- Review -

04.04.2019 XtremeSystems.org

The NH-U12A is the heatsink featured in this review, and it did surprisingly well. One would expect that it would not be able to outperform top air coolers. Instead, this one tower heatsink surpassed all our expectations and beat out 140mm top heatsinks, while outperforms also the NH-U14S by 2C. The included fans can move a lot of air at low noise levels which is another great benefit. While this cooler didn't have the fancy colors like we have started to see recently from other brands, Noctua stuck to the basics and kept a simple, elegant design and style that is Noctua is known for. The brushed aluminum finish, along with the chrome and nickel plating is something to applaud. The non-interference with the RAM was a big plus in my book. Even on my Micro-ATX board i was able to access all four DDR slots if needed. There are very few air coolers available on the market of this size that will allow for that. Its great to see customers having more options with large coolers that have tell heat speader RAM. The easy install is also a huge plus. I say that about most Noctua coolers, but the SecuFirm 2 mounting system really is exceptional, and the heatsink's design makes it even easier to work with now.

"This cost may sound high for some but for users looking for the TOP powerful air-cooling alternative to a 140mm-tower design, the NH-U12A is the best option to have." (Ambrosidou Nat, XtremeSystems.org)