Noctua NH-L12

[crazyeyesreaper]

With more and more of today's CPU coolers getting ever larger, Noctua has released the NH-L12. This small, versatile, low-profile cooler gets put to the test as we find out just what it offers today's PC enthusiasts.

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[BigMack70]

Great review! I was thinking of using this cooler for an upcoming small form factor office PC build I want to do, and now I know it's the correct decision

 

[Nordic]

Has its uses but just makes the evo stand out even more.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

yet the Evo wont fit where an NH-L12 can and thats the coolers appeal its ment more for an HTPC or Mini ITX build, its also far better in the quality department however under overclock at 4,1 on the 3960x both barely passed the test, 86'c is when SB-E begins to thermal throttle. Both manage to come in just below that point. However if i was using the coolers id rather have the quality of the Noctua. As they say you get what you pay for. Not to say the Hyper is a bad cooler its a budget champ for most, but sometimes build quality is worth the cost. That and the long warranty, and the free socket compatibility for new sockets as they release. aka buy a noctua new socket new mounting holes? no problem long as you have proof of purchase you can ask Noctua for the updated mounting hardware.

 

[Nordic]

yet the Evo wont fit where an NH-L12 can and thats the coolers appeal its ment more for an HTPC or Mini ITX build, its also far better in the quality department however under overclock at 4,1 on the 3960x both barely passed the test, 86'c is when SB-E begins to thermal throttle. Both manage to come in just below that point. However if i was using the coolers id rather have the quality of the Noctua. As they say you get what you pay for. Not to say the Hyper is a bad cooler its a budget champ for most, but sometimes build quality is worth the cost. That and the long warranty, and the free socket compatibility for new sockets as they release. aka buy a noctua new socket new mounting holes? no problem long as you have proof of purchase you can ask Noctua for the updated mounting hardware.

As I said, has its uses. This is great for all the reasons you stated.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

yea now if i just wanted a cheap cooler to get away from junk stock heatsinks that allows overclocking the Hyper is a great choice.

 

[tamw]

This cooler was my saviour for my mini itx gaming rig.

My case is Lian Li PC-Q07 and its hell to get things inside, but with this cooler using only the small fan under the cooler, it was a perfect fit! the psu gets the hot air right from the cooler out =) I run my 2600k @ only 4ghz, but temps never reach over 85c with prime and furmark on the gtx670.

 

[Nordic]

It would be perfect for this case.

 

[qubit]

yet the Evo wont fit where an NH-L12 can and thats the coolers appeal its ment more for an HTPC or Mini ITX build, its also far better in the quality department however under overclock at 4,1 on the 3960x both barely passed the test, 86'c is when SB-E begins to thermal throttle. Both manage to come in just below that point. However if i was using the coolers id rather have the quality of the Noctua. As they say you get what you pay for. Not to say the Hyper is a bad cooler its a budget champ for most, but sometimes build quality is worth the cost. That and the long warranty, and the free socket compatibility for new sockets as they release. aka buy a noctua new socket new mounting holes? no problem long as you have proof of purchase you can ask Noctua for the updated mounting hardware.

This is a classic grey area.

Yeah, quality is really important and I always go for quality products, but if the product doesn't do what you want, then it's useless, regardless of how good quality it is. Then again, a lowish quality product that initially meets the spec is useless too, because it won't last, or just gives bad performance eg sleeve fan bearings that wear out quickly and make an awful racket.

However, if you simply have to accept a certain amount of tradeoff, then it might well be worth it. As I said, a classic grey area!

 

[Major_A]

I have the same (roughly) cooler in one of my machines now, it's called the Thermalright XP-120.

 

[Ikaruga]

Thanks for the review. I really like this cooler.