Home › Product Finder › Cooling

Noctua NH-C14

Based on 39 reviews

Excellent:

29
Good:

8
Average:

2
Bad:

0

Pros

Looks amazing.
Highly effective.
Very quiet.
Excellent performance.
Fairly easy installation.
Very well made and designed.
Aesthetically pleasing.
Lightweight for its size.
Virtually silent.
Can lower fan speeds easily.
Can customize for different speeds & sounds.
6 year warranty.
Support dual fans.
Low and Ultra Low Noise Adapters Included.

Cons

Installation requires replacing back-plate.
Removal of motherboard is likely required for initial installation.
Might be considered expensive.
Rather large in size.
Installation can be tricky.
Might not fit with large style ram depending on system configuration.
Not recommended for overclocking.
Sharp edges on aluminum fins.
Very heavy.
Expensive.
Loud at maximum speed.
Some installation steps cumbersome.
Fans lack PWMbased control.

By TechSpot on December 13, 2011

The Intel Core i7-2600K makes a perfect case scenario of a processor that can really benefit from an upgraded cooler. Despite being a more expensive unlocked processor, Intel bundles the Core i7-2600K with the same low profile heatsink that comes...

-
By The Best Case Scenario on June 25, 2012

If you recall the original review of the Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler, back in June of 2011, all of the testing was carried out on a relatively modest AMD Athlon II X2 250 CPU running at 3.0Ghz. Like most of us, the upgrade bug has bitten me and my main...

-
By The Best Case Scenario on June 25, 2012

I can't find a single issue or fault with this cooler, other than the need to purchase a backplate if you have one of a VERY small list of motherboards. To be honest, if you're going to be buying a super-budget board, you aren't likely to be...

-
By Gamers Daily News on May 16, 2012

Style (look/feel)The NH-C14 looks good, but the tan and brown fans will turn some people off. Especially since one will be directly visible through the side...

65
By ModSynergy on December 09, 2011

Without a doubt, the Noctua NH-C14 is the best air cooler I have ever tested to date. The complete package when I look at it from afar is executed brilliantly and I have to give kudos to those who took the time to think everything through because it...

-
By LanOC Reviews on November 25, 2011

Noctua always manages to amaze me. Every single one of their products performs on par with the best on the market while still being one of the quietest on the market. The level of detail they go into on every aspect of the design is obvious and the...

90
By BeHardware on September 28, 2011

At the end of this roundup, two models stand out:- The Thermalright Silver Arrow- The Noctua NH-U12P SE2Let’s start with the Silver Arrow, the highest performance solution among those we’ve looked at here. Though this cooler does cool very...

-
By FutureLooks on July 27, 2011

Standard horizontal CPU coolers aren’t always the most efficient. Especially if it’s a stock retail AMD or Intel cooler: they are mainly built to do the job as cheap as possible. They’re typically too small and sit too close to the...

90
By APC Magazine on July 22, 2011

Noctua is not new to the market but it has started to make big waves with Australians in the past 12 months. Another addition to its already strong collection of heatsinks is the NH-C14, targeted at the HTPC market but offering much more.The C14 is a...

80
By VR-Zone on July 13, 2011

The Noctua NH-C14 performs well when faced with a default, non-overclocked setup. Performance is significantly worse in low profile mode than in high clearance mode, especially when the fan speed is decreased to 750RPM using the included adapter....

80