Thermalright
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE Black CPU Cooler
Bottom line: The Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE Black CPU Cooler: Dual-tower heatsink with 7 x 6mm AGHP heat pipes for high thermal headroom; main trade-off: tall 154mm profile may not clear compact or SFF cases.
As an Amazon Associate, SpecPicks earns from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure →
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ Dual-tower heatsink with 7 x 6mm AGHP heat pipes for high thermal headroom
- ✓ Two TL-C12B V2 PWM fans move up to 66.17 CFM of airflow
- ✓ Stays quiet at 25.6 dB(A) even at the 1500 RPM max
- ✓ Broad fit: AM4/AM5 and Intel LGA1851/1700/115X/1200
Cons
- ✗ Tall 154mm profile may not clear compact or SFF cases
- ✗ AMD install reuses the motherboard's stock backplate
- ✗ 135mm-wide twin towers can clash with tall RAM heatsinks
- ✗ Blackened finish only, with no RGB or ARGB lighting
SpecPicks Verdict
SpecPicks scored Thermalright Phantom Spirit 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.
- [AGHP technique] 7x6mm heatpipe with AGHP upgraded 4th generation technology, the Inverse gravity effect caused by vertical / horizontal orientation. Up to 20000 hours of industrial service life, S-FDB bearings ensure long service life of air-cooler radiators. UL class a safety insulation low-grade, industrial strength PBT + PC material to create high-quality products for you.
- [Product specification] PS120SE Black; CPU Cooler dimensions:125(L)x135(W)x154(H)mm (4.92x5.31x 6.06 inch); Heat sink material: aluminum,The main body is made of anodized black frosted top pieces + finely carved pure copper base technology, the main body is fully aluminum fins, bringing maximum heat dissipation area. combined with the high thermal conductivity of the thermal paste, which can perfectly perform the cooler's most powerful cooling effect.
- [Double PWM Fans Cooler] TL-C12B V2; Standard size industrial grade PWM performance PC fan: 120x120x25mm (4.92x4.92x0.98 inches); Fan speed (RPM): 1500rpm±10%; Power port: 4pin PWM; Voltage: 12V; Air flow: 66.17CFM (max); Noise level ≤25.6dB(A), high performance cpu fan combined with efficient heat dissipation The cooling body of the unit gives you the best cooling effect.
- [Compatibility] CPU cooling slot support: Intel: LGA1851/1700/1150/1151/1155/1156/1200, AMD: AM4/AM5; for different CPU slot platforms, provide the corresponding mounting plate or fasteners, can be combined with the installation instructions or follow the tutorial to get on the machine.(Note: AMD's motherboard installation requires the use of the original motherboard backplane for installation.)
Full Specifications
| Brand | Thermalright |
|---|---|
| Model | PS120SE BLACK |
| Voltage | 12 volts |
| Wattage | 2.4 watts |
| Material | Aluminum, Copper, Metal, Plastic, Rubber |
| Dimensions | 4.92x5.31x 6.06 inch |
| Unit Count | 1 Count |
| Noise Level | 25.6 db |
| Part Number | PS120SE BLACK |
| Compatibility | PC |
| Material Type | Aluminum, Copper, Metal, Plastic, Rubber |
| Cooling Method | Air |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Number of Packs | 1 |
| Air Flow Capacity | 66.17 cfm |
| Compatible Devices | Desktop |
| Included Components | cpu cooler |
| Power Connector Type | 4-Pin |
| Maximum Rotational Speed | 1500 rpm |
| Item Dimensions L x W x H | 4.72"L x 0.98"W x 4.72"H |
| Full listing title | Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE Black CPU Cooler,Dual TL-C12B V2 PWM Fans and Double Towers, 7 Heat Pipes Heatsink Cooler,for AM4/AM5&Intel LGA1851/1700/115X/1200, Computer CPU Cooling,Black |
Ready to buy?
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE Black CPU Cooler,Dual TL-C12B V2 PWM Fans and Double Towers, 7 Heat Pipes Heatsink Cooler,for AM4/AM5&Intel LGA1851/1700/115X/1200, Computer CPU Cooling,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.
Related Cooling & Fans
More guides & deep dives from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all articles & guides →- The Complete Voodoo5 5500 AGP Driver Guide (2026 Edition)
- How to Build a Windows 98 Retro PC in 2026
- Best Budget Gaming PC Build 2026 — ~$1,000 ($800 on Sale)
- Emulation Hardware in 2026: FPGA, Software, and Cart-Reader Ecosystems
- RTX 4070 Super vs RX 7800 XT — Which to Buy in 2026
- Best 1440p Gaming GPUs in 2026
- Best Retro Handhelds in 2026 — From $35 to $500
More reviews from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all reviews →- How to run Qwen 3 32B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
- ASUS A7N8X-Deluxe + Athlon XP Barton 2500+: The Definitive 2003 Enthusiast Build Guide
- 8BitDo Pro 2 vs GameSir G7 SE vs DualSense: the best PC controller for retro emulation in 2026
- Revive a Dead Payphone with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W: Full Build Walkthrough
- Logitech Extreme 3D Pro vs DualSense for Flight and Space Sims in 2026
- Best Retro Gaming Storage Adapters for Win98 and DOS PCs in 2026
- SteamDSXL Yay or Nay? Dual-Screen Steam Deck Dock Review
- Best Budget GPU for Local LLMs Under $300 in 2026: Why the RTX 3060 12GB Still Wins
- GameSir G7 SE vs 8BitDo Pro 2 vs DualSense for PC
- Crucial BX500 vs Samsung 870 EVO vs WD Blue: Best Budget SATA SSD for Your Game Library (2026)
- Best GPU for 1440p Esports at 240Hz in 2026
- Best Internal SSD for Gaming PC Build in 2026
- KOORUI 27-inch 4K QD-Mini LED: A Budget HDR Gaming Monitor?
- How to run Qwen 3 32B on Apple M4 Max
- Best CPU for AI Inference Workstations in 2026
- GTX 1050 Ti 4GB vs Raspberry Pi 4 8GB for Qwen3 1.7B Local Inference
- AI-Driven Driver Install on Win98 + WinXP: Vision-LLM Walks the Installer (Field Report)
- OpenAI Codex Now Repeats a Task After Watching Once — Local Agentic Alternatives
- Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus vs Ryzen 5 7600X3D: The Mid-Range Faceoff
- Running a Modern SATA SSD in a Windows XP Retro Gaming PC
- Steam Deck Sleep Mode: Should You Leave It Plugged In?
- Strix Halo Clustering for Local LLMs: What the LocalLLaMA Reports Show
- Raspberry Pi AI Kit 2025: Specs, Uses, and Limits
- Asus Prime Z890-P WiFi Review: Built for Core Ultra 200S
Earliest SpecPicks reviews
Browse full archive →- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 8B (2026)
- Best GPU for Qwen 3 14B (2026)
- Best GPU for Qwen 3 32B (2026)
- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 70B (2026)
- Best GPU for DeepSeek-R1 32B (2026)
- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 405B (2026)
- How to run Llama 3.1 8B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Qwen 3 14B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Qwen 3 32B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Llama 3.1 70B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run DeepSeek-R1 32B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Llama 3.1 8B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090