How Do The NH-U12A, NH-U12S, NH-U12S Redux And NH-D12L ...

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• Products
  • CPU coolers retail
  • CPU coolers workstation & server
  • Fans
  • Thermal compound
  • Accessories
    • Heatsink covers
    • Mounting kits
    • Fan mounting & anti-vibration
    • Fan control
    • Cables and adaptors
    • Cleaning
    • Fan kits
    • Screwdrivers
    • Fan grills
    • Fan hubs
  • Noctua HOME
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  • Merchandise
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  • Product lines
    • IndustrialPPC
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  • Overview: Noctua product lines
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  • Roadmap of upcoming products
• Technologies
• Industrial Applications
• Support
  • Support
  • Buying guides
  • FAQs
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About NoctuaLegal InformationContact us How do the NH-U12A, NH-U12S, NH-U12S redux and NH-D12L compare? Which one to choose.

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How do the NH-U12A, NH-U12S, NH-U12S redux and NH-D12L compare? Which one to choose?

Offering a perfect combination of strong cooling performance, outstanding quietness of operation as well as excellent case, RAM and PCIe compatibility, the NH-U12S has been among Noctua’s most popular CPU cooler models for many years. It’s a great default choice for customers who are looking for a well-rounded, signature Noctua solution and don’t require the extra performance headroom of the NH-U12A or the lower height of the NH-D12L. The NH-U12S chromax.black is identical to the regular version except for its black colour.

The NH-U12S redux is a streamlined, more affordable version of the NH-U12S. As such, it is perfect for users who are looking for a highly compatible, no-frills 120mm cooler that doesn’t break the bank. Its raw cooling performance is on the same level as the regular NH-U12S with both models scoring a Noctua Standardised Performance Rating (NSPR) of 129 points. However, the NF-F12 fan of the regular NH-U12S is 2.7dB(A) quieter than the NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM fan of the NH-U12S redux (22.4 vs. 25.1 dB(A)).

Users who want the absolute best performance/noise efficiency in the 120mm class and don’t mind investing a bit more should go with the premium class NH-U12A: With an NSPR of 169 points and its dual state-of-the-art NF-A12x25 PWM fans running around 2.5dB(A) quieter than the NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM fan of the NH-U12S redux, the NH-U12A provides a significantly higher level of performance/noise efficiency that can rival many 140mm coolers.

Unlike the NH-U12S redux, the NH-D12L, NH-U12A and regular NH-U12S feature Noctua’s premium grade soldered interface between the heatpipes and the fins. They also include Low-Noise Adaptors a tube of NT-H1 thermal paste for several applications whereas the NH-U12S redux comes with NT-H1 pre-applied. While the NH-U12A is shipped with two fans and the regular NH-U12S as well as the NH-D12L includes clips for installing a second fan, the NH-U12S redux can only be upgraded using the optional NA-FK1.

NH-U12A / NH-U12A chromax.black	NH-U12S / NH-U12S chromax.black	NH-U12S redux	NH-D12L
NSPR	169	129	129	148
Height	158mm	158mm	158mm	145mm
Number of heatpipes	7	5	4	5
Soldered interface of heatpipes and cooling fins
Fan(s)	2x NF-A12x25 PWM / 2x NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black	1x NF-F12 PWM / 1x NF-F12 PWM chromax.black	1x NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM	NF-A12x25r PWM
Acoustical noise rating	22,6 dB(A)	22,4 dB(A)	25,1 dB(A)	22,6 dB(A)
Low-Noise Adaptor			(optional with NA-FK1 second fan kit)
Fan clips for second fan			(optional with NA-FK1 second fan kit)
Thermal paste	NT-H1, tube (~5 applications)	NT-H1, tube (~5 applications)	NT-H1, pre-applied (1 application)	NT-H1, tube (~5 applications)
Mounting ecosystem compatibility	SecuFirm2™	SecuFirm2™	SecuFirm2™	SecuFirm2™
Included mounting parts	SecuFirm2™ for Intel LGA20xx, LGA1700, LGA1200/LGA115x, AMD AM4, AM5	SecuFirm2™ for Intel LGA20xx, LGA1700, LGA1200/LGA115x, AMD AM4, AM5	SecuFirm2™ for Intel LGA20xx, LGA1700, LGA1200/LGA115x, AMD AM4, AM5	SecuFirm2™ for Intel LGA20xx, LGA1700, LGA1200/LGA115x, AMD AM4, AM5
Free of charge mounting upgrades (if technically possible)
Warranty	6 years	6 years	6 years	6 years
MSRP	119.90 EUR / 109.90 USD129.90 EUR / 119.90 USD	79.90 EUR / 69.90 USD89.90 EUR / 79.90 USD	54.90 EUR / 49.90 USD	99.90 EUR / 89.90 USD

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