Noctua NH-D12L in review: Powerful premium CPU cooler for all common sockets
When it comes to high-performance air coolers in the PC sector, Noctua is a household name for most people, because the manufacturer has been supplying very high-quality and high-performance coolers for years. The most common sockets are supported. The Noctua NH-D12L is a CPU cooler in the 120mm class, which makes it suitable for many cases. Meanwhile, the asymmetrical design ensures good RAM compatibility on current motherboards. Of course, the scope of delivery also includes the proven SecuFirm2 system as well as a tube of thermal paste and a 6-year warranty.
Noctua NH-D12L in detail
The Noctua NH-D12L is a typical dual-tower cooler with an asymmetrical fin arrangement. There are a total of 5 heat pipes and a 120-millimeter fan is located in the center. Installation of the Noctua NH-D12L is very easy on our AM5 test system. The scope of delivery includes everything necessary and the Noctua NH-D12L can optionally be equipped with another fan.
There is nothing to complain about in terms of workmanship. The cooler has a high-quality finish and all nickel-plated surfaces are impeccable. With a height of only 145 millimeters, the cooler would also fit in the popular Lian-Li O11 Dynamic. However, we performed this test in an open setup on our Streacom BC1 V2 Open Benchtable.
Noctua NH-D12L in practice
In the test, the Noctua NH-D12L performs well despite the very power-hungry AMD Ryzen 9 7900X. We do not throttle the processor to 230 watts to ensure the same starting conditions for direct comparison with the rivals. In the performance rating, the compact air cooler only loses just under one percent to the significantly more powerful Noctua NH-D15. This is not subjectively noticeable in practice. Thus, we can state at this point that there is no significant performance loss compared to the more powerful coolers in normal everyday use.
However, we see a clear difference in the average temperatures under load. It should also be mentioned here that Prime95 is an extreme scenario, which hardly ever occurs in practice. With 93.9 °C, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X heats the most together with the Noctua NH-D12L. If you want much lower temperatures, you will have to use liquid cooling. For comparison purposes, we have included two variants in the comparison table.
| Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Noctua NH-D15) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Noctua NH-D12L) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (360er-AiO) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Noctua NH-U12A) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Wakü + MO-RA3 420 Pro) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (360er-AiO) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Noctua NH-U12A) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Noctua NH-D15) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Noctua NH-D12L) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Wakü + MO-RA3 420 Pro) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Noctua NH-D12L) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (360er-AiO) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Noctua NH-U12A) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Noctua NH-D15) | |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (Wakü + MO-RA3 420 Pro) | |
* ... smaller is better
Pros
+ good cooling performance
+ high-quality workmanship
+ easy assembly and good compatibility
+ only 145 mm height
+ timeless design
+ 6 years manufacturer warranty
Contra
– high price
– no RGB lighting
Verdict - Compact yet powerful
Despite its compact design, the Noctua NH-D12L offers impressive cooling performance and can handle very powerful processors. In the test, no significant differences can be seen under normal load compared to the significantly larger representatives such as the Noctua NH-D15 or the Noctua NH-U12A.
The build quality is at the usual level for Noctua, which is excellent in terms of look and feel. However, you should also expect that at a price of about 100 Euros, because we are in the premium class compared to other air coolers.
The Noctua NH-D12L is a powerful air cooler that does not have to hide behind the Noctua NH-D15.
The limitations in case compatibility can be countered somewhat with the Noctua NH-D12L because, with a height of 145 millimeters, the model fits into far more cases than the exorbitantly large Noctua NH-D15. So, if you are looking for a powerful tower cooler that also comes with high compatibility, you can grab the Noctua NH-D12L without hesitation.
Prices and availability
Currently, the Noctua NH-D12L is available for 100 Euros at Amazon.
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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