Page 4 - Conclusion
A screen is not necessary for a cooler, but having one opens up new possibilities, and the Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID Ultra 240 reveals these immediately. Starting from the top, the Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID Ultra 240 looks very typical for any AIO cooler with a large 240mm radiator attached by tubes to a CPU block and water pump head. These components have good qualities including a clean radiator, flexible and pivoting braided tubing, and a smooth copper block for contact with the processor. As for Thermaltake's additions, this starts with their TOUGHFAN 12 Turbo fans, which are quiet and work well in moving air through the radiator. The second addition is what sets this cooler apart, which is the aforementioned full-colored screen placed on top of the CPU block. This screen rotates around and can be customized in both appearance and to show different system information like temperatures or loads. While the rest of the cooler is pretty tame in terms of its design, the screen really is the differentiating factor. In terms of performance, the TOUGHLIQUID Ultra 240 is a competitive unit, able to keep up with our air and liquid coolers overall, albeit a couple degrees warmer. On the other hand, the cooler was a bit louder as you could hear the pump's continuous movement, but it is pretty typical for AIO units. If there were things to fix with the Ultra 240, it would be to find a better way to integrate the USB plug into the body, as it sticks directly up and is hard to hide when managing the cable. It would have also been nice if they threaded the mounting holes on the radiator to make installation easier. Otherwise, the Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID Ultra 240 is a bit of a pricey unit at $260 USD. However, considering the extra screen and solid retail fans included, this is an understandable premium to pay to get a customizable, all-in-one liquid cooler.
Thermaltake provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.2/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID Ultra 240 is a competitive all-in-one cooler that stands apart with its full-colored screen for form and function.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
