I'd still stick with X52 in my case but I'd replace the stock fans with this one!

The BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 4 would've been interesting too... I mean then you'd have more or less DR4 vs. NH-U12A and DRP4 vs. NH-D15 which imo is a fairer comparison on the air cooler side if things [+ of course the 120mm (X52) and 140mm (X62) AIOs].

how does it compare to the NH-U12S?

@Optimum Tech, After using a crummy cooler master 212 since 2013 I bought the U12A for my 3770k and man it changed my life! CPU temps dropped by 5 degrees from 69 to 63 without even touching fan speeds. And after all those years the only replacement i've done so far was the GPU. I can't wait to try the NH 15 because ivy bridges are hot and I want bigger! Thx!

do you think this or a kraken x72 is better for a meshify c case with i9 9900k?

I have only ever used two brands of fans for water cooling loops. Noctua and bequiet! just can't be beat if you care about sound. For those that didn't know, Noctua Chromax are a thing now, they are black with colored vibration pads and identical specs.

daft vagrant and now theres a black version !

@@Bixmy I see somebody else is doing research now they are no longer all brown and silver... I opted for the d15 personally, it's due to arrive tomorrow!

konarider443 i use d15s because my ram is in the way lol

Ikr no ones going to see my pc anyway when i play

Exactly. No fancy packaging, leds, flashy colors. Just pure performance and quality.

The product markets itself.

still remember my first unboxing, just the simplest cardboard and plastic bags for parts.

Tbh they could at least change the color to all black or something... wouldn't be much of a stretch I guess

I was wary of Noctua's higher prices, but I learned the hard-way that when it comes to case fans, they're actually a great value. I bought some Corsair fans which were a bit cheaper thinking that they would be a better value, but they were nowhere near as good as what Noctua was selling for about 30% more. After getting a Noctua CPU cooler when it was on-sale, I was amazed at just how much better the sound was from the fans. It's not just about having lower decibels, it's about having a good accoustic profile which subjectively sounds quieter. I was using one of the fans which came with the cooler as a case fan, and that led to eventually getting more Noctua case fans when I helped other people build their computers, and whenever I need case fans in my own computers. I keep trying to find other brands of similar or better quality and value, and have yet to find them. BeQuiet is even more expensive in North America (some might be around the same price), and I'm sure they're great, but the price has never made sense to me. I think some noctua fans are probably a better value than others, I prefer to get their simple fan kits which don't come with as many accessories, as they are always cheaper.

Noctua is focusing on the product itself and not on marketing bs like all other brands.

Noctua is severely overrated.

@@levyroth Nope, Corsair, NZXT and many other AiO brands are :)

@IKSDE XD There are better options, for cheaper? I'd like to know then what they are. Delivering better cfm while at same or lesser noise levels than Noctua.

@IKSDE XD Arctic i have some exp with.. was not good.. it was while ago though. Other two no, experience. You got some links that show tests were these are better than noctua? (not just cheaper)

The expensive A12x25 fans make this an expensive choice, true.

@@dynastes4938 It's still cheaper.

@@dynastes4938 before speaking it is a good thing to double check facts

@@symetik9625 Sorry, didn't even see your comment. Why so hostile, though? :D Kind of silly, don't you think? xD

@@BrotherO4 I said "the expensive a12x25 fans make this an expensive choice, true". That in itself IS a fact.Thanks for playing, though. (I never said, it was a bad product, I would get it over an AIO myself - goes to show you, people just like being hostile for no reason, probably got nothing else to do :D)

great cooler as well as the NH-U14

Still using my NH-D14 i bought back in 2011 💪🏻

exactly mobos and CPUs change but Noctua stay

Yeah, you need literally only one air cooler for your entire life! It will last longer than YOU will, you just need to replace the fans once every 20 years or so (roughly).

my custom look stays too, it's 8 years old now. running my 9900k at 5.2 ghz with -0 avx with 69c tops on hottest core. same chip did 4.9 on my noctua d15 in comparison (and was 10c hotter). air cooling is fine, and i use it in several of my builds, but you will never reach a nice oc with air, atleast not on high-end chips.

I like it cause when people see it, it screams Noctua. And Noctua is known for having good products and not going for looks, so it screams I have a good product basically.

Yes you are!

No, me too. Brown & tan has in my eyes become an iconic symbol of cooling excellence. In a world where the vast majority of (mediocre) fans are black then Noctua stand out, proud, different, technically better. IMO they are a triumph of design, where function is valued ahead of form. Truly the 'brown' (aka gold) standard. I like most used to think they looked a bit weird. But after many years use, I now specifically look for Noctua fans from choice. So far as I can tell, nobody does it better (technically). Sure it's smart marketing to also offer black at a premium for those that like windowed cases. Please don't get me started on RGB light shows - I just like seeing my monitor without distractions.

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed

As I immediately swap the brown turds with noctua redux fans.

@@colin8601 worry not, they'll show off the new all black towers at computex.

@@voxelfusion9894 They did that last year. They'll be available to buy by 2022

@@TaiwanBobby true, going by how long the u12a has taken haha. This is just powder coating their existing models and using their already available chromax line, so I'm confident they'll be out this year. Hopefully...

BROWN PRIDE

I received it just a few days ago lol

@@optimumtech I wish Noctua would update the website and state the maximum TDP I can use this cooler with, but your review was helpful. sidequestion, will you be reviewing the Sliger SM550 or SM560 cases that launched this past week? Used your NCase builds to make my own sffpc last xmas, but was curious if it was worth upgrading to something that would fit my larger 3 slot 2080ti.

@@angieagnesson0451 Yep, I'll be reviewing both. Expect a review out by the end of the month, as I haven't received them yet.

I was curious too, honestly didn't expect it to beat a 240mm AIO.

Dual loops are even pointless if you have enough rad space. A large single loop with quick disconnects are the way to go.

The new Dark Rock 4 Pro is worse then the old Dark Rock 4 in terms of pure performance...

Suad Memo Well my friend got it last week with his Ryzen 2700 and it keeps his CPU mostly around 55 Celsius, 60 at maximum OC. It’s larger than the old one with more advanced fans and it’s super quite. The only downside is that it covers the RAM segment so it’s not ideal for people who wanna brag with their blinking RGB RAMs. 😂

@@suadmemo2412 what? Dark rock Pro 4 is worse performing than dark rock 4?

Suad Memo if large air coolers came with some sort of support brace, then moving it pc with a large cooler wouldn’t be a problem

I use water cooler r liquid cooling for my gpus. Never gong back to air

Maybe consider the Dark Rock Pro 4, instead of the non-pro. It is a doubletower with better ram clearance and noice levels then the NH-D15 but only around 1 degree hotter! And it looks very very good (in my opinion even better then the normal dark rock 4)

I just got one recently and it is amazing. The this is not audible AT ALL, even though my PC sits on my desk right next to me. one of the best purchases for my rig.

No problem, glad to help!

Just mount a 2nd fan on Dark Rock 4, and it's going to get very close to Noctua U12A, for a lot less price and noise.

@@ares23dc Bad advise and not true.

With Sterrox, they have to re-engineer every size fan. The wait is a pain.

@@zoomzabba452 ndh15 with sterrox fans

I put the a12x25 fans on the old u12s heatsink, and that made a world of difference.

@@informitas0117 did u put two of them or just one?

@@informitas0117 I'm planning on putting them myself, did you put one or two of them. How big of a difference was it?

Thanks man!

@@optimumtech Out of curiosity, are you still using the A6300?

@@DawidDoesTechStuff Yep

@@optimumtech Cool, you really push that camera to the limit. Good luck on 100K! :D

Best air cooler by far. Hope they release a black and white version soon, and im definitely getting that

i know, crazy right

@@Nick.L. a year later and still no all black

Yes! People complain about the brown colour. In my new rig I cant even see the brown colour. I have... get this... a "normal" PC case with no window side panel, or any RGB lighting. It has a LED for the power indicator and that's it. That is all I need in a PC. I am spending all my time at my PC looking at the screen, not what my case is doing.

@@DukeDudeston i can respect that but my pc is on my desk and i have very minimalist setup so i would never put the brown beige fans on it

It's the best air cooler and the ugliest at the same time in my opinion (bad english :)

@@HassanMohamoud-lg2xw i am a fan of how Noctua's coolers and fans looks. So, it's not ugly for everyone.

just got one now. It's 10$ cheaper. So might as well

Tom Gillotti that’s the thing, you’re old one will never fail

@@stephenawidjaja1417 exactly, unless you splash liquid onto the mobo itself, your fans will still run without skipping a heartbeat

I dont like the color scheme

idk how I performs But I like the new 212 evo more because the fan looks more streamline

I personally use a cryorig h7 plus. It's basically the same as the cryorig h7 which performs slightly better tham the hyper 212 (don't know if they updated the 212 but at least this was how it was like when I bought it)

that would be my choice, but where I live it isn’t available.

@@k3n1p ahh that sucks. Where do you live? I live in europe and currently have this problem a lot when looking for parts for a custom keyboard. Most stuff I like isn't available here and I would have to pay around 30€ shipping alone to get it from the US

@@Someone-ci8wf I live in India. Being a computer enthusiast in India is soo hard. Literally for $1200, I get to build a system with r5 2600 and rtx 2060.

Same. I put 1 more fan to look symmetrical