Noctua NH-U12A chromax.Black, 120mm Single-Tower CPU Cooler (Black)

First thing you need to know is that I do not write reviews lightly or even at all really, but I was really blown away by the performance of this CPU cooler and I felt like I needed to let people know to just pull the trigger on it and don't think twice. I also am not paid or associated in any way with Noctua. It improved my thermals by over 40° C. I had a 3 year old Lian Li 360 AIO that was showing it's age. I have a great Fractal case and it moves a ton of air. I also am running a i9-12900k which is power hungry at all moments and tends to run hot. I did not know there was a problem with temps until my computer shut down while I had a game open and I wasn't home. My computer shut down on it's own, warning that the CPU temps are way to high and that it shut down. I was unable to restart my computer for about 15 minutes and my AIO felt pretty warm near the CPU. I started seeing artificing after a OCCT stress test. So I started first with trying the two main things which were replace thermal paste and try and reorient my tubes so they face down. Well I could not do the tubes down due to no flexibility in the tubes, so I knew there was a reason why I put them near the top of the AIO. I replaced thermal paste, and it did not do anything. So I replaced with this cooler and man, it has far exceeded my expectations. It is so quiet even under load, I cannot tell it's running. Install was overall pretty easy, but just be careful and follow directions closely. There is a lot of value for the money. It is overall more expensive than a competitive AIO, but I digress. I know Noctua's quality, so I expected nothing less. I thought I would need the G2 since I have that power hungry i9-12900k, but I needed to ensure clearance of the RAM. The size is great to clear ram, it still has a little space. So I'm glad I compensated for that and did my research beforehand. The quality is top notch, and it looks great inside of my case. Worse case scenario, I spent a little more money, but air cooling just makes sense for my particular build since it's literally built to move a ton of air. I may have to replace the fans in like 7 years, but that'll still be cheaper than buying another pump that will eventually fail in 3 years. I would do this over again 100x.

It’s a premium product for a premium price. If you can swing the price the cooler is definitely worth it. It was packaged well, easy to install and it works. Keeps my 9900X cool while gaming. I have always preferred air cooling because they dont require disassembly for maintenance like AIOs. I have always herd that Noctua is the best around when it comes to air coolers and I now see why. My temps range from 41c idle to 45-65+ C while gaming. Ease of installation, low noise, looks and performance are the reason I recommend this cooler to any PC builder if you can afford it. The only real con is the price, it’s not cheap but it’s probably the best 120mm air cooler on the market

This is a very good fan and best value for the quality of product. Noise level is great for the amount of cooling it does for my system. I'm also using thermal grizzly's graphite pad on the CPU to cool so it does wonders on cooling my CPU definitely. I have this sitting on a 5800X3D and fits wonderfully in my BeQuiet 500DX case. Instructions and cable management are pretty straight forward and the performance is excellent.

Having run this cooler for the past five months, I believe that although it is very expensive, the cooler is will-worth the money. Here’s some notes I would like to make: - Excellently well-built fans: The fans here is unlike other PC fans. The fins on the fans are reassuringly stiff, the fins spin up and runs with minimal noise, and the noise that does appear does not bother me. It can be described as a wind blowing noise, without much whirring. - Heatsink: It is very easy to install per Noctua instructions. It’s still recommended to follow the instructions carefully to avoid any problems, but if you do, installation is a breeze with this cooler in contrast to other coolers I have installed. Coupled with the included fans, the coolers runs very well. The system I used had a liquid cooling system in the past, which kept the CPU at around 65 degrees. This cooler does run slightly hotter at around 70, but as an air cooler, this performance is excellent regardless, especially considering the longer reliability for air coolers in comparison to liquid coolers. - Accessories: There is abundant accessories included. From adapters to mounting hardware for all sorts of platforms. For Noctua coolers, they even have a program for users to ask for mounting brackets for future sockets, making this cooler a good investment. (If noctua keeps their support, which historically speaking, they have.) This cooler is definitely expensive compared to others. But I believe that it is a sound investment that is very performant.

I have had cooling problems on my 11th gen Intel i7 for three years. Every AIO system I’ve purchased has failed, the pump goes out or it just isn’t effective enough. So I decided this time to try a fan cooler. This thing is perfect. It holds my computer temperature to idek levels (30-50 degrees Celsius,) even with heavy loads like gaming or the video editing I do every week for work. It is big enough to have the power necessary, but not so big it won’t fit in my case. It’s not loud at all, and with how cool my system is now, my case fans aren’t running on high all the time. It isn’t just as quiet as the all in one system, it’s made the computer noise go down all together. With two more fans, I was a little worried about the power draw, because that’s where I’d had problems before where the pump would give me issues. I have a 750w supply, and it has not even come close to the danger zone. All in all, I won’t buy another liquid cooling system again. This cooling rig is absolutely worth the money, it’s the best cooler I’ve ever had in my PC, and it is also the least expensive. It’s got the bang for your buck that you’re trying to achieve when building a PC that can perform under heavy loads so you can take what you were going to invest in a cooling system and put it toward more RAM or a better GPU.

Just finished building a new PC. I use my computer for office work during the day and gaming in the evening. I went with a Ryzen 7800x3D and an MSI 4090 Slim. For cooling, I used this U12A with a combination of Noctua 120mm (exhaust) and 140mm (intake) case fans. This is my first time using Noctua parts and I am impressed! My wife commented that the hum of my monitor is now louder than my PC , and that is not an exaggeration. It is absolutely silent during anything less than gaming. And, even then, it's MUCH quieter than my old PC which used an AIO cooler. Temps are good, too. As I write this, my average CPU reading is 32.3c. The average while gaming is around 60-65c. (The CPU's thermal limit is 89c.) I looked into different Noctua coolers before deciding on the U12A. Here's why I chose this cooler: First, the D15 G2 is just too big/overkill for this Ryzen CPU, and would take up a lot of space in my case unnecessarily. I considered the D15S, thinking I could use it down the line with other processors that might need more cooling. But Noctua is scheduled to release a new, updated D15S G2 in 1-2 years, so the current version wouldn't be as "future proof" as I originally thought. I almost settled on using the smaller U12S. However, after researching the U12A, I realized that with only one fan it would be more than enough for my needs. This cooler comes with two Noctua A12x25 chromax fans, which are identical to the case fans they sell. Only using one to push air through the fins, instead of the stock push/pull configuration, means I had an extra fan for my case. Considering the MSRP of that fan at the time of this review, that saved me $39.99 and made the U12A a no-brainer. It's the cheapest option, considering that savings; it's more than enough for my current CPU, so I could use it with more power hungry ones in the future; and it isn't too big, so I have plenty of room in my case. Overall, I'm very happy with this choice. If you're using a glass case, I'd recommend checking out the optional covers (Noctua part NA-HC7 or NA-HC8). It just clips on and makes the cooler look better, in my opinion. But that's purely for aesthetics.

This review is for Noctua NH-U12A chromax.Black, 120mm Single-Tower CPU Cooler (Black). When I finished putting my new build together, the wraith prism ended up being insufficient for the amount of heat the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X creates. I was seeing temperatures of around 83c to 87c (181.4F to 188.6F) whenever I turned on any game. Turn on a web browser and it would go up to around 76c (168.8F) in a room that's around 21c (69.8F) typically. At the time that I am writing this, I have BDO (Black Desert Online) running in the background, multiple browser tabs and Discord running - my CPU temperature is sitting around 68c to 74c (154.4F to 165.2F). That is a major difference in temperature from the Wraith Prism, especially since these newer CPUs are generally known to run hot. In terms of my case fan setup, I have three in front for intake, one at the back and two at the top for exhaust. I know the aesthetic might not be the best looking for everyone since some people absolutely love fan halos - I assume you might be able to buy fan halos to put on it and fix that issue, however - my RAM has RGB lighting which projects nicely on the intake fan so it creates this kind of very light, pastel look to it. If you go for the classic brown Noctua, there are some incredibly clean and aesthetically pleasing builds I've seen using them that I would advise looking up if your worry isn't only functionality but aesthetic. In terms of noise level - I have very sensitive ears and I don't hear anything from it - the fan noise I do hear is from my case fans instead, which aren't Noctua brand, they're some rather generic fans that came with this case. In terms of installation - it was incredibly smooth. I went with U12A because of the amount of clearance my computer has for the tower and my intake fan had to be lifted a little due to where the RAM sits which is perfectly fine to do. The fans have little clips that just clip onto and hug the radiator so they are extremely easy to adjust if needed. My advice for anyone considering a Noctua brand air cooler: • Know the TDP of your CPU, it might be overkill for something with 65W for example but if you are looking to upgrade your CPU its a really good deal. How you use your computer is also a contributing factor to the amount of heat output - so do your research depending on how intense or complex the work you plan to do is, it could pull a lot more power and thus generate a lot more heat and maybe air cooling isn't enough to keep up with the heat output. • Consider things like the average temperature of the room you do or will have the computer in, your build layout, the case size, case air flow, and the type of case fans you are using and/or plan to use. • Compatibility & Clearance. You are able to check via Noctua's website if their coolers are compatible with your Motherboard, Case (not all cases are listed, but they have a formula to help you figure it out if need be), CPU, and RAM. • Make sure you triple check your information on clearance to make sure you buy the appropriate Noctua to suit your needs. To whoever buys a Noctua brand cooler, enjoy! They come with a 6 year warranty too - which makes it feel like a better and safer product to purchase considering most computer components will generally start to have issues between 3 to 5 years down the line, and in the case of just so happening to get a faulty unit. As a consumer I know how daunting it could be when you are in the market for computer components given the amount of choices we have - and when you see a product with x amount of awards and good reviews it really makes you think about if it really is good - especially considering certain companies just buy good reviews. I typically never leave reviews because I also am one of the consumers that prefers to do my own research instead of just trusting and hoping that the product reviews are indeed legitimate. However, I am thoroughly pleased with this product and hope by leaving a review I can help anyone who cares for informative reviews and is like me; Prefers air cooling and has gotten a CPU that for the first time just any cooler isn't good enough for gaming. This is my first Noctua brand CPU cooler, but the second one I've purchased. The first one I purchased was a NH-D15 for a family member's build, he however has a full tower, so he has a lot more clearance to work with than I do with my mid tower and it works like a charm for him as well. However, in his case he had swapped from an AIO that was dead/dying - so I'm sure he would have seen a difference in his temperatures regardless of what he got as long as it wasn't defective.

I have used Noctua cooling products exclusively over the last several years of building PCs for myself and for my family, friends and clients. There is always a consistent level of quality that comes from Noctua that has more than served me well. I just completed another DAW PC build using the Noctua NH-U12A chromax Black CPU cooler. I used this cooler on an Intel i9 processor and an ASUS motherboard in a 4U rackmount case with 3 other Noctua fans. This system now runs much cooler than the prior i7 based system I had running for my recording studio. This massive heat sink with two 120 mm fans gets the job done. The only slight issue that I encountered but I fully anticipated was the height of this unit in terms of the 4U rack case. It did fit but without any room to spare for the top of the case. There was a slight bulge where the very top bullet shaped protrusions of the cooler were slightly touching the top of the case lid. I remedied this by installing a 6" x 6" fan vent in the top of the case. It probably would have been fine the way it was but I did not want to cause any stress on the processor. Noctua now makes a special CPU cooler for a 4U rack enclosure but I preferred the two fan and larger heat sink of this particular model. All things said and done I am extremally happy with this product for my studio needs in terms of being dead quiet and being able to keep my system cool. The installation was straight forward and the instructions were intuitive and easy to follow. This is a well engineered and designed product that is well worth it's price tag. I am sure it will render years of reliable service as all of the prior Noctua products I have used in the past.

Ryzen 5 5600X のメインPCに使用しています。 半年以上使っていますが、結論は 「空冷の完成形」 だと思います。 ■ 静音性（驚異的） アイドル時は完全に無音。 高負荷時でもケースファンの音に埋もれてしまい、 耳を近づけてようやく「回ってるかな？」と分かる程度です。 静音性を重視するなら、これ以上は求める必要がありません。 ■ 冷却性能 5600Xでは完全に余裕があります。 ゲームやCinebenchなどの負荷でも温度が安定しており、 空冷でここまで冷えるのは本当に優秀だと思います。 ■ 取り付けやすさ SecuFirm2 の固定方式は相変わらず完璧です。 ネジの締め込みトルクも均一で、 「これ一生使えるな」と思わせる安定感があります。 ■ 外観 黒一色で統一されており、 ケース内の雰囲気が一気に引き締まります。 派手さはないのに存在感がある、絶妙なデザインです。 ■ 総評 空冷で迷っているなら、5600Xクラスではこれを選べば間違いありません。 “無音で強い空冷” を求める人には最適な一台です。

Ich wollte ursprünglich eine AiO-Wasserkühlung im neuen PC installieren, jedoch schreckten mich die Berichte über die auftretenden Mängel - in Bezug auf Aluminium und Kupfer mit den oftmals zu lesenden Verunreinigungen - ab. Also wieder zurück zu einer Luftkühlung. Nachdem die werkseitigen Lüfter des NAS eines berühmten Herstellers ebenfalls durch Noctua Lüfter ersetzt wurden und diese jahrelang einwandfrei funktionierten, griff ich erneut zu Noctua. Dieser CPU-Kühler ist für manche ästhetisch nicht die erste Wahl, jedoch kühltechnisch TOP. Die Installation des CPU-Kühlers ist einfach und auch für Laien mit der deutschsprachigen und bebilderten Anleitung mehr als spielend umsetzbar. Eine Wärmeleitpaste, ein Schraubendreher sowie alle benötigten Materialien gehören zum Lieferumfang. Ein Ryzen 5 8500 G wird unter Windows 11 auf 32 °C heruntergekühlt. Der Lüfter ist in einem ASUS TUF Gaming GT302 ARGB PC-Gehäuse praktisch (natürlich subjektiv) nicht hörbar. Preislich ist der CPU-Kühler natürlich hoch angesiedelt, jedoch solltet ihr dem Preis nicht unbedingt den Vorrang geben, wenn man auf die kommenden Sommertemperaturen denkt und eine Klimaanlage nicht vorhanden ist. Für mich ist dieser CPU-Kühler von Noctua die erste Wahl, wenn es sich um Kühlsysteme im PC-Bereich dreht. Eine klare Kaufempfehlung und alle Sterne von mir für diesen wirklich "coolen" CPU-Kühler.

Amazed that is keeping my ryzen 7950x3d cool .

Works better that expected fits well with rgb ram too. For a hotter climate the cooling is better than AIO liquid cooler.

Przesyłka dotarła na czas. Prawidłowo zapakowana. Samo chłodzenie działa bardzo dobrze. i7 11700k podczas długiego grania nagrzewa się maksymalnie do około 70-75 stopni C. W większości gier temperatury są między 60 a 70 stopni C. Wiatraki w trakcie grania są słyszalne, ale nie uciążliwe. To moje drugie chłodzenie od Noctua i spisuje się bardzo dobrze.