INTRODUCTION

   Regular CPU Air Coolers may lead the market in terms of sales (mainly because of cost) but since there aren't many that offer high-cooling efficiency levels they are basically not as ideal for demanding consumers as water cooling solutions (both AIO and complete/custom loops). Now we have seen quite a few exceptions to that rule over the years but not nearly enough to "challenge" the increasing number of high-performance AIO liquid coolers in the market. Noctua is without doubt recognized as the leading manufacturer of CPU air coolers and fans worldwide but it's been long since they last released a model capable of rivalling AIO liquid CPU coolers so when they announced their latest product called the NH-U12A we just had to take a look and we did.

   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 brand new NH-U12A is the 5th generation CPU air cooler by Noctua in their long NH-U12 line of CPU air coolers which as some of you may know was first launched almost 14 years ago. Now although technologically there's really not much room for improvement when it comes to air coolers Noctua managed to further improve cooling efficiency not only by adding two of their latest high-performance NF-A12x25 120mm PWM fans (2000RPM/60CFM/2.34mmH2O/22.6dBA) in push and pull configuration and by redesigning the heatsink to provide increased fin surface area (increased heat dissipation) but also by using a total of 7 all-copper 6mm thick nickel-plated heatpipes soldered with the main body of the heatsink. Of course, just like with previous models by Noctua the NH-U12A is bundled with their NT-H1 thermal compound and is covered by a 6 year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large picture of the coolers base is placed at the front of the box right next to its main product features and of course the company logo.

All of the features are listed on the left side of the box while on the right side we see the product specification tables.

At the rear of the box as usual we find a few words about the product in 8 languages.

The bundle is placed inside a cardboard box located on top of the cooler.

Along with the NH-U12A (heatsink with two NF-A12x25 PWM fans) you will also get an NT-H1 thermal paste tube, long metal Philips screwdriver, two low-noise adapters, fan y-splitter, metal case badge, backplate, installation instructions (3 manuals) and all the necessary bits and pieces to mount the NH-U12A onto Intel LGA 1150/1151/1155/1156/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+ compatible mainboards.

THE NH-U12A

With both fans installed the 1220g heavy NH-U12A measures 158mm in height, 125mm in width and 112mm in depth.

Just like with all of their tower type coolers Noctua has placed their logo on the top aluminum fin.

As you can all see in order to increase the cooling efficiency of the heatsink all of its fins are closed on the sides to keep the air in.

The two NF-A12x25 PWM 120mm fans (metal-reinforced motor hub and axis with impeller made from Noctua’s ultra-durable novel Sterrox® liquid-crystal polymer compound) can reach speeds of up to 2000RPM to produce airflow levels of up to 60CFM with 2.34mmH2O static pressure and just 22.6dBA of noise.

The heatsink is made out of 50 aluminum fins.

Noctua this time over equipped the cooler with a total of seven 6mm nickel plated all-copper heatpipes (soldered to the aluminum fins not press-fitted) for superior cooling efficiency.

The all-copper base is also nickel plated and features a nice mirror-like finish.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan, we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally, it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures, we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure is more time consuming than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here, we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Although my very first encounter with Noctua was back in 2007 I am still amazed by their products not only because of their superior build quality (always compared to everything else in the CPU air cooler and fan markets) and high-performance levels but also because of their very low noise levels. Still I wasn’t really prepared for the NH-U12A not only due to the industrial grade and nearly inaudible NF-A12x25 fans but also because it clearly surpassed every other CPU air cooler we’ve tested to date on our LGA2011 test rig (including the NH-D15S model although those results are well within the margin of error). For good or bad Noctua hasn’t made any changes to the color scheme of their products (although they have released black and grey fans and accessories) and that is without doubt one of the two drawbacks of the NH-U12A (second to price that is).

   High cooling efficiency, low noise levels and superior build quality don’t come cheap and that has always been the case with products manufactured by Noctua. Well as expected the brand-new NH-U12A is no exception and so it currently retails for USD99.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 99.90Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which rivals that of the previously released NH-D1XX models. That being said things are actually very simple so if you’re looking to get your hands on one of the best CPU air coolers currently in the market (probably the best) look no further than the NH-U12A by Noctua and that statement alone explains why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- New Design (Zero Clearance Issues / Increased Surface Area)
- Superior Cooling Efficiency (Top CPU Air Cooler in Our Charts)
- Two 120mm PWM Fans in Push & Pull
- Noise Levels
- Easy Installation
- Bundle

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Color Scheme (For Some)