Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE CPU Air Cooler, 4 Heat Pipes, TL-C12C PWM Fan, Aluminium Heatsink Cover, AGHP Technology, for AMD AM4/AM5/Intel LGA 1150/1151/1155/1200/1700/1851(AX120 R SE)

Outstanding Cooling Performance at a Great Value!I recently installed the Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE, and I am thoroughly impressed with its performance, build quality, and overall value. Thermalright has a long history of producing excellent cooling solutions, and this model continues that tradition.Cooling EfficiencyThe Assassin X120 Refined SE delivers outstanding cooling performance, keeping my CPU temperatures significantly lower even under heavy workloads and gaming sessions. The 4 high-performance heat pipes and direct-touch baseplate ensure efficient heat dissipation, making it a great option for both stock and overclocked processors.Silent OperationOne of the standout features of this cooler is its near-silent operation. The 120mm PWM fan runs smoothly and quietly, even when ramping up under load. Compared to other air coolers in this price range, the noise levels are impressively low, making it perfect for quiet PC builds.Build Quality & DesignThe overall construction is robust, and the all-black aesthetic gives it a premium look that blends well with modern PC builds. The compact design ensures excellent RAM clearance, which is often a concern with larger air coolers.Easy InstallationThe mounting system is straightforward and secure, making installation a breeze. The included brackets support a wide range of Intel and AMD sockets, ensuring compatibility with most setups.Final VerdictFor anyone looking for a budget-friendly, high-performance air cooler, the Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE is an absolute steal. It competes with more expensive models while maintaining a quiet operation, solid build quality, and easy installation. Highly recommended!

First off—don’t let the price or low-key branding fool you. The Assassin X120 Refined SE is a legit performer that punches WELL above its weight class. You’re getting single-tower cooling power that rivals big-name brands, but for the cost of a good lunch and a cold brew.Installed this on a Ryzen 7 5800X, and I saw real numbers—temps dropped 25–30°C under load compared to the stock cooler, and it held stable at 4.5GHz all-core without sounding like a jet engine. Fan noise? Whisper-level. It's like a noctua clone that studied martial arts in the shadows.The mounting system is straightforward (especially for AM4/AM5), and the contact base is mirror-smooth. Heatpipes are well-positioned, fins are tight, and it even comes with pre-applied thermal paste—which I scraped off for my own, but hey, it’s usable.

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.