Thermalright PS120SE CPU Air Cooler, 7 Heat Pipes CPU Cooler,Dual 120mm TL-C12B V2 PWM Fan, AGHP 4.0 Technology, S-FDB Bearing, for AMD AM4 AM5/Intel 1700/1150/1151/1200/1851, PC Cooler

I run an i7-4790k, which is notorious for running hot. To test it, I ran a benchmark before and after installing the Thermalright cooler. Before installation, the temps were around 98°c, but after the temps never broke 65°c. I was slightly skeptical when ordering due to the low price and unfamiliar brand, but the performance is truly incredible, and I cannot recommend it enough. It came with fitting brackets for a number of different sockets, including my LGA 1150, and even had TF7 thermal paste, which was a more than welcome surprise. Installation was genuinely easier than the OEM Intel heat sink, though you will need access to the back of your motherboard, so if you don't have an detachable back panel, be prepared to pull out the whole board. It fit perfectly in my case which I assume is around average size, leaving about 2cm or so clearance from the side panel once put back on. If you have a thinner form factor case, I'd check to make sure it'll fit, but it should fit the vast majority of full size cases. I paired it with a three pack of Thermalright case fans, and they've definitely made a lifelong customer out of me. Installation was a breeze, airflow is streamlined and great, each fan had connectors for daisey chaining if you're low on motherboard connection ports, and it runs like a charm. TLDR: Well worth the money. Dropped over 30°c off of my full throttle CPU performance temps, and is a fraction of the price of comparable competition

Joseph · 2025-12-29 · via amazon

The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB is easily one of the best CPU coolers I’ve ever used — and that’s saying a lot after years of building and upgrading PCs. It’s rare to find something that combines top-tier cooling performance, silent operation, and clean aesthetics all in one package, but this cooler nails it perfectly. Right out of the box, you can tell it’s built with quality in mind. The dual-tower heatsink design is solid, the fins are dense and well-machined, and the included fans feel premium. Everything about it screams durability — no cheap plastics or wobbly mounts here. It’s a heavy-duty, well-engineered piece of hardware that gives off that “premium” feel from the moment you hold it. Installation was surprisingly simple for a dual-tower cooler. The mounting system is straightforward, the instructions are clear, and the included hardware feels secure. It fit perfectly on my motherboard without blocking any RAM slots, which is a big plus for a cooler this size. Performance-wise, it’s phenomenal. I paired it with a Ryzen 9 5900X, and it keeps temperatures impressively low even under heavy gaming and streaming loads. The fans are whisper-quiet — even when they ramp up — and the ARGB lighting looks incredible once powered on. The lighting isn’t overly flashy; it’s clean, soft, and gives off that professional glow that makes your setup look like a studio rig. If you want to see this exact cooler in action during live streams, check out SassieJoXO on TikTok and Twitch — her system runs this same cooler paired with a Ryzen 9 5900X, and the stability and cooling performance speak for themselves. The CPU stays cool, the stream runs flawlessly, and the ARGB lighting adds a subtle but beautiful touch to the background. Thermalright really outdid themselves with this one. It easily rivals much more expensive coolers on the market in both cooling efficiency and noise levels. For anyone running a powerful processor and wanting a balance between top performance, silent cooling, and clean aesthetics, this is the one to get. An absolute 10/10 product — heavy-duty, silent, and stunning in every way. Highly recommend.

Cale Calfy · 2025-11-11 · via amazon

Let's start with the positive. This cooler is awesome. It keeps temperatures way down and is quiet in the process. You can purchase it with confidence, though I would advise getting a separate tube of thermal paste, as the tube that came with this cooler was empty and dried out. Installation is an ordeal all its own. It's a beast size wise. In addition to making sure it will fit in your case, you need to also be aware that once it's installed, it's going to be a pain in the neck to access just about anything else on your motherboard. So, if you are upgrading several items on your PC, save this for the very last thing you do. If you're building new from the ground up, get this installed and connected before you put the motherboard in the case. Another note: if you're upgrading from another cooler and doing so in the case, first of all, lots of luck. You're going to need it along with a bucketful of patience and probably a third hand, preferably with very skinny fingers. Be sure to connect the Y-adapter that connects your motherboard to the two fans before you install the cooler itself. Getting to the plug after the fact, particularly if you're working with an mATX motherboard, is going to be frustratingly difficult. But, once you've got it in, it will definitely be worth the time invested in the installation. It really is an amazing product, and I'm very impressed with it.

Brian C. Farmer · 2026-01-24 · via amazon

Whether you go air or liquid cooling really depends on the power draw of your CPU, as well as the type of case you have. That said, for the 9800X3D in particular, this cooler does very well, so long as your case airflow is also good. This is a great option for full-tower builds in pure function sense, or if you like the peace-of-mind that air coolers provide in that they do not have any real risk of failure. If you have a 9800X3D, get this instead of the more expensive AIO coolers. It'll last longer, isn't particularly loud, and is much more affordable. Cooling performance under load for me, with an antec flux pro case, is about 65-70C tops, which is well under the maximum safe temps for a 9800X3D. Being an air cooler, it will require a more spacious case, and installation might be somewhat tricky, but it does the job with no frills, no unnecessary bells and whistles, and no ridiculously inflated price tag. If you're like me and prefer function over form in all ways, this cooler will serve you well should your CPU pair well with it. For more power-hungry CPU's, an AIO might be a better option, but this and the 9800X3D are like a horse and carriage.

Geoffery C Carter · 2025-02-18 · via amazon

This is an impressive air cooler and it performs similarly to my EK 360mm aio but the temperature spikes are higher. The reason I switched is because I was intrigued by the longevity of air cooling where water cooling has some risks and I saw that this air cooler performed similarly in online reviews. My cpu is a 13900K with hyperthreading turned off and undervolted with 0.36 ac_ll and 0.98 dc_ll on a Z690-E. I am using PTM7950 for thermal interface material and using Noctua industrial 120mm 3000rpm fans instead of the ones included. Idle runs from ~33-55c and gaming at ~100-150w is ~55-77c. Full load for prime95 small fft is thermal throttling at 253w which is disappointing. My 360mm idled at ~29-52c and gamed at ~59-69c and full load of prime95 small fft would run from ~80-85c at 253w. The 253w performance is disappointing since I saw online that the Thermalright PS120SE would not thermal throttle at 253w. I am also disappointed by the temperature spikes being way higher. The installation was simple on paper which was to attach the plastic backplate which thankfully had glue pads and then put plastic spacers and finally the lga 1700 brackets with the pointed ends inwards and then the screws. Then came the heatsink which needed to be aligned with the screws and it was impossible to tell if it was perfectly aligned since vision is obstructed and there is NO haptic feedback to determine if the screw is over the threads meaning you need to lift up and move around the heatsink until it seems like it might be aligned smearing thermal paste everywhere. Then tighten the heatsink screws down and attach the fans with the metal clips. Overall the temps seem similar to a 360mm in idle and gaming but for 253w workloads I was misinformed by online reviews and am left disappointed since I hoped it would be about ~85c and not thermal throttling. I also expected better in other workloads because online reviews say 60c for 150w but I am seeing 77c spikes at 145w. The installation also needs to be improved since guessing if the screws are aligned is messy and risky. I also have to give Thermalright praise for allowing this to work with the Z690-E which has a notorious vrm heatsink design flaw and makes it incompatible with a lot of air coolers but Thermalright was able to make this compatible with my motherboard which is impressive.

CatalinaAvalon · 2024-07-20 · via amazon

Best Buy

Not tracked at this retailer

MSI

Not tracked at this retailer

Newegg

Not tracked at this retailer

Newegg (Open Box)

Not tracked at this retailer

VALUE SCORE

Price

$9.99

Price

$20