Noctua NH-C14 review

[_mat_]

I've got my hands on this new baby. As you already might have read, this cooler is very flexible and allows for much more customization than earlier coolers. I have benched some numbers to compare it with the much bigger tower cooler NH-D14, the previous generation NH-C12P and multiple variations with the two bundled 140 mm fans. For now I have no benchmarks of competitors, because schedule was tight as hell, so no time for that. If you have any specific competitor in mind, please let me know.



Here are a few (more interesting) benchmarks, but without further description they are hard to understand:







The Google translation is not bad, so have a look here: English | German
For the full review click here: English | German

If you have any questions regarding the test methods, just let me know.

[bamtan2]

what happens with no fan?

[Levish]

why no comparisons at 3.5ghz or numbers at 4.0 ghz? particularly with PCH and mainboard numbers thrown in

[rogueagent6]

Already posted...

Repost

[nullface]

what happens with no fan?

Why would one run this with no fan? Yes it is big but it's not design for passive use.

Already posted...

Repost

This is a review not a preview...

[_mat_]

what happens with no fan?

No chance with 4 cores/8 threads @ 3 ghz. Maybe for some lower frequencies/less cores, but using additional case fan(s).

why no comparisons at 3.5ghz or numbers at 4.0 ghz? particularly with PCH and mainboard numbers thrown in

4 ghz could only be done with NH-D14. All other coolers went abouve 100 °C and crashed the system. In fact the C12P couldn't do 3.5 ghz either. Further comparisons can be found here:

The Google translation of the benchmark page is not bad, so please have a look here: English | German
For the full review click here: English | German

[FlanK3r]

finally nothing problems with RAMs heatsinks?

[_mat_]

The cooler is definitely more compatible now. But there are tradeoffs depending on whether you remove one of the fans, or change the mounting direction of the cooler. Have a look at this picture:



The heatpipes are pretty close to the memory modules and there is not enough airflow, so the memory gets very hot with additional voltages, frequencies and tighter timings. If you can remove the bottom fan, you can mount the cooler directly above the RAM slots, which looks like this:



But the cooling performance is lower, if one fan is removed. With higher overclocks, the cpu also gets a few degrees hotter, because the airflow is not that good this way. I have also tested these mounting directions. Method 1 is with heatpipes in the direction of the memory, Method 2 means cooler and top fan over the RAM slots. Both methods were tested with just one fan on top:





So well, there are a few tradeoffs, but you can decide. That's for sure the strength of their new design.

[rogueagent6]

This is a review not a preview...

And that justifies ANOTHER thread? Not when there are already a plethora of junk threads in the news section, and certainly not for another heatsink. This is just spam at this point.

[_mat_]

Thank you very much. Who are you?

[generics_user]

And that justifies ANOTHER thread? Not when there are already a plethora of junk threads in the news section, and certainly not for another heatsink. This is just spam at this point.

your post is pointless and spam...

i am tired of clicking through 50+ pages to find something new, if there is substantial new info there shoul dbe a new thread...

[Monstru]

THis heatsink is new, so it deserves a new thread. Good stuff, now release the big tower one, y'all know what I am talkinh about. C'mon Noctuaaaaa, we're waiting