of people questioned its compatibility with current and future motherboards, time for Thermalright to prove themselves

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:


there is a P4 only version out there, the other is for P4 and A64
The difference is clearly marked on the packing box

* Copper base with with 5 heatpipes, fins in aluminum
* 120mm fan support
* 370gr


Construction:




Excellent finishing, a very smooth copper base, no less then 5 heatpipes which disperse their heat to aluminum fins which cover the surface the size of an 120mm fan. A small rubber strip needs to be attached at each side to reduce vibration noise.


Installation:




Motherboard removal is strongly advised, not all motherboard can accommodate the large size of this heatsink, please refer to these lists from Thermalright(P4/A64). Getting the clips under the Intel retention bracket’s lips can be quite a challenge, even more so then with the XP-90, overall straightforward installation.

Problems and issues:

Depending on which motherboard you have, you might encounter mounting difficulties, on the Asus P4C800 the XP-120 will bend some of capacitors next to the CPU socket.

fan mounting clips: the included clips only with fans which have open corner flanges

Performance:



Seeing as the XP-90 provided excellent performance, it would be a shame to see the XP-120 perform worse, luckily it doesn’t disappoint, with impressive temperature results at both low and high settings its claims a place at the top of the ranking.