Review Thermalright Assassin X 120 R SE Review: Quiet entry-level cooling for less than $20

[Admin]

Thermalright’s Assassin X 120 R SE won’t win any overclocking competitions, but it provides “good enough” performance that will satisfy the needs of most users while also running quietly.

Thermalright Assassin X 120 R SE Review: Quiet entry-level cooling for less than $20 : Read more

 

[thestryker]

I would be really curious to see how this compares to one of their single towers that have an actual cold plate instead of direct contact heatpipes. The Assassin X 120 V2 for example runs in the same general price range.

 

[Albert.Thomas]

I would be really curious to see how this compares to one of their single towers that have an actual cold plate instead of direct contact heatpipes. The Assassin X 120 V2 for example runs in the same general price range.

That's something to consider. I believe that the direct-touch bases tend to be more effective, but it is definitely worth investigating.

 

[thestryker]

That's something to consider. I believe that the direct-touch bases tend to be more effective, but it is definitely worth investigating.

I've heard it both ways over the years with the potential disadvantage of direct being a combination of surface area and even thermal transfer. I can't think of any other time where there were very similar coolers where a like for like comparison could be made though.

 

[Amdlova]

Whoah nice result for a 20 dollar heat sink...
Need retest with other fan to see what this heatsink can make...

 

[Notton]

If I recall correctly, direct contact heatpipes work well when all pipes cover the length of the CPU, but worse when they don't.
AM4/5 with offset CCD might run hotter with an Assassin X 120 because of the die layout, but a monolithic rectangle Raptor Lake would see full benefits.

 

[Misiu]

I had a very good deal on this cooler. I bought it (RGB version) on sale for €14.21, and now it retails for €21. I have it paired with 12700f CPU running without power limits. It is very quiet and it cools this CPU very well. I can only recommend it.