Not too long ago, we had a look at Noctua's case cooling options. Today we are going to be taking a look at one of their CPU coolers: the NH-U12F CPU cooler. The NH-U12F is a newer version of the NH-U12, which will accept up to two 120MM cooling fans. This cooler can be rotated 90 degrees on any socket for proper alignment. The older version (NH-U12) received over 100 awards so lets see how the new version holds up.
First Impression:
The Noctua label is the result of partnership with three companies: Kolink Int. Corp., Austrian Institute for Heat Transmission and Fan Technology, and Rascom. With the combination of these three companies, Noctua is making a name for its self. We recently took a look at their sound optimized fans.
The Noctua NH-U12F CPU cooler comes in an information box. The front showcases the cooler, while the back shows the dimensions of the cooler and its key features.
Opening up the box, you will be greeted with the bold colors of the Noctua 120 MM sound optimized fan that is included. On the right, you will see the actual cooler nicely packed in the box
Here we have a head on shot of the massive NH-U12F heatsink. It utilizes four dual heatpipes forming the eight risers that pass through the 38 aluminum cooling fins (more than 5000cm² of surface area) that are soldered at the joints for maximum heat transfer.
The Noctua NH-U12F will mount on Intel Socket LGA 775, AMD K8 (754, 939, 940) & AM2 boards and comes with all the needed hardware for each setup.