The Noctua NH-U12A CPU Cooler Review: Big Performance in a Small Space
by E. Fylladitakis on July 11, 2019 12:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Noctua
- CPU cooler
Thermal Resistance VS Sound Pressure Level
During our thermal resistance vs. sound pressure level test, we maintain a steady 100W thermal load and assess the overall performance of the coolers by taking multiple temperature and sound pressure level readings within the operating range of the stock cooling fans. The result is a graph that depicts the absolute thermal resistance of the cooler in comparison to the noise generated. For both the sound pressure level and absolute thermal resistance readings, lower figures are better.
Expectedly, the performance chart of the Noctua NH-U12A lands right above that of its larger counterpart, the Noctua NH-U14S. The difference is very small (practically negligible), confirming Noctua’s claims that the NH-U12A can compete head-to-head with performance-oriented 140 mm fan coolers. For example, NH-U12A's performance advantage over a popular and significantly lower-priced tower cooler, the Cooler Master Evo 212, is momentous, partially justifying the retail price difference between the two products.
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Tunnah - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
I was on board until the price. I paid £60 for my NH-D14 and expected a price bump considering it's now 8 years old, but nearly double the price is a bit too far.GreenReaper - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
The pound isn't worth what it used to be eight years ago, either:https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to...
nivedita - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
Noctua isn’t an American companylogamaniac - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
nor the pound an American currencyDug - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
Nice to see a new cooler review. Hopefully more can come down the pipeline and get rid of the old coolers on here that you can't even buy.eastcoast_pete - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
Thanks for the review. Two questions/comments:1. You mentioned the Evo212 in some paragraphs and a graph. I also believe that this is a good comparison cooler, as it also addresses price/performance. And, while the Noctua is a bit of a niche product, I would have like to see how it did compared to the higher priced "extra quiet" heatsinks shown. If you have the data, could you share them?
2. I know that many people who are looking for that kind of cooler wouldn't care for whatever setup came with their CPU. However, those have the best price - free (with the CPU). It would be nice to know just how much extra thermal performance one gets by replacing the coolers that come with the CPU. May suggestion is to show the performance of the respective boxed Intel and AMD cooler alongside. With AMD making noise about their Wraith Spire cooler's performance (included with most of their desktop CPUs), I would really like to know just how much better these aftermarket ones are. Thanks!
eastcoast_pete - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
For question 1. "It refers to the 212 cooler, the Noctua is obviously already shown.Mil0 - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
I second the suggestion for comparing it to the wraith (spire), esp with Ryzen's PBO.Edkiefer - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
I always liked the NH-U14S there going for low 60$ (about same as NH-U12S). You do need a case to support the height.LoneWolf15 - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
I'd absolutely love to find out how the newest Noctuas (UH12A, NH-U14S NH-D15, NH-D15S) compare to the older NH-D14, NU-U12S, and the Thermalright TRUE 120.The results on Noctua's new gear is amazing, but I contacted Thermalright to ask about heat dissipation for my TRUE Black 120 from 2008, and found it's rated for a stunning 240 watts. I have two Noctua Redux 120mm 1300rpm fans on it and it's keeping a Core i9-9900K (running all eight cores at max turbo 4.8GHz at 100% usage in Folding@Home) stable , a bit over 80C at 160+ watts load under constant use. An eleven year old (admittedly heavy nickel-plate copper with six heat pipes) cooler. I'm still impressed.
I'd love to know how far we've really come since the D14 and TRUE120 just to see if there's a significant difference.