NoctuaNH-U12A chromax.Black, 120mm Single-Tower CPU Cooler (Black)

I am thoroughly impressed by the quality and performance of this cooler. Running a Ryzen 7 5700g, and upgrading from a coolermaster A17C (similar to stock), that idled/performed at 72/85c.The NH-U12A is currently idling/performing at 36/53c!With auto-overclocking pushing the processor past 4ghz, that is a monumental improvement, and far greater that I had ever dreamed I would get for the price. This is a small case sharing space with a 3090ti, 2xNvme, 2xSSD, and 2xHDD; so it already has it's challenges, but even my PWM case fans are running 20-30% slower than before. Mobo and GPU temps dropped by 1-2c as result of lower ambient and probably better airflow in the case, overall.The install used my existing AMD backplate, and the tower is offset to one side to allow for RAM clearance. I am running a micro-atx board in a somewhat cramped mid-tower case, and I was still able to install and work the fans in place fairly easily. Judging by the cramped conditions of my board, I would vouch for 100% universal RAM clearance, as the offset tower just does what it says it does; and the included fans are not thin by any means. As a bonus, the fans seem to be positioned just perfectly to draw intake air across the RAM an works well with my VR heatsink on the exit side of things.The included fans are smooth as glass, and surprisingly quiet at full speed; but I had to manually run them to full, as the CPU wouldn't heat past 53c (Fan RPM 1300'ish). Primo fans, no RGB, but that's what I wanted for this rig. The wires are well sheathed in tubing and heatshrink- wire management approved.If you've never dealt with this type of fan clip system, practice with them before you install the cooler. lol.I bought the add-on, decorative cover NA-HC7, which looks amazing on the installed cooler, and requires less effort to install than removing the side panel to get to it. This add-on should be RGB, as the cutout design is just too perfect not to be backlit. This kit did add height to the cooler, and my case is fairly small, but the glass panel clears everything by about 2mm.Everything came professionally boxed, shiny, and new; and you can just feel the care and quality in everything you touch, even the packaging.I rarely write reviews, and I am rarely impressed; but I was on the fence for weeks about a cooling solution on this particular rig, and I wanted to ensure others in my position can absolutely trust this cooler.Even versus watercooling, maybe. Dang.

Having run this cooler for the past five months, I believe that although it is very expensive, the cooler is will-worth the money. Here’s some notes I would like to make:- Excellently well-built fans: The fans here is unlike other PC fans. The fins on the fans are reassuringly stiff, the fins spin up and runs with minimal noise, and the noise that does appear does not bother me. It can be described as a wind blowing noise, without much whirring.- Heatsink: It is very easy to install per Noctua instructions. It’s still recommended to follow the instructions carefully to avoid any problems, but if you do, installation is a breeze with this cooler in contrast to other coolers I have installed. Coupled with the included fans, the coolers runs very well. The system I used had a liquid cooling system in the past, which kept the CPU at around 65 degrees. This cooler does run slightly hotter at around 70, but as an air cooler, this performance is excellent regardless, especially considering the longer reliability for air coolers in comparison to liquid coolers.- Accessories: There is abundant accessories included. From adapters to mounting hardware for all sorts of platforms. For Noctua coolers, they even have a program for users to ask for mounting brackets for future sockets, making this cooler a good investment. (If noctua keeps their support, which historically speaking, they have.)This cooler is definitely expensive compared to others. But I believe that it is a sound investment that is very performant.

I’m really happy with this cooler so far. Installation wasn’t a hassle, and everything feels super solid and well-made. The all-black look is a nice touch—it doesn’t scream for attention but makes the whole setup look cleaner.Temps have stayed low even when I’m pushing my system pretty hard, and I barely even hear it running, which is a huge plus. It just quietly does its job without any drama.If you’re on the fence, I’d say go for it. Sometimes it’s just nice when something works exactly like it’s supposed to.

I've had this for nearly two years. Really quiet, compact, and super effective. It's kept my PC cool even on the hottest, most humid of days. I like the understated black design. Modern and sleek with fast fans. Never had a single issue with this. Going forward in any build, I'd give this first consideration over any of their competitors.

I've purchased prior versions of this heatsinks for earlier builds, as well as two of the newest models for my most recent builds, and these heatsinks are phenomenal. Quiet, efficient, easy to assemble, and if you have a glass panel to view the interior of your computer chassis, they look phenomenal as well.

I recently built a new gaming pc with the 12700K. With me being stubborn about jumping onto the AIO cooling bandwagon, I wanted to stick with air cooling. My previous build (which is 11 years old and still working great) has an older Noctua cooler and I have always been happy with it. From all the research I did, the NH-U12A seemed like it would be perfect for the 12700K. It's been only a few weeks since I finished by build, but I have been surprised that this cooler is performing even better than I had expected. Getting 28C idle and during intensive gaming (such as with Doom the Dark Ages) the cpu averages around 42C. The cooler fans are so quiet. Although granted my RTX5070 Ti is probably doing most of the work. The paste I used is Noctua's NT-H2. My case is the Lian Li Lancool 216 which I am sure is another contributing factor with the cooling I am achieving. The included instructions were a little tricky to follow, but there are Youtube videos which helped make it much easier.