Noctua NH-C12P SE14 Review

Conclusion

Published: 11th May 2010 | Source: Noctua | Price: £55.10 | Author: Tom Logan

Conclusion

The conclusion here is simple and yet also very difficult. If you were looking at buying the NH-C12P SE14 for a system with an overclocked I7 processor then quite simply, don't. It just can not dissipate the heat fast enough and there are better coolers from both Noctua like the NH-D14 and other manufacturers as well. However if you want to keep your i7 at standard clocks but just want silence then is absolutely perfect for the job, with a maximum temperature of 73c with the fan at minimum you will have no complaints.

Now the curve ball, it is a low height cooler ideally suited to a HTPC configuration. The perfect companion for this kind of set up is the new i3 530 from Intel with an integrated GPU. When tested with this CPU even with a 4GHZ overclock the cooler just takes this in its stride and manages to keep all temps to a maximum of 48c. With this set up and these results it even had me gobsmacked. Yet again Noctua have brought us a cooler that's perfect for the application it was designed for. With a maximum height of 114mm with the fan fitted you should not have any problems fitting it in your HTPC as almost the same height that a GPU will stand out from the motherboard.

So if it's silence you you are looking for or a HTPC cooler then the NH-C12P SE14 is absolutely perfect. Yet again Noctua have sent me a heatsink that is so good I'm going to continue using it in the server system you will all be seeing more of very shortly. Because of that I'm happy to give this the coveted Editors Choice award. Quite simply because in the right system this would be the editors choice!

The Good
- Low Height
- Easy to fit
- Cools surrounding components
- Awesome build quality
- As close to silent as youll ever get with an air cooler
- Perfect cooler for a HTPC/Silent system
- i3 Temps were nothing short of amazing

The Mediocre
- Cant cope with an overclocked i7

The Bad
- Nothing that Ive found!

Thanks to Noctua for the sample today, you can discuss this review and many others in our forums.

Most Recent Comments

11-05-2010, 07:05:53

tinytomlogan

After the success of the NH-D14 review, its now time for the NH-C12P SE14 to pass through the OC3D labs.

Continue Reading

11-05-2010, 14:27:41

Steve-O-

Looks like another quality product from Noctua. Thanks for the review. How do you think it would fair with a 775 chipset? Are those hotter or cooler than an i3?

11-05-2010, 14:58:40

tinytomlogan

Id say its hotter but really depends on your clocks and vcore fella. The i3's are 32nm so run a good chunk cooler.

11-05-2010, 16:18:00

Steve-O-

Ok cool. I was just wondering because at the same vcore as an i7 920 or even a little higher I was running cooler with the NH-D14 with a Q6700. Maybe case airflow? Sorry if this is off topic. Just trying to judge performance on this new cooler based on my results with another. If that's even valid :P.

22-06-2010, 05:57:21

Goran

tom you say 'gob smacking' about 40 times in this haha

22-06-2010, 06:14:52

tinytomlogan

Cos it is

22-06-2010, 13:16:15

thestepster

looks great im really wanting to jump and get myself a noctua cooler but the fans look so rank ha ha

is that the cooler u are puttin in your server man?

22-06-2010, 17:56:04

tinytomlogan

Its in the server now. The other day the fan cable had pulled out after moving some bits about. The CPU fan hadnt started yet the i3 stayed below 50c! There was other fans keeping the air moving but for the right cpu / clock this cooler is pukka!

22-06-2010, 18:03:24

Goran

Quote:

Originally Posted by name='tinytomlogan'

this cooler is pukka!

some might say 'gob smacking'

23-06-2010, 00:12:46

thestepster

nice i was thinkin about moving over to an i3 set up for building folders and it does look like a great cooler to choose

Noctua NH-C12P SE14 Review

Conclusion

Published: 11th May 2010 | Source: Noctua | Price: £55.10 | Author: Tom Logan

Most Recent Comments

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