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Noctua NH-U12 Low Noise Heatsink Review
Noctua  NH-U12 Low Noise Heatsink Review
  99%   
Abstract: The large 155mm tall heatsink resembles a Soviet-era apartment block and optimized for use with large fans which can operate very quietly.

 Manufacturer  Category  Published  Author 
Noctua   Cooling / Heatsinks   Feb 27, 2006   Max Page  

Home > Reviews > Page: Final Heatsink Temperature Comparisons

FrostyTech.com Mk.II Synthetic Thermal Heatsink Test Results
Results based on readings from a 38x38mm copper interface die with 125W heat load on the Mk.II Test Platform. Thermal Test values for each heatsink were calculated by determining the rise over ambient temperature at time of test. Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
Socket 939/940/754 compatible CPU heatsinks
manufacturer: model no.: *fan speed: 125w thermal test (°c) noise level (dba)

Noctua NH-U12 17.5 45.4
Gigabyte G-Power Pro high 18.6 71.9
Noctua NH-U9 18.8 58.4
Coolermaster Hyper6 high 20.5 54.7
Thermaltake Venus 12 high 21.7 68.1
ASUS Starice high 22.8 67.4
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro 23.2 50.9
Coolermaster Aquagate Mini high 23.2 59.2
Thermaltake Polo 735 high 23.4 68.0
Cooljag SFO-H high 23.6 60.6
Alpha PAL-8150 23.7 58.9
Zalman CNPS9500LED (clip parallel) high 23.8 50.3
AVC Z7U3301001 (stock 939) high 24.6 59.9
Gigabyte 3D Cooler-Ultra high 24.8 63.0
Scythe Shogun high 26.0 45.9
EKL V8 high 26.3 57.5
Gigabyte 3D Rocket-Pro high 26.9 56.7
Gigabyte 3D Cooler-Pro high 27.0 62.5
Ajigo AJ442FC high 28.8 60.3
Gigabyte 3D-Rocket 28.9 50.7
Vantec Mach1 high 29.2 56.9
CoolJag SFO-D(18SC) 29.6 64.0
Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 30.5 43.9
Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu high 30.3 45.2
Dynatron SK-V24 30.3 56.4
Zalman CNPS7000-Cu high 31.0 45.2
Coolermaster Hyper48 31.7 43.6
Scythe Kama SCKK1000 31.9 47.5
Scythe Samurai SCSM1000 high 32.1 51.6
Zalman CNPS7000B-CU high 32.3 44.9
Thermaltake Silentboost K8 32.3 49.7
Jetart JAX801 33.2 53.5
Dynatron A22 34.5 44.5
nPowertek NPH K8-1 34.6 52.2
Ajigo MF043-044 (stock 754) 35.0 45.4
Verax Quattro 1 36.9 30.9
Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Ultra TC 37.5 55.5
Gigabyte NeonCooler 8-BL 37.7 42.0
Titan TTC-K8ATB/825/SC 38.7 63.1
Evercool K802-715 42.1 51.5
Evercool Magic Cooler 46.6 55.5
125w thermal test (°c) noise level (dba)
*heatsinks are ranked according to the 125w thermal test results column (rise over ambient temp.). low temperatures with low noise levels are considered best. for reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans, only the high speed (12v) fan test result is included in the comparison sheet; more detailed results reside in each specific heatsink review.

the combination of a copper base and four sets of heatpipes to disperse cpu heat over a large 115 x 126 x 65mm surface area just about ensures the noctua nh-u12 heatsink will perform well, and it does. add to that equation a nicely paced 120 x 120 x 25mm fan which operates at under 46 dba noise, and we've got ourselves a winning AMD Athlon64 heatsink combination. Albeit a pretty large one at over 155mm in height.

The Noctua NH-U12 heatsink achieves an impressive rise above ambient temperature of just 17.5°C, with 45.4 dBA noise output. Given its 700gram weight and low noise capabilities when the right fan is paired with it, the NH-U12 will certainly make for an excellent socket 754/939/940 AMD Athlon64 processor cooling solution. Toss in compatibility with all Intel CPUs and we've got ourselves an easily recommendable heatsink here.

It's a shame only that socket AM2 mounting hardware is not included with this heatsink... for AMD's future socket AM2 processor is incompatible with existing K8 heatsink retention frames and 2-post screw restraints used with socket 754/939/940 CPUs. All that aside, the Noctua NH-U12 is still a great high-performance, potentially low-noise, heatsink worthy of consideration!

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For more reviews on the latest heatsinks and cooling solutions, rely on FrostyTech's inventory of 350+ heatsink reviews. Here are a few other articles that you might enjoy as well...

1. ALPHA PAL-8150 ATHLON64 HEATSINK REVIEW
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4. Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro Athlon64 Heatsink Review
5. Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Ultra TC Athlon64 Heatsink
6. Cooljag SFO-H (68YC) Skived Athlon64 Heatsink Review
7. Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 Heatsink Review
8. Verax P17CuX Ultra Quiet Heatsink Review
9. Coolermaster Hyper48 KHC-L91 Heatsink Review

 Previous Page ° Heat Sink Review Index  

Table of Contents:

 1:  Noctua NH-U12 Low Noise Heatsink Review
 2:  360° View - Noctua NH-U12 Heatsink Review
 3:  Surface Roughness and Acoustic Comparisons
 4: — Final Heatsink Temperature Comparisons

List all Noctua heat sinks that Frostytech tested?

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