Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler Review

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Over the past few years Noctua has continued to impress the enthusiast community with some down right great CPU cooling solutions. We here at Hardware Canucks have looked at everything from one of their earliest coolers (the U12) to a massive beast dubbed the D14, and for the most part have walked away impressed. The one exception was the C12, which did leave a bit to be desired but Noctua has been hard at work behind the scenes and has released a successor: the NH-C14.

This all new heatsink combines dual 140mm fans and a down draft form factor to create what we hope is a highly flexible, high performance cooler. It also promises an easy installation setup. This is a tall order, as the C12 the C14 supersedes really couldn’t do either due in part to its unique design.

While it is not exactly hard to find, the C14 does come with a pretty steep asking price of about $75 USD. Even though it is equipped with a pair of good-looking stock fans (or at least low noise, high priced fans), this is a serious chunk of change that places it firmly in the upper end of the enthusiast spectrum and close to what the D14 originally went for. For the same - or less – money, you can get some other extremely high end tower style coolers.

Pricing does tend to put the C14 into a interesting market segment but if anything, Noctua has proven they have the engineering chops to pull of some incredible feats. Hopefully, they’ll be able to pull off another one here.

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Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS

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A Closer Look at the Noctua NH-C14

A Closer Look At the Noctua NH-C14

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The C14’s box is an all white affair with colour highlights in strategic places to guide your eyes to the details you will need. Covering the white box are numerous engineering / schematics drawings of the cooler contained within. It is noteworthy that while this box is not quite as large as our D14’s was it still is very big.

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As expected, the list of accessories which accompanies this Noctua cooler of the highest quality while being more than complete. As with the older Noctua coolers we have looked at, it comes with one of the best and comprehensive installation booklets out there. The NH-C14 also includes the SecureFirm 2 mounting bracket which means compatibility with Intel 775/1156/1366 systems and AMD’s own AM2 / AM3 setups. Included is also a small syringe of Noctua’s NT-H1 thermal compound, their classic screwdriver, Low Noise and Ultra Low Noise adaptors and even a Y adapter to allow both fans to be run off of a single motherboard fan header.

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The Noctua NH-C14 is certainly a large cooler and while it is not overly tall it does have a very large footprint. The official dimensions of this cooler (with fans) are 130mm X 140mm X 166mm and a fairly substantial 1000grams (700 grams without fans).

The reason for these beefy dimensions is because it uses and fully takes advantage of 140mm fans. We say “fully takes advantage” because unlike most CPU cooling solutions which are “140mm fan capable”, the C14 heatsink is actually larger than a single 120mm fan. Luckily, Noctua included two of their excellent NF-P14 fans even though the NH-C14 can use 120mm fans; albeit with a certain amount of performance loss.

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Believe it or not, this behemoth is actually very flexible in its capabilities. If you have a smaller case which cannot accept an overly tall CPU cooler (say a Noctua D14 or even the smaller U12), simply remove the top fan and use only the bottom fan without worrying about getting your side panel back on. Overly tall RAM modules can lead to some serious headaches but with the C14, these can be overcome by removing the bottom fan. Of course, if you have a large case and normal height ram then you can use BOTH included fans and get the best cooling possible from the C14.

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As we have already alluded to, this heatsink includes a pair NF-P14-FLX 140mm fans which usually retail for $20…each. They are rated for a maximum of 1200 rpm at which speed they move about 65CFM with a 1.21mm of static pressure. While these do tend to lack the static pressure of a good 120mm fan they are still very, quiet and can move a decent amount of air.

 

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A Closer Look At the Noctua NH-C14 cont'd

A Closer Look At the Noctua NH-C14 cont'd

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When it comes to actual design and layout of the fin array, it looks like a spitting image of the D14’s just on a smaller scale. The six 6mm heat pipes on the C14’s are clustered in what can loosely be considered two groups of three heat pipes which should help with heat dissipation.

As with any good design the heat pipes are laid out so as to not be over the fan hub in the center and to catch as much of the air movement created by the 140mm fans as possible. Sadly, if you do swap out the 140mm fans and use 120mm fans, the outer two heat pipes are barely going to get any direct airairflow as they are right at the edges of what a 120mm fan can cover. Luckily, theses outer heatpipes are also on the outer edge of the base so the amount of heat they absorb from your CPU is going to much less than the ones over the center of the CPU’s IHS.

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As mentioned earlier, the included 140mm fans have some great capabilities but high static pressure is not one of them. Noctua obviously understood this limitation and have given the C14’s fin array faces a highly unique profile. They basically took the multi-faceted “saw tooth” approach from previous generations and have added a shallow V in the center.

This V-shaped indent covers the area where the fan hub’s “dead zone” will be and by making a slight depression here they have essential created a mini-shroud that will help reduce static pressure and funnel some of the fans’ air movement towards the center. This should improve performance by removing the dead zone and allowing the entire fin array to cool the heat pipes.

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The finishing of the Noctua NH-C14’s base is certainly above average. To be blunt, anything less than perfect would have been a major disappointment as this is one area Noctua almost always gets right. Many, many other companies could take lessons from Noctua on base finishing as they are one of the best at it.

 

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Intel Installation

Intel Installation

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Noctua heatsinks usually come with easy installation processes and the C14 is no different. The backplates come with movable bolt positions which slide from 775 to 1156 to 1366 positions for Intel motherboards. The heads of these bolts are octagonal shaped and fit snugly between the raised edges of the backplate which has been designed specifically to hold them in place.

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After the installation of plastic tube-like spacers, two mounting bars can be placed over the bolts which ensure that the curve or arch of the bars is pointing out and away from the CPU. Like the backplate, these bars are a 3 in 1 design, allowing for mounting on Intel 775, 1156 and 1366 socket types. The closest notch in is for 775, the mid position is for 1156 and the outer holes are for 1366.

With these bars installed in the proper orientation you then simply thread the supplied thumb screws onto each of the bolts. When they are hand tight, you then get out the included screwdriver (a very nice inclusion, one which we wish more manufactures did) and tighten them down.

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Much like the D14 Noctua cooler, there is actually not much you need to do to the C14 to get it ready for installation as the metal tabs (with integrated captured springs and bolt) are pre-installed for you. In fact, about all you have to do is remove the two NF-P14 fans from the cooler (as they both come pre-installed), gently lower the NH-C14 cooler into place and tighten down the included screws. All that’s left is to install the fans with their mounting brackets which is easily accomplished.

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The only potential negative with this cooler (besides clearance issues which we will get to in a moment) is the fact that the Y adaptor has not been sheathed in the same tight nylon material as the other adaptors. This does take away from the overall look of the C14 and we really wish Noctua had not overlooked this minor detail.

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When it comes to clearance issues, we really were pleasantly surprised at how well this cooler interacts with our motherboard and ram. To be honest, this is simply the most user friendly and well thought out down draft cooler we have ever used. If you want to have the fan blowing over your ram, you will have to be careful in your ram selection as the second (“bottom”) fan did come close to our standard height modules. The other negative with this orientation is that you will have a tough time swapping out ram after the C14 is installed.

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The last caveat worth mentioning is if you are like most and decide to have the fan and fin array pointed over your motherboard’s heatsinks, you may not be able to use both fans. Our Gigabyte motherboard had no problems and there was a decent amount of clearance; but once again, other boards have higher heatsinks.

All in all, we walked away very impressed with this large cooler as it really was a joy to install and work with.

 

[AkG]

AMD Installation

AMD Installation

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On the AMD side of things, installation of the Noctua NH-C14 is very similar the Intel process albeit with an extra step. To start installing this mega sized cooler you once again should remove your motherboard from its case and remove the standard AMD plastic retention ring, but leave the backplate where it is.

Far too many coolers on the market use the standard AMD plastic retention ring which is less than optimal but the C14 comes with a premium AMD installation setup. This includes new retention rings which can be properly tightened down, ensuring even pressure upon the CPU’s IHS. The largest advantage is actually being able to install this heatsink in any orientation you wish. Other than this first step, the installation is basically identical to the Intel one.

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As with the Intel side of things the only real issue you may run into is with memory clearances. Our AMD motherboard uses Mushkin ram which is slightly taller than standard modules so things were a bit tight. Luckily, no contact was made did with the bottom fan but if you plan on using overly tall memory, the chances of getting the C14 with two fans to play nice is slim.

Of course, you can always have the fan blowing over your motherboard’s heat sink; or for that matter, you can also just run it with one fan. It really is nice when we get to work with such a well engineered and forgiving piece of equipment like the NH-C14.

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[AkG]

Testing Methodology

Testing Methodology

To ensure that the results from one review to another are not only reproducible but actually pertinent to this review, the Testing Methodology will be the same throughout all reviews used. If something does change we will be sure to make a special note of it and explain why this change was done and more importantly why things had to be changed or altered.


Thermal Paste and Application Methods:

Arctic Cooling MX-2 thermal paste was used for all coolers during these tests unless otherwise noted.

For all non HDT coolers, application of thermal paste was in accordance with the TIM manufacturer’s instructions; and while not necessary, the TIM was allowed to cure for 24 hours under moderate to high loads (with periods of low loads) prior to testing.

For all 3 pipe HDT coolers two lines of TIM is applied to the two centre metal posts and for all 4 pipe HDTS three (smaller) lines of TIM are applied to the metal posts. This method has been found to provide significantly better coverage than the more typical methods.


Fans Used

120mm:
For all CPU Cooling Solutions which do not come with their own fan, a Noctua NF-P12-1300 and a Scythe S-Flex “G” 1900RPM fan will be used if it accepts 120mm fans. With these two fans we are able to simulate different fan speed conditions as indicated below.


Low Speed:

900RPM with a Noctua NF-P12-1300 with ULNA adapter. To be more precise our specific fan runs at 930RPMs. Any stock fan which comes with the ability of being controlled by means other than the motherboard (e.g. remote fan speed controller, potentiometer, rheostat, etc) will be set to this speed during the low speed test and BOTH sets of performance results will be included.


Moderate Speed:

1300RPM Noctua NF-P12-1300 with NO adapters used. To be more precise our specific fan runs at 1326RPMs. Any stock fan which comes with the ability of being controlled by means other than the motherboard (e.g. remote fan speed controller, potentiometer, rheostat, etc) will be set to this speed during the moderate speed test and BOTH sets of performance results will be included.


High Speed:

1900RPM Scythe S-Flex “G”. To be more precise our specific fan runs at 1860RPMs. Any stock fan which comes with the ability of being controlled by means other than the motherboard (e.g. remote fan speed controller, potentiometer, rheostat, etc) will be set to this speed during the High speed test and BOTH sets of performance results will be included.


Dual Fans*:

Dual NF-P12-1300s

*Dual fans only used if the cooler comes with the necessary mounting hardware.


92mm Fan:

If the cooler being tested only accepts 92mm fans, a Noctua NF-B9-1600 will be used.

If the given CPU cooling solution comes with a stock fan we will also include its numbers in the closest of the main tests BUT we will also include our standard fan results in that particular tests.


Fan Notes:

- If a heatsink cannot mount an aftermarket fan, we will be only including the stock fan results. However, if the stock fan speed can be precisely controlled by means other than the motherboard BIOS (an included remote fan speed controller, potentiometer, rheostat, etc), the cooler will be tested at different fan speeds.

- For dual fan results ALL coolers capable of mounting two fans (and come with the necessary hardware) will be tested with two NF-P12s and the Dual Fan graph will contain data for other such dual capable fan coolers.


We feel that the combination of multiple speeds and multiple fans will allow us to give you our readers clear and precise idea of the capabilities of a given unit, in an accurate comparison. It will also help eliminate the occasional “zinger” such as when a manufacturer includes an extremely high-speed fan in order to possibly offset poor heat sink thermal performance.


Environment:

All comparison testing was done on an open bench with a constant ambient temperature of 24°C. If at any time the room temperature increased or decreased by more than 1°C, testing was halted until the temperature constant was re-established.


Testbed:

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Unlike our previous methodology which used an open bench setup with a horizontally orientated motherboard, our new open bench is a modified Tech Station with a twist.

It has been modified so that the motherboard is in a more typical vertical orientation as it would be when installed in a case.

This has been done by the simple expedient of drilling out the bumper pads and threading long bolts (typically used for mounting fans to water cooling radiators) up through the top base of the tech station. Then by simply threading the bolts up through the motherboard we can then secure said motherboard to the tech station. Rubber mounts followed by a nut ensures that nothing moves. When the motherboard has been secured we simply tip the tech station on its side and using weights on the lower “legs” to keep it from tipping over we end up with a vertical orientated motherboard which is safe and secure yet still an open, controlled benching environment.


Mounting Orientation:

Only the typical East / West (aka forward / back) orientation will be used.


Temperature Recording:

Recorded temps were as reported via the Real Temp plug-in for the RivaTuner monitor program.

Max and Average load temps are based on 15 minutes of running Prime95 “small fft” and are taken directly from RivaTuner’s built in capabilities.

The maximum temperatures will be the highest recorded temp displayed for any of the cores during the 15 minute test. While RivaTuner will display each core's average temperature it does not easily show the average of ALL the cores. To this end we will be simply taking the average of all the cores adding them together and then dividing by the number of cores.

If during any test temperatures of 90°C or more are displayed in RivaTuner (for any core) for more than 10 consecutive seconds the testing will be halted and that test run will be considered a "fail".

Idle temperatures are the lowest recorded temperature during idle period as recorded by the RealTemp Rivatuner monitoring program.

All CPU throttling technology was disabled in the BIOS; as was all CPU fan speed control. In addition, Turbo Mode was disabled and Hyperthreading was enabled.

All tests are run a minimum of three times and only the best results are represented.

Maximum voltage used is 1.35 volts.


Charts & Graphs:

Due to clutter and confusion we now will only be including the best of the best. We understand that “best” does mean different things to different people, to this end we will only be including what we feel are the best representatives of the main price ranges. These main prices ranges approximately are Intel OEM (free), $30, $40, $50, $60, and unlimited. Please keep in mind that prices are variable and while we have done our best to pick what we feel best represents a given price range there can and will be some overlap as these price ranges are not set in stone (with the exception being the Intel OEM cooler). To further help clarify a given cooler’s performance we will also be including a seventh CPU cooling solution, a cooling solution which irregardless of price best exemplifies what a good “all round” dual fan capable cooler should be. For the time being this last will be the TRUE Black. After each published cooler review we will re-evaluate the coolers being included in the charts and based on the value or performance may swap out a cooler for a cooler that was just reviewed.

This way you will not only know how it compares to the Intel stock unit and the best Damn Good Value coolers but also the best of the best Damn Good coolers out there. In grand total there will only be 8 coolers represented in a graph. However, if the review is a “round up” review this limitation will be extended to include all coolers in that review plus the above 7 cooling solutions. We will endeavour to keep the number as low as possible while still giving an accurate picture of the performance of all coolers being reviewed.

Each chart will include the Maximum or “peak” temperature we recorded, the average temperature and the idle temperature.

No passive results will be shown UNLESS manufacturer claims the ability to passively cool a processor. If a manufacturer claims passive capabilities we will include the performance numbers in the charts. The only exception to this is if the review is a “review roundup” and to keep the charts from becoming confusing we may not do so.


Sound Pressure Testing:

To give a more accurate and less of a personal opinion on the noise level of the stock fan which accompanies the heatsink, we have included a new section for sound pressure testing. These tests are done in our open case setup outlined above with the meter positioned 30 inches away from the cooler and mounted on a tripod. To ensure the background noise does not skew the results all tests will start by recording the ambient noise of the room. Only when it meets our standards will the testing commence.

To ensure that no external noise unduly skews the results, the GPU used will be a passively cooled unit and the only active fan will be the one on the cooler while the PSU and HDD are isolated away from the immediate area.

These tests are run late at night when no other people or animals are awake and thus unable to influence the results.

All fans are run at their maximum speed with no voltage or PWM control being used during the sound pressure tests.

The sound pressure meter used is a DT-805 which has been professionally calibrated and NIST certified. We will record the highest levels obtained with said meter and record it as our result. The test will be 15 minutes long and will be run while the fan is running full speed via a Molex connector and the CPU cores are under a full load via Prime 95 Small FFT.

Please note: The Scythe S-Flex G and Noctua NF-P12-1300 (at 1300 and 900rpms) numbers are taken when mounted to a Cooler Master Hyper 212+. We feel that it would be extremely unfair and unrealistic to include noise rating for these after market fans if they were NOT mounted onto a cooler. They are included to help give some sense of proportion to the charts and allow you to more easily compare a stock fan against a known quantity.


Complete Test System:


Processor: Intel i7 920

Motherboard: Gigabyte X58-UD3R

Memory: 6GB Aneon Xtune DDR3-1600

Graphics card: EVGA 7300GT passive

Hard Drive: 1x WD 320GB single platter

Power Supply: Topower Powerbird 900W


Special thanks to Direct Canada for their support and supplying the i7 920 CPU.

Special thanks to Gigabyte for their support and supplying the i7 motherboard.

 

[AkG]

Stock Fan Performance Results

Stock Fan Performance Results

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All things considered these numbers are certainly decent but they are not in the same league as the other dual fan cooling solutions we have looked at. To be honest, we were hoping for a bit more from the C14 than this, but by the same token the stock fans are not exactly “high performance” since they are designed to be low noise solutions.

It also appears that while you can run this down draft cooler in one fan mode, doing so does come with a pretty stiff performance penalty.

 

[AkG]

High Speed Fan Performance Results

High Speed Fan Performance Results

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At lower heat loads this downdraft cooler really can compete with the big boys and while it never even comes close to finishing first, it certainly does give the more enthusiast orientated tower style coolers a run for their money. With that being said, when the heat was really turned up the C14 did falter. As we surmised earlier, this cooler really needs two fans (even two moderate performance fans) to get the most from it.

Taking a close look at the single P14 results compared to the Scythe results, it becomes blatantly obvious that even a high performance 120mm fan is not a great solution for the C14, as the 140mm fin array simply can’t be cooled as efficiently as it can with a 140mm fan. It really is a shame that there aren't any good high performances 140mm fans out there.

 

[AkG]

Mid-Speed Fan Performance Results

Mid-Speed Fan Performance Results

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After seeing the single high performance fan results it really comes as no surprise that this cooler doesn't do as well with a moderate performance 120mm fan as it does with the stock fans it comes with. It is noteworthy that at 1300RPM the Noctua NF-P12 fan is rotating basically 100RPMs faster than the stock fans, yet nets results WORSE than the single NF-P14 numbers.

At lower over clock, the C14 is very, very impressive and is easily one of the better downdraft coolers out there. However, once the heat is really turned up the inefficient design does hobble it to a certain extent, allowing tower designs to once again prove why they are preferred by enthusiasts.