Product on Review: Noctua NH-C14
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Noctua
MSRP: €74.90/ US $84.90/ £60 (Available in December)
Street Price: N/A
It has certainly been a long time since our last CPU cooler review here at Vortez. So it’s only fitting that the next cooler to enter our labs is from the King of coolers themselves, Noctua! Noctua have always been synonymous to premium quality, flexibility and delivering the best performance without the compromise of noise. The last time we saw new products from Noctua was when they were showcasing a few of their latest prototype designs back at Computex in June. Such are their reputation that a mere glimpse of what they had in store was enough to excite their audience, whether they be enthusiasts, mainstream users or HTPC addicts. Despite their diverse line up of innovative heatsinks, Noctua still retain two of the most successful coolers on the market today, the majestic NH-D14 and the highly efficient but minimalistic NH-C12P SE14. The Noctua NH-D14 is clearly a demonstration of the brand’s prowess and since its introduction, it has gone unchallenged until only 2 months ago when Thermalright released their Silver Arrow. We can remain assured that Noctua will be working on their next revolutionary product as we speak (if the Computex event was of any indication), but for now let’s turn our attention to the NH-C12P SE14’s successor, the NH-C14.
The name itself describes what we can expect from the cooler, the ‘C’ denotes that it’s a C-type top down cooler and the ‘14’ represents the size of the fans bundled with the heatsink. As is typical of Noctua, they have bundled two of their flagship and highly revered NF-P14 FLX fans with the NH-C14 to deliver high performance whilst maintaining quietude. The concept itself is not new since top down coolers used to be the norm before tower coolers entered the market, but they have endured the test of time and remain the ideal solution for Media Centres where low profile coolers can provide adequate cooling power in a small package. Compatibility is clearly an emphasis Noctua are taking to. Although bundled with two fans, they can be used in 3 different configuration modes depending on usage and available space inside a chassis; Dual fan mode, Low profile mode & High clearance mode. We will have an in-depth look later on in the review. As an evolution of the NH-C12P it will be interesting to see how the two fare against each other. Other features we can expect to see is compatibility with all recent AMD and Intel sockets, including the unique claim to being the first cooler to officially support the upcoming LGA1155 socket, and of course their NT-H1 thermal paste.
For those not already familiar with the Noctua brand, here are a few words from them:
Designed in Austria, Noctua's premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 1000 awards and recommendations from leading hardware websites and magazines, Noctua's fans and heatsinks are chosen by more than a hundred thousand satisfied customers around the globe.
Technology
Scientific know-how pooling and state-of-the-art simulation environments allow for advanced, highly optimised products that set new benchmarks for performance to noise efficiency. Over the years, Noctua has put itself on the forefront of quiet cooling innovations with its unique, psycho-acoustically optimised impeller designs as well as new bearing and drive technologies such as the SSO-Bearing (Self-Stabilising Oil Pressure Bearing) or the Smooth Commutation Drive (SCD) system. Thanks to advanced aerodynamic design measures like Vortex-Control Notches and Bevelled Blade Tips, Noctua's products are renowned for pushing the envelope in axial fan technology.
Quality and Service
In a market that's increasingly driven by cost saving rather than customer dedication and flooded with branded budget products, we take pride in striving for excellence both in product and service quality. For example, our heatsinks feature all soldered joints for maximum performance and durability, our fans' 150,000h+ MTBF is backed up by a full 6 years manufacturer's warranty and when AMD introduced AM2 and Intel introduced LGA1366, we provided thousands of users with mounting kits for free. As a result, an ever growing base of avid Noctua users not only swears by the thoroughgoing premium quality of our products, but also by our excellent, customer-friendly service.
Technology
Scientific know-how pooling and state-of-the-art simulation environments allow for advanced, highly optimised products that set new benchmarks for performance to noise efficiency. Over the years, Noctua has put itself on the forefront of quiet cooling innovations with its unique, psycho-acoustically optimised impeller designs as well as new bearing and drive technologies such as the SSO-Bearing (Self-Stabilising Oil Pressure Bearing) or the Smooth Commutation Drive (SCD) system. Thanks to advanced aerodynamic design measures like Vortex-Control Notches and Bevelled Blade Tips, Noctua's products are renowned for pushing the envelope in axial fan technology.
Quality and Service
In a market that's increasingly driven by cost saving rather than customer dedication and flooded with branded budget products, we take pride in striving for excellence both in product and service quality. For example, our heatsinks feature all soldered joints for maximum performance and durability, our fans' 150,000h+ MTBF is backed up by a full 6 years manufacturer's warranty and when AMD introduced AM2 and Intel introduced LGA1366, we provided thousands of users with mounting kits for free. As a result, an ever growing base of avid Noctua users not only swears by the thoroughgoing premium quality of our products, but also by our excellent, customer-friendly service.
With that covered, let’s unleash the beast!
Updated Pages 12.03.2011
**Results**
**Closer Analysis**
**Conclusion**
