A star attraction at Noctua's Computex booth was a prototype CPU air cooler featuring an active noise-cancellation technology co-developed by RotoSub. Pictured below, this aluminum monstrosity looks like a huge fanless cubical fin-stack, but in reality, is a D-type (twin-tower) heatsink with a large fan between its two stacks, equipped with active noise cancellation device. It works much in the same way as noise-cancellation in premium headphones and smartphones. A mic inputs noise from the cooler, speakers give out the same noise with a phase difference, this causes destructive interference between noise coming from the speakers and the cooler, and noise is reduced. The speakers are positioned along each of the two fin-stacks. The mics are just as discrete. Noctua stuck a mic into the test chamber with the cooler running, and visitors couldn't hear a thing, at least nothing that's louder than the morning crowds at Nangang, after the event has been opened up to the general public. The technology 'sounds' promising.

Noctua today presented a new revision of its much acclaimed NH-U12DX and NH-U9DX quiet CPU coolers for Intel Xeon workstations and servers. The new i4 models support LGA2011 (both Square and Narrow ILM), LGA1356 and LGA1366 based Xeon platforms and now come with PWM fans for automatic speed control. Fitted with the professional SecuFirm2 mounting system and bundled with Noctua's industrial-grade NT-H1 thermal compound, the NH-U12DX i4 and NH-U9DX i4 form complete premium quality packages for quietly cooling Xeon based workstations and servers.

"Builders of quiet workstations and servers still have trouble finding quality cooling solutions for Intel's LGA2011 socket with Narrow ILM mounting", explains Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO), "so we've decided to update our DX line of coolers to work with both Square ILM and Narrow ILM based LGA2011 platforms. At the same time, we've added PWM control and switched the U12 version to the new, slimmer layout of the NH-U12S, which not only provides better performance but also ensures easier access to the RAM slots, which was another long time request from our industry partners."

Noctua today released a higher speed PWM version of its award-winning NF-A14 140 mm fan. Its performance-oriented 1500 rpm top speed and comprehensive speed control options make the NF-A14 PWM an elite choice for users who strive to strike a perfect balance between excellent cooling capacity and superb quietness of operation, be it on watercooling radiators, on heatsinks or in case ventilation.

"Our NF-A15 and NF-A14 fans have been very well received by customers and hardware journalists alike", says Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO), "but we got many requests for a square frame PWM version for use as a case fan and on watercooling radiators. We can now meet this demand with the new NF-A14 PWM."

Noctua today announced the availability of an alternative mounting option for its NH-L9a low profile heatsink. The new option does not make use of a backplate and thus now permits to install the NH-L9a on AMD mainboards that have components in the area at the rear side that is reserved for the backplate in the AMD specifications. The new mounting parts will be provided to NH-L9a users free of charge.

"The SecuFirm2 mounting system of the NH-L9a complies strictly to the AMD specifications and guarantees 100% compatibility with mainboards that follow these specifications", explains Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "We've been overwhelmed with the great press and customer feedback on this cooler, but unfortunately, some mini-ITX mainboards do not follow the AMD specifications, so the NH-L9a could not be installed on these. We have now designed an alternative mounting option and will provide the new parts to customers who need it free of charge."

Noctua today presented the latest models of its award-winning NH-U series of quiet single tower CPU coolers: Whereas the NH-U12S comes equipped with the renowned NF-F12 120 mm fan and succeeds the highly popular NH-U12P SE2, the NH-U14S is the series' first 140 mm model and uses the new NF-A15 140 mm fan. Both models feature a new, slim design that ensures easy RAM access and maximum compatibility with tall memory modules.

"The original NH-U12 and NH-U9 were the first Noctua products we brought to the market and the NH-U series has been a cornerstone of our success ever since", explains Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "Representing the next generation of this venerable legacy, the new NH-U12S and NH-U14S are the result of almost 10 years of continuous development and optimisation. Both models mark a significant improvement in performance, convenience and compatibility."

Noctua today announced that it will continue its tradition of supplying customers with its premium-class SecuFirm2 mounting kits for novel platforms free of charge. While newer Noctua heatsinks support Haswell's LGA1150 socket out of the box, older models can now be upgraded with the new NM-i115x kit at no additional cost.

"We're determined to provide the best possible support to our customers and over the years, we've sent many thousands of mounting kits free of charge to users who wanted to upgrade to new platforms", says Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "With Haswell just around the corner, we're pleased to announce that we'll extend this offer for LGA1150. Owners of older Noctua retail heatsinks that don't support LGA 115x out of the box will be able to upgrade to the new socket free of charge!"

Noctua today presented the new, third generation of its signature S12 series quiet case fans, which have received more than 250 awards and recommendations from the international press. Featuring a further refined blade design with Anti-Stall Knobs that works in tandem with the new AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) frame, the NF-S12A improves the airflow/noise efficiency of its renowned predecessor by up to 8%.

"Introduced in 2006, the original NF-S12 became a cornerstone of our reputation as one of the leading manufacturers of premium quality quiet fans. The second generation NF-S12B, introduced in 2009, continued this tradition with an even better airflow to noise ratio, making it one of our most popular models of all time", says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "We've been working on the next generation for about three years and now we're thrilled to be able to present a worthy successor with the new NF-S12A: The new Anti-Stall Knobs and our AAO type frame allowed us to squeeze out another 8% in airflow to noise efficiency!"

Austrian tweaking specialists o.v.e.r.clockers.at today set a new world record in the renowned performance test PCMark05. Throughout the entire project, Noctua fans, CPU coolers and thermal compound played a key role.

During last Friday's live event hosted by the Austrian SSD manufacturer Angelbird, o.v.e.r.clockers.at already managed to break the previous world record in Futuremark's popular benchmarking suite PCMark05, but since their best CPU and motherboard fell victim to the extreme tweaking, the Austrian overclocking specialists failed to pass the
60.000 point mark. Today, o.v.e.r.clockers.at set out to make another attempt, but US overclockers had topped their previous record overnight and pushed the bar to a breathtaking 62.759 points - more than the Austrian's had hoped to achieve. Taking up the challenge nonetheless, o.v.e.r.clockers.at squeezed the absolute maximum out of their system.

Announcing this week's Facebook Giveaway, in partnership with the fine craftsmen at BitFenix. We are giving away an awesome new BitFenix Ghost ATX mid-tower, two BitFenix Prodigy Fire Red and Atomic Orange cases (one each), and one each of BitFenix Recon Black and Recon White internet-enabled fan-controllers. Sounds good? All you have to do is fill up a tiny little form on Facebook (or make Facebook fill it for you), to stand a chance to win one of these.Edit: One of our fans made a YouTube trailer for this contest: TechPowerUp - BitFenix Giveaway Pretty nice!

For more information, and to participate, visit our BitFenix Facebook Giveaway page.

Also Announcing the Winners of Noctua and TechPowerUp Giveaway

Noctua today introduced its new NF-A14 FLX, NF-A14 ULN and NF-A15 PWM 140mm fans that complement the recently announced A-series of premium quality quiet fans. Like the previously presented NF-A4x10, NF-A6x25 and NF-A9x14, the new 140mm models feature Noctua's novel AAO frames as well as the series' signature Flow Acceleration Channels for reduced boundary layer separation and improved aerodynamic efficiency. Reference class SSO2 bearing and 6 years manufacturer's warranty make the NF-A15 and NF-A14 a stand-out choice for all noise-sensitive 140 mm applications.

"Introduced in 2009, our NF-P14 has become a default-choice among PC enthusiasts looking for a premium quality, quiet 140mm fan, so we're excited to further improve its much acclaimed airflow to noise ratio with the new NF-A14 and NF-A15", says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "The A14 and A15 models all sport the key features of our new A-series fans and now come in both round and square frame design."

To brighten up your otherwise slow Monday morning, TechPowerUp and Noctua bring you a chance to win one of three high-performance Noctua CPU coolers, including some of its most iconic models in recent times: NH-D14, NH-C14, and NH-L12. All you have to do is "Like" our Facebook page, fill up a short form (or make Facebook do that for you), to stand a chance. The giveaway is open from today (19/11) to the following Monday (26/11). Three winners will be randomly picked from the entries, one each for the three prizes up for grabs. The NH-D14 is Noctua's flagship dual-tower cooler, the NH-C14, is a category-defining high-performance top-flow C-type cooler, and the NH-L12 built quite the reputation as a low-profile performance heatsink. Good hunting!For more details, and to participate, visit this page.

Noctua today presented its new NH-L9i and NH-L9a low profile CPU coolers for Intel and AMD. At a super-low profile of only 37mm, the NH-L9 coolers are ideal for extremely slim cases and with footprints tailored to the respective socket keep-out zones, they provide full compatibility with tall RAM modules and VGA cards on mini-ITX mainboards. Topped off with the new NF-A9x14 PWM premium fan, the NH-L9 coolers fuse everything users have come to expect from Noctua's larger coolers into a super-compact package for slim HTPC systems.

"The response on our first low profile cooler, the NH-L12, has been overwhelming", says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "However, users asked for even smaller, lower height models that also provide better compatibility for extra slim, ITX based HTPCs. We're thrilled that we can now meet this demand with the new NH-L9 coolers."

Noctua today introduced the first three models of its new A-series of premium quality quiet fans: The NF-A4x10, NF-A6x25 and NF-A9x14 all feature Noctua's novel AAO frames and the series' signature Flow Acceleration Channels for reduced boundary layer separation and improved aerodynamic efficiency. Reference class SSO2 bearing and 6 years manufacturer's warranty make the new models a stand-out choice for all noise-sensitive 40, 60 and 92mm applications.

"We have been getting a lot of requests for 40 and 60mm models both from our industry clients and customers who seek to replace noisy fans in network and storage solutions", says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "We're confident that the new NF-A4x10 and NF-A6x25 are highly competitive offerings for these types of applications, their efficiency really pushes the boundaries in these form factors."

Noctua's booth at last week's Computex Taipei not only hosted world's first public demonstration of a PC fan with integrated Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) but also gave a stage to upcoming Noctua products such as the new A-series fans, third generation NF-S12 fan and 37mm low profile CPU coolers. In addition to these upcoming products, Noctua also gave an exclusive insight on some of its current development projects for its D-, U-, C- and L-series heatsinks.

Firstly, Noctua has displayed its completely new A-series fans that feature a novel aerodynamic design measure called Flow Acceleration Channels to reduce boundary layer separation as well as Noctua's AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) frames. The new A-series fans are scheduled for launch in September/October and will come in square 140mm, round 140mm, slim 92mm plus 60 and 40mm sizes.

Noise reduction specialist RotoSub and renowned quiet cooling fan manufacturer Noctua today announced a strategic partnership agreement for the development and commercialisation of PC fans with integrated Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). A first prototype of a Noctua fan with integrated RotoSub ANC technology will be shown at Computex Taipei next week.

Active Noise Cancellation (also referred to as Active Noise Control or Active Noise Reduction, ANC) is the technique of using sound waves to reduce noise by means of an effect called phase cancellation or destructive interference. Lars Strömbäck and Mårten Oretorp from RotoSub have invented a system (RotoSub Active Noise Control, R-ANC) that allows a fan to emit the sound signal that cancels out the original sound of the fan and thereby greatly reduces the overall noise emission.

Noctua today presented its new NH-L12 low-profile cooler for Small Form Factor cases and HTPC environments. The NH-L12 features a flexible NF-F12 (120 mm) / NF-B9 (92 mm) dual PWM fan setup that can be configured either for full performance in dual fan mode or extra-low profile (66 mm) with the top fan removed.

"The industry trend towards Small Form Factor and Home Theatre PCs is well-established, but there's still a lack of suitable high-quality quiet CPU coolers", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "Building a powerful PC always requires a capable CPU, which in return demands a competent cooling solution. But who wants his HTPC to sound like a jet engine? This is precisely where the NH-L12 steps in."

Enlarging its portfolio of premium quality quiet fans, Noctua today announced PWM versions of its renowned NF-P12, NF-B9 and NF-R8 fans. Having received more than hundred awards and recommendations from the international press, the classic NF-P12, NF-B9 and NF-R8 fans helped to found Noctua's reputation as a top-tier manufacturer of premium grade quiet cooling components. The new PWM versions build on the proven designs and feature Noctua's novel NE-FD1 IC for fully automatic control and ultra-low power consumption.

"Our customers have been asking us for PWM versions of our fans for a long time, but the available PWM fan driver ICs simply weren't up to our quality standards", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "With our NE-FD1, we've now got our custom-designed IC that allows us to build PWM fans that consume less power and remain quieter at low speeds."

Coolink today presented its first CPU cooler to support the upcoming Intel LGA2011 platform for Core i7-3000 series Sandy Bridge-E processors. Based on the award winning Corator DS, the new Corator DS - LGA2011 is equipped with the proven SWiF2 - 120P PWM high-performance fan as well as the latest edition of the SecuFirm 2 mounting system for LGA2011, featuring optimized mounting pressure for excellent cooling performance.

"The upcoming release of Intel's Core i7-3000 series Sandy Bridge-E processors will raise the computing performance for enthusiast and professional users alike, so they can look forward to an interesting platform. However, these high performance processors need an adequate cooling solution to unleash their full potential and the Corator DS is predestined for this task", explains Timothy Chu, Coolink CEO. "With the Corator DS - LGA2011, which is based on the successful and award-winning Corator DS, we are proud to offer an attractive Core i7-3000 cooling solution for customers who are looking for great performance at reasonable costs."

Noctua today introduced the new NF-F12 120mm Focused Flow fan. Teaming up eleven stator guide vanes with a specially conceived seven blade impeller, the NF-F12's Focused Flow system creates outstanding static pressure and focuses the airflow for superior performance on heatsinks and radiators. At the same time, a wide range of advanced aerodynamic design measures, second generation SSO-Bearings and Noctua's new, custom designed PWM IC for fully automatic control guarantee astounding quietness of operation.

"Our award-winning NF-P12 has become a standard choice for pressure demanding applications such as CPU coolers and radiators, but we've been striving to achieve even better performance in this domain, and this is how the NF-F12 was born", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "Due to the stator guide vanes focussing the airflow, it can push the air through dense fin stacks more effectively. This type of design has mostly been used for noisy high speed fans so far, so our engineers have put a lot of thought into keeping the noise in check."

Noctua today presented a new special edition of its award-winning NH-D14 cooler for the upcoming Intel LGA2011 X79 platform. Having received more than 250 awards and recommendations from the international press, Noctua's NH-D14 has become a benchmark in premium quality quiet cooling. The new SE2011 version is a special edition for Intel's soon to be released Core i7-3000 (Sandy Bridge-E) CPUs and comes equipped with Noctua's SecuFirm2 mounting system for LGA2011 as well as an exquisite NF-P12/NF-P14 dual PWM fan configuration.

"Hardware enthusiasts have every right to be excited about Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge-E processors, but to get the most out of it, you'll definitely need a high quality cooling solution", says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "Our flagship model NH-D14 has earned a reputation as one of the finest high-end quiet coolers on the market, so we thought that this should be a perfect match. The new special edition for LGA2011 will keep your Sandy Bridge-E CPU cool no matter what you throw at it, and it will do so at minimum noise levels, thus appealing to overclockers and quiet enthusiasts alike."

As Intel's Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processors in the LGA2011 package inch closer to their mid-November launch, there is already hectic activity among manufacturers of related components such as motherboards, memory, and coolers. By now, a large section of the industry has engineering samples to help design and test their components. OCWorkbench was witness to one such pre-release setup on which a Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" (unknown model, could even be quad-core for all we know), overclocked to 4.92 GHz with a "regular" air-cooler. The chip was idling at 45°C.

Sandy Bridge-E, as we know, can be effectively overclocked by increasing its base clock (BClk). On this particular setup, the BClk was set at 120 MHz, with a multiplier value of 41X, and core voltage of 1.51V. The memory used was DDR3-2400 MHz with CAS latency of 10T. This is particularly encouraging, not just to enthusiasts on a tight budget, but also the cooling products industry in general. Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" retail boxes don't contain a cooling solution, and Intel has been showing off its branded closed-loop water-cooling solution (to be purchased separately) as something that's "recommended" for Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E". This gave many an impression that you need at least closed-loop water coolers for any hope of achieving decent overclocked speeds with these chips, and that perhaps these chips are bad overclockers in general. The likes of Xigmatek, Thermalright, Noctua, and Scythe can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Noctua today announced its new NM-I2011 mounting kit for LGA2011. Continuing Noctua's tradition of supplying its customers with SecuFirm2 mountings free of charge, the NM-I2011 kit allows Noctua users to upgrade to Intel's upcoming LGA2011 socket for Core i7-3000 (Sandy Bridge-E) processors. The new mounting is backwards compatible with all Noctua retail coolers since 2005 and will be supplied to Noctua users free of charge after uploading a proof of purchase on the company's website.

"We feel that product quality and service quality should always go hand in hand, so we're determined to give the best possible support to our customers. Having provided free mounting upgrades for the last generations of Intel and AMD platforms, we're happy to announce that we will continue this tradition with the NM-I2011 kit for LGA2011", says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "We always like to think of our coolers as safe long-term investments, and even if you bought one of our first models six years ago, you'll still be able to upgrade it to the latest socket technology free of charge."

Noctua is designing a new double fin-stack D-type CPU Cooler its prototype is on display at Computex. Its heatsink follows the same design principle as the NH-D14, and is roughly the same size, but with a few design optimizations. First, the two aluminum fin stacks aren't cuboidal. Towards the bottom, the fins are narrower, creating more room for components on the motherboard, next to the heatsink (such as memory modules and VRM heatsinks). The recessed lower fins create 60 mm of height clearance for memory modules. The density of the aluminum is also increased, with 50 fins, increasing surface area. The 120 mm NF-P12 from the original NH-D14 design are replaced by the company's new Focused Flow 120 mm fan.

After many distinctive heatsink designs, Noctua is making a return to the conventional single aluminum fin stack tower-type heatsink (U-type), the company showed off its prototype at Computex. The new heatsink uses a slim aluminum fin stack that adds to the clearance with the motherboard's memory area, but compensates for that with a taller fin stack, that can hold 140 mm fans, in this case, it's supplied with a NF-P14.

The design consists of 7 nickel-plated copper heat pipes passing through a base, that conveys heat to the aluminum fin stack. The heat pipes are spread apart as they pass through the fins, allowing uniform heat dissipation. Thanks to the slim heatsink design approach, Noctua assures 100% memory area clearance. Noctua will bundle one fan, but there's the provision for a second "pull" fan. Expect a value price on this one.

Noctua is one of the last bastions of high-performance top-flow design CPU coolers, but that doesn't come in the way of Noctua keeping top-flow alive, in fact the company is coming up with more ways to push the performance barrier, and compete with side-flow and closed-loop water cooling kits. Seen here is a new "downdraft" type CPU cooler prototype. The design involves large aluminum fin stacks that propagate along the plane of the motherboard, over the CPU socket and memory slot area. Don't worry, there's 70 mm of clearance with everything below, letting you install certain kinds of tall memory modules.

The heatsink, with its 25 mm thick fans installed isn't much higher than most high-end side-flow tower type heatsinks. The design involves a CPU base from which 7 nickel-plated copper heat pipes shoot up a height of 70 mm, before passing through the two fin stacks. The surface area of this heatsink is said to be 20% higher than that of the NH-D14. The heatsink is ventilated by two 120 mm Focused Flow fans, blowing air downwards. Everything else on the upper-half of the motherboard (such as VRM), gets cooled under the air-flow.