Thermaltake TH420 V2 Ultra EX ARGB AiO Review: Throttle-free cooling performance for enthusiast PC builds without breaking the bank
Thermal take-down without clutter.
The Thermaltake TH420 V2 Ultra EX ARGB aims to offer excellent cooling performance at a decent price. The AiO liquid cooler also comes with nifty features like a large LCD and MagForce 2.0 connectors for daisy-chaining the powerful CT 140 EX ARGB fans. We look into the TH420 V2 Ultra EX's efficacy and noise emissions in taming an Intel Core i9-14900K in this review.Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 👁 Enrico Frahn Published 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...
Thermaltake has several all-in-one (AiO) liquid cooler offerings ranging from single fan to triple fan radiator options.
We have with us the new TH420 V2 Ultra EX ARGB AiO liquid cooler designed for large chassis that can take a 420 mm radiator.
The TH420 V2 Ultra EX sports the same design as its non-EX counterpart. The only difference with the EX is the use of MagForce 2.0 magnetic daisy-chained fans to minimize cable clutter.
The TH V2 Ultra EX series is available in Black and Snow color options and in 240, 280, 360, and 420 mm radiator offerings for builds of all sizes.
In this review, we evaluate the TH420 V2 Ultra EX's ability in ensuring a throttle-free performance of the Intel Core i9-14900K.
Thermaltake TH420 V2 Ultra EX ARGB: Specifications
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Radiator material | Aluminum |
| Radiator dimensions | 456 x 139 x 27 mm |
| Tube length | 460 mm, rubber |
| Pump base plate | Copper |
| Pump dimensions | 65 x 6 x 65 mm (W X H x D) |
| Pump speed | PWM 1,500 to 3,300 RPM |
| LCD display | 2.1-inch TFT LCD 480 x 480 px |
| Fans | 3x CT 140 EX ARGB Sync 140 mm |
| Fan speed | PWM 500 to 1,800 RPM |
| Fan characteristics | Dimensions: 140 x 140 x 25 mm Bearing: Hydraulic Air flow: 90.3 CFM Static air pressure: 3.07 mmH2O Rated noise level: 30.7 dB(A) Rated lifespan: 40,000 hours at 25 °C |
| CPU socket support | Intel LGA 2066/2011-3/2011/1700/1200/1156/1155/1151/1150/1851 AMD AM5/AM4/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2/FM2/FM1 |
| In the box | Cooler pump and radiator 3x CT 140 EX ARGB Sync fans 3x Magnetic fan connectors 1x Micro USB to USB 9-pin connector Intel/AMD mounting brackets Mounting screws Thermal paste |
| Warranty | 2 years (all parts, valid in India) |
| Price | ₹21,000 / US$199.99 |
Design: Useful LCD display and clutter-free connectivity
The dimensions of the pump and radiator are identical to those of the non-EX model, indicating that the TH420 V2 Ultra EX is not intended for use with HEDT systems using Intel Sapphire Rapids or AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPUs. The Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X II 360 that we had tested before, on the other hand, is compatible with Threadripper sockets.
The pump also sports a 2.1-inch 480 x 480 TFT LCD to show vital system stats or fun movies and images that can be configured via the TT RGB Plus Software. Various image and movie formats including GIF, JPG, PNG, AVI, MOV, and MP4 are supported with a maximum file size of 20 MB.
While the pump head cannot be physically rotated, the LCD’s orientation can be adjusted via TT RGB Plus. Additionally, there are no RGB lighting effects on the pump head or its base.
The TH420 V2 Ultra EX comes with three 140 mm CT 140 EX ARGB Sync fans, which feature hydraulic bearings (essentially the same as fluid dynamic bearings). The fans have a high 3.07 mmH2O static pressure, can move 90.3 CFM of air, and are rated for a lifespan of 40,000 hours at 25 °C.
The fans feature anti-vibration rubber pads at the corners for quieter operation, along with nine addressable RGB LEDs. The fans use PWM connectors and 5 V 3-pin ARGB headers for direct motherboard control.
The CT 140 EX fans use Thermaltake's MagForce 2.0 magnetic Pogo pins for daisy-chaining. This alleviates the problem of managing messy cables, streamlining the installation and lending a neat aesthetic to the build.
You can daisy-chain all fans to a single magnetic cable, or use three such cables to control each fan individually.
While the fan magnets are effective, the fans can detach due to gravity when attached by the Pogo pins alone. The Waterforce X II 360's magnets are a lot stronger in comparison. This is not a concern once the fans are securely mounted on the radiator, however.
You will still have to deal with minimal cable routing, however. There's a PWM cable from the pump to one of the CPU fan headers, a USB cable from the pump to a USB 2.0 header on the motherboard, and another PWM cable from the fans to the board's system/chassis fan connector.
Software: TT RGB Plus needs lots of work
The optional TT RGB Plus software is needed to display custom GIFs, videos, and system stats on the pump head, as the TH420 V2 Ultra EX neither has built-in storage nor comes with a microSD card slot.
This is in contrast to the Waterforce X II that can store up to 40 MB files on the pump itself. That being said, you can still upload GIFs for the pump's boot animation and JPGs for the standby screen, each with a 5 MB limit.
The software cannot actually control the pump/fan speeds or adjust RGB settings unless there's a Thermaltake Sync Controller. Therefore, these functions must be managed via the motherboard's default utility.
In addition to displaying various CPU, GPU, and memory stats and custom videos, TT RGB Plus also allows you to stream any window content such as an in-game HUD or Discord chat, directly to the pump head.
While TT RGB Plus can get the job done, Thermaltake still needs to work on making it more intuitive and user-friendly.
For instance, the software relies on the codecs present in your PC for playing MP4 and MOV files on the pump. This causes the videos to get paused without looping if the TT RGB Plus window isn't in focus or has been relegated to the system tray.
Performance: Throttle-free Core i9-14900K multi-core loops
Our test PC for evaluating the performance of the TH420 V2 Ultra EX comprises the following:
- Cooler MasterFrame 700 test bench
- Intel Core i9-14900K with PL1=PL2=253 W
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition GPU
- Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master motherboard
- Gigabyte Aorus Gen 4 2 TB NVMe SSD
- 2x 16 GB Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5-6400 RAM with timings 32-39-39-80 at 1.40 V
- MSI MAG 274UPF 4K 144 Hz monitor
- Cooler Master MVE Gold V2 1250 ATX 3.0 fully modular PSU
We would like to thank Intel for supplying the CPU, Nvidia for the GPU, Cooler Master for the test bench and PSU, Gigabyte for the motherboard and SSD, Kingston for the memory, and MSI for the monitor.
Presets in the Gigabyte Control Center (GCC) app were used to adjust fan and pump speeds together. GCC offers Silent, Normal, and Full Speed presets along with the option to manually set fan curves for the pump and the radiator fans. There is no Zero RPM mode option available.
CPU multi-core stability
We see largely similar scores in Cinebench R15 and Cinebench R23 benchmarks in all three cooling presets.
The Full Speed preset offers slightly better stability after a 30-loop multi-core run, but the performance decrease in Silent is minimal and unlikely to be noticed by most users.
| Cooling preset | Cinebench R15 Single score | Cinebench R15 Multi score | Cinebench R15 Multi score (after 30 loops) | Cinebench R23 Single score | Cinebench R23 Multi score | Cinebench R23 Multi score (after 30 loops) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silent | 316 | 5,927 | 5,840 (-1.46%) | 2,161 | 37,606 | 37,036 (-1.51%) |
| Normal | 317 | 5,924 | 5,881 (-0.72%) | 2,171 | 37,746 | 37,372 (-1%) |
| Full Speed | 317 | 5,912 | 5,884 (-0.47%) | 2,174 | 37,667 | 37,175 (-1.3%) |
The Core i9-14900K's peak clocks are more or less the same across all fan presets. Silent results in a slightly higher average core temperature of 68.7 °C compared to 66 °C and 67 °C in Normal and Full Speed modes, respectively.
Unlike the radiator fans, the pump attains its full speed in all three fan presets depending on the load.
Stress test
Stress testing with Prime95 in-place large FFTs and the Full Speed fan preset sees the Core i9-14900K attaining max boost frequency of 4.84 GHz while coasting at average 4.4 GHz clocks during the duration of the stress.
The average core temperatures are around the 80 °C mark, which is well below the processor's 100 °C TjMax. During this stress test, the TH420 V2's radiator fans averaged 1,798 RPM with peak speeds of 1,809 RPM.
Noise levels: Tolerable emissions in Normal preset
Thermaltake specifies noise levels of 30.7 dB(A), but the actual sound pressure level (SPL) in each tested preset can be a lot higher.
The table below illustrates measured SPLs in each fan preset. With the radiator fans disconnected, the pump is barely audible even in the Full Speed mode.
We recorded an SPL of 44.26 dB(A) in the Full Speed setting — understandable, considering the huge volume of air being pushed through.
The Silent and Normal modes offer more tolerable noise levels if you prefer a quieter workspace.
Note that the Normal mode can have higher noise levels depending on the CPU load.
| Fan profile | Pump speed (RPM) | Fan speed (RPM) | Sound Pressure Level db(A) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silent | 1,940 | — | 22.65 |
| Normal | 2,860 | — | 23.45 |
| Full Speed | 3,125 | — | 25.40 |
| Silent | 1,896 | 1,436 | 36.41 |
| Normal | 2,352 | 1,634 | 38.46 |
| Full Speed | 3,214 | 1,800 | 44.26 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: Veritable AiO water cooling for high-end PC builds
The Thermaltake TH420 V2 Ultra EX comes across as a highly capable AiO liquid cooler for enthusiast PC builds. The AiO is available in several radiator sizes from 240 mm to 420 mm, offering a lot of flexibility for the chosen chassis type.
Thermaltake supplies CT 140 EX ARGB Sync MagForce 2.0 fans with the TH420 V2 Ultra EX sporting hydraulic bearings, high air flow, magnetic daisy-chaining, and rubberized corners.
The TH420 V2 Ultra EX's pump blends well with the rest of the build and is ably suited for most mainstream Intel and AMD sockets. It is not recommended for HEDT setups, however.
Using the TT RGB Plus software allows you to see vital system stats and set your favorite GIFs and videos in a loop on the 2.1-inch pump LCD. Aside from this functionality, the software is pretty bare-bones as the fan curves and presets are controlled by the motherboard.
The TH420 V2 Ultra EX does a good job in keeping core temperatures well-below the TjMax of our Intel Core i9-14900K CPU, which should lend itself to a relatively throttle-free performance.
The Thermaltake TH420 V2 Ultra EX ARGB offers excellent cooling performance for high-end mainstream Intel and AMD CPUs. While there are areas for improvement, the TH420 V2 Ultra EX is a viable option for extracting well-sustained performance at a decent price."
Fan noise is generally tolerable in the Silent and Normal presets, and these should be sufficient for most tasks. Of course, you can also define custom fan curves in your motherboard software or run the whole setup at full speed if high noise levels are not a concern.
The TH420 V2 Ultra EX can use some improvements, though. We'd like to see stronger magnets that hold the fans tight from falling off due to gravity, similar to what we've experienced with the Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X II 360 (US$213 on Amazon).
Thermaltake needs to provide additional onboard storage on the pump and allow setting custom stats and video playback in the firmware itself instead of always having to rely on TT RGB Plus. The software definitely needs some usability improvements as well.
Competitors like the Asus Ryujin III (US$325 on Amazon) and Lian Li Galahad II LCD (US$220 on Amazon) only come with 240/280 mm and 360 mm rads while the Corsair H170i Elite LCD XT 420 mm is priced slightly on the higher side. (US$280 on Amazon).
The Arctic Liquid III Freezer 420 A-RGB can be had for considerably less (US$115.5 on Amazon) if you are looking for a cheaper 420 mm alternative to the TH420 V2 Ultra EX.
Price and Availability
The Thermaltake TH420 V2 Ultra EX ARGB retails at US$199.99 but can be currently had for US$149.99 on Amazon.
In India, the TH420 V2 Ultra EX is available at various local retailers around the ₹21,000 mark.
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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