Ultra ChillTec

• Provided by: Ultra


• Platform support: Intel S775, AMD S939/AM2
  
• Type of heatsink: Tower
  
• Installation Type: Back Plate
  
• Materials: Aluminum, Copper, Heat Pipes, TEC
  
• Fan Support: 1x 92mm 38mm width
  
• Extra’s: Case Badge
  
• Average Selling Price: ~$120

In the past we have tested two very similar products like the ChillTec from Ultra sitting on the test bench today. It’s a TEC enhanced large tower CPU cooler which has a separate power unit to control the voltage delivered to the TEC and also speeds up/slows down the fan when needed. This device is a bit more expensive than your average air cooled heatsink, as the extra circuitry needed to control the TEC, and the TEC itself drive up the price. We’ll find out if it is worth the extra cost.



These are the specifications given by Ultra:

• Socket Types: Intel Socket 775, AMD Socket AM2 / 754 / 939 / 940
• Cooler Dimensions: 128 x 104 x 147
• Thermoelectric Chip: 40 x 40 / 12V DC
• Total Power Dissipation:
0% Load = 5 W
50% Load = 28 W
100% Load = 50 W
• Heatsink Material: 4 Heat Pipes, Aluminum Fins, Copper Base
• Heatsink Dimensions: 90 x 90 x 160 mm
• Fan Dimensions: 92 x 92 x 25 mm
• Fan Voltage Rating: 12V DC
• Fan Speed and Noise Levels:
Low 2000rpm / 20 dB(A)
Medium 2400 rpm / 24 dB(A)
High 2800 rpm / 28 dB(A)
• Thermal Resistance: 0.12-0.15(ºC/W)
• Weight: 985g (With Fan)
• Temperature Monitor Range: 0ºF~99ºF / 32ºF ~ 210.2ºF
• TEC Temperature Response Time to Control Unit: < 1 Second
• Controller Dimensions: 150 x 147 x 43 mm
• Controller Weight: 508 g

Inside the box you’ll find the ChillTec CPU cooler, the 5.25” controller and a second small box holding the mounting and installation gear.



Ultra includes custom back plates and mounting gear for every popular platform on the market today, you also find a step by step manual, connection cables and a small tube of thermal paste.



The 5.25” controller can be installed in a spare bay and allows you to monitor the performance of the ChillTec unit:



The heatsink looks quite similar to those offerings from Titan and MACS, the Ultra unit has one thick 92mm LED fan and sports a fancy fan duct in black finish:



The 4 heat pipes are divided between the top and lower plate of the base, 2 heat pipes are connected directly to the copper base, the other two are connected to the hot side of the TEC. By doing so, a failure of the TEC doesn’t lead to immediate CPU overheating, giving the 5.25” controller time to alert the owner.



Looking at the bottom of the unit you can see the wires from the temp probe and the TEC. The copper base is machine lapped and polished close to perfection:



While the installation of the heatsink on the CPU is tool less, using thumbscrews to secure the ChillTec in place, you do have to remove the motherboard to install the back plate.



Once installed the ChillTec lines up nicely with the rear exhaust fan:



The LED fan shines bright blue and will surely up the *bling* factor of your case if you have a side panel window:



Once the unit is running the 5.25” controller spring into life and shows you Total Running time (since first install) Total Running time (since last boot), the Temp Probe readout in °C or °F. There are two buttons on the controller, one controls the display of the temperature in C/F, the other controls the backlight of the LCD:




There are several different colors to choose from, including turning the backlight completely off (bottom right photo) which is a useful option. The controller monitors the temp probe and when the CPU load increases it will speed up the fan and increase the power to the TEC. This system works well when the CPU is being stressed constantly, the power consumption of the PC reached a high of 177W (compared to 138W with stock Intel cooler) and CPU temperatures were kept low. However there is an issue when the system is running idle, the CPU temperature drops, the controller disables the TEC and slows down the fan, the CPU temperature rises, the controller enables the TEC speeds up the fan, the CPU temperature drops… and so on and so on. Unfortunately the fan doesn’t speed up gradually, but in larger steps, making it very noticeable when it changes speed. In the end the system is as load running idle as running under full load, since the fan keeps on spinning up and down. This issue was also present on the other similar products from MACS and Titan, this product needs a revision to use PWM for the fan control, allowing more control over the fan speed.