The NH U12P ships in a heavy duty box designed with the traditional Noctua colours. There is a detailed list of specifications on the front and top of the box.
Noctua accessories have always been a showcase of how everyone else should do it. They bundle the Intel and AMD mounting kits in separate resealable bags, with a shared package of components directly related to the heatsink. There is a fold out booklet, with AMD and Intel fitting instructions on either side. As this is the Special Edition (SE2) version of the cooler, there is also a tube of Noctua high grade thermal paste (NT H1), and an extra 120mm fan (NF P12).
The heatsink is very similar to the ancient NH U12F. It is slightly taller and the aluminum stack fin is more dense, allowing for better clearance of the heatpipes around the CPU socket. The Noctua logo is proudly embossed into the top of the heatsink.
The heatpipes are nickel coated which gives corrosion protection long term. As expected, the soldering quality on all the areas is first class and a testament to Noctua engineering standards. The base is really smooth and although there are a few very minor imperfections it is as good as we have seen.
Noctua fans are like marmite, you either love them or hate them. I think the cream and brown stands out in a crowded marketplace, but I know some of my associates really dislike their appearance. The NF-P12 is a super quality fan however regardless of the colour and operates at 19dBa while spinning at 1,300 rpm. Noctua use SSO bearing technology with nine blades on each fan.
They also supply low noise and ultra low noise adapters which reduce the speed to 1,100rpm and 900 rpm respectively. Noise is apparently reduced from 19.8 dBa to 16.9 dBa and 12.6 dBa although getting measuring equipment and an environment sensitive enough to measure this is difficult.