INTRODUCTION

   Total fin surface (thickness/area) is what all coolers basically come down to so size really does matter, at least in this segment of the industry. So, when any manufacturer needs to increase cooling efficiency the most effective way to go about that is to increase total fin surface and this of course applies to CPU coolers as well. Still the more and/or larger fins you add to a cooler (any type of cooler for that matter) the larger its size becomes which in turn reduces compatibility with PC cases. Take for example 120/240mm AIO liquid CPU coolers which unlike 360/420mm models are compatible with the majority of cases out there. Obviously, CPU air coolers are also "suffering" from the same issue but for those who seek passive cooling for their systems such models are clearly the only valid choice. The NH-P1 by Noctua is the latest such model to enter the market and today that's what i have on my test bench.

   Designed in Austria, Noctua’s premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 6000 awards and recommendations from leading hardware websites and magazines, Noctua’s fans and heatsinks are serving hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers around the globe.

   The NH-P1 is a massive CPU cooler designed by the folks over at Noctua with one goal in mind, to provide passive cooling even to high-end CPU models, current ones included. Since it stands 158mm tall, 154mm wide and 152mm long it clearly wasn't made with the tiniest mini-ITX and micro-ATX cases out there in mind but thanks to its size it packs a total of 13 very large fins (each of which measures no less than roughly 1.5mm in thickness – this is almost 4 times more compared to those found on regular coolers) and a grand total of six 6mm nickel-plated copper heatpipes. To get a rather significant boost in performance with just a slight increase in noise levels Noctua recommends pairing their NH-P1 CPU cooler with their 120mm NF-A12x25 LS-PWM fan (ultra-quiet model) which you can mount either on the sides or the top (the where depends on both your motherboard and case). Well, it's been quite a while since i had a passive CPU cooler in the lab so let's see what the NH-P1 is capable of, both as a standalone solution and with the NF-A12x25 LS-PWM fan.