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
Testing Results, Maximum Fan Speed (12 Volts)
Starting things off, let's take a look at the NH-U12A performance with the fans at their full speed (12 V).
| Core Temperature, Constant Thermal Load (Max Fan Speed) |
Noctua claims that the NH-U12A can compete directly against 140 mm coolers. Although it is not really quite as good as advanced 140 mm coolers – at least when compared to the likes of the NH-U14S and the Phanteks PH-TC14PE – the thermal performance of the NH-U12A definitely is excellent for a 120 mm cooler. Which, in turn, is good enough to just touch the performance of simpler or silence-oriented 140 mm cooler designs, such as the Thermalright True Spirit.
The Noctua NH-U12A performs exceptionally well at the lower end of the load spectrum, outperforming even several 140 mm coolers at loads lower than 80 Watts. The gap widens as the load increases but the thermal performance of the NH-U12A always remains respectable. It is noteworthy to mention that the high thermal performance is complemented by respectable acoustics performance; even with the cooler's fans spinning at their maximum speed, the NH-U12A is audible but not too loud.
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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.