Compare: Peerless Assassin 120 vs Liquid Freezer III 240

Design and Aesthetics:

Peerless Assassin 120

The Peerless Assassin 120 boasts a stylish design, featuring a sizable aluminum heatsink, gray fans, and a gray radiator top that conceals the heat pipes. Its two 120mm fans guarantee excellent airflow and effective heat dissipation. The contemporary and elegant aesthetic suits a variety of build themes, making it an appealing choice for budget-conscious PC enthusiasts. The closely related Peerless Assassin 120 SE provides a black color scheme with a less refined top surface.

Liquid Freezer III 240

This cooler showcases a sleek, symmetrical design with a modern aesthetic. While this model doesn’t include RGB lighting, there are versions available that do, allowing you to choose based on your style preferences. Overall, it adds a clean, contemporary look to your PC setup.

Install Notes:

Peerless Assassin 120

This cooler installation is very similar to Noctua's typical installation, which is one of the easier installation setups. However, it also faces similar issues regarding uninstalling this cooler, where the cooler is unable to slide/twist off the cooler to break the thermal paste seal. This might be necessary if the thermal paste has a strong hold between the cooler and the CPU.

Liquid Freezer III 240

The Arctic Freezer III 240 retains the easy installation features of its predecessor while offering added convenience. What sets this cooler apart is its pre-installed fans on the radiator, simplifying the setup compared to other all-in-one (AIO) coolers. The detachable CPU mounting bracket further enhances the installation process by eliminating interference from aesthetic components. However, attaching the control cable to the motherboard can be challenging once the cooler is mounted. To avoid this, it’s advisable to connect the cable to the motherboard before installing the cooler.

Cooling Performance:

Peerless Assassin 120

Impressive performance is a standout feature of the Peerless Assassin 120 SE, thanks to its six heat pipes that efficiently transfer heat away from the CPU and into the expansive fin array of the heatsink. It is suitable for a wide range of processors, including high-end models with high TDPs. The cooler is capable of handling demanding workloads and significant overclocking, making it a an attractive cooling solution option.

Liquid Freezer III 240

The Arctic Freezer III 240 offers some performance improvements over its predecessor, the Arctic Freezer 240, but this comes with increased noise. Relative to other coolers in it's weight class, this cooler outperforms most.

Noise Performance:

Peerless Assassin 120

One of the standout features of the Peerless Assassin 120 SE is its relative quiet operation. The two included 120mm TL-C12 PWM fans are designed for optimal airflow and low noise levels. Although, this cooler can be louder than some other coolers of similar size, the relative cooling makes this cooler a contender for your setup.

Liquid Freezer III 240

The Arctic Freezer III 240 has a more powerful pump that has the potential to be quite audible. Since our testing was conducted with the AIO pump running at 100% speed, lowering the pump speed during less demanding tasks can help reduce noise levels without sacrificing too much performance.

Summary:

Peerless Assassin 120

A notable feature of the Peerless Assassin 120 is its comparatively quiet performance. The cooler comes equipped with two 120mm TL-C12 PWM fans, engineered for optimal airflow and reduced noise levels. While it may be slightly louder than other coolers of a similar size, its impressive cooling capabilities make the Peerless Assassin 120 a strong contender for your PC setup.

Liquid Freezer III 240

The Arctic Freezer III retains its user-friendly installation design, featuring pre-attached radiator fans and a detachable CPU mounting bracket for simpler setup. However, connecting the control cable can be challenging once the cooler is installed, so it's best to attach it beforehand. The cooler sports a modern design, with some versions offering RGB lighting for added customization. While it boasts aesthetic improvements and lower noise levels compared to standard coolers and its predecessor, the Arctic Freezer 240, the Arctic Freezer III 240 delivers average performance and struggles to effectively cool high-core CPUs under heavy workloads.