Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Black CPU Cooler
Bottom line: The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Black CPU Cooler ($38.90 on Amazon as of 2026-10-07): Six fully electroplated heat pipes with a micro-carved copper base for direct contact; main trade-off: 155mm tall - measure your case clearance before buying.
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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated 2026-10-07. Price and availability subject to change.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ Six fully electroplated heat pipes with a micro-carved copper base for direct contact
- ✓ Dual-tower, dual 120mm PWM fan stack rated 66.17 CFM max airflow
- ✓ Rated at 25.6 dB(A) or lower with silicone shock pads on all four fan corners
- ✓ Cut-corner design clears tall RAM in the first DIMM slot
- ✓ Fits AM4, AM5 and Intel LGA1150 through LGA1851 with included brackets
Cons
- ✗ 155mm tall - measure your case clearance before buying
- ✗ AM4 installs require the motherboard's stock backplate, not an included one
- ✗ Two fans need the bundled Y-splitter to run off one CPU_FAN header
- ✗ 1550 RPM fixed ceiling limits headroom on high-wattage overclocked chips
SpecPicks Verdict
SpecPicks scored Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Black CPU Cooler using a rating × review-volume × price-fit model applied to published specs and reviews across the cooling & fans category. Thermalright's cooling & fans lineup sits within the broader category mid-tier; price and specs are the deciding factors over brand loyalty here. Judge it on the specification table and the price rather than on sentiment: check the figures that decide your use case, then put it side-by-side with two or three close alternatives in the Compare tool before clicking through.
Common buyer scenarios for cooling & fans of this kind: matching it to an existing build, replacing a failing part, or upgrading from a previous-generation equivalent. Check the spec table below against your current setup — particularly socket / form-factor / power-rating fields — and confirm compatibility on the retailer's listing before purchase. Prices and stock are set by the retailer and may have moved since this page was last updated.
Key Features
- [Better cooling] Adopting black paint fully electroplated reflow soldering process, the top adopts blackened nano coating+fully electroplated heat pipe+fine micro carved copper bottom, greatly increasing the effective heat dissipation area. memory cut corner avoidance design and can achieve excellent heat dissipation performance during operation.
- [Product specification] Model: PA120SE BLACK; CPU heat sink size: 125 (L) x135 (W) x155 (H) mm (4.92x5.31x6.1 inch); Heat sink material: Aluminum, CPU heat sink equipped with metal fasteners from Intel and AMD platforms for better installation, dual tower and dual fan heat dissipation is more powerful.
- [Stable output] CPU cooler with high-performance inverted fan with PWM temperature control function, shock-absorbing silicone feet around to reduce fan noise, anti-touch fan blade design to improve safety, and S-FDB bearing is a solution to the fan lifting jitter vibration. The S-FDB bearing solves the problem of fan lifting vibration. It improves the cooling performance to a great extent.
- [Dual PWM Fans] TL-C12C Reverse Fan*2; Standard size PWM fan: 120x120x25mm (4.72x4.72x0.98 inches); Fan speed (RPM): 1550rpm±10%; Power interface: 4pin; Voltage: 12V; Air volume: 66.17 CFM (MAX); The noise value is≤25.6dB (A), and dual fans can provide stronger air flow, further improving the heat dissipation effect of the cpu cooler.
- [Detailed description] The radiator is equipped with a Y-type adapter cable (one end of 3-pin, one end of 4-pin), which can be very good to connect the two fans in series, to avoid the motherboard interface is not enough. (Note: Installation of AM4 motherboard, you need to use the motherboard original backplane installation)
- [Compatibility] CPU cooler slot support: Intel: LGA1150/1151/1155/1156/1200/1700/1851; AMD: AM4/AM5; for different CPU slot platforms, the cooler's mounting kit provides the appropriate mounting plate or fasteners, can be combined with the installation instructions or follow the tutorials to the machine.
Full Specifications
| Brand | Thermalright |
|---|---|
| Model | PA120SE BLACK |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Wattage | 2.4 watts |
| Material | Aluminum, Copper |
| Dimensions | 4.92x5.31x6.1 inch |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Noise Level | 25.6 Decibels |
| Part Number | PA120SE BLACK |
| Compatibility | PC |
| Material Type | Aluminum, Copper |
| Cooling Method | Air |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Vibration/Rumble | Yes |
| Air Flow Capacity | 66.17 Cubic Feet Per Minute |
| Compatible Devices | Desktop |
| Included Components | cpu cooler |
| Power Connector Type | 4-Pin |
| Maximum Rotational Speed | 1550 RPM |
| Item Dimensions L x W x H | 4.92"L x 5.31"W x 6.1"H |
| Full listing title | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Black CPU Cooler, 6 Heat Pipes PC Cooling, Dual Towers and Dual PWM Fans, Computer CPU Air Cooling for AMD:AM4 AM5&Intel LGA1150/1151/1200/1700/1851,Black |
Ready to buy?
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Black CPU Cooler, 6 Heat Pipes PC Cooling, Dual Towers and Dual PWM Fans, Computer CPU Air Cooling for AMD:AM4 AM5&Intel LGA1150/1151/1200/1700/1851,Black is listed on Amazon. Price, availability, shipping and returns are set by Amazon and its sellers — check the listing for current terms. SpecPicks earns a small commission on qualifying purchases — thank you for supporting independent review work.
*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated 2026-10-07. Price and availability subject to change.
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