NZXT T120 RGB review: Compact CPU cooler with plenty of performance

NZXT makes almost everything that goes inside a PC and the company has a few years behind it for CPU cooling. The NZXT Kraken 120 was the most affordable CPU cooler available from the brand, but it’s a 120mm AIO liquid cooler and such devices aren’t generally recommended for cooling processors. Enter the NZXT T120 series, a new air cooler with a single 120mm NZXT fan and an affordable price tag. I’ve put the T120 RGB to the test with the Intel Core i5-12600K and AMD Ryzen 9 7900X to see how good this cooler is.

Pairing the NZXT T120 RGB with an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 would be the sweet spot, depending on the processor generation. AMD chips tend to pump out less heat, especially with a low-power non-X version. This is where the NZXT T120 comes to life as a budget-friendly option for those who aren’t quite ready to make the jump to liquid cooling. I found the T120 RGB to be easy to install, handle heat well, and diffuse some tasteful lighting effects. You’ll want to add this to your shortlist.

About this review: NZXT provided XDA with a sample for this review but had no input to its contents.

NZXT T120 RGB

The NZXT T120 RGB is a budget-friendly CPU cooler with the company’s instantly recognizable matte design. Throw in some RGB lighting with the included NZXT F120 RGB fan and you’ve got one tasteful, powerful, and affordable way to cool your AMD or Intel CPU.

Brand

NZXT

Cooling Method

Air

Integrated Lighting

Yes

Noise Level

~27.5 dBA

Fan Speed

1,800 RPM

Pros

• Gorgeous design
• Great value
• Latest Intel and AMD socket support
• Decent thermal performance

Cons

• Struggles with higher heat loads
• Not too much room for overclocking
• Dual-fan configuration is lackluster

Price, specs, and availability

The NZXT T120 launched with an MSRP of $50. The RGB version ups this price to $60 but already we’re seeing these coolers discounted by up to $10, allowing you to grab the RGB edition at the same price as the normal T120. It’s a good price to pay and puts the NZXT T120 in the same region as coolers such as the be quiet! Dark Rock 4. Included with the NZXT T120 air cooler are required mounting hardware for AMD and Intel sockets, supporting LGA 1700, LGA 1200, LGA 115x, AM4, and AM5.

Four copper heat pipes connect the copper baseplate to the aluminum fin stack. A single high-quality fluid-bearing NZXT F120 RGB fan is included with our version and can hit speeds of 1,800 RPM. NZXT states the fan will emit up to 27.5 dBA of sound, making this a relatively quiet CPU cooler, especially when installed inside a PC case with more spinning blades. A small tube of branded thermal paste is packed with the required brackets and accessories, which should be good for a few applications.

Design & features

I’m still not quite sure how I feel about NZXT’s move from white and purple boxes to minimalist cardboard boxes but they’re starting to grow on me and the T120 RGB looked great in its packaging. There’s ample foam around the heatsink and the fan is secured against the main unit in shipping. A small box of accessories is available with a small fold-out manual. The non-RGB and RGB versions of the T120 are available in black or white, depending on the PC build theme.

The T120 RGB looks smart in matte white and the diffuser makes it hard to notice the RGB lighting when powered down unless you’re familiar with this cooler or the F120 RGB fans. Measuring just 40m thick and 120mm tall, the heatsink should have no trouble fitting inside even the most compact cases. Even with two fans installed on the T120, you’ll have enough clearance for RAM and VRAM heatsinks. NZXT anticipates the doubling of the active cooling and includes a spare set of meta fan clips.

One note with adding a second fan to the T120 is the blocking of RGB lighting due to the orientation of the blower, shining light onto the heatsink. It’s not terrible on the T120 RGB since there is a sizable gap between the fins but it’s worth considering if you’re going for an all-out RGB build. The four heat pipes span the entire heatsink array on both sides, meeting in the middle within the central CPU block. There’s no splitter included with the T120, so if you have a second fan to add, you’ll have to manage double the cabling (for fan and RGB signals).

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Installation and cooling

Installing the NZXT T120 RGB is a painless process. It’s one of the easiest coolers I’ve installed on either AMD or Intel platforms. An Intel bracket is preinstalled on the base of the T120, meaning you’ll have to dismantle it to prep for an AMD motherboard, but either platform will take a few minutes to get up and running. The mounting bracket is secured to a backplate with some screws and the F120 fan is attached to the heatsink using two metal wire clips. It’s a tried and tested way of mounting blowers and works well here.

The heatsink isn’t thick and there is just one 120mm fan pushing air through the stack, but you shouldn’t write off this cooler for low-end processors only. To see how well the T120 RGB can handle heat I ran some tests with the cooler set to 50% and 100%, taking average delta temperature measurements at idle, in games, and running synthetic benchmarks and stress tests. Temperature delta is calculated to eliminate ambient temperature, which can fluctuate throughout the testing cycles as the test benches produce more heat.

The NZXT T120 RGB performs admirably with the Intel Core 15-12600K and AMD Ryzen 7900X. Both processors don’t produce too much heat, which allows the smaller heatsink to soak everything up and work with the 120mm fan to expel it. Using a second fan improves the performance of the T120 RGB slightly (by an amount that’s only just outside the margin for error), but this hurts noise output with the second motor in operation.

Should you buy the NZXT T120 RGB?

You should buy the NZXT T120 RGB if:

• You don’t want to spend more than $50 on a CPU cooler.
• You plan on using up to a mid-tier CPU from AMD (Ryzen 7) or Intel (Core i7).

You shouldn’t buy the NZXT T120 RGB if:

• You plan on overclocking or using a Ryzen 9/Core i9 CPU.
• You have the space and budget for an AIO liquid cooler.
• You want an air cooler with the best dual-fan performance.

The NZXT T120 RGB is a solid CPU cooler for even mid-tier AMD and Intel processors. You could even get away with cooling an AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (without PBO enabled) and not experience any trouble with higher temperatures. The RGB lighting does add a small premium to the price, but it’s still around $50, which makes it a budget-friendly CPU cooler for those not needing an AIO liquid cooler. The NZXT T120 is the better choice when compared to the NZXT Kraken 120. If you want an AIO, choose one with at least a 240mm radiator.

Installing the NZXT T120 RGB is a breeze, regardless of which platform you’re using, and the inclusion of a high-quality RGB-enabled F120 fan ensures you’re not only buying a capable CPU cooler, but it’ll also enhance the look of your PC. The T120 will look great in black or white, though the aesthetic will be enhanced if using an NZXT motherboard. This smart CPU cooler is compact, affordable, and great when pushing the CPU hard in games and synthetic tests.

NZXT T120 RGB

The NZXT T120 RGB is a budget-friendly CPU cooler with the company’s instantly recognizable matte design. Throw in some RGB lighting with the included NZXT F120 RGB fan and you’ve got one tasteful, powerful, and affordable way to cool your AMD or Intel CPU.