A new month and yet another new product from Noctua, what do they have in store for us today?
Product on Review: Noctua NH-C12P SE14Manufacturer and Sponsor: Noctua
MSRP: EUR 59.90 / USD 69.90
Street Price: N/A
Noctua’s last cooler, the NH-D14, got off to an excellent start, earning itself the performance crown not just from us here at Vortez, but across the whole community. Noctua hopes to distribute some of that winning pedigree into its previous models to revitalise its product line and the result is the Noctua NH-C12P SE14. Keeping most of the attributes of the previous model, the main difference is the inclusion of the excellent NF-P14 140mm fan.
The NH-C12P SE14 cooler differs to other Noctua offerings in that it is a top-down cooler rather than a traditional tower heatsink. While the design has its limitations, the main target user are those with smaller cases/m-atx cases such as the Lian Li V350, which tend to have height limitations. Thus Noctua have tried to cater for those people. We will see today in our review whether this cooler does its name justice and if this is the answer to many HTPC users’ plea. The previous model was previously reviewed here.
A little bit about Noctua:
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.
Noctua are revered as a manufacturer of quality products with a premium feel. Let’s see if the new Noctua NH-C12P SE14 can improve on the previous model.
Feature and Specifications
Noctua’s own overview of the cooler:Building on the proven basis of the successful NH-C12P, which has received more than 100 awards and recommendations from the international press, the NH-C12P SE14 now comes with Noctua’s new NF-P14 for further improved quiet cooling performance as well as the new SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting system. Topped off with Noctua’s pro-grade NT-H1 thermal paste and adding support for both LGA1366 and LGA1156, the NH-C12P SE14 is a premium quality quiet cooler that provides lots of airflow for near-socket mainboard components and excellent case compatibility at a height of only 114mm.
Features and specifications:
As usual, Noctua’s cooler sports some very impressive features and specifications. The main difference over the old model is the new SecuFirm2 and the new superior NF-P14 fan. It still keeps all the features that initially made it successful such as the 6 heat pipes, 114mm height and down facing design when space becomes an issue. The advantage of this design is that it also cools down nearby components such as the RAM, Mosfets and North bridge which is useful when airflow may be restricted in small cases. However, a good exhaust is still required to achieve optimal cooling.
Packaging
The box in all its glory
The packaging is very similar to the NH-D14, having the same white minimalistic design with the specifications on top and a clear window at the front. However, the box is smaller than before but that’s to be expected for a much smaller cooler. Overall, it’s a very attractive design that boasts professionalism.
Front of the box
On the front, we see the features of the new cooler and a clear plastic window that gives you a taste of what to expect. It’s always good to see those signature colours, knowing the quality that they deliver. The Noctua sign and model name is clearly placed at the top of the cardboard box.
Back of the box and the features
On the back is further description of the features of the cooler.
The specifications
The specifications listed on the last page are also printed on the box helping those who decide to buy it in shops. Again, Noctua’s packaging oozes a premium quality feel that cannot be matched by anyone else.
The interior packaging
Inside, the cooler is securely packaged in its own white box and foam while the bundle is in another box. Those grooves in the bundle’s box help users remove it without difficulty. The cooler comes with the fan placed on top but not secured with wire clips.
Closer Look
The bundle
One of Noctua’s main appeal is the sheer generosity of their bundle. It is the same as the previously reviewed NH-D14, coming with two separate plastic sleeves labelled AMD and Intel kit. Each have a set of screws and brackets for installation. Along with these are the common parts which include the NT-H1 thermal paste tube, the motherboard back plate, the U.L.N.A and L.N.A adaptors for the fans, 2 wire clips and the installation manual nicely placed in a leaflet like sachet. For good measure, Noctua also throw in a metal case badge.
Finally the cooler itself
The cooler is an attractive piece of kit using nickel plated copper heat pipes and base and aluminium for the fins. The “C” design helps reduce the size and to achieve optimal airflow, Noctua have gone with the NF-P14. One thing to notice is that the fan is oriented in such a way as to push air downwards through the fins towards the CPU. This may seem counter intuitive but the aim is to cool neighbouring components. A good airflow is strongly advised to extract the air. For tower cases with side exhaust fans, it might be better using the fan as a “pull” fan instead.
The cooler without the fan, it doesn’t quite match up to the size of the NH-D14
The radiator is still fairly large but the heat pipes are bent into “C” shapes to make sure that the height of the cooler remains small. The actual heatsink is the same as the old NH-C12P, the fan being the only change.
Side profile of the cooler
From the side profile, we can see that unlike the tower heatsinks, the base and the radiator are connected, meaning that heat can dissipate either straight from the base to the heatsink or through the heat pipes. This allows for a more efficient heat transfer.
The fin array
The NH-C12P SE14 uses a dense fin array for maximum surface area for heat dissipation. The top of each fin is jagged to create a serrated pattern. In the middle, the fins are smaller so that a screwdriver can get access to the spring coils on the base.
Closer Look (Continued)
The heat pipes featuring the “C” shape design
The Noctua utilizes 6 heat pipes for maximum heat transport and these are bent into hook shapes to lower the height of the cooler. Unlike the “U” shaped design of the tower coolers, the “C” shape means that all the heat pipes only come out from only one side of the base. The shape also means that there’s plenty of clearance for surrounding components such as RAM and Mosfet/North bridge heatsinks.
The heat pipes all spread out across the heatsink for maximum heat dissipation
The heat pipes are all spread out so that heat dissipate over a larger area. It’s very similar to an NH-D14 cut in half and placed on its side…
The base of the cooler
The base of the cooler is fairly flat but lacks a mirror finish but this is due to the nature of CPUs not being flat either. The base has micro grooves that help disperse high viscosity thermal pastes to create a uniform layer. The end of the heat pipes are tightly packed in the base, making the most of the space available to help transport heat away. We can also see the pre-installed mounting bracket that attaches to the Secufirm2 kit.
Up and running…
Unlike the NH-D14, this cooler is not a behemoth, making it ideal for smaller HTPC cases. Using the same standard wire clips as found on the old design and the NH-U12P, fan installation could not be any easier. It does not take up much real estate and the design provides enough clearance for all other neighbouring components.
Test Setup
CPU – Intel Core i7 920 – 4.0ghz
RAM – 6GB (3x2GB) OCZ platinum DDR3 1333mhz
Motherboard – Biostar T-Power x58
Graphics card – Asus EAH5750 1024MB
Power Supply – Enermax Revolution 85+ 850W
Hard Drive – Samsung F1 320GB
Western Digital Caviar WD3200AAKS 320GB
Drivers – ATI Catalyst 9.12
CPU Coolers:
Noctua NH-C12P SE14
Noctua NH-C12P
Prolimatech Megahalem
Noctua NH-D14 (U.L.N.A and default speed)
Noctua NH-U12P SE1366
Thermolab Baram (with 2 Noctua NF-P12 fans)
CoolIT Domino A.L.C
Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus including test with 2 Noctua NF-P12 fans
Alpenföhn Nordwand including test with 2 Noctua NF-P12 fans
Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme (Low/med/high speed)
Program Suite:
Core Temp 0.99.5
LinX stress Test
PC Wizard
How I tested:
Testing will be based on temperatures recorded by Coretemp and PC wizard after 20 passes of LinX stress test. The absolute temperatures recorded in the tables are averages of the 4 cores and the delta value provided for a fair comparison, taking into account ambient temperatures. The test will be run at stock speed and at an overclocked speed of 4ghz.
Installation
Installing the NH-C12P SE14 is a very easy, straight forward task. The above shows the mounting parts for AMD systems on the left and Intel systems on the right.
If you have previously used the Secufirm kit, then this will be very familiar.
Intel Systems
•Firstly insert the 4 bolts in the appropriate position on the Intel backplate. There are three sets of holes for LGA775/1156/1366 systems.
•Install the back plate through the motherboard making sure you use the rubber inlay if you have an LGA775 motherboard.
•Place the plastic spacers onto the bolt and install the mounting bar. on top, ensuring that the circular rim faces outwards.
•Tighten is with the 4 thumbscrews and proceed with placing the heatsink on top.
•Use the screwdriver provided to tighten the cooler on to the mounting bars.
AMD systems
•If your motherboard has a backplate, place the spacers above the mounting holes with the mounting bars on top.
•Thread the 4 long screws through the holes and tighten them.
•Finish by installing the cooler, and tightening the pre-installed screws until they stop.
For much more detail, follow Noctua’s instructions.
Results
2.66 GHz
The NH-C12P SE14 does quite well at stock speed. While it does not match up to the far superior and bigger tower heatsinks, it holds its own very well for its size. Lagging only 1.25 degrees behind the previous flagship NH-U12P, Noctua shows us that their new cooler is definitely a contender for the best top-down cooler in its league. Compared to the old NH-C12P, the new fan does wonders in improving performance at no extra cost.
4 GHz
Considering the target audience for this cooler, overclocking may not be advisable but it’s still good to see how well it copes with the heat output. Surprisingly, it copes very well and kept the overclock fully stable. While temperatures are on the high side once you add the ambient temperature to the delta value, the SE14 still beats the CoolIT Domino A.L.C, which was purposefully made for overclocking. If the size of tower heatsinks seems daunting to you, then your next port of call should be this cooler. As for consumers with m-atx cases, hopefully this cooler is the answer to your prayers.
Noise
As with all Noctua products, the noise level is very low and cannot be heard over the case fans. The 140mm ensures even quieter operation and higher performance as shown above. If noise is still a problem, the U.L.N.A and L.N.A adapters are available but I would not recommend them if overclocked CPUs.
Conclusion
The new NH-C12P SE14 is a nice refresh to the old design. By simply implementing the new fan to the proven design, Noctua have improved the product by quite a bit, especially considering that the cost will remain the same. Although it may not be topping our results chart, that\\\’s not its purpose because Noctua\\\’s flagship offering the NH-D14 takes care of that. This cooler is targeted to consumers who have strict height limitations in their cases or just want a lower profile cooler and in that regard, the NH-C12P delivers tremendous performance. Shaving off to 3 degrees from the previous model, Noctua have another winner on their hands.As a top down cooler, the cooler has its limitations and this is reflected in the results, which is somewhat unfair on this review. Despite that, I wouldn\\\’t wait to recommend one, seeing as it maintains a 4ghz overclocked i7, no mean feat in itself. However, if you don\\\’t have those space restrictions, then a proper tower heatsink is the way forward and for that look no further than the NH-D14.
Pros
[+]Excellent performance despite its size
[+]Excellent compatibility with modern motherboards including LGA1156
[+]Extremely quiet
[+]Supplied with an NF-P14 140mm fan.
[+]Very easy to install
[+]U.L.N.A adapters
[+]High quality finish
Cons
[–]Performance is limited by its design
[–]Can\\\’t compete with most tower heatsinks
For such an excellently engineered cooler, Noctua deserves yet another Vortez Hardware Gold award from us.
I\\\’d like to thank Noctua yet again for providing us with one of their first review samples! To discuss this product or give us feedback, please visit our forums.
