Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler Review

Conclusion

From the moment we took it from the protective embrace of its package we knew we had a winner on our hands, the only question is how good it would be. Honestly, this is one of the best and most refined CPU Cooling solutions we have seen in quite some time; and everything from its best in class manual to its best in class fan just reinforced this opinion. As we saw in literally every single test, this cooler is one of the best out there for both dual and quad core cooling. With its single 1300RPM fan it was able to run literally neck and neck with the Thermalright Ultima 90 which was decked out in a 1600RPM fan.

Now not everything is perfect with this cooler. It really needs to have an easier installation process and great manual or not it can be frustrating if you have never dealt with installing a tower cooler before. In addition, we think that the sole reason this is not the best quad cooler we have ever tested is because it only has four heatpipes. While we have seen in the past six heatpipes does not necessarily equate to better performance we do believe it was the reason for its less than best quad results. Noctua certainly has a winner with the NH-U12P, and if they ever design it with either direct contact heatpipes (i.e. no base between the heatpipes and the CPU) or redesign it with 6 the resulting cooler would be a true sight to behold.

One of the main winning factors with the NH-U12P is that it comes with one of the best fans available on the market today. In a past review, we showed you the true potential of the NF-P12 fan when mounted on both tower-style coolers and water cooling radiators so to have it included here is a more than welcome. Considering this fan costs nearly $20 depending on where you look, the value it adds to this cooler is off the chart.

As it stands the Noctua NH-U12P is very good cooler and should top your list of coolers if noise is a major consideration. It should also be a top contender for your hard earned dollars if you are planning to cool a dual core system. When it comes to Quad core cooling there is better options out there but not many. Thus, for amazing dual core cooling coupled with an excellent warranty, high performance fan and a respectable price, the NH-U12P gets our Dam Good Award.


Pros

-Amazingly quiet (yet efficient) fan
- Includes mounting brackets for second fan
- Great Dual Core Overclocking potential
- Good Quad Core Overclocking potential
- Great construction
- Wonderful manual
- $20 fan included

Cons:

- Price
- Large Cooler
- Not so easy installation
- Fan color scheme not to everyone’s liking