Testing
The following system was used in testing:
Case: NZXT Tempest
Motherboard: XFX 680i LT SLI
CPU: Q6600 @ 2.4 GHz
Memory: 2x2GB OCZ SLI Ready DDR2 800 MHz
CPU cooling:
– Masscool 8W553
– SilenX iXtrema IXC-120HA2
– Thermaltake DuOrb
– Titan Cool Idol
– Cooler Master GeminII S
– Cooler Master Sphere
– Cooler Master Hyper 212
– Zalman CNPS9300 AT
– Vantec AeroFlow FX 92
– Vantec AeroFlow FX 120
– Xilence Xilent Blade Pro
– Thermaltake MaxOrb EX
– Thermaltake Spinq
– Noctua NH-C12P
Video Card: XFX 9800 GTX Black Edition
Tests were conducted under idle and load states. The computer was left to sit after 30 minutes after being turned on to check the idle temperature. The load temperature was found by running the latest version of Prime95 which supports multi-core CPUs by default. Temperatures were obtained through SpeedFan.
|
CPU Cooler |
Idle |
Load |
| Masscool 8W553 |
46C |
70C |
| SilenX iXtrema – Low |
45C |
69C |
| SilenX iXtrema – High |
44C |
66C |
| SilenX iXtrema – 2x Fans |
44C |
64C |
| Thermaltake DuOrb |
47C |
67C |
| Titan Cool Idol – Low |
45C |
62C |
| Titan Cool Idol – High |
44C |
59C |
| Cooler Master Sphere |
46C |
61C |
| Cooler Master Hyper 212 |
44C |
54C |
| Zalman CNPS9300 AT |
41C |
55C |
| Vantec AeroFlow FX 92 |
46C |
60C |
| Vantec AeroFlow FX 120 |
43C |
58C |
| Xilence Xilent Blade Pro |
47C |
61C |
| Thermaltake MaxOrb EX – Low |
45C |
55C |
| Thermaltake MaxOrb EX – High |
43C |
53C |
| Thermaltake Spinq – Low |
45C |
58C |
| Thermaltake Spinq – High |
43C |
57C |
| Noctua NH-C12P |
41C |
54C |
The Noctua NH-C12P so far is the best in both Idle and Load tests that we’ve conducted on this test machine. With an idle speed of 41C it ties with the Zalman CNPS9300 AT, but the Noctua cooler beats it just by a hair with 54C under load conditions while the Zalman only was able to achieve a low of 55C. The Noctua did tie the Cooler Master Hyper 212 in load conditions as well, but the Noctua just has the best of both worlds for the cooler’s we’ve tested.
Conclusion
While the Noctua NH-C12P probably isn’t for everyone it certainly is a great CPU cooler to have. It is probably a worthy investment of around $70 because when you upgrade your system, chances are you don’t have an i7 processor, you can use this cooler with the mounting kits typically available from Noctua for free. Overall there weren’t any significant problems that I found with this cooler rather than just a few annoyances, but it still is a great CPU cooler that even comes with a 6 year warranty. ThinkComputers awards the Noctua NH-C12P Premium CPU Cooler a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award.
Pros:
– Superior cooling
– Very quiet
– Secure hold to motherboard
– Supports all socket types, even i7 (LGA 1366)
– 6 year warranty
Cons:
– Attaching the fan can be annoying
– Fan color may not be appealing to some
– Minor fixable problems with lower PSU cases