# Noctua NH-D15 G2 vs Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE: specs and price compared

A sourced, side-by-side comparison of the Noctua NH-D15 G2 (Noctua) and Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE (Thermalright) among cpu coolers. Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is the cheaper of the two at $34.9.

## Side by side

| Spec | Noctua NH-D15 G2 | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| US price | $149.95 | $34.9 |
| Brand | Noctua | Thermalright |
| Released | 2024-07 | 2022 |
| Type | air | air |
| Radiator or height (mm) | 168 mm | 155 mm |
| Fan count | 2 | 2 |
| Socket support | Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA115x; AMD AM5, AM4 | Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156; AMD AM5, AM4 |
| Tdp rating (W) | — | — |
| Rgb | No | No |
| Noise dba max | 24.8 | 25.6 |

## Key differences

- Radiator or height (mm): Noctua NH-D15 G2 168 mm vs Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 155 mm
- Socket support: Noctua NH-D15 G2 Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA115x; AMD AM5, AM4 vs Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156; AMD AM5, AM4
- Noise dba max: Noctua NH-D15 G2 24.8 vs Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 25.6

## What reviewers say

**Noctua NH-D15 G2** — Two whitelisted hands-on testers reviewed the NH-D15 G2. TechPowerUp names it the best-performing air cooler; Tom's Hardware confirms it improves on the original NH-D15. Both judge its ~$150 price hard to justify against sub-$50 rivals delivering near-identical cooling, and both praise Noctua's warranty and support. (2 sourced reviews.)

**Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE** — Only one whitelisted tester, Tom's Hardware, ran a hands-on lab review of this exact model. That single review is overwhelmingly positive: the best-performing air cooler it had tested, whisper-quiet, at roughly $36. It averaged 61 degrees C over ambient in a 200W Cinebench load and 64 degrees C over ambient in a 200W OCCT load, beating pricier coolers. No meaningful downsides beyond air-cooling's inherent power ceiling. (1 sourced review.)

## Sources

- Noctua NH-D15 G2: https://www.noctua.at/en/products/nh-d15-g2 (noctua.at, verified 2026-06-15)
- Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE: https://www.thermalright.com/product/peerless-assassin-120-se/ (thermalright.com, verified 2026-06-15)

Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/cpu-coolers/noctua-nh-d15-g2-vs-thermalright-peerless-assassin-120-se/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, Noctua NH-D15 G2 ($149.95) vs Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ($34.9) — sourced spec-by-spec comparison at https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/cpu-coolers/noctua-nh-d15-g2-vs-thermalright-peerless-assassin-120-se/
License: CC BY 4.0.