Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE review

The Assassin X 120 Refined SE is a single-tower air cooler with one 120mm fan. It supports Intel 115x, 1200, 1700 and 1851, plus AMD AM4 and AM5. That covers both Intel and AMD platforms.

It is a simple, low-cost air cooler. It makes sense in a straightforward desktop or a homelab box where you want something quiet and uncomplicated rather than a liquid loop.

The heatsink measures 120 x 46 x 148 mm and uses four 6mm heatpipes. The fan is a 120 x 120 x 25 mm TL-C12C PWM unit. It runs up to 1550 RPM and is rated at 66.17 CFM maximum airflow and 1.53 mm H2O maximum static pressure.

One owner reports that it runs warm under heavy load. Combined with a single tower and a single fan, that points to a cooler suited to mainstream or modest CPUs rather than one to pick for a high-power chip under sustained all-core work.

Thermalright quotes a maximum of 25.6 dBA. That is a manufacturer figure, not an independent measurement. The fan uses an S-FDB bearing and is PWM-controlled.

Owners back this up in a general way: quiet operation is one of the recurring points of praise. The fan's maximum speed is 1550 RPM.

The cooler stands 148 mm tall. The heatsink is 120 mm long and 46 mm wide, so the 148 mm height is the figure to compare against your case's clearance. Thermalright advises that your chassis clearance must exceed the cooler height and that there must be room for tall RAM modules. It does not list RAM clearance in millimetres, so if you use tall heatspreader memory, check the layout before buying.

One owner found it large for their case. With a 148mm height, check your case's stated CPU cooler limit first, especially in compact or slim cases.

There is also a weight discrepancy to be aware of. Thermalright's AM4/AM5 page gives 460g, while its base product page gives 630g. Confirm which variant a listing is before ordering, particularly if you are buying for one platform only.

Easy installation is another recurring owner theme. A single-tower design with a standard 120mm fan is a familiar layout, and owners describe fitting it without trouble. The cooler is covered by a 3-year warranty, which gives some reassurance for a budget part.

Owners praise its value. The hardware list supports it: four heatpipes, a PWM fan with an S-FDB bearing, broad socket support and a 3-year warranty. Owner feedback on noise and fitting points the same way.

Owner reports are positive on three counts: value, quiet running and easy installation. The two negatives, size for some cases and warm running under heavy load, each come from a single mention.

The trade-off is thermal headroom. One owner reports warm running under heavy load, and this is a single tower with one fan. For a modest CPU, the balance of quiet running, simple fitting and low cost is the main reason to consider it.

This cooler suits budget and mainstream builds on Intel 1700/1851 or AMD AM4/AM5 where case height allows 148 mm. It is a sensible choice if quiet running and straightforward installation matter more than maximum cooling capacity. If you plan to run a demanding CPU hard for long periods, look for a larger cooler.