The Noctua NH-U12S is an exceptional cooler. It might not be the best in terms of pure cooling performance, but it still gets the job done. At stock clocks, the cooler is simply fantastic for its size, doing extremely well against much more expensive competitors, such as the Corsair H90. The fact that it performs as well as it does is astonishing when you look at the noise it creates, or the lack thereof. This cooler is for the most part utterly silent. If a user needs a traditional cooler that keeps noise levels down, the NH-U12S is the best choice. It simply dominates the noise-level charts, being the quietest cooler I have tested thus far. Noctua is mostly competing against itself in that category. The ability to add a second fan to improve cooling performance is also a welcome sight as another fan increases the NH-U12S's cooling ability even more. Best yet, noise levels hardly suffer with a second fan, increasing by just 1-2 dBA at worst. The easy-to-use mounting hardware makes for an easy install, and the exceptional build quality really gives the cooler some extra value. The quality itself is something pictures cannot convey—holding the cooler in your hands and seeing it for yourself is the only way to really grasp the difference between a Noctua NH-U12S and its competition. The warranty is a nice treat as well.

Once the rose-tinted glasses are off, a few problems stand out. The price is the biggest issue. At $64.99, it is competing against the far cheaper Silverstone Argon AR03 at $49.99, as it cools nearly as well with a bit of extra noise. The fact that the cooler does not come with a second fan is a major concern. A second NF-F12 PWM fan will set users back another $26.99 on Newegg. Matching fans, maximum cooling performance, and great noise levels will in the end set users back by over $90. That is a hard price to justify when the Phanteks PH-TC14PE is better in most regards, and cheaper. The fact that Noctua's very own NH-D14 is available in that price range also makes the dual-fan option for this cooler much less appealing. The colors of the fans also remain a love or hate relationships. They instantly scream Noctua, but not everyone wants to put a cooler with a beige and dark brown fan that only seems to match ASUS Sabertooth motherboards into their case.

The Noctua NH-U12S is ultimately an exceptionally quiet cooler with performance that is great for its size. If you are in the market for a cooler that needs to perform well while being quiet, this is the choice for you. The quality of the product and its features already make it an exceptional buy. Just keep in mind that a second Noctua fan will push this cooler into the NH-D14's price range.