Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE ARGB CPU Air Cooler, 4 Heat pipes, TL-C12C-S PWM Fan, Aluminium Heatsink Cover, AGHP Technology, for AMD AM4/AM5/Intel LGA 1150/1151/1155/1851/1200/1700 (SE ARGB)

Mister Twiggly is an ardent gamer, and his home-built gaming rig, while ancient, is capable. However, the stock cooler was getting a little noisy at times, so it was time for a replacement. Enter the Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE. Installation was fairly straightforward, though he had to pull out the motherboard to attach the backplate. From then on it was plain sailing. Testing showed that the CPU temperature is 10-15°C cooler at rest and 20-25°C cooler under load than the stock cooler, which he is holding in his right paw. Moreover, fan noise is barely noticeable - hardly surprising, since the fan is huge and runs far more slowly than its predecessor to cool that monster heatsink. This is music to Mister Twiggly's fluffy but sensitive ears. A very good solution at a modest price. Mister Twiggly says "Hurrah for Thermalright!", and gives this product his highest recommendation.

This is without a doubt the BEST budget cpu cooler you can get. It SIGNIFICANTLY reduces temps compared to the factory wraith cooler. It just plain works. My temps are much more regulated, the fan is surprisingly quiet (BeQuiet! is still quieter). Looks great, actually matches my stock case fans almost perfectly. Very easy to install, just torque down the bolts in a cross pattern. Overall, fit and quality is great. Love this thing.

I had an old i5-2500K that I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of, and decided that it was either time to let it go or get it to run at a useful speed. I was running overclocked at 4.4Ghz on the stock Intel cooler and getting temps of around 81c under full load, so to go further I needed better cooling., This looked like a great budget option. The result was a 30c drop in core temps while running a stress test! Averages dropped to 51c and max observed temp was only 54C! Awesome! With that kind of cooling performance I was ready to let the horses run on that old processor, and run it did! Right up until the 12-year-old Gigabyte z68 motherboard decided that 4.9GHz and 1.385v was just too much for its old components and beta UEFI. It died a good death right there on the dining room table... a bittersweet end to a legendary combo. But that no fault of the cooler. Performance was beyond expectations. It was well-packaged, easy to install, well-made, had everything I needed including thermal paste (saved me a trip to the basement), and man was it QUIET. Excellent cooler on-par with another brand I just installed that cost twice as much. I'm not sure whether I am going to hang onto it or not since I just ordered a replacement CPU that comes with a stock cooler (budget build - stock is good enough), but for under twenty bucks I wouldn't mind keeping this in the parts bin in case one of my machines needs a replacement.

I am not a gamer, or CAD user. Because my old MSI 760GM P34 FX AM3+ (MB) motherboard was dying (NIC Port dead, intermittent USB port functioning) I decided to rebuild my computer "from the ground up" (I did keep several SSD's ). My build is unique in that it is a negative pressure build but the case is very well sealed. I cut out the left panel and attached a big, washable filter (see pic), sealed any holes and, put filters on any larger cutouts in the case. I have a 2 fans on the right side of the case to pull cool air through the case, one inline with the drive bays, and another just behind the CPU (incase there is some heat from the CPU on the bottom of the MB. There is another fan on the back, inline with the inside CPU cooler to help the cooler do its job. In addition to providing clean fresh air for the guts, I get little to no dust build on any components. The cooler I had for the old build (FX 8320 8-Core BE CPU) on the above mentioned MB, was awesome (CRYORIG H7 Tower Cooler), but it would not fit an AM4 CPU's, my choice for the new build, as AM3+ was fairly dead in terms of current CPU sockets. After extensive research, I landed on the Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 MB, and an AMD Ryzen 3 4100 4-Core, 8-Thread Unlocked Processor. The CPU included a Wraith Stealth Cooler. I employed Silicon Power DDR4 RAM 16GB (2x8GB) Turbine 3200MHz (PC4 25600) memory. I've never been happy with stock coolers. They JUST get the job done, often with VERY noisy fans. For this reason I bypassed the stock Wraith CPU cooler in favor of this one. As noted above, I am not a gamer, or CAD user, so did not even contemplate a liquid cooling system. Instead I relied on this Thermalright Assassin X120. I am no fan of RGB because I prefer all power used goes to do the tasks. I don't need a bunch of colored LED's lighting up the room, wasting juice and making heat. This fan has NO LED's! I must say, with the MUCH lower power demand and heat generation of the new CPU (and concomitant reduced heat generation), this cooler is amazing. I can't hear it ramp up based on CPU demand. With custom CPU Fan settings in the Gigabyte Control Center which aims for 100% CPU fan speed at 50C. Helped by the case fan powered to about 80% inline with the inside Thermalright fan, I ran the "Torture Test" in Prime95 to test my CPU, the CPU never exceeded 71C, well below the CPU's 95°C Tjmax. With the Thermalright CPU Fan running @100% during the test, I could barely hear the fan. You can spend a ton more on a CPU cooler. If you game hard or super engage the CPU, another cooler might be warranted. For me, this cooler hit the spot!

This is a cheap, effective cooler that mounts properly on socket 1700 boards. Mounting it is not terribly complicated but you really do have to read the instructions. Some people have written reviews stating that it didn't fit or it damaged their motherboard -- I am not sure if they installed it improperly but there are three different sized mounting spacers and you need to adjust the bracket size with clicks / notches before installing. Also the fan mounts with the rubber pads towards the heatsink and needs to be clipped on securely; if you don't do that it will rattle. These are not super obvious, so it pays to be attentive when installing. Pros: * Cheap * Fits many cases and sockets * Secure mounting * Comes with thermal paste * Works great for many desktop CPUs Cons: * Uneven bottom block -- the heat pipes come uneven and, not perfectly level with the mounting block and there were tool marks in the copper. I had to spend about 30 minutes progressively sanding it with sandpaper taped to a piece of glass to get it flat. Went from 400 grit to 1500 grit. It turned out fine, but it would have been a lot worse if I didn't do that. If you want to lapp it flat, make sure to use a completely flat surface and use long, even strokes. * Fan does not indicate which direction it blows -- I had no idea if it blows air into the heatsink or exhausts from the heatsink. I assumed it blew and positioned it so that it would be blowing into the case fan which would exhaust out the back, but it doesn't; it pulls air through the heatsink. So now I have two fans opposing each other. I will flip it to the other side but it is annoying to have to do that when they could have put an arrow on it at least. The stock Intel cooler and fan was so terrible that it ended up coming off and I was throttling my 12100F at 100C for I don't know how long. When I found out I got a same-day delivery of this cooler. After installing it, temps went down to 60C. Solved my problem so I am happy.

I had a smaller low profile Thermalright cooler that had a broken sensor on top of the cooling being subpar, so I purchased this as a replacement. Sensor is working correctly now, went from an idle temp of about 38 degrees to 31, temperatures under load went from 85+ in CPU intensive games like Monster Hunter World to about 65-70, and it is very quiet. The cooling is much better than my old cooler despite maxing out at 1600 RPMs vs the old one's 2400. However, the mounting system and cooler are very annoying to install without help. If you have a Ryzen CPU, it uses your motherboard's existing AM4/AM5 back bracket to mount, so if you got rid of it you'll need a replacement. The use of this bracket makes it awkward to install as the mounting system for an AMD system consists of two loose metal brackets that need to be screwed in fully before they can stand upright. So the process of installation essentially requires you to have three hands because you'll need to hold the loose back bracket in place, hold the metal mounting bracket in place, and then screw the bracket into the standoffs. I worked around this by fully screwing in one side without the brackets in order to hold the back plate in place, but still annoying considering the install process for intel boards looks relatively simpler and less frustrating according to the instructions. Installing the cooler itself is also a bit of a hassle and may require some fidgeting to get it into place. The cooler has spring loaded screws with holes at the end that need to be aligned with the screw ends on the metal mounting bracket and are small. It can be difficult to tell if you've aligned it properly as you can have the screw in the correct place on one side but have the other side misaligned which will cause you to have to unscrew from one side and potentially reseat it, causing a mess considering that thermal paste will be involved. I recommend attempting to install it dry once or twice to practice and see if you can insert it properly before adding the thermal paste and finishing the install. Overall a great fan for the money, but I would honestly pay more if they had a less frustrating mounting system.

My computer was having trouble booting so replaced my CPU cooling solution with the Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE, and I'm thoroughly impressed with its performance. This air cooler is a game-changer, providing exceptional cooling efficiency while maintaining a whisper-quiet operation. The first thing that caught my eye was the premium build quality. The Assassin X120 Refined SE exudes durability, with its sleek aluminum fins and nickel-plated copper base. The dual tower design, coupled with seven high-quality heat pipes, ensures efficient heat dissipation, making it an ideal choice for both gaming and demanding computational tasks. Installation was surprisingly straightforward, thanks to the user-friendly mounting system and clear instructions provided by Thermalright. The cooler supports a wide range of Intel and AMD sockets, offering compatibility with various CPU configurations. When it comes to performance, the Assassin X120 Refined SE truly stands out. The dual 120mm fans are not only efficient in cooling, but they also operate almost silently. Even during intense gaming sessions or CPU-intensive tasks, the cooler maintains low noise levels, contributing to a more comfortable and enjoyable computing experience. Thermalright's craftsmanship is evident in the details. The polished nickel-plated finish not only adds a touch of elegance to my system, but it also serves a functional purpose by enhancing thermal conductivity. The specialized mirror-finished base ensures optimal contact with the CPU, resulting in efficient heat transfer. I've experienced a significant improvement in temperature management since installing the Assassin X120 Refined SE. It effectively keeps my CPU temperatures in check, even under heavy workloads and overclocking scenarios. This cooler provides the peace of mind that my processor is operating within a safe temperature range, contributing to its longevity and performance consistency. In addition to its impressive cooling capabilities, the Assassin X120 Refined SE's low-profile design doesn't interfere with RAM modules or PCIe slots, allowing for easy integration into various PC builds. In conclusion, the Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE CPU Air Cooler is a top-tier cooling solution that combines exceptional performance, quiet operation, and premium build quality. If you're in the market for an air cooler that can handle the heat while maintaining a low profile and quiet demeanor, look no further. The Assassin X120 Refined SE has exceeded my expectations, and I highly recommend it to fellow PC enthusiasts.

I can’t believe how much performance you get for the price of this cooler. I had an old Intel i5-4460 CPU (released around 2014) that had been sitting unused for years. I decided to repurpose the system as a retro gaming PC for my kids, but the CPU kept overheating with the stock Intel E97378-001 aluminum/copper heatsink. That cooler came bundled with the CPU and worked fine for over a decade, but it was clearly showing its age—I kept getting overheating warnings during boot. I started looking for an affordable replacement and came across this cooler. I wasn’t looking to spend much, so I tried this one along with the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE. Unfortunately, the Peerless Assassin was too large for the old motherboard layout and interfered with the RAM sticks, leaving no clearance. I returned it and went with this smaller cooler instead, which turned out to be a perfect fit. Installation took a bit of effort. I had to remove the motherboard from the case to install the rear mounting bracket, which is required so the front heatsink mount has something to secure to. After that, installing the front mount was a little tricky—the four spacers don’t lock into place until the screws are inserted, so keeping everything aligned required some patience. The most challenging part was mounting the aluminum heatsink block itself. The two screws must line up precisely with the mounting rails, and it was frustrating at first. What finally worked was using my fingers to feel and align the screws by hand before tightening them. Once everything was installed, I connected the fan to the motherboard and booted up. I entered the BIOS and let the system sit idle for about two hours while monitoring temperatures. The CPU never went above 30°C at idle. For comparison, with the old Intel stock cooler, temperatures would steadily climb to around 85°C. The difference is massive. Overall, this cooler delivered an incredible improvement at a very low cost. I highly recommend it to anyone with an older PC who needs better CPU cooling without spending a lot of money. Thanks to Thermalright for making such a budget-friendly and effective CPU cooler—I’m a very happy customer.