Legit Cooling Reviews
Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler Review
| Manufacturer: | Noctua |
| Product: | NH-C12P |
| Date: | Wed, Jun 11, 2008 - 12:00 AM |
| Written By: | Shane Higgins - |
Meet The Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler
We were first introduced to Noctua back in February of this year when they sent us their NH-U12P CPU Cooler. They promptly had our attention with their very well performing air cooler that was, for all intense purposes, a silent active air cooler. In a departure from what can be called the norm for performance coolers, Noctua changed from the upright U shape tower heat pipe design to a C shape down draft design, also increasing the number of heat pipes to a total of 6. First, let's take a quick look at the features and specifications for the NH-C12P.
Features:
- 6 heat pipes: Excellently soldered joints and widely-spaced cooling fins guarantee optimal heat dissipation, even at low fan speeds.
- C-type design with Airflow-Gaps: Due to the downward-facing design and two large Airflow-Gaps, the NH-C12P provides additional cooling for near-socket motherboard components.
- NF-P12 120mm premium fan: The award-winning NF-P12 has been specifically developed for high-impedance applications such as CPU coolers. Thanks to psychoacoustic optimizations and Noctua's premium-grade SSO-bearing, the NF-P12 achieves exceptional quietness and long-term stability.
- Excellent compatibility: The downward-facing c-type design allows for low height as well as excellent motherboard and case compatibility.
- SecuFirm™ multi-socket mounting system: Noctua's professional SecuFirm™ mounting system for LGA 775, AM2 and AM2+ provides superior reliability and contact pressure. Xeon, Socket F and K8 (939, 940, 754) kits are available on request.
- Noctua NT-H1 high-end thermal compound: Noctua's much-acclaimed NT-H1 is a pro-grade TIM solution that provides minimum thermal resistance, excellent ease-of-use and outstanding long-term stability.
NH-C12P Specifications
- Socket compatibility:
- Intel Socket LGA 77, Intel Xeon on request
- AMD AM2 & AM2, AMD K8 (754, 939, 940) & Socket F on request
- CPU Application: Intel all frequencies, AMD all frequencies
- Dimensions (with fan) HxWxD: 114x126x152 mm
- Dimensions (without fan) HxWxD: 91x126x152 mm
- Weight (without fan): 550 g
- Weight (with fan): 730 g
- Material:
- Copper (base and heat-pipes)
- Aluminum (cooling fins), soldered joints, nickel plated
- Fan compatibility 120x120x25mm / 120x120x38mm
- Scope of Delivery
- NF-P12 premium fan
- Ultra-Low-Noise-Adaptor (U.L.N.A.)
- Low-Noise-Adaptor (L.N.A.)
- NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound
- SecuFirm™ mounting kits for LGA & AM2(+)
- Warranty 6 Years
Fan specifications
- Model: Noctua NF-P12
- Bearing: SSO-Bearing
- Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): 1300 RPM
- Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%): 1100 RPM
- Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%): 900 RPM
- Airflow: 92.3 m³/h
- Airflow with L.N.A.: 78.5 m³/h
- Airflow with U.L.N.A.: 63.4 m³/h
- Acoustical Noise: 19.8 dB(A)
- Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.: 16.9 dB(A)
- Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A.: 12.6 dB(A)
- Input Power: 1.08 W
- Voltage Range: 12 V
- MTBF: > 150.000 h
After looking at the features we noticed that the new Noctua NH-C12P uses the same fan that the Noctua NH-U12P CPU cooler uses. The fan that both coolers have in common is the NF-P12, which is a great 120mm that has a low acoustical noise level and decent airflow. Just last week at Computex 2008, Noctua was showing off a new prototype fan called the NF-S12B. Many wouldn't think that fans can be updated, but Noctua has some slick-looking designs in the works for consumers. Thanks to psycho-acoustic optimizations and Noctua's premium-grade SSO-bearing, the NF-P12 achieves exceptional quietness and long-term stability!