Seems like the biggest advantage of this PA140 over all the 120mm Thermalright coolers would be the extra internal case airflow created by the 140mm fans installed as they typically are in exhaust mode. I think the performance gap between the PA140 and the 120mm options would increase significantly when a higher wattage GPU was used in a mid-tower case - both for CPU & GPU temperatures. As an example I have a PS120SE and did a fan swap to 2x T30's - this only lowered my CPU temps by 1-2C at any given noise level, but it improved my GPU temps more noticeably since the higher airflow (again, at any given noise level) made it a serious upgrade when it came to eating / venting GPU exhaust out the back of the case.
When creating charts, _ALWAYS_ go for clarity. Forget about being fancy, nice colors & looking sophisticated. CLARITY must be prioritized over everything else.
Another serious advantage of the PA140 over the 120mm Thermalright coolers is the sunken / rounded middle fan. This lowered fan configuration offers significant benefits for RAM, VRM, chipset and M.2 cooling. If you're using a motherboard with one or more small motherboard cooling fans the extra airflow from the sunken middle fan can also significantly reduce overall system noise by eliminating the need for those smaller fans to spin up. The Frost Spirit 140, Noctua D12L and Noctua D15S all have similar sunken fans and offer similarly unique cooling benefits. I agree that the CPU temp performance alone of the PA140 isn't worth the extra size, weight, compatibility hassle etc. but you really seemed to miss out on highlighting a number of the major performance benefits of this design in your review. I'm guessing this is partly Thermalright's fault for not calling these benefits out in it's marketing materials / review guide but it would still be beneficial to potential buyers if you could cover all of the unique features of coolers like this when you review them!
@@HardwareCanucks Thanks! Maybe if you review the PA120 Mini & D12L you could compare the RAM, VRM, chipset and M.2 cooling performance of their sunken 120mm fans to the cooling performance of the PA140's sunken 140mm fan! Or compare PA120 Mini (1* aggressively sunken 120mm fan) vs D12L (1* less aggressively sunken 120mm fan) vs PA140 (1* aggressively sunken 140mm fan) vs D15 G2 (2* less aggressively sunken 140mm fans)? I know y'all are fans of air cooling over AIOs and this is an area where air coolers really shine! FWIW I'm using a Noctua C14S (downdraft cooler) in an inverted SFF build and am enjoying similar RAM, VRM, chipset and M.2 cooling performance benefits to these sunken fan designs. With this C14S setup my B650E-I chipset fans are silent 🤫 and my heavily overclocked DDR5 RAM is cool and stable even with 1.5V.
@@adriannudelman4519I Haven't watched it yet but typically the benefit of 140mm is it is quieter while moving similar amounts of air, so if performance is equal, you still get less noise. I am personally waiting on the Preytor series. EDIT: After watching, that's exactly what they showed.
There's nothing confusing about it. The 140 (as its name suggests) is a slightly bigger version of the 120 and has a small, but measurable performance advantage. The price is also not too much higher than the 120. So Thermalright gets to launch a new product (and the revenue and interest that comes with it), and consumers get another product to consider (whether for performance to aesthetic reasons).
I bought the Thermalright Frost Commander 140 (Black) 2 years ago and it's amazing. It's able to cool my 5800X3D without any issues, while keeping it cool and quiet.
@bloodmonk61: I've been using the version of PBO2 tuner that allows setting PPT, TDC, EDC. After testing for stability for several hours using OCCT, I've ended up with:-25 -25 -20 -20 -25 -25 -25 -25 122 82 124. Been using those settings for over a year now, without any issues.
I am so glad there are so many excellent air coolers right now, we are spoiled for choice. This one is affordable and perfectly capable. It all end up being a factor of looks and what is available.
The AIO market is tough today. On one end you have the real cheap AIO's from relatively unknown manufacturers and at the other end are the well known brands that will charge an arm and a leg for a decent AIO. But just over the real cheap ones are Arctic with a huge line up of AIO's for relatively low prices and with better performance than most of the high end brands. Sure they might not look the way prefer but if you are looking for quality, performance and a resonable price they are the right choice. To make a real impact in the AIO market you either have to make coolers that looks real good or be able to provide them at extremely low prices while still keeping decent performance. Arctic are cheating as they use thicker radiators than anyone else as far as I know. As for sixe they have 240mm, 280mm,260mm and 420mm radiators, and the cheapest 420 mm AIO is about the same price as their cheapest 360 mm AIO. It's the same with the 240mm and 280mm AIOs, they are about the same price. Just get the largest that your case handles and it's fine.
This is one of my favorite PC Tech channels ... your team provides robust data, you don't spend time spreading rumors and you don't produce low quality clickbait ... can't say that about some of the other larger tech youtubers. Your efforts are appreciated.
@@evilleader1991 it's so refreshing for larger channels ... the clickbait coming from Jay and others these days is crazy ... no originality and no attention to detail, just a focus on getting clicks.
@@blackbirdpctech Yeah Jay posts every day, and it's any old tat he's thought of, and yadda yadda. Explain every point over and over until your going nuts, to spin out the video length for ads. Although he has done some great work, and recently like his Arctic Liquid Freezer AIO 240, 360, 420 video.
The Thermalright Royal Pretor 130 seems interesting. I haven't seen in in stores yet though. Oh and it's Pretor not Preytor, though I can see how the later sounds more interesting.
@@thomaslayman9487 I've seen it mentiones in something like six or seven mentions of it in comments on YT and almost all of them call it Preytor, but when I check it turns out actually Pretor. Not Praetor or Preytor but Pretor. Well at least it's that's what Thermalright labeled it as at Computex. I have some weird info on the cooler and it's fans. Gamers Nexus mentions that there are going to be at least two versions. The Royal Pretor and the Royal Pretor Ultra. The differences are less than clear in the article by GN. At one point they say that they have six or seven heat pipes. Then they say that the Ultra will come with seven fans. If they meant to say seven heat pipes I think it would sound better, but this is from a GN article so I don't really know. perhaps there are seven fans in different colors, I don't know. What I could see was however that they had no picture of a Pretor with seven heat pipes, so that suggest that the heatsinks with seven heat pipes are dome other model. Something they did write was that the 13 cm fan on the Ultra version would be using a 25mm thick 120 mm front fan. this sunds strange as they also say that on the standard version both fans will be 28 mm thick. I think they made some mistakes writing this article. But the name is said to be Pretor in many articles from several sources.... But until Thermalright gets it up on their site I guess we will have to wait and see.
Thank you for including the LF iii 240 in the charts! I was debating waiting for the PA140 as a budget choice for my new 7950X3D, and whether it would be close enough competition for the NH-D15 G2. But it’s good to know that price competitive AIO’s still hold a comfortable lead against even the best of air coolers
Thermalright has been continually improving their designs over recent years is seeing regular incremental cooling improvements and no matter cpu cooler you buy from thermalright…… you’re going to get a vg value and performing cooler for your money ✊🥳🤩👍💪
It's both exciting because it's a good cooler, but kind of "oh neat another cooler I don't need" because I already bought a cooler from this era where it started getting really really good and, ironically mine (Frost Spirit 140) looks so close to this you could mistake them for each other more easily than you could tell them apart. Have to peer at the edges of the fin shapes. I wonder at this point if they know they have the market beat, and just want to keep reminding people of it, by putting out a (legitimately good but utterly similar) cooler and getting one more review to stay fresh in people's minds and get that "new cooler smell" to make people feel it's something new to be excited for. And to "stuff the (digital) shelves" by having so so many results in any search for a cooler that, for this reason or another, they're going to have a better chance to dominate search results on etailers. I don't think they have much presence in physical shops, and those will probably prefer to carry just one or two models. So, it won't work to storm physical retailers... mostly. But on the other hand they have a massive presence on say Amazon now. The number of models probably helps. At the end of the day, if a confused consumer only knows they "should buy Thermalright" (if in deed they should), they will pick something despite decision fatigue and just get the one someone told them to get or the one that looks good, and it will after all be a good cooler. That's my attempt to explain it. Just throw coolers at the wall and it will stick, apparently. Anyway... I don't mind it personally, as much as there are reviews to know which one to buy. I am legitimately being concerned they get more brand exposure than others simply by pumping out more models. I hope this also isn't a loss-leading strategy to cultivate brand loyalty, and try to force others to bow out of the market due to lack of margin, before eventually jacking up prices??? It's not unheard of in retail. It's a dog eat dog business. I wonder. Anyway, meanwhile air cooling is as good as it's ever been, and a lot better than it was even a few years ago. For now. Will see if it lasts. Thanks, Thermalright... I think??
It is bigger but ultimately it is still 6 heat pipes. At such a size, it should be minimum 7 heat pipes or optimally 8 heat pipes. 6 heat pipes at 140mm is a sin. PS120 is still cheaper and perform even better just by replacing the stock fans with cheap Arctic P12 MAX. In PA140 case, even replacing the stock fans, the thermal transfer will still be limited by 6 heat pipes. Thermalright need to produce a 7 heat pipes and 8 heat pipes variants if they want to go 140mm.
The thing is, I never hear my pa120 while gaming. I only hear my GPU(7900xt). I really wish companies would spend more time trying to get gpus quieter.
@@HardwareCanucks exactly. I am glad you guys show it the way you do, but it would be nice to zoom out so people aren't rushing to upgrade their HSF for a 0.73˚ temp reduction :)
Can you show wattages for the AMD tests? Also surprised that the larger fin stack doesn't seem to be offering too much of an advantage over the PA120 considering that that is what should be the bigger deal rather than the rounded fan inclusion. Larger fin stack means more heat saturation.
Any chances of reviewing the Royal Knight 120? I noticed the SE model has been sold for a while now, but the nice white/black non se versions have yet to arrive on amazon
Thank you for the wonderful video. I previously saw a video that featured FUMA3, so I would like to know which one is better, Fuma3, which has a similar price range, or this CPU cooler. My English is poor and I was unable to understand all the information in the graphs and videos. (Google translation)
As long as they are all cooling roughly the same, I don't see much of a downside to options. Usually the issue with product clutter is that the products perform wildly differently leading to an unoptimal outcome for the consumer. But if the coolers are performing the same for the same price, it's hard to see a real downside.
Thermalright is seriously killing the air cooling game rn. I hope they stick with their consumer friendly business model instead of going premium when their products become revered.
my recommendation, and i've already done it twice on 2 different systems for my friends, is to buy a Noctua NH D15 or D14 used on ebay. You can easily find one for 50-60$ and they are likely flawless. And while these coolers are mostly equivalent in terms of performance, a 2-3 difference in decibel is HUGE. 40 vs 43 db is something that you WILL notice immediately. But otherwise new noctual coolers are way too overpriced.
Regarding installation issues: Don't worry. I have an mATX board, where the GPU sits in the usually unoccupied 1st PCIE slot and my NHD 15 (NON S!), which is 10mm wider overal touches the backplate. So this PA should work even better.
The big takeaway for me is that if you're building an AM5 gaming rig (7800X3D or 7600X) then there is ZERO reason beyond the system build appearance to get anything but an Air Cooler. Further with Thermalright, get what looks good for your system and you're golden.
I do wonder if there's larger AM5 differences to see if you use Thermalright's coolers in conjunction with their AM5 contact frame that ensures better heat distribution -maybe that could let the PA140 benefit more from its size, if the heat itself from the IHS can transfer more effortlessly without relying on extensive coldplate machining to match the IHS surface curvature like Noctua does. Either way, bigger cooler for hardly any more money goes brrr
I rather just have a heatsink covering 120mmx120mm. As in the fins actually covering the entire fan height. I also would love to get rid of that cut-out. To optimize noise, I rather just introduce a small duct, and increase the separation in the middle. In the end, this will increase the overall fin area, without increasing the width. I rather also see them just making it taller, as in just make a taller one, without that stupid cutout. Actually, that enables you to space the sinks farther apparat, and allows for a deeper cooler. This design that all these towers are using, is showing its age.
I'd pay some extra over Peerless Assassin to get the best Thermalright cooler for my eventual 7800x3d/9800x3d, although it's pretty hard to tell what's the best performing one for quietness.
I see this brand, and I hear the good things about them. Is it too good to be true to cost sooo much less than competitors and have equal or better performance??
It's not too good to be true. The issue for a lot of other companies is that air cooling has reached a plateau now so everybody can launch super affordable coolers that perform very well
Idk, feels like maybe we're being a little overly harsh. It's quieter and performs slightly better, and is a whole $10 more expensive. Like yeah, more money still more money. But even if you're balling on a budget $10 is kinda nothing in pc money. I'm more interested in the Royal Pretor personally but I'm not mad at the PA140
Might be a noob question but, is there a significant effect on the temps if I mount the 120mm Fan at the rear of the heatsink and clip the middle one on the first tower? Basically exposing the heatsink at the front. I have tall sticks or RAMs and I am absolutely sure it would not fit well with the 120mm Fan. Thanks!
I'm planning to get R9 7900x to pair with TR PS 120 EVO. But is it ok if i do a PULL-PULL configuration? (For RBG ram aesthetic reasons). Does that hinder the cooling performance?
I think the 140 is worth it you plan to put better fans on. The Thermalright fans are nothing special. If you added a couple of Noctua fans, it would likely reduce temps by another 2'C. Would also love to see the Noctua D15 G2 run with LBC and an Intel CPU with a contact frame. Please, Canucks.
If I can get at least equal (in this case a smidge better) cooling at a lower decibel level that's a "win" for me because my PC sits on my desk off to the side. Now if it was under the desk on the floor "over there" I wouldn't bother like you said.
I might be misunderstanding something, but wouldn't it be more benefitial to just slap another 120mm fan at the back of the original tower, to increase airflow, or is it not how it works? I've seen some people slap an additional cooler at the back of the second tower, does that do anything, and if it idoes, why bother with these changes?
At the end.....which is the best air cooler from thermalright?. I was watching many.... But i dont know which is the best. i bought phantom spirit 120 se, peerless assassin 120 se white but i need to install it... But please tellme is this is the best or thermal right has a really winner on all their variety.. I know noctua is the best for all....but ITS SUUUUPER UGLY AND NO RGB.... Im of water cooler but i want to try air cooler. But i want some very effective ( the most close to noctua) but very nice to see with rgb..
You should do a video on Thermalright TL-M12-S case fan. I feel like the infinity mirror from Thermalright are challenging Lian li infinity fans for 1/3 the price
Why are you testing the NH D15 G2 in a version “LBC + offset” on AM5? According to Noctua graphics “LBC no offset” or “standard + offset” are better combo
Might be confusing, but now everyone can pick their favorite aesthetic thermalright cooler. Theyre cooking real good
goat company, they changed the landscape so bad aio cost 50 buckls...
I agree.. why not have more options? And they are sightly better at different things..
They truly are the embodiment of "I see no other competition up here but myself"
Seems like the biggest advantage of this PA140 over all the 120mm Thermalright coolers would be the extra internal case airflow created by the 140mm fans installed as they typically are in exhaust mode. I think the performance gap between the PA140 and the 120mm options would increase significantly when a higher wattage GPU was used in a mid-tower case - both for CPU & GPU temperatures. As an example I have a PS120SE and did a fan swap to 2x T30's - this only lowered my CPU temps by 1-2C at any given noise level, but it improved my GPU temps more noticeably since the higher airflow (again, at any given noise level) made it a serious upgrade when it came to eating / venting GPU exhaust out the back of the case.
When creating charts, _ALWAYS_ go for clarity. Forget about being fancy, nice colors & looking sophisticated. CLARITY must be prioritized over everything else.
They look really good to me 😊
@@riba2233 To me they don't, and I am an data analyst.
@@DonPatro92 are you colourblind by any chance?
@@DonPatro92 I can understand it better than you I guess. I analyze data better 😂
Yeah it can be difficult to discern different coolers in the graph, especially for people who may have a visual disability.
Another serious advantage of the PA140 over the 120mm Thermalright coolers is the sunken / rounded middle fan. This lowered fan configuration offers significant benefits for RAM, VRM, chipset and M.2 cooling. If you're using a motherboard with one or more small motherboard cooling fans the extra airflow from the sunken middle fan can also significantly reduce overall system noise by eliminating the need for those smaller fans to spin up. The Frost Spirit 140, Noctua D12L and Noctua D15S all have similar sunken fans and offer similarly unique cooling benefits.
I agree that the CPU temp performance alone of the PA140 isn't worth the extra size, weight, compatibility hassle etc. but you really seemed to miss out on highlighting a number of the major performance benefits of this design in your review. I'm guessing this is partly Thermalright's fault for not calling these benefits out in it's marketing materials / review guide but it would still be beneficial to potential buyers if you could cover all of the unique features of coolers like this when you review them!
Absolutely great points.
The LF3 does all that while being cooler and costs nearly the same in most EU countries.
@@HardwareCanucks Thanks! Maybe if you review the PA120 Mini & D12L you could compare the RAM, VRM, chipset and M.2 cooling performance of their sunken 120mm fans to the cooling performance of the PA140's sunken 140mm fan! Or compare PA120 Mini (1* aggressively sunken 120mm fan) vs D12L (1* less aggressively sunken 120mm fan) vs PA140 (1* aggressively sunken 140mm fan) vs D15 G2 (2* less aggressively sunken 140mm fans)? I know y'all are fans of air cooling over AIOs and this is an area where air coolers really shine!
FWIW I'm using a Noctua C14S (downdraft cooler) in an inverted SFF build and am enjoying similar RAM, VRM, chipset and M.2 cooling performance benefits to these sunken fan designs. With this C14S setup my B650E-I chipset fans are silent 🤫 and my heavily overclocked DDR5 RAM is cool and stable even with 1.5V.
@HardwareCanucks it would be cool to see how much these affect vrm cooling all things else being the same
With the PS120 performing basically the same on AM5 and being more compact with better compatibility, that one is still the better choice
Totally agree. 👍
@@adriannudelman4519I Haven't watched it yet but typically the benefit of 140mm is it is quieter while moving similar amounts of air, so if performance is equal, you still get less noise. I am personally waiting on the Preytor series. EDIT: After watching, that's exactly what they showed.
@@farmeunit Then just wait for PS140 to come out and outclass everything lol.
PS SE is better on performance.
And the EVO has different Fans (better)
just ordered a ps120se rgb for 37€, great deal
You know how long I've been waiting for this review? Woooo thermalright boutta make a name for the themself again
Perfect 😂
There's nothing confusing about it. The 140 (as its name suggests) is a slightly bigger version of the 120 and has a small, but measurable performance advantage. The price is also not too much higher than the 120.
So Thermalright gets to launch a new product (and the revenue and interest that comes with it), and consumers get another product to consider (whether for performance to aesthetic reasons).
I love my PA120se. For the price I paid for it 9 months ago, it is probably the best value component in my system.
I bought the Thermalright Frost Commander 140 (Black) 2 years ago and it's amazing. It's able to cool my 5800X3D without any issues, while keeping it cool and quiet.
Same on my 12700k lol
Is your 5800x3d undervolted or stock? Have you run any stress tests or just games?
@bloodmonk61: I've been using the version of PBO2 tuner that allows setting PPT, TDC, EDC.
After testing for stability for several hours using OCCT, I've ended up with:-25 -25 -20 -20 -25 -25 -25 -25 122 82 124. Been using those settings for over a year now, without any issues.
I am so glad there are so many excellent air coolers right now, we are spoiled for choice. This one is affordable and perfectly capable. It all end up being a factor of looks and what is available.
I really want to see the Preytor Ultra when it releases, as well as their new 240 and 360mm aios in the future
The AIO market is tough today. On one end you have the real cheap AIO's from relatively unknown manufacturers and at the other end are the well known brands that will charge an arm and a leg for a decent AIO. But just over the real cheap ones are Arctic with a huge line up of AIO's for relatively low prices and with better performance than most of the high end brands. Sure they might not look the way prefer but if you are looking for quality, performance and a resonable price they are the right choice. To make a real impact in the AIO market you either have to make coolers that looks real good or be able to provide them at extremely low prices while still keeping decent performance. Arctic are cheating as they use thicker radiators than anyone else as far as I know. As for sixe they have 240mm, 280mm,260mm and 420mm radiators, and the cheapest 420 mm AIO is about the same price as their cheapest 360 mm AIO. It's the same with the 240mm and 280mm AIOs, they are about the same price. Just get the largest that your case handles and it's fine.
@@pickleadaykeepsthedoctoraway source?
We are loving the Thermalright brand CPU cooler
I swear thermalright & arctic just keeps creating quality and bang for buck products.
Another huge win for consumers.
Hardware Canucks, great content keep up the amazing work
This is one of my favorite PC Tech channels ... your team provides robust data, you don't spend time spreading rumors and you don't produce low quality clickbait ... can't say that about some of the other larger tech youtubers. Your efforts are appreciated.
Yep, they do strictly reviews and remain professional.
@@evilleader1991 it's so refreshing for larger channels ... the clickbait coming from Jay and others these days is crazy ... no originality and no attention to detail, just a focus on getting clicks.
They get the clicks though. ;)
@@HardwareCanucks that is unfortunately true, but I appreciate what your team does.
@@blackbirdpctech Yeah Jay posts every day, and it's any old tat he's thought of, and yadda yadda. Explain every point over and over until your going nuts, to spin out the video length for ads.
Although he has done some great work, and recently like his Arctic Liquid Freezer AIO 240, 360, 420 video.
Love all the options coming out of ThermalRight 🤩
Is it just me or does Mike try his hardest not to blink in these videos?
Still getting used to my contacts....
Can’t wait for Royal Preytor instead.
The Thermalright Royal Pretor 130 seems interesting. I haven't seen in in stores yet though. Oh and it's Pretor not Preytor, though I can see how the later sounds more interesting.
@@blahorgaslisk7763i think it's "Praetor" like a Roman official
@@thomaslayman9487 I've seen it mentiones in something like six or seven mentions of it in comments on YT and almost all of them call it Preytor, but when I check it turns out actually Pretor. Not Praetor or Preytor but Pretor. Well at least it's that's what Thermalright labeled it as at Computex.
I have some weird info on the cooler and it's fans. Gamers Nexus mentions that there are going to be at least two versions. The Royal Pretor and the Royal Pretor Ultra. The differences are less than clear in the article by GN. At one point they say that they have six or seven heat pipes. Then they say that the Ultra will come with seven fans. If they meant to say seven heat pipes I think it would sound better, but this is from a GN article so I don't really know. perhaps there are seven fans in different colors, I don't know. What I could see was however that they had no picture of a Pretor with seven heat pipes, so that suggest that the heatsinks with seven heat pipes are dome other model.
Something they did write was that the 13 cm fan on the Ultra version would be using a 25mm thick 120 mm front fan. this sunds strange as they also say that on the standard version both fans will be 28 mm thick.
I think they made some mistakes writing this article.
But the name is said to be Pretor in many articles from several sources....
But until Thermalright gets it up on their site I guess we will have to wait and see.
Looking for your Royal Pretor 130 series review.
any info when these are coming out?
@@wolniacha_tvi don't know. Sorry
Michael, when can we expect the Royal Pre(y)tor review? Just give us a hint. Tnx.
It hasn't been released yet, probably next month or the other after
@@dez7roy3r I know, but I also think he might already have one =)
@@amarzecevic4649There are also two versions of this cooler
@@amarzecevic4649 hope you're right!
I would say about a month after it appears on TR's website
Thank you for including the LF iii 240 in the charts! I was debating waiting for the PA140 as a budget choice for my new 7950X3D, and whether it would be close enough competition for the NH-D15 G2. But it’s good to know that price competitive AIO’s still hold a comfortable lead against even the best of air coolers
Its so sad that the lf3 is held back by its garbage pump. The lf3s 240mm rad can cool a freaking 4090 to 61C at 450 Watts.
Thermalright has been continually improving their designs over recent years is seeing regular incremental cooling improvements and no matter cpu cooler you buy from thermalright…… you’re going to get a vg value and performing cooler for your money ✊🥳🤩👍💪
Awesome! Love your coolers reviews! 😍
The royal praetor looks amazing i’ll wait for that one
It's both exciting because it's a good cooler, but kind of "oh neat another cooler I don't need" because I already bought a cooler from this era where it started getting really really good and, ironically mine (Frost Spirit 140) looks so close to this you could mistake them for each other more easily than you could tell them apart. Have to peer at the edges of the fin shapes.
I wonder at this point if they know they have the market beat, and just want to keep reminding people of it, by putting out a (legitimately good but utterly similar) cooler and getting one more review to stay fresh in people's minds and get that "new cooler smell" to make people feel it's something new to be excited for.
And to "stuff the (digital) shelves" by having so so many results in any search for a cooler that, for this reason or another, they're going to have a better chance to dominate search results on etailers. I don't think they have much presence in physical shops, and those will probably prefer to carry just one or two models. So, it won't work to storm physical retailers... mostly. But on the other hand they have a massive presence on say Amazon now. The number of models probably helps. At the end of the day, if a confused consumer only knows they "should buy Thermalright" (if in deed they should), they will pick something despite decision fatigue and just get the one someone told them to get or the one that looks good, and it will after all be a good cooler.
That's my attempt to explain it. Just throw coolers at the wall and it will stick, apparently.
Anyway... I don't mind it personally, as much as there are reviews to know which one to buy. I am legitimately being concerned they get more brand exposure than others simply by pumping out more models. I hope this also isn't a loss-leading strategy to cultivate brand loyalty, and try to force others to bow out of the market due to lack of margin, before eventually jacking up prices??? It's not unheard of in retail. It's a dog eat dog business. I wonder.
Anyway, meanwhile air cooling is as good as it's ever been, and a lot better than it was even a few years ago. For now. Will see if it lasts.
Thanks, Thermalright... I think??
It is bigger but ultimately it is still 6 heat pipes. At such a size, it should be minimum 7 heat pipes or optimally 8 heat pipes. 6 heat pipes at 140mm is a sin. PS120 is still cheaper and perform even better just by replacing the stock fans with cheap Arctic P12 MAX. In PA140 case, even replacing the stock fans, the thermal transfer will still be limited by 6 heat pipes. Thermalright need to produce a 7 heat pipes and 8 heat pipes variants if they want to go 140mm.
Great video as always!
Lol jeezus.. They're just trying to beat Noctua with brute force at this point .
haha and I'm all for it.
The thing is, I never hear my pa120 while gaming. I only hear my GPU(7900xt). I really wish companies would spend more time trying to get gpus quieter.
the power of making your own products!
Would be fun to see these graphs with the y-axis ranging from say 50˚C to 100˚C.
It would look like a flat line LOL
@@HardwareCanucks exactly. I am glad you guys show it the way you do, but it would be nice to zoom out so people aren't rushing to upgrade their HSF for a 0.73˚ temp reduction :)
Can you show wattages for the AMD tests? Also surprised that the larger fin stack doesn't seem to be offering too much of an advantage over the PA120 considering that that is what should be the bigger deal rather than the rounded fan inclusion. Larger fin stack means more heat saturation.
Any chances of reviewing the Royal Knight 120? I noticed the SE model has been sold for a while now, but the nice white/black non se versions have yet to arrive on amazon
Thank you for the wonderful video.
I previously saw a video that featured FUMA3, so I would like to know which one is better, Fuma3, which has a similar price range, or this CPU cooler.
My English is poor and I was unable to understand all the information in the graphs and videos.
(Google translation)
I’ve seen the FS 140 as low as $27 at times, and that’s a shocking deal for how big of a heatsink you get, even if the fans are just “meh”
As long as they are all cooling roughly the same, I don't see much of a downside to options. Usually the issue with product clutter is that the products perform wildly differently leading to an unoptimal outcome for the consumer. But if the coolers are performing the same for the same price, it's hard to see a real downside.
I love my TR PA120 with TR contact frame an 13700K ❤
I can confirm that FS140 V3 still beats the PA140. I don't know how but maybe the thicker heatpipes make the difference despite having less.
charts are very difficult to understand
Thermalright is seriously killing the air cooling game rn. I hope they stick with their consumer friendly business model instead of going premium when their products become revered.
my recommendation, and i've already done it twice on 2 different systems for my friends, is to buy a Noctua NH D15 or D14 used on ebay. You can easily find one for 50-60$ and they are likely flawless.
And while these coolers are mostly equivalent in terms of performance, a 2-3 difference in decibel is HUGE. 40 vs 43 db is something that you WILL notice immediately.
But otherwise new noctual coolers are way too overpriced.
a brand new thermal right peerless assassin goes for less than 30 dollars and is significantly smaller so I’d still say it’s the better deal
Nice review! Air towers are so under utilized & far more reliable, is there any chance you will add the Cooler Master MA824 to your charts?
Regarding installation issues: Don't worry. I have an mATX board, where the GPU sits in the usually unoccupied 1st PCIE slot and my NHD 15 (NON S!), which is 10mm wider overal touches the backplate. So this PA should work even better.
Ahhh happy to see that the arctic LF still trumps all
The big takeaway for me is that if you're building an AM5 gaming rig (7800X3D or 7600X) then there is ZERO reason beyond the system build appearance to get anything but an Air Cooler. Further with Thermalright, get what looks good for your system and you're golden.
I need to see 2024 RGB aircooler shootout,
tne most blinged out RGB / SCREEN aircoolers shootout for 2024!
When is this going to be available?
I do wonder if there's larger AM5 differences to see if you use Thermalright's coolers in conjunction with their AM5 contact frame that ensures better heat distribution -maybe that could let the PA140 benefit more from its size, if the heat itself from the IHS can transfer more effortlessly without relying on extensive coldplate machining to match the IHS surface curvature like Noctua does.
Either way, bigger cooler for hardly any more money goes brrr
I rather just have a heatsink covering 120mmx120mm. As in the fins actually covering the entire fan height. I also would love to get rid of that cut-out. To optimize noise, I rather just introduce a small duct, and increase the separation in the middle. In the end, this will increase the overall fin area, without increasing the width. I rather also see them just making it taller, as in just make a taller one, without that stupid cutout. Actually, that enables you to space the sinks farther apparat, and allows for a deeper cooler. This design that all these towers are using, is showing its age.
A wise man once said the best competition you can take part in is the one with yourself.
I'd pay some extra over Peerless Assassin to get the best Thermalright cooler for my eventual 7800x3d/9800x3d, although it's pretty hard to tell what's the best performing one for quietness.
Would the 140's performance improve if it were combined with Thermalright's custom AM5 CPU contact frame?
for your information : if you place better three pressure fans on it ... the temps will be from 8 to 9C less ... ;) , the stock ones are awful
Seems like BeQuiet's Dark Rock Pro series isn't in a class all by itself anymore.
royal pretor 130 ultra release date?
Still no idea.
4:43 oh wow $40 that’s pretty good
4:49 excuse me there’s going to be an even cheaper version?
Yup
I really want that thermalright royal knight.
You probably missed the vrm improvement as low mounted fan. I need a cooler sub 145mm in height though
I literally pulled the trigger on the 120 a week ago, dang
Phantom Spirit SE is the best Value/Performance Cooler.
If you wants kind of premium good looking, the Deepcool Assassin IV
Hands down
U r the best cpu coolers reviewer
Even better than gamer nexus
Thermalright are just doing side quests at this point 😂
Have you tried running this with only the middle fan like the assassin mini?
good review, isn't there an off set mounting for the assansin? or spirit?
There is no Offset mount.
@@HardwareCanucks ohh Q_Q, thx for the reply, can't the Noctua offset mount be used?
I see this brand, and I hear the good things about them. Is it too good to be true to cost sooo much less than competitors and have equal or better performance??
It's not too good to be true. The issue for a lot of other companies is that air cooling has reached a plateau now so everybody can launch super affordable coolers that perform very well
Which cooler would you recommend for 7800x3d? Liquid or air
Still my favourite is Frost Spirit - similar performance, but quieter (max. 40dB) :)
Idk, feels like maybe we're being a little overly harsh. It's quieter and performs slightly better, and is a whole $10 more expensive. Like yeah, more money still more money. But even if you're balling on a budget $10 is kinda nothing in pc money.
I'm more interested in the Royal Pretor personally but I'm not mad at the PA140
im still rocking my PA120SE that i bought 2 years ago for my 5700x, best performance per dollar
Is the cooler completely centered on the CPU? The height of it makes me worry about clearance with the GPU in the first pci slot
sooo, when are the Preators coming?
I can barely fit the 120mm rgb one lol, it has been a great investment for my 5800x upgrade. And future cpu upgrades.
Nice cooler!
Might be a noob question but, is there a significant effect on the temps if I mount the 120mm Fan at the rear of the heatsink and clip the middle one on the first tower? Basically exposing the heatsink at the front. I have tall sticks or RAMs and I am absolutely sure it would not fit well with the 120mm Fan. Thanks!
I'm planning to get R9 7900x to pair with TR PS 120 EVO. But is it ok if i do a PULL-PULL configuration? (For RBG ram aesthetic reasons). Does that hinder the cooling performance?
LP cooler series coming soon ?
Do you know if the back bracket from my SE-214-XT could work with the rest of the screws/mounts that come with this cooler?
Hi Hardware Canucks, what is the Thermalright Air cooler best match with AMD 7800X3D ?
I think the 140 is worth it you plan to put better fans on. The Thermalright fans are nothing special. If you added a couple of Noctua fans, it would likely reduce temps by another 2'C.
Would also love to see the Noctua D15 G2 run with LBC and an Intel CPU with a contact frame.
Please, Canucks.
why not just get the fc140 or fs140? those have offset heatpipes for gpu clearance.
if the same price point,
so better buy on peerles 140 than original peerles 120?
Depends on what you can find.
@@HardwareCanucks both avalaible here with same price, which one should i buy?
both avalaible here with same price, which one should i buy?
If I can get at least equal (in this case a smidge better) cooling at a lower decibel level that's a "win" for me because my PC sits on my desk off to the side. Now if it was under the desk on the floor "over there" I wouldn't bother like you said.
What's the clearance for the ram with this? And the 120? Thanks.
I might be misunderstanding something, but wouldn't it be more benefitial to just slap another 120mm fan at the back of the original tower, to increase airflow, or is it not how it works?
I've seen some people slap an additional cooler at the back of the second tower, does that do anything, and if it idoes, why bother with these changes?
Brackets for that aren't included but I'm sure you can find some, somewhere.
Where is fan roundup update
At the end.....which is the best air cooler from thermalright?. I was watching many.... But i dont know which is the best. i bought phantom spirit 120 se, peerless assassin 120 se white but i need to install it... But please tellme is this is the best or thermal right has a really winner on all their variety..
I know noctua is the best for all....but ITS SUUUUPER UGLY AND NO RGB.... Im of water cooler but i want to try air cooler. But i want some very effective ( the most close to noctua) but very nice to see with rgb..
STILL WAITING FOR THE THERMALRIGHT CORE MATRIX AIO REVIEW
Its me again. The Frost Vortex should be tested next as it promises the best cooling on amd ccds.
The HELL is the Frost Vortex?
@@HardwareCanucks The largest cooler thermalright made so far. It became available here when i wrote that comment.
Would be nice to test with better fan each cooler.
You should do a video on Thermalright TL-M12-S case fan. I feel like the infinity mirror from Thermalright are challenging Lian li infinity fans for 1/3 the price
I wanted this, its great, but beginning to worry its too heavy and might damage over time if mounted horizontal
Why are you testing the NH D15 G2 in a version “LBC + offset” on AM5? According to Noctua graphics “LBC no offset” or “standard + offset” are better combo
Its the combo we received the best results with.
can you try finding something about the dual 80mm cooler from idcooling, i want to see that if there is any info on it
Nice!
So, is the black version available? In the NA countries?
Edit: 140mm version
Where is the Frost Commander 140 ? 🤔
Think this will be ok with a 7950x3d?
I can't find the Frost Spirit or Frost Commander anymore, it looks like they canned those in favor of this.
Will this cooler fit in a 011 mini case?
lol, can't wait for Phantom Spirit 140 😂