Finished Looks

The Noctua NH-U12S does look nice but is, as can been seen, a fingerprint magnet due to the bare aluminum of the heatsink.


Noctua's choice of colors really stands out on the test system's red and black motherboard. That does not mean it looks bad. Its appearance is, while not exceptional, acceptable. However, it would, if paired with something like one of Gigabyte's sniper series of boards, look a bit out of place due to the green of the board.


Memory clearance is exceptional on LGA2011. Noctua claimed 100% RAM compatibility and I have to agree. The NH-U12S easily delivers such clearance.


I will, thanks to Noctua providing a matching FN-F12 PWM fan, test dual-fan performance as well. With two fans, clearance on my X79 motherboard still allowed the use of memory with tall heatsinks. This is certainly nice to see. Adding the second fan also gives the NH-U12S a more balanced appearance, which helps with cooling performance and aesthetics.