Tuesday, April 5th 2022

Noctua Presents NH-D12L Low-height 120mm Dual Tower CPU Cooler

Press Release by
btarunr
 Discuss (53 Comments)
Noctua today presented the all-new NH-D12L low-height dual tower CPU cooler and the corresponding NF-A12x25r round-frame 120 mm fan. At a height of only 145 mm (13 mm lower than Noctua's regular 120 mm models), it fits many 4U enclosures as well as narrower tower cases that have been previously limited to solutions with 92 mm fans. At the same time, its five heatpipe dual-tower design and state-of-the-art NF-A12x25r 120 mm fan allow it to achieve a level of efficiency that surpasses many full-height 120 mm models.

"So far, all our 120 mm class coolers were 158 mm high, but as of recent, more and more PC cases only support up to 150 or even 145 mm - this is where the NH-D12L steps in", explains Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "Simply lowering one of our existing models wasn't an option because a standard square 120 mm fan would cause lots of issues with motherboard heatsinks or shrouds. That's why we came up with this novel dual tower design and a round-frame version of the NF-A12x25 fan that can be installed at a very low position between the two towers - a winning combination that provides impressive results for this height class."
While Noctua's regular 120 mm CPU coolers stand 158 mm tall, the NH-D12L measures only 145 mm. This allows it to fit not only a wide range of 4U rackmount server cases and many tower-style enclosures that are not wide enough for 158 mm units, but also some larger Small Form Factor (SFF) and Mini-ITX chassis. Despite its reduced height, the NH-D12L easily outperforms 92 mm coolers. It can even surpass renowned 120 mm units such as the NH-U12S and often comes close to Noctua's award-winning 120 mm flagship model NH-U12A.

Due to its asymmetric design, the NH-D12L does not overhang the RAM slots on Intel LGA1700/LGA1200/LGA115x and AMD AM4/AM5 based motherboards, which ensures easy access to the modules and 100% compatibility with DIMMs that feature tall heat-spreaders or RGB lighting.

Introduced in 2018, Noctua's NF-A12x25 is widely considered to be the best 120x25mm fan on the market. The round-frame variant used on the NH-D12L provides the same renowned quiet cooling performance yet makes it possible to reduce overall cooler height without risking compatibility issues with tall motherboard heatsinks or shrouds. The NH-D12L also ships with an extra pair of fan clips that can be used to install a second of these NF-A12x25r PWM fans either on the front or on the rear fin stack. However, it must be noted that the second fan will usually sit on top of either the RAM or I/O panel and thereby increase the total height beyond 145 mm.

Topped off with Noctua's award-winning NT-H1 thermal compound, a 6-year manufacturer's warranty and the renowned SecuFirm2 multi-socket mounting system that already supports Intel's latest LGA1700 socket as well as AMD's upcoming AM5 platform, the NH-D12L is the perfect choice for applications that require serious cooling performance but cannot fit the larger NH-U12A.


Suggested retail prices: The manufacturer's suggested retail prices are as follows:

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53 Comments on Noctua Presents NH-D12L Low-height 120mm Dual Tower CPU Cooler

#26
jeffj7
DeathtoGnomesI dont get it, is 13mm really that big of a difference? Thats half an inch, I could see a full inch shorter being a big deal but not this.
yes it can be I had to change my idea's on case becuase the d15 i had wouldnt fit in a lain li o11d. had to get the XL
Posted on Reply
#27
freeagent
TheDeeGeeThe D15 and D15S have 6 heatpipes, the 7 heatpipes version with more surface area will come out later this year.
I have a 7 pipe cooler. On older, larger die CPU's it is fantastic. On smaller CPU's such as 7nm, it doesn't help as much as you would think. I say that because I have a Thermalright LGMRT on my 5600X, it is a 7x 6mm pipe cooler. Honestly, what would work better is 8mm pipes. They are fantastic, and provide better cooling than a 6mm pipe can. Hopefully they will copy Thermalright and use bigger pipes, or else they are just wasting their time imo.
Posted on Reply
#28
dyonoctis
Nice! Now to wait 2 years until the chromax black version.
Posted on Reply
#29
konga
DeathtoGnomesI dont get it, is 13mm really that big of a difference? Thats half an inch, I could see a full inch shorter being a big deal but not this.
Yes. As the press release hints at, the U12A was incompatible with most/many 4U cases, while this cooler will be okay in those. That appears to be the primary intent behind this design as it allows you to use a noctua tower cooler with a whole new category of computer chassis.

edit: This also fits some SFF cases like the NR200 now. You could possibly fit a U12A in one if you were okay with a bulging side panel, but the D15 was completely out of the question. This is a dual-tower cooler that'll fit with room to spare now.
Posted on Reply
#30
Mistral
At the price Noctua is asking... this is practically DOA against the Silver Soul 135 which, you guessed it, is 135mm tall and also packs a 120mm fan, not to mention a tag under $60.



At least it's a second valid option for anyone using the 280x case and wanting to go air.
Posted on Reply
#31
ir_cow
That whole case setup with brown everything is so ugly. I use Noctua fans and towers, but geez...waaay to much brown.
Posted on Reply
#32
Chrispy_
Noctua brown is probably hurting their sales.
I've avoided Noctua coolers on several occasions because someone didn't want "the ugly brown and beige thing".
Posted on Reply
#33
ARF
How much heat can it dissipate? The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo is rated up to 210 watts!
Posted on Reply
#34
Valantar
ARFHow much heat can it dissipate? The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo is rated up to 210 watts!
There's no agreed-upon standard for measuring that, so numbers like that are fundamentally incomparable even when they do exist.
Posted on Reply
#35
ARF
ValantarThere's no agreed-upon standard for measuring that, so numbers like that are fundamentally incomparable even when they do exist.
I am not quite sure that our statement is correct in any way.
You can always put the cooling system under stress at 100% CPU load and measure the wall power consumption, then measure the temperatures and define a safe threshold.
Posted on Reply
#36
tabascosauz
MistralAt the price Noctua is asking... this is practically DOA against the Silver Soul 135 which, you guessed it, is 135mm tall and also packs a 120mm fan, not to mention a tag under $60.

At least it's a second valid option for anyone using the 280x case and wanting to go air.
DOA :confused:......... the D12L is packing one less heatpipe but also has more height and more heatsink mass in both dimensions. And also as a D9L owner, heatsink mass definitely matters.

Only place to reliably find Silver Soul are places like Taobao and Aliexpress. And at that price the Noctua becomes the steal ($41 shipping anyone?). Noctua coolers I can always find locally on 1st-party Amazon or Newegg, not marked up unless it's a U12A Chromax.

And the SS135 is not some revolutionary messiah. Performance-wise it's just a scaled-up D9L, and didn't end up beating my C14S setup, which is itself barely better than a U12S. Unless you just *have* to have your windowed panel on NR200/NCASE/Cerberus

Regardless, both coolers have the same problems. You basically are stuck with one fan. They don't give you regular square clips (I bruteforced a pair of P12 redux on with stock SS135 clips). And even if you have clips, your second fan either sits on top of the RAM or the VRM heatsink, which prevents the side panel from going on. And if you have the clearance for it not to be a problem, there was no reason to use a D12L/SS135 in the first place......etc

Going back to C14S soon, so might pick up one of these if only for curiosity. But like the SS135, it won't cool my B-die, so who knows if I'll even try.
Posted on Reply
#37
Valantar
ARFI am not quite sure that our statement is correct in any way.
You can always put the cooling system under stress at 100% CPU load and measure the wall power consumption, then measure the temperatures and define a safe threshold.
Nope, there are far too many variables in play for that to be feasible. What cpu are you using? That introduces a lot of variance, both architectural and in terms of thermal density/hot spots/thermal dissipation even at the same wattage. What constitutes "100% load"? Is it some kind of AVX workload, or not? Different workloads can have vastly different heat outputs even if they all are "100%". And some are realistic, while others (Prime95, for example) produce a completely unreasonable amount of heat compared to nearly anything else. And is this in a case or on an open test bench? In what ambient temperatures? With what other surrounding fans or other disturbing factors? As I said: there is no standard for this, so numbers are inherently incomparable. The best solution is likely using a dummy heater like what Anandtech uses for their cooler testing, as that eliminates most variables, but it also means the numbers don't apply directly to any cpu.

Edit:spelling
Posted on Reply
#38
chrcoluk
No offset model? On their standard height cooler I got the offset one, which without, my M.2 nightmares would have been even worse.
Posted on Reply
#39
tabascosauz
chrcolukNo offset model? On their standard height cooler I got the offset one, which without, my M.2 nightmares would have been even worse.
This NF-A12x25r is not the NF-A15. That fan is a rounded 140mm, this one is a rounded 120mm. 120mm towers don't require an offset because they aren't big enough to intrude on the first PCIe slot.
Posted on Reply
#40
chrcoluk
tabascosauzThis NF-A12x25r is not the NF-A15. That fan is a rounded 140mm, this one is a rounded 120mm. 120mm towers don't require an offset because they aren't big enough to intrude on the first PCIe slot.
Fair enough, on the pic its right up to the top pcie card, but that is the slot above the GPU slot so as you said it has more room naturally.
Posted on Reply
#41
tabascosauz
chrcolukFair enough, on the pic its right up to the top pcie card, but that is the slot above the GPU slot so as you said it has more room naturally.
idk if that's the perspective, but the higher res photos look fine. Looks about the same as my C14S (which is an offset cooler due to size) on some 1st slot boards. Fan clips might be close though.

On my Impact, the SO-DIMM.2 with both sides of the heatsink is right on the edge of slot 1, and there's still a good amount of wiggle room. Think that's the closest I've seen anything get to slot 1 - everyone stopped making those weird PCH-above-socket ITX boards. IIRC the back of PCIe cards usually don't extend to the edge of the PCIe bracket, even if they have a backplate.

Posted on Reply
#42
ARF
ValantarNope, there are far too many variables in play for that to be feasible. What cpu are you using? That introduces a lot of variance, both architectural and in terms of thermal density/hot spots/thermal dissipation even at the same wattage. What constitutes "100% load"? Is it some kind of AVX workload, or not? Different workloads can have vastly different heat outputs even if they all are "100%". And some are realistic, while others (Prime95, for example) produce a completely unreasonable amount of heat compared to nearly anything else. And is this in a case or on an open test bench? In what ambient temperatures? With what other surrounding fans or other disturbing factors? As I said: there is no standard for this, so numbers are inherently incomparable. The best solution is likely using a dummy heater like what Anandtech uses for their cooler testing, as that eliminates most variables, but it also means the numbers don't apply directly to any cpu.

Edit:spelling
How do you prove that any cooler will work, then? You have to state numbers in their specifications. Otherwise, no one will buy them on blind faith.
Posted on Reply
#43
aktpu
Bit on a tall side, but this would just barely fit in Nouvolo Borg
Posted on Reply
#44
ARF
ValantarWhat constitutes "100% load"?
:D The worst case scenario when there is highest power consumption measured at the wall..
Posted on Reply
#45
ThrashZone
Chrispy_Noctua brown is probably hurting their sales.
I've avoided Noctua coolers on several occasions because someone didn't want "the ugly brown and beige thing".
Hi,
Secondary, most don't like noctua pricing more

I personally don't treat computers like fish tanks although they are water cooled :laugh:
Posted on Reply
#46
Valantar
ARF:D The worst case scenario when there is highest power consumption measured at the wall..
That might be your definition (and it still leaves A LOT of variables not accounted for when you're talking about what a cooler can "handle"), but again, there is no broadly agreed-upon standard for this. That is simply a fact of the world as it exists today. Arguing for a specific understanding of this does not in any way affect the veracity of this fact.
Posted on Reply
#47
ARF
ValantarThat might be your definition (and it still leaves A LOT of variables not accounted for when you're talking about what a cooler can "handle"), but again, there is no broadly agreed-upon standard for this. That is simply a fact of the world as it exists today. Arguing for a specific understanding of this does not in any way affect the veracity of this fact.
When there are variables, you can use a set of numbers - for example from 100 watts when there is very high heat density (for example a 50 sq. mm die which is heavily overclocked) to 200 watts when the die, the IHS is large and the heat density is lower (for example when the dies are large but conservatively clocked)..
Posted on Reply
#48
Valantar
ARFWhen there are variables, you can use a set of numbers - for example from 100 watts when there is very high heat density (for example a 50 sq. mm die which is heavily overclocked) to 200 watts when the die, the IHS is large and the heat density is lower (for example when the dies are large but conservatively clocked)..
Yes, but... I don't understand why I have to repeat this so many times, but there is no widely accepted standard for this. I've never said a standard couldn't be made - there are several that exist already! - I've said that there isn't one that a sufficient number of companies agree on using. Which makes their numbers incomparable. That is all I've been saying. If cooler maker A says 210W and B says 160W, that tells us nothing at all about their relative performance, because the way these numbers were arrived at were different. You can (typically) compare these numbers within company A's coolers or company B's coolers, but never across companies with any reliability. It doesn't matter that we could make a way for them to be comparable, as in the real world today, they aren't. Period.
Posted on Reply
#50
ARF
ValantarYes, but... I don't understand why I have to repeat this so many times, but there is no widely accepted standard for this. I've never said a standard couldn't be made - there are several that exist already! - I've said that there isn't one that a sufficient number of companies agree on using. Which makes their numbers incomparable. That is all I've been saying. If cooler maker A says 210W and B says 160W, that tells us nothing at all about their relative performance, because the way these numbers were arrived at were different. You can (typically) compare these numbers within company A's coolers or company B's coolers, but never across companies with any reliability. It doesn't matter that we could make a way for them to be comparable, as in the real world today, they aren't. Period.
But those different numbers are at least something. Better than nothing. Because there are small coolers good for up to 45 watts, and large coolers like this that a good for at least 125 watts. At least, the users will have a rough estimation and idea about what to expect.
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