- Review -

17.10.2013 Hardware-360

The build quality and the bundle are typical of what enthusiasts have come to expect from Noctua with excellent fans and full accessory kit for out of the box use. Although very few will consider 64.99 USD and 74.99 USD a value proposition, the extras that come with the NH-U12S and NH-U14S more than justify these premium prices. Both the NF-A15 and NF-F12 alone have an MSRP of 29.99 USD each, combined with the 10 USD NT-H1 thermal compound and the rest of the accessory pack, then the aluminum and nickel plated heat sink itself is of significant value compared to other premium single-tower coolers. Excellent design is also visible on the ease of mounting and installation, with some considerate choices by Noctua to simplify the process (aside from including a screw driver in the accessory pack).

"Both the Noctua NH-U12S and NH-U14S are able to handle high-voltage overclocks and deliver on the promise of tall RAM compatibility, especially on X79 systems where both sides of the CPU socket are flanked with DIMM slots." (Ron Perillo, Hardware-360)