When people ask me what is a good air CPU cooler Noctua is always a name that comes to mind. They are known for their great cooling solutions, both big and small. When it comes to air coolers one of the biggest problems is compatibility. Many performance and high-end memory modules are large heatspreaders and they can get in the way. Noctua of course knows this and has made an effort to come out with CPU coolers that will be compatible in all situations. The NH-U14S is one such cooler. It is designed with a 52mm thin heatsink stack that allows for full RAM compatibility on socket 2011 as well as other platforms. Normally we see these massive heatsinks from Noctua so will the NH-U14S still be able to perform up to the standards we know Noctua for? Read on as we find out!
Specifications
Packaging
The NH-U14S comes in Noctua’s typical retail packaging, which is loaded with information on all sides.
Opening up the box Noctua has nicely separated all of the accessories and mounting hardware into labeled boxes. Getting everything out you have the NH-U14S with fan attached, mounting systems for both Intel and AMD, NT-H1 thermal compound, extra fan vibration dampeners, low noise adapter, extra fan mounts, and a Noctua case sticker.
Great cooler….oh wait….it won’t mount in an East/West direction on AMD processors..that eliminates an entire segment of the PC users…..lame…so nothing to see here…move along…
Not sure what you mean by East/West, but it mounts on AMD the same way as Intel, with the fans blowing out the back of the case.
this is on the Noctua website under FAQs…
“Can the cooler be installed turned by 90° on AMD sockets?
No.
The new SecuFirm2™ mounting system for AM2, AM2+ and AM3 uses the same
standardised hole spacing as the Intel system and thus allows for a much
easier installation, but the cooler cannot be installed turned by 90°.”
Reaaaaly wanted one of these for Christmas and was disappointed, so I got a Phanteks ph-tc14pe…
Paul, I think the AMD mounting does install the cooler with the East/West direction (with the cooler fan inline with the rear case fan). I agree the FAQ is kind of confusing and I think Noctua may have even put the wrong photo in to illustrate the AMD SecuFirm2 mounting. Anyway looking at the install directions and an AMD install video on Youtube by Ali Karar, I believe skinnypupp is correct.
I actually had a rep from Noctua USA Emailed me a while back and said no….bummer..obviously he was wrong…..it looks and performs sweet…sigh…went ahead and got a Phanteks ph-tc14pe…as there is only a few degrees difference depending on the web site, so I will see how it works…sorry for coming off like a butt….
Way too much thermal paste, only a rice grain-sized amount!