Introduction
The combination of the MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi motherboard and the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 (PS120) CPU cooler is arguably one of the best value-to-performance pairings for an AMD AM5 build. The B650 Tomahawk delivers rock-solid power delivery and excellent features, while the Phantom Spirit 120 offers top-tier dual-tower air cooling at a fraction of the cost of premium competitors. However, dual-tower coolers are notorious for clearance issues. In this guide, we analyze the specific clearances regarding the VRM heatsinks and primary M.2 slot when installing the PS120 on the B650 Tomahawk.
Hardware Analysis: The Contenders
The MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk features heavy, extended aluminum heatsinks covering its 14+2+1 VRM power phases, and a thick “Shield Frozr” heatsink over the primary PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot located directly below the CPU socket. The Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 is a massive dual-tower cooler featuring seven heatpipes and two 120mm fans. The cooler is asymmetrical, designed to offset the towers away from the PCIe slots and memory to improve compatibility.
Thermal and Clearance Breakdown
Let’s address the VRM heatsinks first. The B650 Tomahawk’s left and top VRM heatsinks are tall, but the Phantom Spirit 120’s asymmetrical design and the high clearance cutouts on its lower fin stack are specifically engineered for this. The heatpipes bend upwards, allowing the fin stack to easily clear the rear I/O cover and VRM heatsinks. You will not encounter any physical collision between the metal towers of the PS120 and the VRM armor of the Tomahawk.
The primary M.2 slot clearance is slightly more nuanced. The M.2 Shield Frozr on the Tomahawk sits directly below the CPU socket. When the Phantom Spirit is mounted, the front tower heavily overhangs this M.2 slot. While it does not physically touch the M.2 heatsink (there is roughly 5-10mm of breathing room), it makes accessing the M.2 drive after the cooler is installed practically impossible. If you need to install or swap an NVMe drive in the primary slot, you must remove the entire CPU cooler. Thermally, this overhang is harmless; the airflow from the center 120mm fan actually provides a slight breeze over the M.2 heatsink, aiding in keeping your SSD cool.
Conclusion
The MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk and Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 are a perfectly compatible match. The cooler effortlessly clears the tall VRM heatsinks thanks to its intelligent design. While the massive cooling towers do completely obscure the primary M.2 slot—necessitating the removal of the cooler for future SSD upgrades—the thermal performance and sheer value of this pairing make it a minor inconvenience for an otherwise flawless setup.