Noctua NH-U12A Chromax Black review

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Noctua NH-U12A Chromax Black cooler:

NA-STPG1 Thermal paste guard

NM-AMB15 Offset bars

Build specs for this guide (note links listed here include affiliate links which may earn me a commission)
CPU cooler - Noctua NH-U12A Chromax Black

Specs of the Noctua NH-U12A:
Socket compatibility Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151, LGA1150 and AMD AM5, AM4

Height (without fan) 158 mm
Width (without fan) 125 mm
Depth (without fan) 58 mm
Weight (without fan) 760 g
Height (with fan) 158 mm
Width (with fan) 125 mm
Depth (with fan) 112 mm
Weight (with fan) 1220 g
Material Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating
NSPR 169
Max. TDP see NSPR
Fan compatibility 120x120x25
Scope of delivery
Black NH-U12A heatsink
2x NA-RC14 Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
NA-YC1 4-pin PWM splitter cable
NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound
Black SecuFirm2™ mounting kit
Noctua Metal Case-Badge
Warranty 6 Years
FAN Specification
Bearing SSO2
Max. rotational speed (+/- 10%) 2000 RPM
Max. rotational speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 1700 RPM
Min. rotational speed @ 20% PWM (+/-20%) 450 RPM
Max. airflow 102,1 m³/h
Max. airflow with L.N.A. 84,5 m³/h
Max. acoustical noise 22,6 dB(A)
Max. acoustical noise with L.N.A. 18,8 dB(A)
Voltage range 12 V
MTTF 150.000 h

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:50 Offset mounting bars
02:07 AMD AM5 installation
02:41 Thermal paste guards
04:48 Cooler mounting orientation
05:29 Fan wiring logic
06:14 Fan mounting
08:10 Offset installation
10:16 LGA 1700 installation guide

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[MrVoayer]

Noctua is reknown for their highly efficient, yet silent CPU coolers. This video shows yet another aspect of them: simplicity of installation. AIO coolers and RGB fans may have glitz to them but they make the life quite complicated with all the cables, with the need for additional USB 2.0 hubs and things like that. This Noctua works perfectly and does its job flawlessly with just one connection cable ! And that is something to cherish !

[nighttimestalker]

Due to me using a smaller case, I opted for this.
My 5600X practically never leaves the mid 60s under most cases. Occasionally if it's really taxed for something, you can hear the fan pick up a little as the CPU gets to the upper 60s.

[thegaugeshotty]

Great review! Not sure how I missed it! Been using this cooler for a while myself and shockingly it compares equally to a 240mm AIO.

[poopenshnapples]

Amazing cooler! Cools my 9700K at any clock speed

[RichardMorenberg]

that was always my go to cooler, until the 12th gen I felt it couldn't handle it thanks for this video

[NGreedia]

nice looking cooler. wish they had a white version.

[renelackner]

Nice review since I am in the market for a CPU cooler for my 14700K build, but I think your tongue slipped, when you said it's an all in one cooler.

[stevesutton]

Nobody is talking about if the silicon screws still make noctua fans quieter still even witht the rubber corners. I guess we'll just hsve to find out.

[thndr_strck_]

Wow I totally hear Jack Gardiner's voice

[Canadian]

I’m assuming it should work fine with the i7 13700k then

[romainh]

Quiet ok, but cooler is bad on AM5 sorry. On Cyberpynk, 5 to 7°C higher than my Peerless for 3x the price of the Peerless... the only thing to keep is the fans so...

[SebastianŁepecki]

The quietness of the cooler is negated by the whimpering of your wallet