Thermalright Royal Knight 120 SE Review: Offset and affordable

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Thermalright Royal Knight 120 SE Review: Offset and affordable

Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware


Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Thermalright is well known for delivering quality competitive coolers at rock-bottom prices, often raising the bar in performance and value. The company can do this because it typically directly manufactures its own products, having strong vertical integration as part of its business model. Its latest budget air cooler, the Royal Knight 120 SE, is currently available for just $30 on

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, making it one of the cheapest dual-tower air coolers you can buy.

Will the Royal Knight 120 SE make our list of the best CPU coolers? Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal performance with both Intel and AMD CPUs, as well as noise levels.

Cooler specifications

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Cooler	Thermalright Royal Knight 120 SE
MSRP	$31.99 (U.S.)
Radiator Material	Aluminum
Lighting	None
Warranty	3 Years
Socket Compatibility	Intel Socket LGA 1851/1700/1200/115x AMD AM5 / AM4
Unit Dimensions (including fans)	120 (L) x 114 (W) x 155mm (H)
Maximum TDP (Our Testing)	>248W with Core i7-14700K >234W with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Today’s best Thermalright Royal Knight 120 SE deals

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Packing and included contents

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The cooler packaging is a plain brown box that showcases the design of the heatsink. The inner contents are well protected by molded foam and plastic coverings.

You may like

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

• This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up

Included in the box are the following:

• 15mm TL-C12015B 120mm fan
• 25mm TL-C12B V2 120mm fan
• Offset Dual-Tower heatsink
• TF7 Thermal paste
• Mounting accessories for modern AMD & Intel platforms
• Installation Manual

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Features of Thermalright’s Royal Knight 120 SE

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

The heatsink has two towers, with one side thicker than the other. It has a simple ****** and silver aesthetic, with no unnecessary bling.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

RAM compatibility

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The heatpipes of the cooler are angled to give the cooler an offset so that it doesn’t interfere with RAM slots. All sizes of DDR5, no matter how tall the heat spreader, are supported with this cooler.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. This cooler arrives with two different types of fans. The first is a low-profile 15 mm fan that also helps avoid RAM compatibility issues. The center is more typical, at 25 mm thick.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Model	TL-C12B V2
Dimensions	120 x 120 x 25 mm
Fan Speed	Up to 1500 RPM
Air Flow	Up to 66.17 CFM
Air Pressure	Up to 1.53 mm H2O
Bearing Type	S-FDB
MTTF	3-year warranty
Lighting	None

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Model	TL-CD12015B
Dimensions	120 x 120 x 15mm
Fan Speed	Up to 1800 RPM
Air Flow	Up to 59 CFM
Air Pressure	Up to 1.24 mmH2O
Bearing Type	S-FDB V2
MTTF	3-year warranty
Lighting	None

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

My results may differ from others because I emphasize results that are comparable to real-world use. This means that I test CPU coolers inside of a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods – many will test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which makes weak coolers appear stronger than they are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions a CPU cooler is used in.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

CPU	Intel Core i7-14700K
GPU	ASRock Steel Legend Radeon 7900 GRE
Motherboard	MSI Z790 Project Zero
Case	MSI Pano 100L PZ ******
System Fans	Iceberg Thermal IceGale Silent

My previous reviews have tested Intel’s latest platform, using the Core Ultra 9 285K Arrow Lake CPU. But we’re retiring this from our testing suite. Between BIOS changes and Windows updates, Arrow Lake’s thermal characteristics have changed in some scenarios, rendering much of our previous testing data useless.

With today’s review, we’re also testing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This is a beast of a CPU, providing the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market. It can prove quite challenging thermally when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
GPU	MSI Ventus 3X RTX 4070 Ti Super
Motherboard	MSI X870E Carbon Wifi
Case	MSI MAG Pano 100R PZ

AM5 and 1851 installation

The installation of this cooler is simple for both Intel and AMD CPUs.

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will need to remove the default mounting mechanism.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

2. Next, you’ll set the rubber standoffs on both Intel and AMD systems.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

3. You’ll now want to take the mounting bars and place them on top off the standoffs, securing them with the included screws.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

5. Mount the heatsink on top of the CPU, using a screwdriver to secure the screws in the middle of the unit.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

6. Attach the fans to the heatsink using the included clips, and then use the included PWM cable to connect the fans to the motherboard.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Thermalright Royal Knight 120 SE: Price Comparison

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Thermalright #Royal #Knight #Review #Offset #affordable

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

For verified travel tips and real support, visit: https://hopzone.eu/