Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid AIO cooling full review

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On this iteration. we’ll be reviewing the Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid cooling system. This is a great option for those looking for high-performance liquid cooling systems. What sets it apart from its competitors is the 2.1″ color display that is integrated into the system. It is customizable and adds a unique touch to the design.

Under the hood, the system is built to last. It has a large copper cold plate, low evaporation tubes, and powerful Toughfan 12 Turbo fans with 2500 RPM. Thermaltake has prioritized performance and durability over aesthetics with this design, opting for non-RGB fans and a premium build quality.

System design features

The Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid cooling system is available in 240 and 360 mm formats, catering to high-end and top-of-the-line CPUs. We will be testing it with the i5-13600K and the Thermaltake View 300 MX case. Stay tuned to see how it performs.

Radiator and tubes

Let’s take a closer look at the Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 radiator and tubes. The radiator is made of an aluminum block with an external reinforcement frame of the same material. The chambers at each end have not been blocked, allowing for rounded corners and very tight dimensions, with a black skin. The exchange area uses high-density fins in a wavy pattern, with 12 longitudinal liquid conduits joining them together to make up the refrigerant circuit.

To make maintenance easier, an access plug for the fluid is located next to the inlets. The low-evaporation rubber tubes used in this 240 mm model are at least 400 mm long and are very rigid due to their thickness. They are also protected on the outside with a shiny synthetic thread mesh, which is now standard in any liquid cooling system.

The 90º connectors on the radiator are soldered and the tubes enter by pressure and are blocked with metal sleeves. Overall, Thermaltake has designed a durable and high-performing radiator and tube system for the Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid cooling system.

Pump block with LCD screen

Now, moving on to the CPU block of the Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid cooling system, it has a simple design that ensures compatibility with any motherboard, including problematic ITX ones. It is also black and made of plastic.

Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid AIO cooling full review

Starting from the base, there is a perfectly polished copper cold plate that covers a broad range of IHS CPUs, such as Ryzen 5000 backwards or Core X. Above the copper cold plate, there is a slot where we can attach the plate that will be fixed to the bracket. The tube connectors are 90º elbows that can rotate, and the 3-pin cable for the pump comes out of them. On the edge of the CPU block, we find a microUSB connector that is acceptable but protrudes too much from the block and is susceptible to hits.

On the top of the CPU block, there is a circular area that integrates a 2.1″ round TFT LCD screen. The screen can be rotated up to 270º to adjust its orientation after installation without the need for a software function. It offers a customizable resolution of 480 x 480p RGB and is customizable from TT RGB Plus. The LCD screen shows hardware telemetry and can display GIFs, photos, and text. It has a power consumption of 11.5W, high brightness, and acceptable viewing angles for a TFT panel.

Overall, the pump block with LCD screen of the Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid cooling system is a simple yet effective design that provides easy installation and customization options for the user.

Fans

The Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 cooling system comes equipped with Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Turbo fans, which were launched in late 2020 and are the highest quality and pure performance fans that the brand offers. These fans are now not only used for chassis but also to improve the Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid cooling system, as we could not find any specification that is different from the standard model.

The fans have an extremely robust design, with a chassis that features anti-vibration rubber corners and a combination of black and gray colors. The body and the wide and elongated design of the blades are reminiscent of the Noctua NF-A12 fans. These units offer a lifespan of 40,000 hours, which is a high figure, but not as much as one would expect from them.

The rotation area of the fans is composed of 9 blades made of liquid crystal polymer (LCP), which is a similar compound to that used in Noctua fans. The fans use a motor reinforced with a metal hub and a second-generation hydraulic bearing rotation system. They offer an airflow of 72.69 CFM and a static pressure of 3.78 mmH2O, with a range of 500 to 2500 RPM with PWM control. Despite their high RPM range, they generate only a maximum of 28.1 dBA of noise.

Overall, the Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Turbo fans are a top-performing and high-quality option for any liquid cooling system, and they make a great addition to the Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 cooling system.

Assembly

This liquid cooling system is compatible with practically all current and older Intel and AMD platforms, with the exception of the Ryzen Threadripper.

For installation, there are separate backplates for Intel LGA 1700 and previous sockets, which may seem like a strange decision since a single frame with movable screws could have been used. Nonetheless, the system uses a classic 4-point attachment, making DIY easier by only requiring the attachment of the metal plate to the pump block. The case for AMD is not the most reliable since it uses the snap-fastening system that comes with standard AMD boards. However, it will be straightforward to install.

Thermaltake-Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid AIO

The connection system is also straightforward, as we only have the PWM headers of the fans with included multiplier that we will connect to, for example, CPU_FAN, a 3-pin header of the pump that we will connect to AIO_PUMP, and a Micro USB connection to the internal panel of the board for software management. Both the fans and the pump RPM profile must be managed from the BIOS of the motherboard itself or software if available.

Overall, the assembly of the Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240 liquid cooling system is relatively easy and compatible with most current and older Intel and AMD platforms, making it a versatile option for a range of builds.

Control Software

To manage the screen of the Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240, we need to install TT RGB PLUS 2.0. However, if we have a brand controller, we could also manage the fans from the interface. Among the various interface options, we can go to Lighting to manage the screen. We can freely change the default skin for displaying temperatures with a background or animated GIF. The software offers a large number of parameters to display or stream mode that displays all the selected parameters in a carousel.

Final thoughts on the Thermaltake Toughliquid Ultra 240

Thermaltake provides a cooling option that offers professional-grade performance and quality. Its main advantage lies in its components, with a pump that can efficiently remove heat from the CPU and the best fans from the brand, the Toughfan 12 Turbo. While the aesthetic section is not its strong point, it includes a useful circular LCD screen that displays real-time CPU telemetry or liquid temperature, along with customizable backgrounds and GIFs. The installation process is straightforward for both the socket and connections, as it does not use a controller. However, the snap-fastening system used in the AMD CPU anchor that comes with standard boards is not the most convincing.