- Review -

07.05.2013 HiTechLegion.com

I stated in the first page of the review that Noctua typically delivers their products with no surprises, and that is true. They are an amazingly consistent manufacturer. Without exception, when you open a Noctua cooler you know you are going to get top end performance, exceptional engineering and build quality, a mounting kit that is second to none, a very quiet cooler…..and fans that are in desperate need of a color change. But, I wasn’t sure how much performance I could expect with Noctua trying to work around the barriers that RAM manufacturers have built into their marketing schemes. Thankfully, that turned out to be a non-issue, with the U14S and U12S performing right at the top of their classes. When you open the boxes of the U14S and U12S, you are immediately struck by how refined the coolers are. All of the materials used, machining and design are absolutely impeccable right down to the smallest screw and case badge. There are only a couple of manufacturers you can even mention along with Noctua in their attention to detail, and absolutely no one does it better. The U14S and U12S both have a heavy, solid build with no edge left unpolished and all joints looking perfect. The aluminum towers have what I have found to be the most solid feel of any finned tower I have come across. Even the packaging is pristine. From every angle, Noctua coolers ooze quality. Installation with the SecuFirm 2 mounting kit is very quick, easy, intuitive and solid. No unnecessary parts, no fiddling. Just a solid, straightforward install. Once in the case the compatibility is evident. The U12S clears all RAM slots by a good margin, so the 100% compatibility guarantee certainly holds up. The U14S is guaranteed for LGA 2011, but I had no issues using and installing tall RAM on an 1150 board in the first slot. The RAM did slightly touch the fan on the corners, but did not cause any sound. Performance was as expected from Noctua, but not was what was expected from coolers this slim. The U14S easily kept up with the best coolers in its class, and adding a second fan put it very close to the D14 and Phanteks 14PE, not to mention the 240mm AiOs which cost 40% more. The U12S was more of the same, with performance going far beyond what could have been expected from a cooler with guaranteed 100% compatibility. A great added bonus was the noise factor, in as much as how little noise there was. The U14S and U12S are incredibly quiet, so much so that I checked fan speeds several times thinking they were running far slower than they were. In terms of noise/performance, I have yet to see a cooler that comes close to the U14S or U12S. While it is becoming harder to find performance RAM in standard heights, Noctua has answered the cooling challenges this causes in more than impressive fashion. The NH-U14S and 12S keep up with the best coolers in their classes, as well as AiO liquid coolers that cost substantially more, in terms of performance even with an OC. In terms of noise, the Noctua NH-U14S and 12S are simply outstanding, putting up the best cooling/noise performance I have ever seen. Of course, Noctua’s quality and mounting kits remain second to none on the NH-U14S and 12S.

"There is simply no weak spot to be found in the NH-U14S or 12S, while strong positives abound. Noctua has once again earned another pair of Editor’s Choice Awards for these groundbreaking coolers." (George Cella, HiTechLegion.com)