I will be 100% upfront and say the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO is a monster of an air cooler considering its price point. It managed to outperform every other high-end air cooler in the maximum heat load tests with ease. It held a healthy lead in the max RPM tests and still held the top spot when all coolers were noise-normalized to 45 dBA. Put simply, if you prefer air coolers, and you're not set on a specific visual aesthetic, it's a no-brainer to grab the Phantom Spirit 120 EVO. While the Peerless Assassin is a better pure value option, the Phantom Spirit feels a bit more complete. It operates at lower noise levels while also delivering better performance, and the improved quality of the fans means I think it is worth the extra cost. As for the other air coolers, nothing comes close to the same performance for your dollar. Sure, my testing does have the be quiet! Dark Rock Elite performing fairly well against the Phantom Spirit 120 EVO, but it is more than double the price. Noctua's aging NH-D15 can't keep up, and all other options fare no better. Thermalright truly stands alone at the top of the air cooling charts.

Regarding build quality, I have no serious complaints, but I do have a few issues when it comes to design. The fit and finish, along with the black coating, were uniform with no problems to speak of, and the cooler looks great if you're into more understated aesthetics. That said, I do think the ARGB lighting feels like it was merely tacked on to check a box on a features list, but I would consider that a minor complaint. When it comes to the mounting hardware, it was solid and worked well, and most importantly, it was incredibly simple and easy to work with. The fans are quite hefty, and I had no problems with odd tonal noises, harmonic issues, or grinding from the bearings either. Although it is still a touch loud at max RPM. As for the height, at 157 mm tall, it will fit in a majority of regular cases without a problem, and the design is asymmetrical so you can gain extra clearance for the graphics card or motherboard heatsinks depending on the situation.

That said, it isn't until you look at memory compatibility that the trade-offs with the compact dual-tower design become more evident. While it is normal for most large air coolers to hang over the DIMM slots, and you should plan for that accordingly, it doesn't change the fact that other offset designs and AIOs do not suffer from this problem. Therefore, while no surprise, the Phantom Spirit 120 EVO does hang over all four DIMM slots on the motherboard when the front fan is installed, and your max memory height will be severely limited. Meaning if you're using memory that is taller than 42 mm, you will need to raise the fan up. Of course, the taller the memory, the more it will have to go up, and the more performance will suffer along with case compatibility, so keep that in mind.

Beyond that, I congratulate Thermalright for delivering a truly stellar air cooler that, while being fairly compact, manages to utterly dominate the competition. The only way to gain better cooling performance than what the Phantom Spirit 120 EVO offers is to go with an AIO liquid cooler or custom water. Even then, it will depend on the AIO, as the Phantom Spirit 120 EVO manages to get the best of some of the older 240, 280, and 360 mm offerings that are not optimized for the current generation of processors.

In conclusion, the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO is a standout product that sits at the peak of air cooling performance. While it may not offer the same longevity as a Noctua cooler considering their socket support, or the fancy looks of something like the be quiet! Dark Rock Elite, it doesn't need to. Those coolers have their place in the market, but from a pure performance and pure value perspective, Thermalright has no real competition here. Therefore, it easily earns the awards given today. If I had an even higher-tier award to give it, I would; that is how well it performs for the price