Austrian company since its foundation back in 2005, it has been closely cooperating with the Austrian Institute of Heat Transfer and Fans, therefore, at almost every major exhibition of achievements, Hi-Tech presents its new developments in the field of cooling systems for personal computer components. However, these cooling systems, unfortunately, do not always reach mass production. It is difficult to say what is to blame, but the company rarely pleases fans of its products with new products.
However, last month Noctua did release a brand new CPU cooler. And although its name has changed in comparison with its predecessors by only one letter, looks like a breath of fresh air in the seriously stagnant CPU air-cooling segment, where the latest “development” trends are most often limited to lighting fans and other cooler components.
Let's consistently and in detail analyze this novelty and test it in comparison with competitors.
Specifications and cost
We will give the technical characteristics of the cooler in the table in comparison with the characteristics of its predecessor - the model .
| Name of technical characteristics | Noctua NH-U12A | Noctua NH-U12S |
| Cooler dimensions (H × W × D), fan, mm |
158 × × 125 112 | 158 × × 125 71 |
| (120 × 120 × 25 x 2) | (120×120×25) | |
| Gross weight, g | 1220 (760 - radiator) |
755 (580 - radiator) |
| Radiator material and design | Nickel-plated tower structure made of aluminum plates on 7 copper heat pipes with a diameter of 6 mm passing through the copper base | Nickel-plated tower structure made of aluminum plates on 5 copper heat pipes with a diameter of 6 mm passing through the copper base |
| Number of radiator plates, pcs. | 50 | 50 |
| Radiator plate thickness, mm | 0,45 | 0,40 |
| Intercostal distance, mm | 1,8 | 1,75 |
| Estimated radiator area, cm2 | 6 860 | 5 570 |
| Thermal resistance, °С/W | n / a | n / a |
| Fan type and model | Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM (2 pcs) | Noctua NF-F12 PWM |
| Fan rotation speed, rpm | 450–2000 (±10%) 450–1700 (±10%) LNA |
300–1500 (±10%) 300–1200 (±10%) LNA |
| Airflow CFM | 60,1 (max) 49,8 (max.) LNA |
55,0 (max) 43,8 (max.) LNA |
| Noise level, dBA | 22,6 (max) 18,8 (max.) LNA |
22,4 (max) 18,6 (max.) LNA |
| Static pressure, mm H2O | 2,34 (max) 1,65 (max.) LNA |
2,61 (max) 1,83 (max.) LNA |
| Number and type of fan bearings | ||
| Fan MTBF, hours/years | 150 / >000 | 150 / >000 |
| Rated/starting voltage of the fan, V | 12 / 4,5 | 12 / 4,4 |
| Fan current, A | 0,14 | 0,05 |
| Declared/measured fan power consumption, W | 1,68 / 1,51 | 0,60 / n/a |
| Can be installed on processors with sockets | Intel LGA115x/2011(v3)/2066 AMD socket AM2(+)/AM3(+)/AM4/FM1/FM2(+) |
Intel LGA775/115x/2011(v3)/2066 AMD Socket AM2(+)/AM3(+)/FM1/FM2(+) |
| Maximum processor TDP level, W | n / a | n / a |
| Extras (features) | Two PWM fans, two LNA adapters, Noctua NT-H1 3,5g thermal paste | PWM fan, LNA adapter, Noctua NT-H1 3,5g thermal paste |
| Warranty period, years | 6 | 6 |
| Recommended cost, $ | 99,9 | 65 |
Packaging equipment
The design of the boxes in which Noctua coolers are delivered has not changed, perhaps, since their appearance on the market. Only the color scheme has undergone minor changes, but in general the boxes are the same as before. And Noctua NH-U12A is no exception: we have a medium-sized package, decorated in brown and white.
Each of the sides of the package is filled with one or another useful information, starting with technical specifications and key features and ending with warranty obligations. There was also a place for a block of text in Russian. We can conclude that Noctua considers the Russian market one of its priorities.
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In terms of reliability, the box also raises no questions. Inside the main package there is a collapsible cardboard shell that fixes the radiator with fans.
As for accessories, they are packed in a flat box with the designation of each component on its front side.
Inside you can find a reinforcing plate on the back of the motherboard, two pairs of steel rails, sets of screws, bushings and washers, adapters and instructions, as well as thermal paste in a syringe weighing 3,5 grams.
All Austrian Noctua products are manufactured in Taiwan. Premium cooling systems come with a six-year warranty. The announced cost of Noctua NH-U12A is 99,9 US dollars, and this is a very strange fact, since even the flagship with a double-tower type radiator can be purchased cheaper. Perhaps the novelty is more efficient and quieter than its older brother? We'll find out soon.
Design features
The design of Noctua NH-U12A has not changed in comparison with the previous model of this type - NH-U12S. What catches the eye is only the doubled number of fans and the fans themselves, as well as the slightly increased thickness of the cooler. In all other respects, we still have the same medium-sized tower cooler with an aluminum heatsink on heat pipes.
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Still, there are more than enough changes in the design of the cooler. But first, let's note that the height and width of the cooler remained the same: 158 and 125 mm, respectively. But the thickness has grown from 71 to 112 mm, and not only due to an additional fan, since the thickness of the NH-U12A radiator has increased from 12 to 41 mm compared to the NH-U58S.
The weight of the cooler has also increased, now it is 1220 grams, of which 760 grams fall on the radiator. In the previous version of this model, the radiator weighed 580 grams.
In general, the design of the cooler has not changed. Before us is a classic "tower" with an aluminum radiator, sandwiched between two 120mm fans.
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The increased thickness of the heatsink was supposed to prevent the installation of RAM modules with high heatsinks in the nearest slots on the motherboard. However, the Austrian engineers moved the radiator forward in the direction of the airflow, trying to avoid this problem. This one is clearly visible when looking at the cooler from the side.
We also note here that the sides of the radiator are almost completely closed by the ends of the fins bent down.
The total number of aluminum plates in the heatsink is 50. Each fin is tightly fitted to the heat pipes, and all their junctions are soldered. The intercostal distance is 1,75-1,85 mm, and the thickness of each plate is 0,45 mm. In general, we can say that the heatsink turned out to be quite dense, but at the ends of its plates, protrusions and teeth are visible, which should reduce the resistance to the air flow of the fans and increase the efficiency of the heatsink at low speeds.
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The dimensions of each plate are 120 × 58 mm, the calculated radiator area is 6860 cm2. This is 23,2% larger than the NH-U12S heatsink, but still far from a true super cooler with a heatsink area of approximately 11000 cm2. How NH-U12A plans to compete with them is not yet clear to us.
In addition to the new larger heatsink, the NH-U12A received seven 6mm heat pipes versus five for the NH-U12S. They pierce the radiator on each side with two peculiar ovals of six tubes, and the ends of the seventh heat pipe are immediately after the last tube in terms of air flow.
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Note that the three central heat pipes, which should account for the maximum heat load, are separated from each other as much as possible, and the pair of heat pipes following them is also at a decent distance from each other.
With this solution, the developers sought to ensure the most uniform distribution of heat flow over the radiator fins. We also add that 1,5 mm “necks” and traces of accurate soldering are visible at the points of contact between the heat pipes and the plates.
At the base of the cooler is a nickel-plated copper plate with grooves for each heat pipe. All tubes in these grooves are stacked with 0,5 mm distance from each other, and the minimum thickness of the plate under them does not exceed 2,0 mm. Of course, solder is also used here. The dimensions of the base contact plate are 48 × 48 mm. The quality of its processing can be called a reference.
But most importantly, the contact surface of the base of our Noctua NH-U12A is exceptionally flat. However, the bulge of the heat spreader on our LGA2066 test processor did not allow for perfect prints.
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New radiator - new fans, decided in Noctua and instead of one NH-U12S was equipped with a pair of recently released coolers . As is always the case with an Austrian company, the fans are extremely technologically advanced and perfectly executed. They combine a nine-bladed brown impeller with sickle-shaped blades and a good dozen of Noctua's proprietary technologies, as well as a baked milk color frame with brown silicone corners.
Noctua fans can be treated as they like, but it is impossible not to admit that they are always at the forefront of modern technology. The new NF-A12x25 PWM was no exception, which, in addition to previously implemented technologies, received an impeller made of a new liquid crystal polymer increased density. This was done so that the impeller would not “stretch” over time, since this model has a gap between the end of the impeller and the frame of only 0,5 mm. This is at least three times less than the vast majority of other fans, including all previous Noctua models. In addition, this innovative material is less susceptible to vibrations, which means that such fans should operate at a lower noise level. The only disadvantage of the NF-A12x25 PWM is its very high cost ($29,9), and since the Noctua NH-U12A has two such fans at once, the reason why this cooler is more expensive than other cooling systems with the “super” prefix is understandable.
As for the technical characteristics, the fan speed, controlled by pulse-width modulation, should be in the range from 450 to 2000 rpm, and when the LNA adapter is connected to the circuit, the upper speed limit is “cut off” to 1700 rpm. The maximum airflow of each fan can reach 60,1 CFM, the static pressure is 2,34 mm H2O, and the noise level is 22,6 dBA.
The fans use proprietary bearings with a standard service life of 150 thousand hours, or more than 17 years of continuous operation. In addition to durability, the fans are also economical: with the declared 1,68 W at maximum speed, each fan consumed no more than 1,5 W, which is an outstanding figure for 2000 rpm.
The starting voltage of the fans also turned out to be low and amounted to only 4,5 V.
In order to minimize the transmission of vibrations to the radiator, very soft silicone corners are installed at the corners of the frame of each of the fans.
The fans themselves are attached to the radiator with a pair of wire brackets.
But the synthetically braided fan cables are very short, their length is 195 mm. This is only enough to connect the fan to the nearest connector on the motherboard, and not every motherboard model has a pair of such connectors in the immediate vicinity of the processor socket. But this is perhaps the only inconvenience when installing and connecting Noctua NH-U12A fans.
Compatibility and installation
The Noctua NH-U12A is compatible with Intel LGA2011/2066/115x processors and AMD processors in Socket AM2(+)/AM3(+)/AM4/FM1/FM2(+) format. Given the relatively large heat sink base and the cost of the cooler, it is strange not to see the AMD Socket TR4 platform in this list, but we note that Noctua has special cooler models for such sockets.
The cooling system is installed using the proprietary SecuFirm2 mount, which is equipped with most models of the Austrian company. The installation procedure for each supported slot is detailed. . We installed the cooler on a motherboard with an LGA2066 connector, for which double-threaded studs are screwed into the holes of the socket base plate.
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Then two steel plates are fixed on these studs, fixed with knurled nuts.
After that, the heatsink is installed on the processor and is attracted to these plates from both wide sides by spring-loaded screws.
At this stage, it is necessary to ensure that the heatsink is evenly pressed against the processor heat spreader and do not forget about the thermal paste.
The distance from the bottom plate of the Noctua NH-U12A heatsink to the motherboard is 44mm, and the fans can be mounted higher.
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But the advantage of the Noctua NH-U12A is that its heatsink is shifted forward on heat pipes, so on most motherboards the cooler should not interfere with the installation of memory modules with high heatsinks. Although on boards with four-channel memory, problems are still possible.
After being installed on the processor, the height of the cooler reached 162 mm, so, unlike most super coolers, it will be compatible with all ATX form factor system block cases.
Inside the case of the Noctua NH-U12A system unit looks unusual, it will be very difficult to choose the appropriate interior for it. Therefore, if the design of the case and its components is not in last place for you, then Noctua products in this regard can hardly be called an ideal option.
Source: 3dnews.ru