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Noctua NH-L12

Based on 18 reviews

Excellent:

11
Good:

5
Average:

2
Bad:

0

Pros

Will fit in many small form-factor chassis.
Comprehensive bundle.
Easy to install.
Keeps quiet in use.
Firstrate build quality.
Low profile.
Shaped heat pipe cooler (66mm).
Decent cooling performance in such sector.
Dual fan or single fan setups.
Quiet operating.
Rubber edges & strips.
Simple installation method.
Toolless fan clip design.
Universal CPU cooler.
Impressive cooling performance.

Cons

Form factor limits performance.
Expensive for a compact solution.
Ugly beige and brown fans.
Could be more affordable.
Careful with the fragile heat pipe.
Could not install lower 92mm fan due to interference with system memory.
Design might have greater compatibility if fins/fans were centered over CPU socket.
Fairly high priced.
Can Not Be Used With RAM Heatsinks Over 43mm (Standard RAM Profile is ~30mm).

By techPowerUp! on March 12, 2013

The Noctua NH-L12 is a great product that many will overlook or misunderstand. While its performance does not lead the pack, it does offer a small size and versatility. It is the smallest cooler I have reviewed thus far in terms of height and weight...

88
By Bit-tech.net on December 17, 2012

The and the are both excellent choices as cheap and capable replacements for the Intel reference cooler, but do begin to struggle and make some noise in an overclocked performance rig. The Noctua NH-L12 may be slightly larger than these coolers, but...

79
By APH Networks on September 28, 2012

In a North American culture, many of us tend to cheer for a favorite sports team, whether it is for football, hockey, basketball, soccer, or golf. Okay, maybe not golf, but you get the idea. This is especially true when teams are sent to the Summer or...

80
By HEXUS.net on August 09, 2012

Review: Noctua NH-L12by Parm Mann on 9 August 2012, 09:00 3.5 Tags: Noctua Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qabkmz Add to My Vault: Noctua NH-L12 £46.90 Free shipping for HEXUS members* There's a good chance last month's CPU cooler group test...

70
By Hardware Bistro on July 09, 2012

Noctua arises from a cooperation between the Austrian Rascom Computerdistribution Ges.m.b.H and the Taiwanese Kolink International Corporation and entertains a development partnership with the Austrian Institute of Heat Transmission and Fan...

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By OverClock Intelligence Agency on July 01, 2012

The Noctua NH-L12 is an extremely compact, yet highly efficient cooler. Like all Noctua products we've reviewed here at OCIA.net, the NH-L12 has high quality construction, a complete set of mounting hardware for any socket Intel or AMD, several...

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By XtremeComputing on June 26, 2012

Whilst the Noctua build quality is preserved in the NH-L12 Noctua performance certainly is not. If it was not for the ever present branding I would have very hard time believing this was a Noctua product. The design leaves a lot to desire in terms of...

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By Kitguru.net on June 19, 2012

Another excellent product from...

90
By Bigbruin on June 15, 2012

The Noctua NH-L12 heatpipe CPU cooler is an excellent choice for an HTPC or desktop system where space is at a premium. With the 120mm fan installed on top of the cooler it stands just 93mm (@3.7") tall, and if you can manage to run with just the...

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By BCCHardware on June 07, 2012

Over the past few years I've reviewed pretty much every product that Noctua has produced, and even after years I am still left pleased at the end of each of my reviews with the latest and greatest from Noctua. Today I took a look at the Noctua...

90