Final Words

It should be clear to anyone that the Noctua NH-U12F is first and foremost a heatpipe tower and fan designed for very low-noise cooling. The included fan, the elastomeric fan mounts, and the solid vibration-free attachment to the motherboard all point to a cooler designed to take up residence in a silent computer.

The Noctua delivers on the silent promise very well as far as we can ascertain. Noise levels in every configuration were well below the test system's noise floor. However, confirming Noctua specifications requires highly specialized test environments for accurate measurements of claimed noise levels of 8 dB-A with the U.L.N.A. and 17 dB-A with a full speed S12 fan. We did confirm that the Noctua was quieter than our power supply in every configuration we tested, but that noise level is quite a bit higher than the virtual silence claimed in the Noctua specifications. Subjectively, we could hear no noise at all from the mounted Noctua cooler. For those whose first consideration is ultra-low system noise, the Noctua should certainly be on the short list of heatpipe towers worth considering.

As we have learned the hard way, however, coolers that are terrific at keeping quiet are often not the best cooling solutions for performance. We asked in the beginning if the Noctua could also acquit itself well as a performance cooler for the overclocking enthusiast. The answer is it does very well as an overclocking cooler - particularly if you equip it with a pair of fans in push-pull configuration. This is particularly easy with the Noctua, since it is grooved for front/back fans and Noctua even includes two pairs of fan-mount wires in the retail kit. The included fan is also available as a standard retail fan from Noctua.

Having said that, we should also be clear that the Noctua did not top our overclocking performance charts. Most top air coolers tested so far have reached 3.90GHz in our standard test bed, with the top Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme reaching a record 3.94GHz with stability. The Noctua manages 3.88GHz, just a tiny amount less, but cooling temperatures are not really in the same league at this overclock as the best-performing coolers we have tested. This is with dual push-pull fans, and other configurations did not improve on this performance.

In the end the Noctua NH-U12F is a carefully balanced system of heatpipe tower and fan, which performs the designed task of cooling with silence extremely well. It is also a decent performance cooler, reaching overclock levels near the best tested. If your goal is the best overclocking cooler you can get, however, the Thermalright Ultra 120/Ultra 120 Extreme, and Tuniq Tower 120 are still your best choices.

This certainly is not a failing of the Noctua because it is a much better overclocking cooler than other coolers we have evaluated that emphasized silence first. It is also a more silent cooler than most others that advertise that feature. The fact that a higher output fan did not really improve the overclocking of the Noctua, as it did the Thermalright, Ninja and most other tested coolers, says quite a lot about the kit supplied by Noctua. If you want more cooling, add a second fan in push-pull as it works better than replacing the excellent low-noise fan provided by Noctua.

There are times when a product being evaluated doesn't top your performance charts, but it still grabs your attention. The Noctua NH-U12F is just such a product. It is a very elegant product, well conceived, logically presented, and with installation instructions that are completely on target. We like the product and would have no hesitation recommending the Noctua to most users. It will not take you to the top of the air cooler overclocking charts, but it may take you to silence if that is your goal. Unless extreme overclocking is your primary goal you will find the Noctua very satisfying. The top Thermalrights and the Tuniq 120 are better coolers at almost every frequency. So are some configurations of the Scythe Infinity and Ninja, and the Thermalrights are just as jewel-like as the Noctua. However, the careful balance of components in the Noctua is easy to admire and very satisfying.

Noise
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  • tk11 - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link

    Enough with the heat sink reviews. They make something hot, cool... big deal... they're all virtually identical. Please review an interesting or useful technology before we all loose interest in the site.
  • poohbear - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link

    lol they're all virtually identical eh? u obviously do NOT overclock.
  • tk11 - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link

    Actually I do overclock... by identical I was referring to the lack of innovation. The main differences between these coolers are size and styling, neither of which require technical analysis. Being a long time reader I was simply expressing my lack of interest in the latest series of reviews in hopes that anandtech will return to covering some of the more interesting technologies.
  • LoneWolf15 - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link

    Speak for thyself, not others. Plenty of people read these; if you don't, feel free to move on.
  • Jesse3G - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link

    I'm amused that you freely speak for others, but presume to restrict the privlege from another? Your post flirts with hypocrisy and the person you addressed brought up a valid opinion.

    Personally I'm surprised at the management decision on this cooling coverage. Why handle one at a time when this topic can clearly be consolidated into a comprehensive discussion of cooling??? A true "round-up" would compile all of these reviews into an inclusive article for each major cooling system category, with Anantech's enclosed suggestions of the best setups available.
  • SurJector - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link

    That would be nice to have those noise ratings: how does the stock fan compares with the SilenX and how much more noise the push-pull configuration makes ?

    Thanks for the reviews.
  • Wesley Fink - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link

    We did try SilenX with push pull and the noise ratings were still below the system noise floor set by the power supply. Cooling performance was roughly the same as the stock Noctua fans in push-pull and the overclock was not extended, so we saw no reason to pursue it further. The Noctua ultra low noise fan appears to push a lot of air and apparently generates high air pressure compared to some other low noise solutions.
  • puffpio - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link

    So then..the ultimate review would probably be these Noctua 120mm fans on an Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme in a push pull?
  • poohbear - Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - link

    well can u guys bug thermalright for an advance review of their IFX-14? u guys managed to review the TR ultra 120+ early, maybe u can do the same w/ the monstrous IFX-14?
  • Wesley Fink - Friday, April 27, 2007 - link

    Thermalright has just advised us that the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme is in full production. The problem with the mounting plate has been corrected in the release cooler.

    "The 775 bracket issue has been addressed and Ultra-120 eXtreme is now in full production. We think it’s even better than the engineering piece you received back then. Would you be able to verify that if we were to send you the “production” sample with its own packaging and all? I think you’ll be pleased to see the results and the improvements."

    We have a final production sample with improvements on the way. We also have requested an IFX-14 for review.

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