Noctua NH-U12S CPU Cooler Review

Getting a CPU cooler that is; 100% RAM compatible, small enough in height to fit into most midtower cases and quiet enough for everyday usage is a tough ask. Then if you want that same CPU cooler to also have high performance cooling, you really are entering a niche market that very few companies serve. Thankfully, the product we have here today – Noctua’s NH-U12S – promises to fulfill all those criteria whilst still maintaining a reasonably competitive RRP of $64.90/€59.90.

Sitting at 158mm high the NH-U12S boasts compatibility with the vast majority of computer cases on the market, while the 45mm width of the heatsink and the 25mm width of the fan combined give a total width of just 71mm which gives 100% RAM compatibility. Noctua have also equipped the NH-U12S with their legendary NF-F12 fan, which we reviewed here, and you get all the usual Noctua goodies which we will detail as we progress more through this review. For your reference the specifications of the Noctua NH-U12S can be seen below:

For that ever shrinking minority that is interested in the packaging, here below you can see the box the NH-U12S came in. It features a quick run down of some of the key features, the 6 year warranty jumps right out at me along with the included NT-H1 thermal compound.