NH-U12S redux

Purchased this with the optional second fan as an upgrade from the stock cooler that comes with my 5600. I had been looking at purchasing a Noctua cooler, specifically the NH-U12A or the NH-U12S but could not justify pulling the trigger on a $100+ cooler when the stock cooler was doing a good enough job. But then I found this cooler with basically the same performance for half the price, and I knew I had to get it. PROS: -AMAZING cooling! With the stock cooler, my CPU would get to 90+ degrees while performing a 10 minute Cinebench. With this cooler, it barely gets above 60 degrees while performing a 30 minute Cinebench test. While gaming, even under the most CPU stressing game I have (Dead Space Remake) it stays under 65 degrees with PBO enabled. -This thing is QUIET! Like I said, I had purchased the secondary fan for a push/pull configuration on my cooler and even with the second fan, this thing is silent. Really the only noise coming from my PC is from the GPU fans spinning up. Before, my PC was noisy with the stock cooler, but I didn't realize HOW noisy it was until I put this one in. -You cannot overtighten this cooler because of the spring loaded screws on the cooler -Comes with Noctua thermal paste pre applied, so you do not have to worry about paste, but get some just in case. Arctic mx-4 is $5 extra CONS: -It is tough to get the mounting hardware on without help. I managed to do it but it would be 100x easier with someone helping, or by removing the MOBO from the case. But I was lazy and didn't want to deal with that. Plus, some of the standoffs for my board are under where the fans end up sitting, so I still would have had issues with it. -Some people have had issues with motherboard compatibility, but this could be user error. I use a Gigabyte B550M DS3H and had no issues. This cooler uses the backplate that came with the board for AM4. Intel uses the included backplate. -The threads for the screws are on the mounting hardware, and when you loosen the screws on the cooler, they are not free of the screws on the mounting hardware, keeping you from turning the cooler to break the seal from the thermal paste. Since this comes with Noctua paste pre applied, good luck getting this off without a fight. -Attaching the fans is hard as hell, especially if you do it in your case. I found that doing the secondary fan (if you buy one) first, then the front fan is WAY easier than doing it the other way. And the fans might block standoff screws if you put them on outside of the case. I highly recommend this cooler, and its good to see that the Noctua name holds up even on a more budget option.

Let me begin with some clarification. I have not yet used my pc with this cooler in practical applications yet. However, I have ran the Heaven benchmark and Cinebench R23 with this cooler installed. I’m running a Ryzen 7 5000 series and there is about a 25 degree difference in running those two benchmarks between the Noctua cooler and the AMD Waith stock cooler. The Noctua cooler definitely comes out ahead, which I knew it would, by a 25 degree difference. The idle temp is about 5 degrees cooler. I’d love to say the fan is quieter, but I don’t know. The fan on the Noctua cooler hasn’t had to ramp up like the AMD Wraith cooler fan had to. For the temps I was at, 53 degrees under load, I couldn’t hear the fan. While this Noctua cooler is a “budget” cooler, it has performed wonderfully thus far. Installation is very straight forward, with clear instructions for the inexperienced. Noctua makes great products and is well established in the PC cooling business.

This heatsink is cooling my AMD 7900 non x and does a great job. You can feel the quality. They made me a customer for life. I hope they keep up the good work. Silent.

I've had this cooler since December of 2022, and I just had to come back to sing it's praises. Affordable and it's from noctua, with pretty much every benefit you get with their mainline or chromax coolers: Easy installation, quality thermal paste (pre applied here, but easy to get if you need more), Future conscious service for when and if a new socket generation comes around (which it certainly has with AM5), and best of all it's QUIET. Some tech reviewers (only LTT as far as I know) have said that the older fan bearing system will cause it to be louder, but I can confidently say that this has been the quietest cooler I have ever owned (don't miss the AMD wraith spire one bit). I would buy another one of these for any system I would build in the future without hesitation. My only hope is that Noctua takes this budget friendly cooler idea and make a lineup of redux budget coolers (Imagine a NHD15 redux for like 80 or 90 bucks vs the normal 110/115)

My computer, with a very powerful CPU, came with a large liquid cooler with four fans. What I didn't know at the time was that liquid coolers don't last very long. They failed in both of my computers in less than two years. When I called the company, the technician I reached suggested that I replace the failing liquid cooler with an air cooler (I had replaced the one in the other computer with another liquid cooler), and I purchased this Noctua NH-U12S unit. I installed it last night and was worried that it might not provide enough cooling. I needn't have worried. The CPU is running very cool. Even with all 12 cores and 24 threads running at 100% load (using the CPU-Z program), the temperature only reached the low 70s C. So my question now is why were my computers sold with liquid coolers. I suspect it was just for marketing. It did seem impressive that the computer was so powerful that it needed water cooling. The installation of this cooler was somewhat challenging, but not through any fault of Noctua. The big issue was what to do with the spaces occupied by the liquid cooler with its two double fans. Fortunately, I figured out a way to remount the two larger fans in the original slots, so the cooling for the case still works properly. Installing the Noctua cooler itself was extremely easy. When the replacement liquid cooler in the other computer fails again in a year or two, I will install the Noctua cooler instead.

I purchased this along with its second fan kit. Mounted on a ryzen 7 5700G which I then overclocked to 4.5Ghz all core stable at 1.35V. When running heavy benchmark loads, burnin tests, and intense workload programs the max temp was 40°C. Fan noise is negligible at best and the pwm keeps them in a good zone without needing the power limiter. I used to build systems professionally at work and have used most high end components available so I get to test a lot of configurations. Normally my preferred air cooler is the be quiet dark rock pro 4, but this little beast has honestly stolen my affections. In most workloads the performance is near identical to coolers twice its cost so it really is a good value. Downside, its not the nicest looking cooler. It has a decent style with the grey and silver so you can pull of some nice looking builds, but its no head turner and honestly is best for systems that arent showcases. Bottom line, an exceptional cooler for a very reasonable price. I first tested this on intel 12th gen and they did great with non k sku models and a single fan. If you are doing a 12700k, 12600k, or their new 13th gen versions then this guy is a great buy. If, however, you want to oc the intels, then you may want to look into 240mm aio or bigger fan solutions. If you are looking to build a good performance amd 5000 series based system, look no further. The great efficiency of the amd 5000 means this cooler does extremely well with these cpus. I selected the 5700g for both budget and my needs which arent crazy. Im not really into buying the end all be all and tend to lean more into efficiency and capability. This cooler keeps my system stable and running exceptionally well and I still have headroom to work with. No question, while there are cheaper units and some better performing units none have both as well as this. This is the best budget cooler available today.

Mine came with some bent fins but was easy to remedy. Fit is true to size. Noise levels snd quietness are good. I personally think the look of block fans are ugly/bully but the price of AIO vs performance and cooling isnt worth it for a casual gamer. If you are a min/maxer hardcore builder id go liquid cooling otherwise this works fantastic for casual cooling. I dont OC anything on this build.

They sent me an LGA 1700 adapter and extra clip for a second fan for free. This thing is quieter than my old AIO and temps stay so low. I can’t believe this is considered their lower end offering. Great product, great service.