- Review -

09.05.2006 Neoseeker.com

As you can see, the Noctua was nudged aside only by our two water coolers, but not by much at all! For an air cooler, this is nothing short of astounding. The monolithic NH-U 12 completely butchered the G-Power, a cooler that has become our overclocking chiller of choice. [...] I have no doubts in my mind that the Noctua NH-U 12 will become a lab favourite from now on. This graph warrants another look, as the NH-U 12 is outdone by higher-end water coolers by a mere 1-2 degrees. Air is making a comeback.[...] Alright, so it's clear that the NH-U 12 beats every cooler we pitted it against, and by huge margins -- even with both fans. Some of the figures were within a hair-width of each other, especially when it comes to the 3D Galaxy and G-Power at low fan speeds. The results really do speak for themselves -- once you stick a Noctua NH-U 12 with a Coolink fan or two inside your case, you'll never hear them again. [...] The NH-U 12's design is utilitarian and industrial in nature, giving that sleeper PC an aggressive new look, but without the added roar of some of those other whiz-bang add-ons out there. The engineering is impressive, bearing the marking of something completely unusual and out-of-this-world. Coolers in the past have either cooled extremely well, but sounded like a howling storm, or been whisper-quiet but cooled only the lower extremities of "acceptable". The NH-U 12 from Noctua is both the quietest air cooler we have had the pleasure of using, and also the best-performing air cooler we have had the pleasure of using.

"The Noctua NH-U 12 is by far the best air cooler that we have ever tested, and with the right fans, it is the quietest active cooler that we have tested as well." (J. Micah Grunert, Neoseeker.com)