Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler Review

Packaging and Accessories

Anyone who is ever purchased a Noctua product before will instantly recognize this box as a classic example of Noctua’s color scheme. The reddish brown which fades into black, melding with blue all bordered by white lines and white text screams “I’m an Official Noctua Product”. Heck Noctua loves this color scheme so much (with the exception of the white text) they even use this menagerie of colors for their website.

It may be unusual and it may be quirky but it does work well. From even across a poorly lighted room you can pick out Noctua packaging and if this is not brand recognition and a classic example of product branding then I don’t know what is!

The box itself has a plastic film window which allows you to see the genuine NF-P12 fan which is included with this Cooler but other than this small nod towards retail packaging standards this box offers decent protection against life’s bumps and bruises. As a side note, this box is not just a pretty face since it contains all the necessary information which one would need to make an informed decision when considering this cooler. It is always impressive to see a company get the delicate art of balancing form vs. function right and Noctua certainly pulls it off which panache.


When you open the box you are greeted to an unusual packaging scheme. In fact, we have really only seen the successful implementation of this packaging scheme once before and that was with the Silentator (this does make sense as both the Silentator and the NH-U12 are made in the same factory). The scheme which we are alluding too is a cardboard-based protective enclosure for the heatsink and fan with another full length box behind it for the accessories. Cardboard may not be a high tech solution but it does absorb blunt force trauma better than a plastic clamshell container will. The only possible downside to this arrangement is the amazing fan will be the first casualty in a front-on accident; and while this is always a better outcome than having the heatsink itself damaged it would still be a crying shame.


The accessory list which comes with the Noctua is not only complete but is of obvious high quality construction. You get all the necessary mounting equipment for both AMD and Intel 775 systems (including backplates), low noise and ultra low noise fan adapters, two instruction pamphlets (one for AMD and one for Intel 775 installations) enough wire brackets and vibration dampening material to mount two 120mm fans, a single NF-P12-1300 120mm Fan, a tube of Noctua branded TIM and even a long handled chrome screwdriver.


While all these parts were of exceptionally good quality, the two things which really stood out were the extra brackets for mounting a second fan (something other companies charge extra for, e.g. Thermalright) and the dual instruction pamphlet. Not only were the instructions segregated based on the mounting system required but they were not loose pamphlets; rather they are glued into the two flaps of a larger fold up booklet which allows safe storage of the instructions. This is always nice because I for one loose instruction sheets like they are going out of style and this way I know it is less likely to be mistakenly thrown out!

Overall, the first impression one gets from the Noctua NH-U12 is fantastic. Everything appears to be not only well though out, but also well executed. Even just by removing the NH-U12 and its accompanying accessories from the protective embrace of its box, one gets the feeling a lot of time, effort and though went into putting this piece of kit together. Jolly good job Noctua, jolly good.