Thermalright BA120 CPU Air Cooler, 6 Heat Pipes, TL-C12CG-S PWM Quiet Fan CPU Cooler With S-FDB Bearing, For AMD AM4/Intel 1700/1150/1151/1200, LGA1700, PC Cooler

The Thermalright BA120 is a budget-friendly CPU air cooler that offers good cooling performance for mid-range processors. Here's a breakdown of its key features, installation process, and some pros and cons to help you decide if it's the right choice for your needs.Cooling Performance:6 Heat Pipes: The BA120 utilizes 6 nickel-plated heat pipes to efficiently transfer heat away from your CPU.TL-C12C PWM Fan: The cooler comes with a 120mm TL-C12C PWM fan with S-FDB bearings. This ensures quiet operation with airflow speeds ranging from 600 to 1500 RPM.Socket Compatibility: The BA120 supports a wide range of AMD and Intel sockets, including AM4, LGA 115X, 1200, 1700, and 17XX.Installation:While not the most complex cooler to install, the BA120's installation process might require a little more effort compared to some pre-assembled coolers. Here's a general overview of the steps involved:Prepare your Motherboard: Locate the CPU socket and remove any existing coolers or mounting brackets. Refer to your motherboard manual for specific instructions.Attach the Mounting Bracket: The BA120 uses a universal mounting system that requires you to install the appropriate backplate and retention bracket for your specific socket type. The instructions and included hardware should guide you through this process.Apply Thermal Paste (Optional): If your cooler doesn't come with pre-applied thermal paste, you'll need to clean and apply a pea-sized amount to the center of your CPU before mounting the cooler.Secure the Cooler: Following the included instructions, carefully position the cooler on top of your CPU, ensuring the heat pipes make proper contact. Secure the cooler in place using the provided screws and mounting hardware.Connect the Fan: Locate the fan header on your motherboard and connect the fan cable using the 4-pin PWM connector.Pros:Affordable Price: The BA120 offers good value for money, making it a great choice for budget-conscious builders.Effective Cooling: For mid-range processors, the BA120 provides sufficient cooling performance to keep your CPU at safe temperatures.Quiet Operation: The S-FDB bearing on the fan helps minimize noise levels, making it a good option for noise-sensitive users.Wide Socket Compatibility: The cooler supports a wide range of popular AMD and Intel sockets, offering good versatility.Cons:Installation Difficulty: Compared to some pre-assembled coolers, the BA120's installation might be a bit more involved, especially for first-time builders. Consulting the manual and potentially watching video tutorials beforehand is recommended.Limited RGB Support: The base model BA120 doesn't come with RGB lighting. If you prioritize aesthetics, you might need to consider the BA120 ARGB variant.Bulkier Design: The cooler's heatsink might obstruct access to some RAM slots on certain motherboards. Double-checking RAM height clearance before purchase is important.Overall:The Thermalright BA120 is a solid choice for users looking for a reliable and affordable CPU air cooler. It offers decent cooling performance for mid-range processors and operates relatively quietly. However, the installation process might require some patience, particularly for novice builders. If you're comfortable with a more hands-on approach and prioritize value for money, the BA120 is a strong contender. If ease of installation or RGB lighting are top priorities, you might want to explore other options.

Had the Gammax v400 cooler which was alright did its job but looked ugly AF. Bought this to replace it after getting a new motherboard etc, installation was a lot better than the Gammax v400 the Thermalright uses the original mounting plate which I prefer. Took about 5 minutes to install including applying thermal paste and spreading it, it really is easy to install this cooler.Temps are nice with this cooler keeping the temps equal if not a little lower than the Gammax v400, it looks a lot nicer and the Fan seems quieter, plus its ARGB so I can match the colours with the rest of the case. You do get some Thermal-right TM7 paste included and its good stuff no issues its rated pretty good too in comparison to other pastes.Recommended purchase if you want a nice cooler for a great price that is really built well.

Backstory:First of all, why does intel even bother making cpu coolers? A stock cooler should be enough for my i5-12400f, but when my pc became a space heater I knew it was time for a change. After 3-4 hours of research , cancelling and reordering (sorry amazon), I decided to go with this fan.Setup:Without prior experience, I was able to install this cooler with minimal problems. The instructions were straight forward, and for those who are visual learners, Thermalright literally has installation videos on youtube for their different cpu coolers. BTW it comes with thermal paste too.Temperature:My idle temperature was 60-70 degrees reaching 80, when I had a few chrome tabs open, yes this is a lot, but due to the "heatwave" (26 degrees) and the intel stock "cooler", no wonder my poor pc was struggling :(. Now it idles 40-50 degrees and 60-70 with my extra chrome tabs. It's still quite high but definitely an improvement from what it is was before and I can finally touch my pc case without fear of getting a 1st degree burn :)Summary, overall thoughts:It's a good affordable budget cpu cooler for mid-range processors, so don't buy this for your i9-14900kf and expect results. It is very quiet, normally my stock cooler would create an immersive experience of being on a helipad, but this fan is surprisingly quiet, I have yet to test it fully, might treat myself and open up a few more chrome tabs.It looks good too, not too ugly, I almost bought an ugly cooler but I'm happy I stumbled upon this instead. I got the ARGB version and FYI, for those who doesn't like the constant rainbow look, your motherboard should have a software that allows you to change the colour of the fan. I have an asus board so I use Aura Sync, that way you don't have the light constantly on.This is my first review please let me know if it was useful :)I left 4 stars because I believe with what they were advertising, the temperature drop should be a bit more. My i5-12400f has a TDP of "65W", so it should be a walk in the park for this cooler with a TDC of 245W.

Using this on AM4 it has the same performance as coolers costing £60 and up. Very quiet, easy to fit, and looks good too. "65W" chips will pull 100W+ when boosting or loaded, but this keeps them at 71 degrees or less, even under full load. 100% recommend.

Does what it needs to do but mine doesn't light up for some reason.