Noctua NH-U12F: Quiet Air Cooling from Austria
by Wesley Fink on April 25, 2007 4:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Noctua NH-U12F
Unless you are an enthusiast of silence in computer builds and modifications you probably haven't heard of Noctua. CPU coolers from Noctua are not generally sold by the large US etailers like Newegg, ZipZoomFly, or mWave. However, Noctua products are readily available at specialty computer enthusiast shops like Frozen CPU or Xoxide. The Noctua NH-U12F kit retails for around $65, but we have seen it selling for lower prices at a few etailers. The kit includes the Noctua NF-S12 fan which retails for $20 by itself.
The Noctua NH-U12F is packaged in a sleeved box with the Noctua trademark brown and blue packaging. It seems that everything Noctua comes in packaging with variations on this corporate color scheme.
The Noctua kit starts with a heatpipe tower that is very reminiscent of the Thermalright Ultra 120 design. We wouldn't dare touch the "which came first" question, but we do know that Noctua has been refining the basic design of this 120mm heatpipe tower for some time. Since the two Thermalright Ultra 120 models now sit at the top of our comparative cooler reviews, this design similarity certainly raises our Noctua performance expectations. There are also fan wire channels that allow mounting of both front and rear fans on the Noctua if you choose that configuration.
Inside the dark brown box you will find an exceptionally well-protected heatsink, along with everything you need to mount the NH-U12F on socket 775, AM2, or 754/939/940.
The $20 retail S12 fan is also included, as mentioned earlier, and the U.L.N.A. adapter that fits between the fan plug and the board is included for those who want to run slower speeds with the lowest noise possible.
The included accessories abound with thoughtful little touches. Noctua includes a screwdriver that actually fits in the holes of the cooler fins to allow cooler mounting in some of the mount variations. There are even two pairs of fan wire clips included that practically invite the buyer to try a push-pull fan setup. A clearly written multi-language installation manual is also in the package. Overall, the clear parts identification, abundance of mount options, and included extras make the Noctua one of the best coolers we have worked with right out of the box.
Specifications
Our test system is socket 775, but the Noctua NH-U12F will also mount on any AM2/754/939/940 CPU with included adapters.
| Noctua NF-U12F Specifications | |
| Heatsink | |
| Dimensions | 70(L) X 126W) X 155(H)mm (excluding fan) |
| Weight | 640g (excluding fan); 790g with fan |
| Heatpipes | Four U-Shaped Copper Heatpipes |
| Material | Copper and Aluminum with soldered joints |
| Fan Configuration | Supports up to two 120mm fans of any thickness with open mounting posts |
| Included Fan | |
| Model | Noctua NF-S12-1200 (included, but also sold separately) |
| Fan Size | 120mm x 120mm x 25mm |
| Bearing Type | SSO (Self Stabilizing Oil-Pressure)Bearing |
| Noise Level | 17dbA (8dbA with U.L.N.A.) |
| Speed | 1200 rpm |
| Air Flow | 81 cubic meters/hour (59 with U.L.N.A.); 47.7cfm (30.0cfm with U.L.N.A.) |
| Fan Bearing | SSO Bearing |
| Blade Geometry | Straight-Blade Design |
| Input Power | 1.44W at 0.12A Input Current |
| Voltage Range | 4-13V |
| Fan Life | >150,000 hrs (vs. 50,000 hrs for ball bearing) |
| Weight | 180g (fan only) |
Any 120mm fan without posts will fit the Noctua, regardless of the fan thickness. The Scythe SFLEX fans and SilenX IEXTREMA high-output/low-noise fans will all fit the Noctua since they do not use mounting posts.
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Hulk - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link
1. Equip all fans with a variable speed controller and adjust the speed so that the decibel level is exactly 40dB, 45dB, etc... Record the temps. This would isolate the thermal transfer efficiency of the cooler. For better isolation of cooler thermal efficiency you could use the same fan on all coolers.2. This time adjust the fan speed to acheive the same load temperature. This time record the fan RPM and the noise level. Of course some units might not even make the temp at full speed but that would be okay. As it is right now you have to take into account cooling performance when looking at noise. It be nice to see how much noise they make when they are all drawing away the same amount of heat from the processor.
3. In order to really give these coolers a workout how about adding an overclocked quad core to the tests?
I enjoy reading these reviews. Great job!
yacoub - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link
No word on fitment again. Fitment is really the number one thing people want to know: Will this fit on my board? If it doesn't fit their board, it doesn't really matter to them how well it cools. Would be great to hear if it does or doesn't clear a variety of boards you have around the testing labs, particularly a couple 680i, 650i, P965, and 975. Pick one that's fairly reference in design and a couple of the ones people tend to purchase that often have passive cooling heatsink/pipe configurations on the northbridge and MOSFETS, and let us know how well the darn thing clears it all, especially if it requires a back brace and some boards have stuff on the back beneath the CPU socket (like the MSi P6N-SLI Platinum) and whether or not it still fits.Thanks.
Wesley Fink - Thursday, April 26, 2007 - link
The Noctua is narrower than most heatpipe towers, but as wide as a thermalright. The shape is much like a thermalright. The top plate can be installed in two directions and the cooler can be turned 90 degrees if necessary, so mounting is very flexible.The Noctua fit the EVGA 680i (barely, due to width and very tall chipset cooler near the socket), Asus, Striker, Asus Commando, and Asus P5W-DH Deluxe. We did not have the MSI board you specify in the lab to check, but the back plate has an open center and is designed to clear back components.
yacoub - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link
Any word on fitment on an MSi P6N-SLI Platinum? This is important as the board supposedly has a few items on the back such that certain backplates do not fit too well and it would be important to know if this hsf can clear them alright.mostlyprudent - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link
Very nice. I like the balance of low noise and above average performance. Any plans to look at the Thermalright HR-01 fanless cooler with the ducting that can connect to a rear case fan? I would love to see the cooling abilities of such a configuration.xsilver - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link
hey wes; how many more hsf setups are still in the pipeline for review? care to list?is the thermalright ultra 90 one of them?
or anything else that is of the "cheaper" level?
Wesley Fink - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link
We have a few more top-line HSFs and then we will do an "under $30" HSF roundup. We also have a wide assortment of 120mm fans in the labs for a fan roundup.xsilver - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link
oh also, was there any plans to put some "classic" coolers in the chart as a control reference?Im thinking thermalright xp-90/120
zalman 7000/7700
how do these type of coolers compare to the ones currently being reviewed? no full review is really needed but putting them in the charts would be nice.
puffpio - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link
The 'Final Words' page is actually a duplicate of the 'Noise' pageWesley Fink - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link
The posting error on Final Words has been corrected.