- Review -

31.03.2021 EnosTech.com

Noctua is aiming at the budget segment with this cooler. The cooler on its own has performed very well in our testing though it was a tough job to handle Intel i7 10700k with all cores on 5.1GHz. The maximum temperature on any core was 95°C. Almost all the air coolers in the single tower listed in our graphs were in the upper 80s and 90s for this load. But this was changed when we introduced the second fan on the rear of the heatsink in the pull configuration though at the cost of more noise. When we tested this cooler in push/pull configuration we saw an improvement of a maximum of 3.1°C under stress test with all cores on 5.1GHz. Clearly, this much heat output is required so that push/pull configuration could actually make a noticeable difference. The push/pull configuration also gives an advantage where we can reduce the speed of the fans to yield a better noise output with a better or similar thermal performance. This is what we have seen with the Noctua NH-U12S Redux and NA-FK1.

"With its utmost clearance and compatibility with respect to any height RAM and PCIe slot, decent acoustic performance at full speed, and a better performance in this price range coupled with 6 years warranty, the Noctua NH-U12S Redux comes recommended by us. Add a second fan using NA-FK1 and you have a rock-solid cooling solution though out of its aimed price range!" (Nauman Siddique, EnosTech.com)