The Noctua NH-C14 is a treat to install and use. As far as its design, packaging, and product presentation goes, the NH-C14 is top-notch. I couldn't have imagined any other cooler manufacturer take up top-flow design at this market segment, and then go on to win big time in terms of performance. Not only is this top-flow cooler very much in the league of high-end side-flow tower-type coolers, but it can also compete with entry-level water-cooling in-a-box solutions.
The outstanding issues are fans that lack 4-pin PWM connectors, and that voltage-based control using software/BIOS can get quirky as you're controlling two fans connected to one header. The other issue is the high noise output at load. But for the kind of performance, I think the noise is a fair tradeoff.
Overall, the Noctua NH-C14 is wonderful piece of engineering. It's as if its designers wanted to do some mythbusting, and disprove that top-flow design coolers are passé. Top-flow works, but at the expense of a lot of metal content. Performance considered, NH-C14 isn't an inefficient design after all. Don't hesitate to get one, if you have 90 bucks.