Noctua NH-U14S & NH-U12S CPU Coolers Review

[AkG]

Noctua, a company best known for their iconoclastic designs, recently released two new additions to their CPU cooling solution line-up: the NH-U12S and the NH-U14S. While these two single tower coolers are intended for slightly different market niches, both designs share a same core philosophy of uncompromising performance without compromising ease of installation and long term use.

Noctua CPU coolers haven’t been seen on our pages for some time for a simple reason: the engineering and staying power of each new Noctua design gives it a lifespan of years rather than months. However, with the recent explosion of both AIO water-based CPU coolers as well as air cooler designs from newer companies, even firmly entrenched manufacturers are reassessing their designs to better fit with the new market realities. This is exactly what the U14S and U12S bring to the tables- fresh ideas which still stay true to Noctua’s core beliefs.

The U12S and U14S share many points of commonality. Both use relatively narrow single tower designs, with fin arrays which start up high in order to decrease RAM and heatsink compatibility issues. The U12S is the latest iteration of Noctua’s classic ‘U12’ design and is intended to be used with either one or two 120mm fans. However, unlike previous Noctua U12 coolers, this U12 comes standard with Noctua’s latest 120mm fan, the ‘Focused Flow’ NF12. This should make for an excellent cooler in its own right, but the U12S’ release has actually been somewhat overshadowed by the U14S.

Unlike the NH-U12S, the NH-U14S isn’t a simple product refresh and, despite its name, isn’t a single tower version of the venerable D14. Rather, it represents something completely new and different from Noctua: a move away from the typical 140mm form factor toward's their distinctive NF-A15 fan.

The NF-A15 is actually a 140x150mm fan which uses standard 120mm mounting holes. This makes for a unique footprint and requires a custom fin array to properly harness its power. With Noctua’s additional focus on a quick and painless installation, the U14S promises to be one of the most user-friendly ‘plus sized’ heatsinks available today.

With asking prices of $60 and $70 for the NH-U12S & NH-U14S respectively, both of these coolers are certainly priced like premium solutions. With such stiff competition in the marketplace from air and water based designs, both will have to be very effective at meeting the demands of enthusiasts.

 

[AkG]

Closer Look at the NH-U12S

Closer Look at the NH-U12S

​

The NH-U12S’ box is an all white affair with plenty of information. Since many will be buying it from an online retailer, this likely won’t matter but it is nonetheless good to see that Noctua has put some effort into explaining their product’s strengths.

​

Once the main box is opened, you are greeted with three separate boxes which house the NH-U12S’ accessories. Conveniently, there’s one box for Intel, one for AMD and one for common mounting parts. This makes finding the right mounting equipment easy while also improving the box’s internal protection abilities.

As usual, Noctua provides their excellent SecureFirm 2 mounting system which is compatible with AMD platforms and Intel’s 115x & 2011 systems. There’s also a low noise fan adapter, well illustrated instruction pamphlets, enough wire brackets and vibration dampening material to mount a second 120mm fan, a full tube of Noctua’s self-branded thermal compound, four additional replacement rubber mounts for the F12 fan and even a long handled chrome screwdriver.

Intel socket 775 and 1366 users are out of luck but Noctua will send you – free of charge - the necessary equipment if you ask them.

​

On first glance one could easily mistake the U12S for the earlier U12P and it is only upon close inspection that some key differences become apparent. Unlike the NH-U12P which uses the classic Noctua NF-P12-1300, the new and improved U12S makes use of Noctua’s latest design, the NF-F12-1500. This high performance fan is specifically designed to excel in high static pressure environments and normally retains for about $20, thus adding some serious value to the U12S.

​

With the fan removed from the U12S it becomes evident that Noctua is bucking the recent “maximize fin area” movement by designing a slim, compact heatsink that focuses on optimal design rather than brute force. It is only 45mm deep. This gives the U12S a more distinctive appearance which is reminiscent of certain Thermalright or Prolimatech designs rather than ‘classic’ Noctua approach.

The benefit to this thinner design is a large reduction in potential ram clearance issues and motherboard heatsink compatibility run-ins. These are issues which have plagued many tower cooler designs since their inception but the new design may sacrifice some cooling potential as well.

​

The previous generation U12P used a four 6mm heatpipe design but things were changed this time around with the U12S’ five 6mm heatpipe layout. By adding in a fifth heatpipe, both should be very close in overall cooling potential despite the newer version using a small surface area.

In order to speed up heat transfer between the heatpipes and the base, Noctua has once again avoided the HDT (Heatpipe Direct Touch) meme by opting for a very thin – but solid – chrome covered copper base. This is supposed to distribute heat more evenly over the heatpipes rather than certain heatpipes taking a higher thermal load as sometimes happens with HDT coolers.

Noctua has polished this chrome base to a mirror shine which should further help with the smooth transfer of heat from the CPU to the five 6mm heatpipes.

​

To fully utilize the fin array and reduce impact of the loss of so much surface area, Noctua added the aforementioned 1500RPM ‘Focused Flow’ fan. Not only has the F12’s rotational speed increased by ~300rpm over its predecessor and the static pressure has been boosted from 1.68mm to whopping 2.61mm. The air movement has been more tightly focused as well which makes the F12 even more effective at pushing air through the NH-U12S’ fin array.

Instead of being a voltage regulated only like the P12, the new F12 fan is PWM capable. This should make for a much more consistent noise profile throughout its speed range.

​

To fully take advantage of the higher performance stock fan, Noctua has also modified the fin array design. It gently slopes to the center to remove the dead zone in front of the fan hub. It also has multiple grooves running the entire length of the array which should reduce the already low static pressure requirements.

 

[AkG]

Closer Look at the NH-U14S

Closer Look at the NH-U14S

​

The NH-U14S’ box is nearly identical to the NH-U12S’ but with larger dimensions to help accommodate the heatsink’s larger footprint. Its accessories and mounting kit also mirror those found on its smaller sibling which means Intel 775 and 1366 users are left out in the cold. They can however request the free installation kit we mentioned earlier.

​

This cooler is quite distinctive and doesn’t look like any previous Noctua model due to the higher performance NF-A15 fan it comes equipped with. While a NF-F12 could easily be mistaken for a NF-P12 fan, the A15’s 140x150mm design is quite odd since its square ‘posts’ to allow for compatibility with 120mm mounting hardware.

While the A15 fan is indeed larger and moves more air – 67.7 CFM – than the F12, its static pressure envelope is only rated for a moderate 1.51mn, making it less capable of pushing air through the U14S’ fin array.

​

Getting past the unique aesthetics of the NF-A15 fan, this 770 gram – without fans attached - cooler looks quite a bit like an upscaled version of the U12S, though there are some unique features thrown into the mix. Like the U12S, the U14S is rather thin but its design is different from nearly any other single tower heatsink we can think of.

To help ensure the A15 fan can get the job done, Noctua has devised a very aggressive ‘face’ for this heatsink. As with the U12 – only more so –there is a deeply sloping ‘V’ profile which helps channel the airflow and remove any dead zones created by the fan’s hub.

​

Viewing the NH-U14S straight on reveals the most obvious difference between Noctua’s two newest products: the fin array on this one isn’t square. They had to increase its width to accommodate optional 140mm fans while ensuring wide ranging motherboard compatibility. They also eschewed the traditional fin array design by giving the U14S a stepped layout with each side angling towards the center. This rather ingenious design sacrifices some cooling area but it ensures an end user won’t have to resort to 90° offset mounting orientations.

​

Also unlike the U12S, the U14S relies upon six heatpipes instead of just five. This should help increase efficiency at higher heat loads and allow consumers to achieve higher overlclocks before temperature limitations kick in. The high quality smooth polished base should also help heat transfer.

 

[AkG]

Installation Intel / AMD

Installation Intel / AMD

​

Both of these coolers rely upon the same version of Noctua’s excellent SecuFirm 2 mounting system which uses a simple three-step installation approach on Intel systems. It consists of a backplate, some spacers, two alignment arms and a retention system that’s been pre-installed onto the heatsink.

The backplate itself is easy to install, though it doesn’t have any double sided tape to hold it in place. This does necessitate some wrangling but not a huge amount of frustration provided it you install everything on a flat surface.

​

On top of this backplate, four long retaining bolts are installed onto which a quartet of white spacers are placed to ensure adequate and even mounting pressure can be applied. This also strictly limits the amount of over-tightening, virtually eliminating motherboard or CPU damage.

The bolts and spacers act as a sturdy platform for the primary mounting bars. These act as a bridge between the mounting holes and each has a single threaded bolt which provides a unified point for heatsink installation. Actually installing these couldn’t be easier since Noctua provides thumb screws and their own screwdriver while the spacers firmly hinder any over-tightening.

The next step is to actually install the cooler itself which involves removing the pre-installed fan, aligning the handy integrated spring-loaded bolt system and then tightening down the whole affair. Unlike with other competing heatsinks, there’s no fiddling around with secondary arms or other items that can complicate the whole process.

​

When it comes to installation issues there is a slight divergence between the U12S and the U14S. The U12S lives up to its billing as having zero installation issues. It is by far one of the easiest, worry free models available today and even in dual fan configurations we ran into absolutely no issues and cannot even point to any potential issues.

​

On the other hand the U14S is a much larger cooler than the U12S but it too is quite user-friendly. Thanks to the ingenious ‘step’ design most motherboard heatsinks will never touch its overhanging fins.

The only potential installation issue we ran into regarded the A15 fan’s position. On some newer 115x motherboards the ram isn’t well situated and is sometimes pushed excessively close to the CPU, but by mounting the fan higher on the fin array will alleviate any problems. For such a larger cooler, we couldn’t have been happier with its design.

AMD Install

​

On the AMD side of things, the installation very similar to the Intel process, albeit with an extra necessary step: the standard AMD plastic retention ring needs to be removed while leaving the backplate where it is. The most significant advantage besides peace of mind is the ability to install these heatsink is a typical East / West orientation.

​

The only thing worth noting is the curvature of the retention brackets. On the Intel side of things you had to make sure they are curved away from the CPU but here they to curve in towards the CPU. Other than this small yet crucial difference the rest of the install is for all intents and purposes the same for both AMD and Intel.

 

[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.


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 & Triple Fans*:

Two or Three 1900RPM Scythe S-Flex “G”

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


140mm Fan:

If the cooler being tested accepts 140mm fans, NZXT FX 140LB fans will be used.


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:

​

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:

Case: Cooler Master HAF-X
Processor: Intel i7 920(Intel)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X58-UD3R
Memory: 6GB Mushkin Silverline Stiletto DDR3-1600
Graphics card: EVGA GeForce GT 240
Hard Drive: 1x 240GB Intel 520 SSD
Power Supply: Topower Powerbird 900W

Special thanks to Gigabyte for their support and supplying the i7 motherboard.
Special thanks to NZXT for their support and supplying the NZXT 140mm fans.

 

[AkG]

Stock Fan Performance Results

Stock Fan Performance Results

While neither the U12S nor U14S are precisely chart toppers, both of these new coolers post some downright excellent numbers considering the relatively sedate pace of their stock fans. Equally impressive is neither really needs a second fan to run at optimal performance levels. Both coolers show only a minor improvement when two of their stock fans are attached. This was fully expected as they are rather thin and one stock fan is more than enough to effectively move air through the fins.

With all that being said neither Noctua design comes with what we would classify as ‘high speed’ fans as both are designed with low noise as a top priority. This unfortunately does mean that neither the F12 nor the A15 fans push copious amounts of air and it is unknown how big of a performance loss this low noise profile costs the U12S and U14S. In either case, both are very good performers but the U14S certainly has much greater cooling potential and so far is justifying its additional $10 asking price.

 

[AkG]

High Speed Fan / Dual Fan Performance Results

High Speed Fan Performance Results

The high speed testing shows precisely how much engineering Noctua put into the U12S and its accompanying fan. At all heat loads we are only seeing a moderate improvement in cooling by opting for an aftermarket, higher performance fan solution. Noctua obviously designed the fin array for low flow, low noise fans and as such, nosier fans are really not needed.

While the U14S can technically mount a 120mm fan, we did not include it in this test as its default fan size spans the 140mm range.

Dual Fan Results

Please note: The "Dual NZXT Fan" results are the results we recorded when a given cooler was paired with two 2000 RPM NZXT 140 LB-series fans. These high performance, Fluid Dynamic Bearing based 140mm fans are the stock fans of the NZXT Kraken AIO series and have proven themselves to be excellent choices for a wide range of scenarios.

While the results with aftermarket cooling solutions are certainly better than the stock fan results, the difference is not overly dramatic. Of course a U14S paired with two NZXT 2000RPM fans does post some excellent numbers, but the increase in noise will more than offset this performance boost for most consumers. Simply put, neither the U12S nor U14S really need two fans and neither really need high performance fans to get the job done.

 

[AkG]

Sound Level Testing

Sound Level Testing

<i>While everyone "hears" noise differently there is one easy way to remove all subjectivness and easily compare different fans: use a sound level meter. This way you can easily compare the various fans noise envelopes without us colouring the results and see what fans fit within your personal comfort level. Of course, we will endeavour to try and explain the various results (which are taken at a 30 inch distance) to help you our readers get an even better understanding of how loud a cooler's stock fan is, but even if you discount our personal opinions, the fact remains numbers don't lie. All fans are tested with both voltage regulation / PWM turned off.</i>

<div align="center"><img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Noctua_S/noise.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> </div>

As expected, the larger 140mm X 150mm A15 fan is even quieter than its F12 cousin since it operates at a lower speed. However, both of these fans post some downright excellent numbers. Either the U12S or the U14S would be great for silent PC consumers and both are going to be quieter than the rest of the components in the typical PC.

 

[AkG]

Conclusion

Conclusion

Noctua’s NH-U12S and NH-U14S may not be genre-defining coolers, nor do they provide the absolute best performance but they boast class-leading designs which seamlessly fit the demands of today’s enthusiasts. Few, if any other heatsinks have managed to accomplish this but these two entries have proven once again that refined engineering practices can easily beat brute force approaches to cooling.

The U12S and U14S aren’t chart toppers but their overall performance beggars belief. Being able to run with some of today’s best air coolers and similarly priced water-based setups is no small feat but to do so with a single fan and barely noticeable acoustics is simply astounding. Noctua’s design is so fine-tuned that switching out fans for higher performing (and louder) models amounts to very little in the way of decreased CPU temperatures. It feels like Noctua’s engineers designed the NF-F12 and NF-A15 first and then said “ok, let’s design two heatsinks to take advantage of these fans”. The end result is a pair of highly adaptable heatsinks that remain blissfully silent while retaining the capability to cool off overclocked CPUs.

Aside from raw performance and quiet operation, the U12S and U14S both provide an ease of installation that’s nearly unrivaled. The SecureFirm 2’s individually boxed mounting kits, straightforward instructions and intuitive hardware all work together to create an installation process which will be a time saver for enthusiasts and a game changer for novices. It also provides excellent, even pressure without introducing the possibility of over tightening bolts. This is all accomplished without any notable compatibility issues and installation hiccups.

While these two coolers may be some of the best currently available, we just can’t turn a blind eye to their respective costs since neither is considered a budget-focused product. Against similarly-priced AIO water-based units, Noctua’s newcomers offer a comparable price / performance ratio without any overly dramatic fan noise. However, where they actually compete is against one another. For its $60 price, the NH-U12S is a versatile, compact, high performance solution but for most users, the $10 more expensive NH-U14S provides a better value in our eyes. It offers excellent cooling at higher heat loads and maintains broad motherboard compatibility despite using a large fan.

With the NH-U12S and NH-U14S Noctua have continued a longstanding tradition of creating excellent heatsinks with a focus on quiet operation. Their designs may not fit into the typical black / great mold some may want but rest assured, both will offer phenomenal results at nearly every heat load.

Noctua NH-U12S

Noctua NH-U14S​