Intel Core i7 / LGA1366 CPU Cooler Roundup

Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme

If the box of the Tower 120 Extreme is anything to go by this cooler is going to be downright massive. Honestly, the only thing we can compare it to (size wise) is the Cooler Master V10 shipping box. Yes, it really is that big. The box itself is not only large in physical size but is also large on details and has everything you could ever want to know about the contents it protect….heck they even include detailed specifications of the thermal compound that comes with the 120 Extreme.


When we took this cooler out of the double box it was housed in, we were ready for a cooler of epic proportions and we were NOT disappointed. This thing is huge and with the fan, we estimate it to weight about 895 - 900 grams. Needless to say, Tuniq’s flagship NEEDS the backplate mounting assembly that it comes with since it’s not a lightweight by any stretch of the imagination.


As mentioned earlier in this roundup, this cooler is only capable of mounting one fan and that fan sits sandwiched in between the two cooling towers. As such this design does give the Extreme a very boxy yet unique appearance.

The fins of the cooling array are done in a interesting wave-like pattern but the inner face (the sides nearest the centrally located fan) are flat and slab sided; this leads us to the opinion that the wave appearance is for ascetics purposes only and will have very little impact on the overall performance. Indeed, we have a sneaking suspicion the reason Tuniq stuck such a powerful / high speed fan in the Tower 120 Extreme is because it actually needs such a fan to overcome the inherent limitations of this less than optimal design. We really wish they had gone with either a 38mm thick fan or had included removable shrouds on a 25mm thick fan so that the customer could yank the fan and stick a really powerful 38mm thick one in there. As we said, we have a fairly low opinion of this design based on past experiences but we do love to root for the underdog.


Hopefully, the fact that this is an HDT cooler increases overall efficiency makes make up for the perceived limitations we suspect it is going to have. That is a LOT of fin depth to suck air in and over but if anything can hide a less than optimal performance design it has to be 8mm heatpipes in direct contact with the CPU. As you can see, Tuniq’s heatsink does sport a very interesting HDT design. It has three 8mm heatpipes with two 6mm heatpipes inter-spaced. This in theory is a heck of a lot of cooling potential. Also on the positive side is the fact that the polish and finish of the base is above average for a cooler such as this.

The only concern we have is the fact the base seems to have been designed for a CPU with an IHS even bigger than the one found on Nehalem CPUs and we wonder if the outer two 8mm heat pipes are going to be in full contact with the CPU. If they are not, all you are left with cooling is one 8mm heatpipe and two 6mm heatpipes transferring heat away from the one area it shouldn’t build up in.


The fan which is the heart of this Tuniq cooler is a Magnetic Fluid Dynamic Bearing unit; model AGA12025F121 which is most likely made by the SunbeamTech. This 120x25mm fan is rated for speeds varying from a moderately low 1000RPMs to a maximum of 2000RPMs. At its max speed it is rated to move a little over 90 CFM. However, since this fan has to fight to suck in air through fins and then push it out through even more densely packed fins, the most important numbers about its static pressure are absent. Magnetically enhanced FDB or not, we wish this was a 38mm thick fan with some serious static pressure numbers.

For those who do not know what FDBs are, they are basically a modified sleeve bearing where the fluid is sealed between the shaft of the motor and the sides. This allows for very little friction with very little noise, as such FDB fans are the preferred choice of many enthusiasts. A good FDB based fan will last longer than nearly any other technology out there and it will stay quiet for the life of the fan. The magnetic enhancement is a further tweak which helps keep the fan shaft from tilting or banging off the side walls of the bearing housing.

In true FDB tradition, this fan shows no shaft or off axis slop but we will see how it performs in our acoustical tests especially considering the fact that it does not include a PWM function.