Noctua NH-L12S is optimized to operate with just one Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM fan with dimensions of 120 x 120 x 15 mm, which should be installed on the bottom or on the top of the heat-sink via the two metal clips provided in the package. Sticking with their design language is something Noctua is known for, and this extends to the packaging. Well, at load, the NH-L9a-AM4 reached a 35 degree delta over ambient during the fan control mode, and a 30 degree ambient under 12v mode. The NH-L12s however, managed a more impressive (although to be expected considering the size) 20 delta on fan control mode, and 14 degrees under 12V mode. Noctua recently released an updated version of the NH-L12, replacing the dual fans (92x25mm + 120x25mm) with a single 120x15mm fan.

Just make sure if you get it on an ITX motherboard that you measure twice the height of VRM heatsinks, since most modern boards have a lot of ‘architecture’ on them especially X570 ones. Passionate about testing and reviewing, AMD overclocking using AM3 990FXA and AMD FM2 A85X test systems and building modding projects.When building the pc, I followed the included manual with the Noctua cooler and applied a dot of thermal paste on the 4 corners of the CPU and a bigger dot in the middle. I've always liked the Noctua logo at the front fin and I’m glad they are keeping the tradition alive. Please also keep in mind that other components such as narrow or small cases as well as memory modules with special (higher) heat-spreaders can cause compatibility-issues. Use negative offset, that will shift the voltage/frequency curve so that the CPU runs at higher clocks at lower voltage. Read more about the condition New: A brand-new, unused, unopened and undamaged item in original retail packaging (where packaging is applicable).

My package was left unattended all day right under the mailboxes in my building, and fortunately no one had the bad idea to steal it from me. I feel the need to discuss the SS02 bearing systems because in something this small, it truly is amazing. On the one hand, this looks very futuristic, on the other hand, it offers the possibility of an enormously flat overall height. With the silence tuned fan curves, at idle the CPU fan completely stopped, GPU fan completely stopped, SFX fan completely stopped, the only fan spinning being the case fan at 393 rpm which was pretty much silent at this speed. using the NF-A12x15 PWM fan installed on the top of the heat sink, rotating at maximum speed of 1850 revolutions per minute.

Other changes include an increase in height of the heatsink up to 70mm (was 66mm) to allow fan clearance above standard height RAM. The self-developed fans from Noctua are also largely responsible for this, which are also available separately to serve as case, CPU or radiator fans. You see, I spent some time taking all of the accessories out of their packages, arranging them and taking some pictures but it was definitely time well spent.

On the other hand, the pretty compact dimensions make the cooler fit pretty well on the motherboard and doesn’t interfere with the other components. The 92mm fan on the NH-L9a-AM4 cranks up to a max of around 2500 RPM, with the larger 120 x 15mm fan on the L12s maxing out at 1850 RPM. High-clearance mode – the fan is installed on the top of the heat-sink and can be positioned to blow through or to suck the air from the fins stack. Unfortunately, mainboard manufacturers tend to change certain components and heatsinks without pointing it out by using corresponding revision names.And since this is a cooler with pretty tight dimensions focused for HTPC systems and my CPU is not a exactly such type and most of all energy saver I will perform a test just on the default frequency.