Monday, May 25th 2020
Rumor: Noctua to Introduce NH-U12A Tower Cooler in Chromax Version
Noctua produces some of the most well-regarded CPU coolers in the PC space, and for good reason: they usually set the benchmark in both heat dissipation efficiency and noise levels. However, one of the elements that may not make their coolers as popular as they could be (and they are immensely popular) is the color scheme the company usually favors, with its brown and beige colors being relatively hard to fit in with many system builds. The company responded by adding Chromax versions to their lineup, with a more "typical" black color scheme, which have seen great success both in the market and user opinion.
A Reddit user going by the handle hoopon, however, claims to have received a tech support answer from a Noctua representative that said that a Chromax version of the famed, high-performance Noctua NH-U12A cooler is being readied for market launch in Q3 2020. Another user, Bergh3m, echoed these claims, saying that he himself had received a Noctua answer on the same product in the beginning of the year that placed the Noctua NH-U12A Chromax as being released in Q2 or Q3 2020. However, as with everything these days, the COVID-19 situation may very well has pushed the release to a definite Q3. As always, we urge you to take these rumors with a full pint of salt.
Sources:
Reddit, Reddit user @hopoon
A Reddit user going by the handle hoopon, however, claims to have received a tech support answer from a Noctua representative that said that a Chromax version of the famed, high-performance Noctua NH-U12A cooler is being readied for market launch in Q3 2020. Another user, Bergh3m, echoed these claims, saying that he himself had received a Noctua answer on the same product in the beginning of the year that placed the Noctua NH-U12A Chromax as being released in Q2 or Q3 2020. However, as with everything these days, the COVID-19 situation may very well has pushed the release to a definite Q3. As always, we urge you to take these rumors with a full pint of salt.
24 Comments on Rumor: Noctua to Introduce NH-U12A Tower Cooler in Chromax Version
Now I just need a iPPC A12x25 for the exhaust and I can rid my backup TJ08 build of beige. But they probably aren't going to make an iPPC A12x25, so I guess a F12 will have to do.
It comes at a cost though because it is noisier. The Dark Rock Pro 4 got measured to 40 dBA, while the U12A was 45 dBA.
In fact what matters is not the noise at maximum or minimum speed, because that isn't telling you much. In order to obtain a useful comparison, you must check cooling performance at the same noise level, or noise at the same temperature level (you need to normalize either the noise or the temperature). In this respect, the reviews from Gamers Nexus are by far the best available.
But anyway, the post I responded to wasn't promoting a fair comparison, since the dark rock pro has 135mm fans, should be comparing with the D15S.
And the AquaComputer Aquaero 6 LT controller loves the 140mm PWM Industrial, they play very nice together - almost infinite fine-grain adjustability.
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As far as these Chromax black variants - up close they look like a black chrome in photos not a black powdercoat. A black chrome powdercoating? Yup, that does exist so maybe that's what Noctua is using - either way - looks spectacular to my eyes.
Although, a shiny standard chrome cooler can look pretty ok in a 90% black and gray build like mine, also blends well with the Gskill Royal Silver ddr4 nickel chromium mirror finish modules. So if Noctua does later this year offer that extra-large 1.5kg passive heatsink in both standard chrome and Chromax black, that's going to be a very tough choice for me personally. Have a strong feeling Noctua would time-stagger launch of the two skus only offering the standard chrome in the beginning so instead of giving enthusiasts an either/or decision and staying with one, if the black version is offered 6months or 12months later - marketing psychology or production logistics, lol - I would most definitely end up buying BOTH. :)
And Noctua marketing is already very aware of this fact. Two sales vs only one per enthusiast.
Think what we're going to see this summer is the long overdue successor to the NH-D15 and the NH-C14S, and then possibly the Chromax black variants of both later in the year along with the 1.5kg passive sink around Christmas time or so, yep in standard chrome.
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I might be the only one, but still believe a small dash of shiny chrome stands out and contrasts well in a mostly black and dark gray build, especially when it carries a very special purpose. :)
Noctua Industrial 140mm PWM 2000rpm (below) swapping out the brown stock corner pads for black - costs an extra $6. :)
Don't care for the Noctua brown/beige colors either but a Noctua fan in all-black looks quite magnificent.
I'm not saying that TPU's reviews are always right tho, and then there are variations on individual samples, different measuring techniques, etc. I remember when SPCR had two heatsinks of the same model and they preformed quite differently.It does for me because I've read the rest of the review.
Edit: Oh and the U12A weighs more, so I'd consider it a fair comparison.
Yes, weight does matter.
I'm still waiting for the noise-cancelling fans from Computex 2014. Figure they're sure to be announced any day now.
Ok, one last (Noctua) photo, and that's it. :peace:
The smaller Noctua HSF below is cooling a bios chip. :roll:
Also, i need a test bench for my C14S. It's like, sucking air against a solid panel right now, it's not happy.
@Mats it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. If you want to use high end RAM with DR4P, you can't, because it shares its overhang issues with the D15 and other dual stack coolers. The U12A isn't dual stack, it's just a chunky U12S with more heatpipes, so it has literally no RAM overhang.
Still laughing at the weird replies I got earlier (no not you), but at least I managed to stay out of a possible pissing contest.
Looking for those noise canceling fans, to me it looks like they have drop the project. Have you tried asking them?