Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Extrem CPU Air Cooler with 6 Heat Pipes
Bottom line: The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Extrem CPU Air Cooler is a specs-and-price decision rather than a crowd-consensus one in the cooling & fans category. Check the specification table below against one or two close alternatives — on price and spec fit, not on star ratings.
As an Amazon Associate, SpecPicks earns from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure →
Before you buy
- Confirm socket / form-factor / power-rating compatibility against your build before ordering
- Price, stock, shipping and returns are set by the retailer and may have changed since this page was last updated
SpecPicks Verdict
SpecPicks scored Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Extrem CPU Air Cooler using a rating × review-volume × price-fit model applied to published specs and reviews across the cooling & fans category. Compare with similarly-priced alternatives in the cooling & fans category before committing. 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
- [Heat Dissipation Combination] The CPU heat sink is a dual tower dual fan structure, with a black anodized top plate, 6 fully electroplated anti-oxidation heat pipes, and a finely carved copper bottom. It is paired with an 1850RPM 120mm PWM fan, which can easily dissipate the CPU temperature and further improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat sink.
- [Product Specifications] Model: Peerless Assassin 120 SE EXTREM, Size: 125x135x154mm, Heat Sink Material: Aluminum, Fan Size: 120x120x25mm, Fan Speed: 1850RPM+10%, Wind Pressure: 2.1MM H2O, Air Volume: 82CFM, Operating Noise ≤ 29.6dB (A), Fan Interface: 4PIN PWM, Combined with 2 PWM Fans, Can Bring Good Heat Dissipation Effect.
- [154mm Heat Dissipation Height] The overall height of the radiator is 154mm, which is compatible with more chassis. The main body is made of all aluminum fins, which can provide a larger heat dissipation area
- [Dual PWM Fans] Equipped with 120mm reversing fan blades, the dual fan has a speed of up to 1850RPM and an air volume of 82CFM, providing excellent heat dissipation. The fan has PWM function, which can adjust the speed according to the motherboard temperature without manual adjustment. The attached fan hook is fixed on the twin tower radiator.
- [Wide Compatibility] Heat sink compatible with dual platform slots: Intel LGA 1851/1700/1150/1151/1155/1156/1200;AMD: AM4/AM5;The radiator comes with installation accessories, which can be installed according to the installation video or manual. (Note: Installing AMD platform requires using the original motherboard backplane for installation).
- [Avoiding Memory Design] The heat sink adopts a chamfered design that avoids memory. When installing the fan, it is not blocked by the memory. If the memory height exceeds too much, the fan can be installed upwards. Twin tower style heat sink enhances heat dissipation performance.
Full Specifications
| Brand | Thermalright |
|---|---|
| Wattage | 3.36 watts |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Dimensions | 125x135x154mm |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Noise Level | 29.6 Decibels |
| Part Number | PA120SE EXTREM-D2 |
| Material Type | Aluminum |
| Cooling Method | Air |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Air Flow Capacity | 82 Cubic Feet Per Minute |
| Compatible Devices | Desktop |
| Included Components | cpu cooler, cpu air cooler, ice coolers cpu |
| Power Connector Type | 4-Pin |
| Maximum Rotational Speed | 1850 RPM |
| Item Dimensions L x W x H | 6.06"L x 5.31"W x 6.06"H |
| Full listing title | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Extrem CPU Air Cooler with 6 Heat Pipes, Dual PWM Fans, AGHP heatpipe Technology, 154mm High Cooling, for AM5/AM4, Intel LGA1851/1700/1150/1151/1155/1156/1200 |
Ready to buy?
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Extrem CPU Air Cooler with 6 Heat Pipes, Dual PWM Fans, AGHP heatpipe Technology, 154mm High Cooling, for AM5/AM4, Intel LGA1851/1700/1150/1151/1155/1156/1200 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 →- Emulation Hardware in 2026: FPGA, Software, and Cart-Reader Ecosystems
- The Complete Voodoo5 5500 AGP Driver Guide (2026 Edition)
- RTX 4070 Super vs RX 7800 XT — Which to Buy in 2026
- Best Budget Gaming PC Build 2026 — ~$1,000 ($800 on Sale)
- Best 1440p Gaming GPUs in 2026
- Best Retro Handhelds in 2026 — From $35 to $500
- How to Build a Windows 98 Retro PC in 2026
More reviews from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all reviews →- Coral TPU for LLM Inference: What the Specs Really Say
- Best Sim Racing Setup for 2026: Wheels, Shifters and Pedals
- Best PlayStation and PC Controllers for 2026
- G4-Meromero 31B: Running the Uncensored Gemma 4 Finetune on a 12GB RTX 3060
- Best Sim Racing Wheel & Pedal Setup in 2026
- Logitech G920 vs HORI Racing Wheel: Best Starter Sim Wheel in 2026
- How to Run a SATA SSD on a Windows XP Retro Gaming PC (AHCI + Adapters)
- Best Cooler for a Ryzen 7 5800X: Noctua NH-U12S vs CoolerMaster ML240L
- Raspberry Pi 4 8GB as a Headless Local-LLM Sidecar: llama.cpp Tuning, Quantization Matrix, and Real tok/s
- Best Webcam and Mic Setup for Streaming Under $300 (2026)
- VRAM calculator: what can you actually run on your GPU?
- Raspberry Pi AI Module in 2026: Can a Pi + Hailo Run Local LLMs?
- Blue Yeti vs HyperX QuadCast 2 S: Which USB Mic Wins for Streaming in 2026?
- Ryzen 5 5600X vs Ryzen 5 5600G for CPU-Only Gemma 3 12B
- Building a Local AI-Agent Eval Rig After AISI's Benchmark Warning
- Best Mini PC for Local LLMs in 2026: Ryzen AI Halo vs a DIY 3060 Box
- How to Image a 90s Big-Box CD-ROM to CompactFlash for IDE-Adapter Retro PCs
- Build a Raspberry Pi 4 Pi-hole + Unbound Ad-Blocker in 2026
- Claude Opus 4.8 vs Local LLM on RTX 3060 12GB: Honest 2026 Benchmarks
- Best USB Microphone for Streaming Under $150 in 2026
- Best Budget SATA SSD for Everyday Upgrades (2026)
- KOORUI 27" 4K QD-Mini LED: Is a Budget 4K Gaming Monitor Enough for an RTX 3060?
- Used RTX 3090 for Local LLM in 2026: 24GB Inference Reality Check + Servicing Guide
- Best Budget Gaming PC Parts Under $700 in 2026
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