Thermaltake UX200 Review

The very essence of the Thermaltake DNA is based on Courage, Passion, and Perseverance. They are diversified in brands like TteSPORTS, Luxa to bring consumer-focused products from respective domains.

Today we will be taking a look at budget cooling in style from Thermaltake in the form of Thermaltake UX200 Review. The price segment of the cooler is the budget user who would want to have a decent upgrade of the stock cooler in some killer lighting effect.

Thermaltake UX200 ARGB Lighting Cooler

This is the main idea behind the UX200 ARGB Lighting Air Cooler. The cooler has a black color heatsink in step design coupled with a specially designed 120mm fan packing 15 high lumens ARGB LEDs in the dedicated diffuser around the frame’s border. The ARGB lighting is compatible with the 5V lighting headers on the motherboards from the like of ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, and ASRock. More on it in the closer look section.

The cooler has U shaped heat pipes that are making direct contact with the heat source for better heat transfer. The cooler is compatible with Intel: LGA 1156/1155/1151/1150/775 and AMD: AM4/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2/FM2/FM1 sockets.

• Product:               Thermaltake UX200 Review
• Manufacturer:      Thermaltake
• Price:                    Check Price on Amazon

UX200 ARGB Lighting Air Cooler Specifications

UX200 ARGB Packaging and Unboxing

The cooler is shipped inside a cardboard box in standard Tt themed design.

The Thermaltake brand logo and name are printed on the top. There is a picture of the cooler in the center highlighting the ARGB lighting feature. Compatibility information with respect to the motherboard support for lighting is printed on the bottom. The cooler is rated to handle the heat dissipation of up to 130W.

Salient features of the cooler are printed here.

The box has 1x cooler and 1x fan in it. The specifications of the cooler are printed in the tabular format. Part No, EAN, UPC info labels are printed below the serial no sticker. The cooler is made in China.

ARGB Lighting information is printed in 11 languages.

Thermaltake brand logo and name are printed on the left. The box has High Airflow UX200 ARGB lighting cooler inside.

Opening the box will show a white color Styrofoam pad placed up top.

Removing the pad will show the heatsink, fan and accessory box tucked inside side by side.

UX200 review Contents

These are:

• 1x heatsink
• 1x 120mm ARGB fan
• 2x fan clips
• 1x Thermal paste
• 1x Intel Mounting Bracket
• 4x Black Color plastic standoffs for Intel
• 4x transparent color plastic screws
• 1x User Manual
• 1x Warranty Policy

ux200 review Closer Look

Let’s start with taking a look at what Thermaltake is saying about their cooler. “UX200 ARGB Lighting CPU Cooler comes with the high airflow blades and U-shape copper heatpipes. Built-in ARGB LEDs delivers a vibrant lighting effect that also supports motherboard sync. Compatible with universal Intel and AMD socket. Features 15 high lumen addressable LEDs with 16.8 million colors, UX200 gives you the vivid RGB lighting experience. Enjoy the reliable cooling performance and magnificent visual effect with UX200.”

The dimension of the Thermaltake UX200 ARGB Lighting cooler is 127x76x153.5mm (LxWxH). The cooler is rated for up to 130W TDP and has a weight of 770g. The cooler is compatible with Intel: LGA 1156/1155/1151/1150/775 and AMD: AM4/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2/FM2/FM1 sockets.

Taking a look at the heatsink from main side, the Thermaltake UX200 Review has 42 aluminum fins which are black color coated. The heatsink has a step design as the top section has 31 fins and the stepped section has 11 fins. The all-black color gives a nice stealth look to the cooler.

The above picture shows the layout of the copper heat pipes inside the heatsink. The heat pipes are in U shape design. The Thermaltake UX200 ARGB Lighting cooler has 4x copper heat pipes which are also black color coated. The fins stack is less dense which would make suit the airflow through it.

The left and right sides are identical in design and layout. This is where the fins are joined together. There is an inset area finished in a curve manner. This is where the fan clips are inserted to lock the fan to the heatsink.

The above picture shows the cross-section view of the heatsink. The overall layout is well synced and designed. The coating job is perfect and I did not find any scratching on the plates.

The above picture better shows the stepped design of the heatsink as well as the placement of the fin plates.

The top fin plate is also in black color coating. There is a nice Tt brand logo embossed in the middle. The heat pipes are terminating on the top. From the design, it looks like the heat pipes are not soldered to the fins.

Looking at the base of the cooler, there is a protective transparent cover on the base to avoid scratching and any damage to the surface. The user is required to remove or peel off this transparent cover before the installation.

The dimension of the copper base is 44x34mm approximately. The copper heat pipes make direct contact with the IHS of the CPU. Please, keep in mind that this is not a CDC (Continuous Direct Contact) design as there are gaps between the heat pipes on the points of contact. The benefit of direct contact between the heat pipes and the heat source is the better heat transfer.

The bottom section of the cooler has aluminum fins structure on the top of the base as well. This will also help in heat dissipation.

The Thermaltake UX200 Review comes with pre-installed mounting bar or clip. This mounting bar is secured using two Philips screws.

The pre-installed mounting bard has two locking latches on each side with a cutout. These latches are flexible and one of them has a wider head for convenient installation. This mounting bar makes the cooler’s installation on the compatible AMD sockets easier as it uses AMD’s stock backplate and retention brackets.

The Thermaltake UX200 ARGB Lighting cooler has one circular mounting ring for Intel LGA 1156/1155/1151/1150/1366/775 sockets. This ring is installed using push pins. The use of push pins is not new as we saw the same approach in the UX100 ARGB Lighting cooler as well as on Aerocool Verkho 4 and 5 Dark Pro versions.

I have tested the cooler on AM4 platform where these push pins are not required. I am hopeful that push pins will provide sufficient strength to hold the 770g cooler on the motherboard.

It is time to take a look at the included 120mm fan. The fan’s specifications are:

Dimension	120x120x25mm
Rated Speed	300~1500 RPM
Rated Voltage	12V
Start Voltage	6V
Rated Current	0.48A
Power Input	5.76W
Air Flow	43.34 CFM
Air Pressure	1.18 mmH₂O
Noise	26.33 dB(A)
Fan Life Time	30,000 hours
RGB Pin Interface	5V RGB Header – 2Pin
Power Interface	4-Pin PWM

 

This fan has 9 blades which are transparent. There is a fire flame design on each blade which gives unique look under light. The center has a sticker with Thermaltake brand logo and name printed on it. The fan blades are built to generate a large volume of air passing through the aluminum heatsink.

The real design aspect is the unconventional design of the frame and the thick diffuser on the border. This diffuser has 15 high-lumens ARGB LEDs underneath which when light up give one heck of a killer show making ARGB lighting the important feature of this cooler. Each mounting corner has an anit-vibration pad pasted on it.

There is a nicely cut out Thermaltake brand logo and name pattern on one of the sides of the frame. Once light up, this cutout gives a dope look as it is facing the diffuser.

On this side of the frame, there is a small size cutout from where the lighting comes out. The cables are coming out of the frame from this side as well.

The fan’s model is TT-12025 and it is made in China. There is a 4-arm assembly on the backside which is holding the fan motor and blades onto the frame.

This fan is using the hydraulic bearings. The hydraulic bearing self-lubricates with a high quality, friction-reducing substance that lowers operation noise and enhance thermal efficiency. The seal cap prevents leakage of the lubricant and extends the lifespan of the unit.

Unlike the more conventional 3-pin ARGB connector interface the ARGB lighting cable on the Thermaltake UX200 ARGB Lighting cooler has 2-pin interface with one wire marked D and the other is for the grounding. The user is required to connect these to the designated pins on the 5V lighting headers of the enabled motherboard.

The above picture shows the user on how to connect the ARGB lighting cable to the 5V lighting header. While modern motherboards usually have at least one such header the lack of dedicated controller makes it the Con for this cooler for those users who don’t have such motherboards.

The power cable is 4-pin PWM cable. It has a length of 330mm whereas the ARGB cable has a length of 440mm approximately.

Lighting Service high CPU ARGB Lighting

The ARGB lighting on the Thermaltake UX200 ARGB Lighting CPU Cooler is on the money and gives one heck of a show to the user. Since there is no dedicated controller provided with the cooler, the lighting requires a compatible motherboard for this purpose.

Above is a listing of the compatible motherboards. Here are some the pictures that we took during its testing.

UX200h Installation

We have tested the cooler on the AMD AM4 socket. Here is the guideline for that socket:

• Apply the thermal paste on the IHS of the CPU.
• Remove the warning sticker from the base of the cooler.
• Place the cooler on the CPU in the center. Press the latch handle on one side to hook it up with the catcher on the AMD’s stock backplate.
• Press the latch handle on the other side to hook it up with the catcher on the AMD’s stock backplate. You will need to apply more pressure. Just take your time and be patient as well as careful.
• Connect the fan to the heatsink using metal clips.
• Connect the 4-pin PWM cable to the CPU Fan Header or any other fan header of your choice. Just make sure the fan header.
• Connect the LED cable connectors to the correct pins (D and Ground) on the 5V ARGB headers on the motherboard.
• This would complete the installation.

ux 200 Clearance and Installation Notes

The Thermaltake UX200 ARGB Lighting cooler has a height of 153.5mm making it compatible with a majority of the CP Chassis out there. Still, keep in mind this height factor while deciding the build.

The Thermaltake UX200 ARGB Lighting cooler does not overhang the DIMM slots hence RAM clearance is 100%. Similarly, there is no clearance issue for the first PCIe slot.

UX200h Thermal Bench Testing

Following test bench has been used for testing this cooler: –

• Asus Strix X470-F Gaming
• AMD Ryzen 2700X
• Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB 16GB @ 3200MHz
• HyperX 120GB SSD
• Antec HCP 1300W

The following software is used for the testing and monitoring.

• AIDA64 6.0 for AMD

Here is the settings table for testing:

AMD	Stock Voltage (V)	Auto
	Stock Clock (MHz)	Auto
	Turbo Boost	Auto
	Voltage Control	Auto
Thermal Paste	Noctua NT-H1
Test Run Time	60 minutes
Idling Time between Runs	15 minutes
Fan Speed	Manually set to run at 100% speed

We are using the Noctua NT-H1 for our coolers testing which helps ensure the standardization and mitigate any performance benefit that may come using the supplied thermal paste. Delta temperatures are reported on the graphs. The testing is done on an open-air bench system. Once inside the chassis, the temperatures are expected to rise and would largely depend upon the optimal airflow inside the chassis.

Not every run of the stress test may yield the same result. This could well be due to many factors like mounting pressure, thermal paste application, varying uncontrolled ambient temperature. Not to mention the silicon differences even among the same category of the chips. Hence, it is pertinent to mention the testing methodology along with the specifics.

Let’s take a look at the results.

The Thermaltake UX200 ARGB did a 63°C delta temperature. Though the temperature seems to be on fairly high side, it is not bad given the price factor of the cooler which is augmented by the killer ARGB lighting.

Acoustic Performance

The Thermaltake UX200 ARGB lighting cooler was doing 42 dB(A) in 32 dB(A) ambient noise at full speed which is very impressive.

Conclusion

Thermaltake UX200 Review is a high airflow designed for TDP rating of up to 130W. The main feature of the cooler is the stunning ARGB lighting coming from the thick frosted diffuser installed on the inner side of the frame. The heatsink is in the black color coating and has U shaped heat pipes that are making direct contact with the heat source for better heat transfer.

The dimension of the Thermaltake UX200 ARGB Lighting cooler is 127x76x153.5mm (LxWxH). The cooler is rated for up to 130W TDP and has a weight of 770g. The cooler is compatible with Intel: LGA 1156/1155/1151/1150/775 and AMD: AM4/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2/FM2/FM1 sockets.

The heatsink is made up of 42 aluminum fins which are black color coated. The heatsink has a step design with 31 fins on the upper section and 11 fins in the stepped section. The heatsink has a pre-installed mounting bracket with latches on both sides. These latches have cutouts. The cooler comes with push pins and mounting ring for the Intel platform. The cooler does not need any mounting hardware on the AMD platform.

There is a 120x120x25mm fan with 9 blades. The blades are transparent and there are fire flames designed on them. Maybe the ARGB flames! The fan is rated for up to 1500 RPM at 12V. Starting voltage is 6V. Rated current is 0.48A with a power input of 5.76W. The airflow is 43.34 CFM. The noise level is 26.33 dB(A). The static pressure rating is 1.18 mmH₂O. The MTTF is 30,000 hours.

The fan is powered using a 4-pin cable. The cable is flat and has a length of 440mm approximately. The fan blades are built to generate a large volume of air passing through the aluminum heatsink at any angle for the steady airflow and cooling quality. There are 15 ARGB LEDs packed inside the diffuser that gives vivid and stunning ARGB lighting show. There is no dedicated controller hence the user is bound to the motherboard to must have 5V ARGB headers. Almost the majority of these days motherboards have such headers except the budget ones.

We are thankful to the Thermaltake for sending us their for Thermaltake UX200 Review.

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