Noctua NH-L12 Low Profile CPU Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The Noctua NH-L12 Cooler4. Installing the Noctua NH-L125. Testing Methodology and Performance6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

In this review we are using an Intel Core i7-2700K based system to test the thermal and acoustic performance of the Noctua NH-L12.  We will be testing the CPU at reference speeds and then when overclocked to 4.7 GHz using a voltage of 1.35V.  We will be using a Phanteks PH-TC14CS cooler for comparison purposes.

Test System

• Processor: Intel Core i7-2700K
• Motherboard: Biostar TZ77XE4
• Thermal Paste: Arctic Cooling MX-3
• Memory: 4 GB (2x 2 GB) Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600
• Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 6670
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower XT 750W
• System Drive: Crucial M4 256 GB SSD
• Monitor: Viewsonic VX2260WM
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

Software

• CPUID Hardware Monitor
• Prime 95 64-bit

To test the thermal performance of the Cubitek ATX ICE we loaded our test system for 10 minutes using Prime 95 and Furmark and recorded the maximum temperatures reached using CPUID Hardware Monitor.  We then restarted the system and left it for 15 minutes before recording idle temperatures.  Room temperatures were maintained at 20 degrees C for the duration of our tests.

We were quite impressed with the performance of the NH-L12 both at stock settings and when overclocked.  The temperature differences between the NH-L12 and Phanteks PH-TC14CS aren’t massive and the Noctua NH-L12 is much more compact.

To test the noise performance of the case we placed our digital dBA meter 1m from the front of the cooler and replaced the Radeon HD 6950 with a HD 5550 Silence.

The noise level generated by the cooler was below the 30 dBA minimum sensitivity of our Noise Level Meter and is very quiet indeed.  We tested the cooler on our open test bench and it was audible but, when installed within a case, it’s completely inaudible.

Become a Patron!