Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler Review

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 m/h
• Airflow with L.N.A.: 78.5 m/h
• Airflow with U.L.N.A.: 63.4 m/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!