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It has been a great year for Thermaltake, they have been releasing a wealth of competitive and high performing products within many enthusiast sectors. Their Frio and Contac29 coolers have met with critical acclaim and have successfully targeted two very different sectors.
While the Contac 29 is a modestly priced mainstream cooler, the Frio was aimed towards the high end audience who demand ultimate performance. The FRIO was not a problem free product however because when the fans were raised above the lowest settings, it quickly became rather unbearable.
The latest product we are looking at today from Thermaltake is not designed to replace the FRIO, more to compliment it. This cooler is called the JING, which Thermaltake say means ‘silence'. We prefer the chinese medical definition meaning ‘essence, genetic makeup, or life'. This rather dramatically named product has been created to capture a portion of the FRIO's cooling performance while remaining as quiet as possible – Thermaltake rate it at a grass whispering 16dBA. At this noise level it is capable of dealing with 200 watts of heat, which we will test later.
The JING supports AMD (AM2, AM2+, AM3) and Intel processors (LGA 775, 1156, 1366) featuring a nickel plated copper base with large aluminum fins and five heat pipes.
Optimal cooling performance:
- Large Aluminum fins with five Φ6 heat-pipes offers good cooling capacity. It supports to OC 4.0G in i7 CPU.
- All nickel plated fins, copper base and heat-pipes for better heat transmission.
2 Extremely silent 120mm VR fan, adjustable speed from 800~1300RPM.
- Ultra quiet operation with 16 dBA under minimum fan speed.
- Dual unique inhale-exhaust 120mm reverse fan design generates greater air flow to enhance thermal performance.
- Vibration-absorbent gaskets decrease noise while operation.
Universal Socket Compatibility & Accessory Package
- All-in-one back-plate design for accelerated installation
- Universal support: Intel socket LGA 1366/1156/775 and AMD socket AM2/AM2+/AM3.
- Superb thermal grease maximizes heat transfer
The Jing cooler arrives in a sturdy box with an oriential artwork concept.
The package includes seperate manuals for Intel and AMD installation, as well isolation pads to help stop vibrations.
While most manufacturers put everything into a clear plastic bag, Thermaltake have opted for a rather nice foam padded accessory package with all the screws, mounting brackets and thermal paste neatly arranged.
The backplate design is also impressive, because both AMD and Intel motherboards can be mounted via the same plate.
The Jing is a very retro looking cooler, finished in a cream/grey and green colour scheme. We aren't sure this is going to appeal to many enthusiast users as it will look out of place within most chassis designs, but it is certainly eye catching.
Aesthetically we aren't really sure what to think. There is no denying it is well built and the quality is high, but the colours are so unusual that we really do feel a portion of the audience will be immediately alienated.
Thermaltake have incorporated a mirrored 5 heatpipe design into the base and these extend upwards through a series of aluminum fins. We noticed that they have shaped the pipes to form an out of line exit point at the top, this will probably slightly aid the cooling efficiency through the fins. The base finish is not the best we have seen, but is quite good.
The Jing weighs 920 grams and stands 162mm high, 123mm wide and 131mm long. Yes, it is a brute.
One aspect of the design we really like is the fan mounting system. Each 120mm fan is clipped into the surrounding shell on each side.
While each fan connects to either side of the cooler it is very important to use them in a correct push/pull configuration. If you notice above, the fans have the blades set in reverse positions. Each fan also has a speed controller for low/high settings, identical in design to the FRIO cooler we reviewed months ago.
First we attach the Ying backplate, which supports both Intel and AMD motherboards. Four long screws are passed through from the rear.
Our ASRock motherboard has two sets of mounting holes, for 1156 and 1366 slot coolers.
Both fans need to be removed at this stage to make the installation possible. Both fans simply unclip and is the best heatsink connection method we have seen.
Above we can see the INTEL T mounting brackets, which slot into the four rear mounted screws.
Four large screw heads are then bolted onto the T mount brackets. While this can be tightened by finger it is advisable to use a screwdriver for a final turn.
A cooler installation bracket is then screwed into each side of the base (above left) and these screws bolt into the two installed T mounts on the motherboard. The fans are then reattached and positioned to allow air flow from right to left, or vertically upwards, depending on your case design.
The cooler, pictured above, installed in a vertical air flow position. As you can see the colour scheme stands out a mile.
While the Jing is marketed as a silent solution, it is still a performance cooler and we before we get out our dB meter we wanted to put it through its paces with our Core i7 970 processor. We first will test at reference voltages and speeds, then crank it to 4.33ghz with a 0.20 core voltage increase.
This combination of reference and overclocked performance will ensure that people can judge the end results and whether it will suit their specific demands. We are also including other coolers which we have tested in the past, such as the Thermaltake Frio, Corsair A70 and Noctua NH D14.
Idle temperatures are measured after 30 minutes resting in Windows and room temperature is maintained at 23c throughout, a comfortable real world environment for most people. We don’t believe in testing coolers on an ‘open bench’ as people at home won’t be throwing parts onto a desk for everyday use.
We measured temperatures with diodes as motherboard readings can often be considerably wrong.
Thermaltake Jing Cooler
Comparison Coolers:
Coolit Vantage
Noctua NH D14
Thermaltake Frio
Thermaltake Contac29
Coolit ECO ALC
Coolink Corator DS
Corsair A70 Cooler
Thermalright TRUE Revision C
Intel Reference Heatsink
Processor: Intel Core i7 970 CPU
Motherboard: MSI X58A-GD65
Memory: Crucial 6GB (3x2GB) Ballistix Tracer 1600mhz DDR3
Graphics Card: Evga 1GB GTX460
Power Supply: Corsair AX850
Hard Drive: OCZ Agility 2
Chassis: Lian Li PC-8FIB
While running tests at reference speeds means it is hard to differentiate between cooler performance, it gives us an initial baseline reading. We now increase the clock speeds by 1.13ghz and raise core voltage by 0.20 for stability in the overclocked state.
When both fans on the Jing Cooler are set to high, the cooler performs a few degrees worse than the FRIO with fans at the lowest settings. When we set both fans to the lowest possible speeds on the Jing then the temperatures rise by another 3 degrees to just under 80c. A strong set of results, especially as the noise levels are extremely low … we discuss this more on the next page.
Recently we have changed our method of measuring noise levels. For most reviews we have built a system inside a Lian Li chassis with no case fans and have used a fanless cooler on our CPU. We are using a heatpipe based passive power supply and an Intel SSD to keep noise levels to a minimum. The motherboard is passively cooled and we use a Sapphire HD5670 Ultimate Edition graphics card which is also passively cooled. Ambient noise in the room is kept as low as possible. We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the chassis and 4 foot from the ground to mirror a real world situation.
Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on only the components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.
We are using a new Extech 407750 sound meter today from a distance of 1 meter. Measuring below 25 dBA is a rather difficult proposition, even in a studio environment.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
The Jing at high fan speeds generates around 36.5dBa of noise, which is relatively quiet at the top of the table, but noticeable in our test room. When we adjust both fans to the lowest settings our meter reads only 30.4 dBa which is a record for our performance cooler testing. While this seems high compared to the 16dBa that Thermaltake quote, we can factor in variables such as testing equipment, ambient conditions and distance.
The Thermaltake Jing caused some confusion in the enthusiast ranks when it was announced, many had assumed it could be a replacement for the mighty Frio. In actuality the development of the Jing was focused around achieving the lowest possible noise levels, while utilising cooling technology from the core Frio design.
Our testing verifies that the Jing is certainly not going to encroach on Frio sales in the high end overclocking performance sector. What it does bring to the table however is extremely low noise levels while still being capable of cooling an overclocked, high end processor. It is worth reiterating that our results were gathered via one of the hottest running processors available today, so our review results can be treated firmly as a ‘worst case' scenario.
As a cooling solution, the Jing is rather unique because we aren't aware of many high end performance coolers with a primary focus on creating a silent environment. As such it is a success, however we can't make such a black and white closing statement.
While it seems such a superficial point to raise, we do feel that the appearance of the cooler is going to generate mixed feelings within enthusiast circles. As a statement piece it is a daring proposition but the translation to final, retail product is somewhat confusing. As a chassis manufacturer, Thermaltake are surely aware that this cooler is going to stand out like a sore thumb within any system build. Part of the joy of building a personalised computer is the fact that you can admire and share your hard work with others. With the Jing taking centerstage it will surely prove difficult to get matching components, on any level. While I appreciate they wanted to differentiate the Jing from the Frio, why not opt for a bronze or even blue accented shroud with matching fans?
The Jing is a fantastic product, proving to be one of the quietest performance coolers on the market. The big question however is whether you feel you can live with the ‘in your face' colour scheme.
We have no confirmed pricing information yet, but we expect it to retail close to the Frio.
KitGuru says: The Jing has plenty of Zing, but looks a bit Ming.
Ideal for a media system where you can hide it away, but its too big ! good performer, brilliant noise levels, but christ that is buck ugly.
When they brought this out in price release information I couldnt comprehend who thought cream and lime was a good idea. seriously.
The frio kills it, and while i appreciate the noise levels, most people who really care about that extra 5 dba are in the media audience. I dont think many of the hard core media guys use a full size chassis, which is needed to fit this cooler in the first place. I personally think it is a disaster
It isnt a disaster. Its a really good cooler which is thermaltakes way of addressing the frio’s high noise levels. The only problem is somewhere down the line they felt the need to give it a chinese restaurant soy sauce makeover.
I dont hate the looks, it certainly wont be copied anytime soon. Surely this is an issue for a western audience as I am positive the eastern audience will love this. It shows however that thermaltake are not undergoing enough market research. the fact they can release a BMW design level 10 case then this right afterwards shows a strong company disorganisation on the end goal.
It is a good cooler, I like it. But lets hope they relent and make a black version. In fact I think any other color would be better, even luminous pink.
Good well balanced review. I wouldn’t buy this. It looks possible like the worst cooler I have seen.
I do however appauld them for being daring enough to try it. But next time, lets keep it a little more component friendly. That looks out of place in any system.
Fuck me, that is one ugly bitch
Its a chinese design, which is great if they are selling it there. it needed a european remake. This will not sell, even if it beat the noctua NH D14. would you buy it ? I dont think so.!
I would buy it, I like the low noise levels, and I have a side door. If I had a windowed, lit up case not so sure though. When is it out ?
Designed by a chinese dude with a video made by a guy from germany. Full of mistakes, dialogue errors and a design right out of the 1960’s.
If Thermaltake want to get to the next level they need more staff involved from UK and USA. these markets (like us) won’t touch something like this.
Good review though Zardon, covered it well and fairly put together.
Lime and cream are the only colors they are making? WTF?
All cases are black or silver. this looks hideous with either scheme. What a bizarre marketing decision from this company. Such a shame too, as it seems really good.
I like the looks & colour of this cpu cooler i want to have it in my system.
but what i want to know is how well would it cool a i7-980x cpu?