- Review -
NH-U12S
The Noctua NH-U12S is $80 at our local retailer, NCIX, so the heatsink does come at a high price. The NH-U12S is also a high performance cooler so the parts and build quality are held to high standards. The heatsink offers great cooling without sacrificing silence. This is one of the quietest heatsinks we have tested so far and offers great performance. The NH-U12S is also compatible with all RAM modules so it is a great choice for first time system builders who are afraid of running into compatibility issues and reduces headaches. Noctua has put a lot of thought into designing the NH-U12S and it shows in the final product. They have thought of ways to make life easier for the end user by using metal clips to secure the fans. A simple convenience such as using a single wire instead of fiddling with plastic inserts makes installation simple and the inclusion of a screwdriver means the end-user doesn't have to find one, or buy one if they don't own one. Noctua has also tried to make installation of the cooler and backplate easier by reducing the amount of things you need to hold in place. They split the installation into small easy steps so there are no headaches or broken parts due to installation. Since they dropped support for LGA 775 and 1366, they can simplify the backplate, removing the need to reposition the screws to line up with the holes.
"Noctua shows that you don't need a huge loud cooler for great performance, and that it doesn't need to be flashy with LEDs and plastic shrouds. All you need is great engineering to make a great cooler. If you are in the market for a CPU cooler, make sure you take a look at the Noctua NH-U12S." (Martin Tam, [blank]'s Universe)
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