Intel Core i7 / LGA1366 CPU Cooler Roundup

Cogage TRUE Spirit

Let’s not even get started on the window this box sports and move straight unto the look and design of the box. Hmmm, we really have to wonder if something was lost in translation. “Turn up the voltage on your OC soul” does sound pretty good and we understand that this product is geared towards “gamers” but we think this box design could have done without that little tidbit. It just feels gimmicky.

Other than that, this cooler is well protected even though the window tends to decrease the overall strength of the cardboard box.


As you can see, the TRUE Spirit really does look like a mini Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme….albeit one with a lot less heatpipes. Indeed, even the mini Ultima 90 has more and THAT cooler has been out for a long while. In grand total the TRUE Spirit has four 6mm heatpipes and is 133mm by 38mm by 158mm in size while weighing in at a respectable 670 grams. On the positive side, it has the same angled fin design as its predecessors which is one of the main reasons the original TRUE always did so well in tests.


The base of this unit is decently finished and considering its price range the Spirit has been designed for, it is not too bad. Polishing a solid surface like this base should be easy and relatively inexpensive so there isn’t much excuse for the lack of absolute perfection. The excess soldering flash where the heatpipes join the base is also a bit of a concern from a QA standpoint considering the original Thermalright Ultra 120 had the same issues ages ago.

Its overall design has its roots firmly planted in the soil of Thermalright’s legendary heatsinks of days gone by but considering the talent Cogage has to draw upon, we were hoping a bit more attention to detail would have been paid to the Spirit. Price point be damned.


The 120x25mm fan which accompanies the TRUE Spirit is labeled as a CGG-1212PSL and is a study in contradictions. Cogage states it runs between 1000-1500RPMs yet at the specifications on the fan itself states 1000-1800RPMs. While an additional 300RPMs isn’t a huge deal on paper, it can translate into huge acoustical differences. The reason for this could be one of two things: either Cogage has limited the voltage in some way we can’t see or the 1800RPMs is within the usual 10% margin of error when it comes to fan RPMs and Cogage wanted to err on the side of marketing lower speeds. As the specifications are so suspect it is hard to state with any certainty what the CFM ratings of this fan is but Cogage states 35 – 66.5CFM.

The fan is itself exhibits the same moderate ticking which we have come to associate with ball bearing designs and it does exhibit an annoying amount off-axis slop. This can result in a lower lifespan for the fan itself but the more likely thing is that you will be done with this cooler long before the fan kicks the bucket.


The fan on the Spirit has a 4 pin PWM connector and as such is a PWM capable fan. Unfortunately, the wire is not sleeved nor are the wires even bonded together which makes the whole setup look a bit messy when installed into an otherwise clean case.