A very attractive heatsink, I would expect nothing less from Thermalright.

Reading the specifications below, we can see that the Ultra-90 is 75 grams heavier than the aluminum version of the XP-90 and 255 grams lighter than the copper version.

Features:

* Proprietary bent winglet to minimize airflow resistance
* Multiple heatpipes for well spread heat around aluminum fins
* Soldered fins to copper base (nickel plated) to make effective contact
* Light weight and easy installation

Dimension:

L45 x W102 x H147 (heatsink only)

Weight:

435g (heatsink only)

Recommended Fan

Maker: Panaflo (Panasonic)
Model: FBL09A12M
Size: 92 x 92 x 25 (mm)
Bearing: Hydro Wave
Voltage: 12V
Speed: 2450 rpm
Air Flow: 48 CFM
Noise Level: 30.0 dBA
Weight: 110g (3.88 oz)

Compatibility:

AMD Athlon64 / FX / X2 / Opteron all models.

* Specs subject to change without notice



As listed above and as you can see in the pictures, all 40 of the fins are bent in a proprietary method to create a winglet design to minimize airflow resistance, something not seen on any of Thermalright's previous heatsinks.



The 40 fins are soldered to the heatpipes for maximum thermal convection.



Thermalright has engraved their logo right on the top of the Ultra-90.



"Reflections of the past?"

The contact surface of the Ultra-90 is very shiny and very smooth, something we all like to see.



The array of fins on the Ultra-90 and XP-90 look nearly the same size, but the XP-90 has 49 fins, while the Ultra-90 has 40.



Moving down to the base of the heatsinks, there is a difference here. The Ultra-90's design only allows heat dissipation from the base to the fins through the heatpipes, while the XP-90's design allows dissipation from the base through the fins and the heatpipes. It seems the XP-90's design would be more prone to trapping heat than the Ultra-90's, time will tell.



The XP-90 has 4 individual heatpipes in total, each running through the array of fins once, in effect making for 4 active heatpipes. The Ultra-90 on the other hand only has 3 individual heatpipes, but each one runs through the array of fins twice, making for a total of 6 active heatpipes, yet another benefit of the tower style design.

Continue on to the next page and take a look at mounting the Ultra-90 to the K8 platform.