Thermalright · Updated July 2026

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE: price, specs & release date

Name: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE
Brand: Thermalright
Price: 34.9 USD
Availability: InStock

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE, released 2022. Every price and spec below is linked to its source and dated — no guesses.

Source: thermalright.com verified 2026-07-30 ✓ corroborated verify in ledger

GoldDeskmark82/100#2 of 14 in class

The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is listed at $34.9 on thermalright.com as of 2026-07-30, the cheapest CPU coolers (median $125); other retailers may be lower. It earns a Gold Deskmark — 82/100 pay-blind standing, #2 of 14 in class.

Verified Jul 30, 2026 · figures linked to their source in the table below

See all 14 CPU coolers ranked

See Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE on Amazon Live price at the store — may differ from the dated listed price above. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Best for Best-in-class air cooling performance for its class, beating pricier coolers at capped TDPs; Whisper-quiet acoustics; second-quietest air cooler tested at max fan speed.
Skip if Cannot keep a 12900K under TjMax in uncapped Cinebench/OCCT without power limits, a ceiling shared by all air coolers tested is a dealbreaker.

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE — Thermalright — Image: thermalright.com (© Thermalright)

Price history

$34.9

2026-06-27 · $352026-07-25 · $31.412026-07-30 · $34.9

2026-06-27→0% on record2026-07-30

Is the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE a good buy?

At $35, the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is the cheapest of the 14 CPU coolers we track, where the median is $125. On the spec sheet, its radiator or height of 155 mm is below the median of the 14, its fan count of 2 is below the median of the 14, and its noise dba max of 25.6 is below the median of the 14.

Evidence of Record

Our data

Independent labsmeasured it: 1
Physical metricsrecorded: 1
Outlets on recordall tested: 1

One independent lab measured this product across 1 physical metric — thermal. These numbers rest on a single hands-on source so far.

A coverage record, not a rating. How we count

Review consensus · sourced & dated

What reviewers say about the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE

Based on 1 review · 1 lab-tested · 2022-09-27

Tested by Tom's Hardware

Consistently praised

Best-in-class air cooling performance for its class, beating pricier coolers at capped TDPs
Whisper-quiet acoustics; second-quietest air cooler tested at max fan speed
Exceptional value at roughly $36 for a dual-tower, dual-fan cooler

Commonly flagged

Cannot keep a 12900K under TjMax in uncapped Cinebench/OCCT without power limits, a ceiling shared by all air coolers tested

Where reviewers disagree Only one whitelisted hands-on review (Tom's Hardware) was found, so cross-source disagreement cannot be assessed; its verdict is unambiguously positive with no dissent to weigh against.

The sources (1)

Tom's Hardware lab-tested · 2022-09-27

CPU temp over ambient, Cinebench 200W power limit, default fan: 61 degrees C over ambient · CPU temp over ambient, OCCT 200W power limit, default fan: 64 degrees C over ambient

Not only is Thermalright's Peerless Assassin 120 SE the best-performing air cooler I've tested.

It runs whisper silent and is only $36.

Unfortunately, I haven't found an air cooler capable of passing this test, and Thermalright's Peerless Assassin 120 SE is no exception.

Specifications

Price (US)	$34.9 — current on record (was $35)
Brand	Thermalright
Released	2022
Type	air
Radiator or height (mm)	155 mm
Fan count	2
Socket support	Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156; AMD AM5, AM4
Tdp rating (W)	—
Rgb	No
Noise dba max	25.6

Source: thermalright.com (verified 2026-06-15) · corroborated by pcspecchart.com. Height 155 mm, two TL-C12C fans, six heat pipes, noise 25.6 dBA, and socket support confirmed via Thermalright product page and spec aggregator. tdp_rating_w corrected from 265 to null: Thermalright does not publish a hard numeric TDP ceiling for the PA120 SE — the spec page states only "designed for CPUs with a TDP exceeding 200 W," and the 265 W figure is an unsourced aggregator estimate, so a null beats a guess. Price ~$35 confirmed by pcspecchart (Amazon $35) and Micro Center ($49.99 retail). No RGB on standard SE variant (ARGB SKU is separate).

Is the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE worth it vs cheaper CPU coolers?

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE against its closest cheaper and pricier CPU coolers on the specs that matter — every value sourced. See all 14 ranked

Product	Price	Type	Radiator or height (mm)	Fan count	Socket support	Rgb
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE this	$34.9	air	155 mm	2	Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156; AMD AM5, AM4	No
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo Black	$35.99	air	154 mm	1	Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1155, LGA1156; AMD AM5, AM4	Yes

Frequently asked questions

What do reviewers say about the 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. Praised: Best-in-class air cooling performance for its class, beating pricier coolers at capped TDPs; Whisper-quiet acoustics; second-quietest air cooler tested at max fan speed; Exceptional value at roughly $36 for a dual-tower, dual-fan cooler. Flagged: Cannot keep a 12900K under TjMax in uncapped Cinebench/OCCT without power limits, a ceiling shared by all air coolers tested. (From 1 tester review, 1 lab-tested.)

How much does the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE cost?

The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE has a US price of $34.9, as of 2026-07-30.

How does the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE compare on price?

At $35, the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is the cheapest of the 14 CPU coolers we track, where the median is $125.

Has the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE's price dropped?

Yes — since 2026-06-27 the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE has fallen 0.3%, from $35 to $34.9.

What is the lowest price the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE has been?

The lowest we have recorded for the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is $31.41 on 2026-07-25.

Is now a good time to buy the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE?

The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is currently $34.9; the lowest we have recorded is $31.41 (2026-07-25). Every price is dated, so you can judge it against its own history.

When was the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE released?

The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE was released 2022.

What are the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE's key specs?

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE (Thermalright): type air, radiator or height mm 155 mm, fan count 2, socket support Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156; AMD AM5, AM4, rgb No. Full sourced spec sheet verified 2026-06-15.

Price of record: $34.9 at thermalright.com, 2026-07-30. Other retailers may be lower — check the current price:

See Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE on Amazon As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

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