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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Oliseo - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
I run a Corsair 115i Platinum (280mm) AIO on my i9 9900k, running at 5Ghz all cores with no AVX offset. (Uncore at 4.8)It never goes above 72 degrees, when running 100% rendering 3D models. (Where AVX is used heavily).
I do have the Noctua NH-D15 on my sons i7 9700k, but it's simply not as good as my AOI.
Qasar - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
for $100 bucks more then the NH-D15, i would hope so, or it would be a rip off ;-)FreckledTrout - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
Yeah this did remind me of my old Thermalright TRUE 120. I have it in a friends computer running an old 2600K I donated. That cooler is/was very nice.mjz_5 - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
Would love to see how this compares to the stock Ryzen coolerskeyserr - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
Thanks for the review. I'm becoming one of 'those' people that likes silence in their PC. I was waiting for this fan to come out and build a system around it! However, I have since read that the NH-D15 / NH-D15S is quieter and this review suggests that since it performs well at low rpm. Lower rpm than than the NH-U12A. I might also wait for the fanless monster.. for a mITX beast system :)Hyper72 - Saturday, July 20, 2019 - link
I'm with you there. I like my computer out of hearing and sight so it's great to see a nice review!jabber - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
Just love that fake limb plastic colour.Ashinjuka - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
While this is interesting and I understand why AnandTech would review it, similar to feelings expressed towards the extreme high end PSUs and folks asking for more realistic and everyday reviews to compare to, I'd love to see you folks do a round-up of some of the middle and lower end 3rd-party CPU coolers that are out there.My last few "utility" builds have used PCCOOLER Corona GI-X2B's and... they're fine. They're really fine. Basically silent under normal use. One 120mm fan with a LED ring, 2 heat pipes, rated for up to 105 TDP, for $15.
Sure, I wouldn't try to do any major overclocking with that but I suspect that for the 99%, these cheaper, less halo-premium CPU coolers are perfectly adequate and still way better than, for instance, stock Intel.
webdoctors - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
+1Really wish it was compared to regular budget coolers like the 212 in the graph.
At $100 its hitting the AIO water cooler heatsinks.
I see at newegg the CoolerMaster 212 is $35 with free shipping,
Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED with PWM Fan, Four Direct Contact Heatpipes, Unique Fan Blade Design, Red LEDs, Optimized Bracket
I'd love to know how this compares to that, its sort of the benchmark (pardon the pun) comparison point since its been used for ~10 yrs and on a multitude of platforms.
Using the stock AMD Wraith cooler, and putting that $100 into a better CPU would be much better, you'd get a substantial upgrade in CPU performance.
piroroadkill - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
But they did compare it to the 212 in the thermal resistance vs sound pressure level graph.The difference is stark.