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Noctua NH-L12 Low Profile CPU Cooler Review

Noctua have been able to create a steady stream of high grade coolers over the years, and the NH-L12 is no exception to the rule.

We managed to maintain a substantial 4.7 GHz overclock via the NH-L12 without experiencing high temperatures that could affect the longevity of the CPU.  This is quite remarkable for a compact, low-profile CPU cooler especially as compromises normally have to be made.

The impressive thermal performance of the cooler is rivaled by the excellent acoustic performance.  Even with the fans running at full speed, the cooler is inaudible when it’s installed in a case. That said, both of the fans are PWM models, so most of the time they will be spinning much slower, emitting low levels of noise.

Noctua offer a 6 year warranty as standard which gives us peace of mind that the cooler will last a very long time indeed.

At a price of about £50 from Scan, we feel that the Noctua NH-L12 offers reasonable value for money.  There aren’t many low profile coolers out there that offer this level of performance.  So if you want to build an overclocked HTPC or small form factor PC, you need look no further.

Pros:

  • Good cooling capability.
  • Quiet fans.
  • Generous bundle.
  • Very compact.

Cons:

  • Can block RAM slots.

KitGuru says: Another excellent product from Noctua!

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Rating: 9.0.

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6 comments

  1. great coolers, but they look ugly I think, almost like hospital equipment 🙂

  2. I had hoped you would test the cooler only using the 92m fan, without the 120mm attached, seeing as that is one of the installation options.

    My HTPC case can only accept coolers up to 70mm and I’ve been looking at this as an option but cannot find any reviews which rate the performance in the true low-profile configuration.

    Any chance of an update to the review?

  3. Hi Martin,

    We actually tested the cooler in low profile mode in our review of the Silverstone Fortress FT03 case which you can find here http://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/henry-butt/silverstone-fortress-ft03-mini-case-review/

  4. Might be a 5 year old review but still helpful! Thanks for the info.