NH-U12S redux, High Performance CPU Cooler with NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM 120mm fan (Grey)

I was looking around for an aftermarket CPU cooler at this price point and saw the recent video on Linus Tech Tips about this coming out - it was right in my price range so I didn't even need a second thought to buy! This fit perfectly in a Fractal Meshify C MicroATX case. Easy to install on an AM4 socket with pre-applied thermal paste, and it reduced CPU temps under a full stress-testing load from around 83 celsius to barely breaking 70 (Ryzen 5 3600, running at around 4.0-4.2GHz when boosted. From videos I've seen, this performace matches even the more expensive non-redux version. The fan is nearly silent on day-to-day gaming load, and with the right fan curve, barely even needs to go up to full power (where it will be as loud as any other CPU cooler in this price bracket, but will definitely shift some air!). Noctua are one of the most respected brands in computer cooling for very good reason - they are excellently made, have what is widely regarded as the best mounting system in the industry, and thier products deliver on performance. I have also heard thier customer support is excellent, not that I've needed it. Apparently, if you upgrade your motherboard later with a future socket that isn't supported, Noctua will send you the required hardware to mount for shipping costs only. If this is the amount you're looking to spend on a cooler, I really think there isn't a better option and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone.

Highlights: SLIM, so no problems with RAM clearance. QUIET, LOW TEMPS, EASY TO INSTALL I got this to get something affordable, reliable and quiet to replace an intel stock cooler Laminar RH1. Stock coolers for Alder Lake are loud as Hell. The RM1 that comes with the low power CPUs like 12600 produces a loud pitched noise that makes you murderous. Whereas the RH1 that comes with the 12900F and the likes, produces more of a whooshing sound that's still too loud and annoying. This one is whisper quiet at low speeds and hardly audible at full speed. And of course maximum temperatures during gaming for the CPU are never above 64 Celsius for 12900F, generally more around 55-60. During idle temperatures are of course 1 degree above room temperature. Haven't stressed it fully yet, but have no reason to believe it would have any issues handling anything that a non-K intel CPU can throw at it. It's the low noise that makes it a good sell for me. And it's slim, so you don't have to worry about RAM clearance, as it won't go over the RAM at all. Did have to remove the NVME heatsink that the motherboard provided by default as it was simply too beefy and not allowing the cooler to sit properly.

Short Version: It's really really good and you should buy one, because I feel like I stole it at this price. The Full Story: I bought this Noctua to replace an (8yr) old water cooling unit. I have never done this before. Fortunately the Noctua comes with instructions that are clear and easy to understand and the cooler has thermal paste already applied in a very pleasing pattern. Thanks for that as it clears up the age old question of "how should I apply the paste? In a pea shaped amount, or should I spread it out or should I put multiple blobs?" Noctua did it for me, awesome. I switched off my pc, and waited for only 10mins, before removing the old cooler. This meant the old paste was still moist and therefore easier to remove. The new cooler had all the brackets and spacers required to fit it to my motherboard and CPU, with clear instructions how to fit them. The only sacrifice I had to make was removing one of my side case fans, as the fan protruded in to the case about 20cm, and the side door would not fit. I still have one more side case fan, two on top and one on front. So I would urge you to check the measurement of the cooler, and check you have the clearance. As for performance, well I am amazed that an air cooler can perform this well. At idle temps have dropped by 20c and fan speeds halved at that temp to 30%. Under load temp hasn't gone above 60c and 70% fan speed. I think my case may have been designed for air flow, and its running great. This is one of those rare moments when you buy something and it's not just perfect, but it performs way better than you could've possibly imagined and it was a lot cheaper than you imagined too. I would say I am speechless, but I am clearly not, so I will say that I could wax lyrical about this Noctua cooler, but I will finish here: an excellent product and well worth the money.

Really good CPU cooler, this replaced a cheaper Arctic cooler that was chunkier, and the NH-U12S redux performs just as well while being slightly quieter and matching my case fans (also one of the fans on the Arctic had to be mounted slightly squint). I did add the extra fan kit, as all the other reviews say this only lowers temps 2-3*C more. Only down side was the one Amazon shipped to me had clearly already been used and repacked, so the pre-applied thermal paste was mostly gone and messed up, it was missing a screw, and the fan was detached with the fan clips slightly bent. Amazon just directed me to contact Noctua even though Amazon shipped it from their warehouse, so it's fortunate Noctua's customer service lived up to it's reputation and they kindly shipped me some screws, fan clips, and even a tube of thermal paste. Deffo worth buying Noctua IMO.

The best fan brand out there. So quiet and provides sufficient cooling for an intel i5-13600KF and 2080Ti.

Cooler looks fine, still haven’t been able to install yet but will assume it performs fine. NOTE: Listing doesn’t include thermal paste.

It's a Noctua CPU cooler. It's a bit pricy within this category of air coolers for mid-range CPUs, but it does the job well and is really easy to fit. Slightly lower quality than other Noctua products but otherwise a solid choice.

TL;DR - Get it.. Long version - I have been gaming on a PC for over 15 years. Started building PCs (for me, friends, their friends, or anyone who has asked me to build a PC) roughly 10 years ago. And I have used several CPU coolers during that time. My budget is not big, so I use Ryzen 5 5600x in my gaming PC. It has all the power I need. Again, my budget is not big. I used to swear by the Hyper 212 EVO, mainly because Noctua CPU coolers are... on the pricier side. Then I discovered the NH-U12S redux and decided to try it. Holy... cow. This thing is a beast. Compared to the stock 5600x cooler it lowered the CPU temperature by more than 20 degrees when gaming (from 89-92 to 62-65 degrees Celsius). My Hyper 212 EVO was not doing bad, the temperature when gaming was around 72-75 degrees, but for similar price NH-U12S redux does a better job. This is not a bargain, it's a steal. It comes with pre-applied NT-H1 Noctua thermal paste, so you don't need to buy additional expensive paste (because most of the cheaper CPU coolers come with thermal paste that is a joke). The performance is great. And it's sooo silent. Get it. If you have budget limitations and want a great CPU cooler that will last you for ages (Noctua will send you mounting brackets for newer motherboards for free) there is nothing better than NH-U12S redux.. P.S.: if you have a higher performance/temperature CPU get the NA-FK1 redux second fan upgrade kit. Two fans will make NH-U12S redux more quiet and will also decrease the temperature even further..

Cooler intermediário para cpu de bom desempenho e fácil instalação!

Best Cooler

I bought this because I was hitting peak temperatures of 82c on my Ryzen 5 5600x under full load with the stock cooler on stock bios config for the cpu. I chose this unit because I gad a great experience previously with the NH-u12P on my old core i7 920 and decided to stick to a brand I know even if it cost a bit more than the competing deepcool and cooler master units. I definitely don't regret this decision. Core Tempuratures with the Noctua dropped to 55c under full load. A pretty substantial drop. As a bonus, the better thermals allow the CPU to boost better: my Cinebench scores went up from 10600 to 11200. Pros: -Easy and very solid installation/mounting process and overall setup. Easily the best in the business. -Quieter than the stock Wraith cooler even at full fan speed. The Noctua fan doesn't even end up spinning at max rpm under the stock fan speed curve of the motherboard and temps are still excellent. -27c temp drop for my own personal setup under full load. -Noctua build quality and performance for a more reasonable price. Cons: -Still expensive compared to the Deepcool Gammaxx 400 and Cooler Master Hyper 212 for likely similar performance. You definitely pay premium for the better mounting system and brand recognition. -The redux fan is quiet but still noisier and not as efficient as the regular Noctua fans.

以前はデフォルトのクーラーを使っていましたが、この新しいクーラーは素晴らしいです

I've had this cooler since December of 2022, and I just had to come back to sing it's praises. Affordable and it's from noctua, with pretty much every benefit you get with their mainline or chromax coolers: Easy installation, quality thermal paste (pre applied here, but easy to get if you need more), Future conscious service for when and if a new socket generation comes around (which it certainly has with AM5), and best of all it's QUIET. Some tech reviewers (only LTT as far as I know) have said that the older fan bearing system will cause it to be louder, but I can confidently say that this has been the quietest cooler I have ever owned (don't miss the AMD wraith spire one bit). I would buy another one of these for any system I would build in the future without hesitation. My only hope is that Noctua takes this budget friendly cooler idea and make a lineup of redux budget coolers (Imagine a NHD15 redux for like 80 or 90 bucks vs the normal 110/115)