Noctua NH-U12P Heatsink

[t_ski]

On the heels of the successful NH-U12F CPU heatsink, Noctua has released a newer, more compatible version called the NH-U12P. This version has more clearance below the fins, making it easier to install on many motherboards. It comes with the new, ultra-quiet NF-P12 fan and a tube of the new NT-H1 thermal compound.

Show full review

 

[gR3iF]

Reminds me of the Thermalright coolers... Could it be that one manufacture builds these units and Thermalright and Noctua are selling them?

Same with the Ocz vendetta and the sigmatek.

 

[t_ski]

Although I have seen some cases where that seems very likely (Sunbeam and Arctic Cooling, or Zaward and Xigmatek), I do not believe that is the case with Noctua.

By the way, I made and error in the review. The optional Socket 939 mounting kit is available for free upon request, but the Xeon kit is available at a small price. The error has been corrected.

 

[gR3iF]

Hm the mounting system of the fan is definitly thermalright they use this since the si 128.


Watch this:

vs:

Not the same design but definitly the same cooler.

 

[t_ski]

I believe they are similar, but I do not think they are made by the same manufacturer. There are too many other differences.

 

[gR3iF]

Yep after a closer look i belive the same. Acutally this is funny so you can buy the cheaper one.

Or you save money for the Ifx-14. This one is the killer at the moment.

 

[craigwhiteside]

actually they are both built for a slightly different purpose, the thermalright is kind of designed to be for a high cfm fan because of the fins being very close together, while the noctua seems to be used for passive or for a low cfm fan because the fins are wider apart.

 

[WarEagleAU]

As always, terrific review t_ski. I was hoping the idle temps would be lower. Of course, it could just be a misinterpret from the thermal diode. Love the dual fans on it, should help lower temps even further.

 

[t_ski]

Yep after a closer look i belive the same. Acutally this is funny so you can buy the cheaper one.

Or you save money for the Ifx-14. This one is the killer at the moment.

I have been in contact with Jakob from Noctua, and he assures me that the NH-U12P is definitely NOT made by Thermalright. I am awaiting his response for an official comment.

In the meantime, I can add this as proof: If you look at how the fins are joined on the Thermalright heatsink you posted above, all Thermalright heatsinks are made that way. Look at the XP-90C and V-1 Ultra reviews here for more examples. I've seen the exact same thing on the HR-03/600 as well. This method is completely different than the method used by Noctua. TBH, other than the fact that these are both 120mm tower-style heatsinks with four staggered, U-shaped heatpipes, I really don't see any other similarities at all.

 

[gR3iF]

They use both the same technic to disapeate heat. Apart from the fins which are set up to use different fans its the same technic.


Of course Noctua managed it to create their own Heatsink but it reminds me off the Sigmatek, the Ocz vendetta and some other coolers which used the Heatpipes in the socket in direct contact to the cpu.

 

[t_ski]

The base on the Noctua NH-U12P is made in two parts: a top part and a bottom part. Both parts surround the heatpipes, and the heatpipes do not come in direct contact with the CPU IHS like the Xigmatek or Zaward heatsinks do.

 

[vexen]

hello t_ski, i have the same board as you, would you say you can fit the Noctua sideway? i am having trouble with the NB Heatsink!

 

[Duffman]

I have this cooler and am very happy with it. I am running with dual NF-P12 fans also. I have my E6850 running at 3.78ghz w/1.45v and have seen similar results. I keep my fans on high via a Zalman fan controller.

 

[t_ski]

hello t_ski, i have the same board as you, would you say you can fit the Noctua sideway? i am having trouble with the NB Heatsink!

Are you refering to the Asus motherboard in the review, or the DFI motherboard in my signature?

 

[t_ski]

In response to gR3iF's concern over the similarities between the NH-U12P and the Thermalright heatsink, Jakob at Noctua provided me with the following statement:

It’s been brought to our attention that someone has raised concerns that our CPU coolers and particularly our fan clips are similar to Thermalright’s and that they may actually stem from the same factories. We can assure you that this is not the case and we’d like to invite you to look at the coolers a bit more closely. Of course, Thermalright builds tower style coolers too, but that's true for a lot of other manufacturers as well. Other than that, there aren’t many similarities:

Different base, different fin shape and thickness, different heatpipes (size and shape), different nickel finish, different mounting systems.

Even the fan clips are fairly different: Thermalright's clips hook into holes within the fins whereas ours hook into notches at the sides of the fins. They’re actually shaped quite differently. We’d also like to add that wire clips have been used for mounting fans onto heatsinks by numerous manufacturers for a very long time, so this is neither Thermalright nor Noctua specific.

 

[vexen]

Are you refering to the Asus motherboard in the review, or the DFI motherboard in my signature?

the DFI of course, asus blows

 

[t_ski]

I have not installed it on that board yet, but over at XS a couple guys there have the same combo and it works. IDK if it was horizontally or vertically, but part of that will depend on the case. I know that the DFI board has the CPU socket higher up than the Asus board does.

 

[vexen]

I have not installed it on that board yet, but over at XS a couple guys there have the same combo and it works. IDK if it was horizontally or vertically, but part of that will depend on the case. I know that the DFI board has the CPU socket higher up than the Asus board does.

my problem was the NB heatsink :/

 

[t_ski]

I will try to get you the link to the forum post over at XS I mentioned. Remind me if I forget

 

[t_ski]

OK, vexen - I have some information for you. I was able to install the NH-U12P on the DFI X38-T2R motherboard yesterday. If you have enough room above the motherboard for the heatsink to stick out (I think it was less than 1 inch), you should have no problems installing this heatsink vertically. Thanks to Noctua's improved compatibility with this heatsink, the lower fins are still tall enough to go over the base of the stock DFI NB heatsink.

For me, I was not able to install the heatsink vertically because the Lian Li case has fans in the top panel (one was stock, and I added two more). I was able to install it horizontally, but one of the brackets that attaches to the base of the NH-U12P hits the NB heatsink. It is not enough to make it so it won't work, but it just pushes it upward slightly. However, again (due to the Lian Li case) I was only able to install a fan on the bottom of the heatsink.

Anyone with a larger case with more room above the motherboard should not have any trouble.

 

[vexen]

thank you

 

[theGryphon]

NH-U12P fit?

Hi,
I'd like to get one of these heatsinks but I'm not sure if it's gonna fit in my Adamas case. Could anyone confirm if it fits in Adamas or not? The distance from motherboard PCB to side panel is about 163mm. I know the heatsink is 158mm tall but with the CPU, I'm not sure...

Thanks!

 

[t_ski]

I'm just going to guess that it will not fit, as I think the CPU and socket stick up more than 5mm

 

[theGryphon]

Thanks for the answer t_ski!
I just measured the CPU+socket and it is about 7mm. So it wont fit without some modification. Do you think I can bend the tips of heatpipes a little, I mean how fragile are they? Do you think it would cause serious damage? Maybe I should use a tool to cut a hole on the side panel... Yeah, I want this heatsink that much!

 

[HTC]

Thanks for the answer t_ski!
I just measured the CPU+socket and it is about 7mm. So it wont fit without some modification. Do you think I can bend the tips of heatpipes a little, I mean how fragile are they? Do you think it would cause serious damage? Maybe I should use a tool to cut a hole on the side panel... Yeah, I want this heatsink that much!

There's an alternative: the NH-U9B.

It's the NH-U12P little brother and should have almost as much performance in cooling as it's big brother and, because it's a cooler for 92mm fans, it small enough to fit in narrower cases.

I'm hoping for TPU to make a review on NH-U9B too. Found several reviews from outside sources:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=58290