Why it matters: Noctua's tower CPU coolers are some of the best you can integrate into a PC build, but not all of them will fit in a smaller case. For people who love to do small form-factor and mini-ITX builds, the company now has a 120 mm class cooler that should work in cases where only a 92 mm class cooler normally would.
Last year, Noctua graced the PC enthusiast market with a massive 3.3-pound fanless tower cooler for people who love a silent setup and are ready to give up overclocking to achieve it.
On Tuesday, the Austrian manufacturer launched a new low-height dual-tower CPU cooler --- the Noctua NH-D12L --- and the corresponding NF-A12x25r PWM round frame 120 mm fan. With a total height of 145 mm, this cooler should fit in SFF PC cases that have trouble accommodating other Noctua offerings with 120 mm fans, which are 158 mm tall.
Noctua went with an asymmetric design for the NH-D12L, allowing plenty of RAM clearance even if you decide to use tall DIMMs with large heat-spreaders and RGB lighting. The company says the NH-D12L will easily outperform 92 mm coolers and single-tower 120 mm designs like the NH-U12S and the NH-U12A.
The new cooler is compatible with Intel's LGA 1700 socket and AMD's upcoming AM5 (LGA 1718), and pretty much all motherboards with LGA 1200/LGA115x and AM4 sockets. Noctua says all of its current coolers will support AM5 save for the NM-AM4-L9aL9i and the NH-L9a-AM4.
The NH-D12L retails for $89.90, while the NF-A12x25r PWM fan will cost $29.90. Both will be available direct from Noctua and on Amazon.