Noctua NL-LC1-360 360mm AIO CPU Cooler Review

1. Noctua NL-LC1-36 AIO CPU Cooler2. Testing Methodology and Test Result3. Closing Thoughts4. View All Pages

Testing Methodology:

We are primarily focusing on the performance of each cooler at 100% fan speed and also when locked to 40dBA noise output. We will focus on cooling performance using a manual overclock with all-core frequency and VCORE locked to 5.2GHz/1.3V (AMD) and 5.5GHz/1.3V (Intel) and Precision Boost Overdrive performance.

• The test data is logged using HWINFO and the final 10 minutes of the data is calculated to find the average CPU temperature and CPU clock multiplier (AMD PBO Test) and then plotted in the charts.
• For testing, we use a 30-minute looped run of Cinebench R23 and record the steady-state CPU temperature at the end of the test. This ensures that the CPU has had ample time to warm up and reach a steady state under all of the coolers.
• The ambient is maintained at 19-21 degrees Celsius. Where there is variation beyond this temperature range, we add extra repeated tests to ensure consistency. However, this is well controlled now with A/C.
• We also test each cooler with at least two fresh installs (typically three) to mitigate the likelihood of poor mounting spoiling results.
• Ambient temperature and humidity are controlled via a mini split air conditioning system inside the test room. Ambient temperature is maintained between 19-20°C; temperature delta figures are shown in the charts (ambient temperature is deducted from the measured component temperature).

Test Results:

Acoustics

We'll start by looking at noise output, the NL-LC1-36 immediately puts in a very strong showing here. With the fans running at maximum speed, we record a noise output of just 41dBA, making it the quietest cooler in our entire comparison chart. That's 2 dBA lower than the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 ARGB and well ahead of many other 360mm AIOs we've tested, several of which sit in the high 40s or low 50s dBA range.

More importantly, the sound is very consistent and not distracting. There are no sharp tones from the fans and the pump noise stays in the background, even at full speed. Given Noctua’s focus on low noise, that result is not unexpected, but it still places the NL-LC1-36 right at the top of our noise results at maximum fan speed.

Thermal Performance: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X

Moving on to thermal performance, this is tested on a manually overclocked Ryzen 9 9950X running at 5.2GHz with 1.3V VCore, with the cooler operating at full fan speed to begin with. Under these conditions, the NL-LC1-36 records a steady-state temperature of 59°C over ambient. That places it within the group of high-end coolers, alongside models such as the be quiet! Light Loop 360 and Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 420.

Thermal performance is solid rather than exceptional. It’s competitive within the 360mm category, but it doesn’t move ahead of the best-performing designs we’ve tested under this 100% fan speed workload.

On to the noise-normalised thermal results, with all of the coolers set to a fixed 40dBA operating level. In this configuration, the NL-LC1-36 records a steady-state temperature of 62°C over ambient, placing it again within the top-performing 360mm AIOs. Putting it on par with a number of flagship 360mm designs, including the Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX RGB and MSI’s MPG CoreLiquid P13, while staying within a very tight margin of the leading results in this test.

Performance is very consistent, delivering strong noise-normalised efficiency and staying very closely in touch with the best coolers in this chart.

Finally, looking at CPU performance on the Ryzen 9 9950X, with Precision Boost Overdrive enabled. The NL-LC1-36 records a steady-state temperature of 62°C over ambient, while maintaining an average CPU clock of 52.5x. That places it right alongside some of the strongest-performing 360mm and 420mm AIO coolers in this test, including the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 420, delivering similar thermals and boost behaviour.

Overall, PBO performance is very strong. The cooler produces impressive boost behaviour for the 9950X, keeping it within the group of high-end results, again sticking very closely to the leading coolers.

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