- Review -

16.04.2010 OCIA.net

To say that I am impressed with the Noctua NH-D14 would be the understatement of the year. This heatsink is simply incredible. Starting with the overall design, I really like it. The dual tower aluminum fins really make a statement, with the 140mm fan sandwiched between the two. The fans are classic Noctua, with a cream colored frame and brownish-orange fan blades. You may or may not like this color scheme, but it didn't bother me any. If you don't like them, you can always swap them out for your favorite pair... or leave them off completely in certain circumstances. The fans are very nice so odds are, you won't want to discard them. They are very quiet and move a good amount of air. Both fans feature Noctua's Vortex-Control Notches that increases static pressure and mixes airflow more smoothly resulting in less turbulence and velocity loss. Both fans output to a 3-pin header and feature black braided cables. Noctua also includes a pair of Ultra Low Noise Adapters (U.L.N.A) that reduces fan speeds from 1200 / 1300 RPM to 900 / 900 RPM on the 140mm and 120mm respectively. Installation does require removing the motherboard, at least for the Intel installation. Fortunately my case features an access panel on the motherboard tray so I was able to leave my board installed in the case during installation. Installation itself is painless and took maybe 10 minutes tops. Temperature results were great all around. I was even able to run the heatsink passively at stock CPU clocks and could likely have overclocked a bit, all without any CPU fans. I can't recall ever being able to do this with any other heatsink. If you are running a new i3 or i5 and want the quietest system possible, this is the CPU cooler for you.

"If you are looking for the best of the best air cooler for your high end CPU with every intent to overclock, or you want to run a mid grade system passively, the Noctua NH-D14 is a must-have." (Shawn Knight , OCIA.net)