The Austria based company Noctua a leader in aftermarket cooling components, has been providing the performance community with silent cooling solutions for years now. From cooling fans to heatsinks, Noctua has been bringing forth the latest technology when it comes to ear friendly cooling. Pioneering the SSO (Self-stabilizing oil-pressure bearing), Noctua has been able to build some of the most quiet case fans on the market, while maintaining good airflow. Noctua has matched these amazing fans with heatsinks built specifically for the design, and they are proud to present us with their latest model, the NH-C12P.

Equipped with 6 copper heatpipes, a copper base, and aluminum fins, in an easy to use C-Type design, this new model is set on course to challenge some of the top contenders in the cooling market. Paired with Noctua’s latest fan designs, the NF-P12, this new cooler boasts the latest in silent cooling technology. Only one thing remains, and that is the question of how well it performs in the real world, thats what were here to find out.

Starting with the basics, we review the listed specifications that Noctua provides us for the heatsink and cooling fan that are provided. The cooler is compatible with todays latest desktop socket types however, for older systems you will need to request a matching mounting system. This includes, Intel Xeon (LGA771), AMD 754, 939, 940, and Socket F systems. No other support is provided. All of Noctua’s products are backed by a 6 year warranty, providing you the comfort of knowing should something go wrong, Noctua is prepared to help get you back on track. The size and dimensions you may want to take considerable note of here, despite the coolers unique C-Type design, which has been used on many low profile coolers, it remains significantly large for its class. It is important to take proper measurements before purchasing an aftermarket cooler to be certain that it does fit in your case. The measurements Noctua provides are 114mm(H)x126mm(W)x152mm(D) with the included fan mounted. Note that this cooler is compatible with 120×120x38 style fans, but this will increase the height of the heatsink.

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Close up of the Noctua C12P base, Click to Enlarge.

Close up of the Noctua C12P base, Click to Enlarge.

P12 fan mounted on the C12P cooler, Click to Enlarge.

Onto the glamor shots shall we? As we can clearly see, Noctua’s reputation for providing superior build quality and style remains, despite the somewhat hideous colors that are used on their cooling fans. The nickel plated heatpipes match perfectly with the aluminum fins, giving the cooler a very unique style. Construction of the heatsink is excellent, and there is no damage in anyway from shipping, and the heatsink itself feels solid and very well built.

Included materials with the C12P, Click to Enlarge.

Now that the drooling is over, we will take a look at the extras that come in the box. Noctua provides two mounting systems in the box, LGA775 and Socket AM2. In the common parts bag we have the fan clips, LNA, and ULNA (Low Noise and Ultra Low Noise Adapters), and Noctua’s own unique cooling paste, which performs remarkably well on our previous tests featured here. So there is no need to buy additional thermal paste.

Noctua C12P mounted, Click to Enlarge.

Noctua C12P mounted, Click to Enlarge.

Noctua C12P mounted, Click to Enlarge.

The mounting of the C12P is more complicated then most coolers, however Noctua provides very well layed out and detailed instructions and there were no issues with the mounting system when installing on our test board. If you are viewing the pictures we have provided of the C12P installed you may have concerns that we may have installed it improperly, however i will lay these concerns to rest as this is the correct mounting method as per Noctua’s instructions, and i have provided a picture which is detailed on the Noctua website about the mounting orientation. Be sure to follow this guide to obtain maximum performance from your cooler.

Significant concerns have been expressed by the community regarding the large gaps in the sides of the heatsink, however i found that the gaps were necessary during the install to be able to tighten the screws for the brackets.

Our test setup consists of the following components…

• Intel Q6600 B3 Quad Core Processor
  DFI Lanparty DK P35 T2RS Motherboard
  OCZ Platinum Revision 2 DDR2-800 RAM
  Biostar Geforce 6200 LE Graphics Card

Our testing software being used…

• Prime95 Version 25.3 running Small FFT’s
  Core Temp Version .98.1

The chart above shows the average load temperature across all 4 cores after an hour or more of testing. Lower is better.

The chart above shows the deltaT of our three test coolers compared. Lower is better.

Comments/Suggestions
The testing showed that the Noctua C12P cooler performed significantly well, however with the P12 fan at full speed, it still fell short of the Xigmatek Red Scorpion S1283 by a degree, and was slightly louder then i had hoped for. All in all with a retail price tag of 69.90 USD, it doesn’t make it the best deal on the market as far as heatsinks go. The Xigmatek S1283 models still reign supreme as far as value and cooling performance go. For quality silent cooling performance, Noctua remains a heavy hitter, and if your looking for an extremely stylish, and well built solution for your rig, Noctua is definitely the way to go, but for value and performance, the S1283 cannot be beat at the present time.

What we liked…

• Extremely high build quality

• Secure and well thought out mounting system

• Quiet operation and utilizes the newest P12 fan from Noctua

• C-Type design makes it great for lower profile solutions

• Good cooling performance

What we didn’t like…

• The price tag of 69.90 USD

What to see more of this cooler and how it performs against the best coolers of 2008? Stay tuned for our Heatsink Showdown 2 air cooling roundup this summer!

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