Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler Review

Q6600 Temperature Testing

Idle Temperatures


The Noctua easily makes it into the Top three, which is nothing to sneeze at. While these scroes are not as impressive as the Dual core results, idle temperatures don’t always tell the full story.


Average Load Temperatures


So close, yet in the end the well executed six pipe Ultima 90 + 120mm Scythe F easily beats this highly refined four pipe cooler. Of course, a Scythe F is louder than the Noctua NF-P12 so it really is up to you if you are willing to scarfice a little bit of cooling for a lot of noise reduction.


Dual Fan Setup

Since the Noctua can with enough wire brackets and its results were so good with one fan we are itching to see what it can do with two!


Oh now that is a heart breaker! While we were not expecting miracles, we were hoping it would beat the Ultima 90. One thing is for sure, the second fan is of course better than just one, but the NF-P12 is so efficient by itself that it cools like two inferior fans. Our recommendation is to leave it at one fan unless you really feel like spending twenty bucks for 3-4 degrees of extra cooling.