Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler Review

The results have been split into three sections to show how each core was effected using the various configurations of the fan mounting. The first chart shows the cooler with a top mounted fan in idle and load situations through the usage of Prime95. The highest core temperature at idle was 35 degrees, whilst the peak on load didn’t go above 50 degrees celsius.

The second chart shows how the performance was changed with the cooler using a bottom mounted fan configuration. The higest core temperature at idle was 37 degrees, and at load the highest was 53 degrees.

By installing both fans and using the y-splitter cable, the highest core temperature at idle was 35 degrees, and at load saw the highest temperature at 50 degrees celsius.

The results clearly show that the temperatures were exactly the same whether we used a top mounted fan configuration or by using both fans together. A slight increase in heat was shown by using the bottom mounted fan on its own. Obviously this gives you the choice of how you want your cooler configured, whether it be with one or two fans in various installation scenario’s. If you decide to use any of the low noise fan connectors, the results will show more of a variance due to the speed of the fans being decreased to compensate for an even quieter operation, but once again the choice is yours.