Noctua NH-C14 Review

[siopao1984]

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Noctua NH-C14 Review by VR-Zone.com

In our labs today is an interesting product from the alpine nation of Austria. Noctua's NH-C14 processor heatsink possesses an interesting design which lets you mount the fan either above or below the fin array, promising compatibility with large memory modules or narrow casings. Read on to find out how Noctua's top-flow heatsink design stacks up.

Introduction

Noctua is quite well-known for their enthusiast-grade cooling solutions. In this article we'll be reviewing the Austria-based company's NH-C14 processor heatsink. The NH-C14 is a top-flow design similar to Noctua's earlier NH-C12P (which is still on sale).



The NH-C14's key difference from the NH-C12P is its flexibility when it comes to fan mounting. For users of narrow/short casings, the fan can be mounted below the fin array, reducing the height of the heatsink to just 105mm. The fan can also be mounted above the fin array in the traditional configuration if you require additional clearance, for instance due to large memory heatspreaders (think Kingston's HyperX modules). And if neither of these constraints apply to you, both included fans can be used together to provide the maximum cooling performance.



All recent processor sockets are supported by the NH-C14. Noctua offers a whopping six-year warranty, but it's not clear if this extends to the bundled fans, without which the warranty would be rather superfluous since those are only parts liable to fail.

We'll take a closer look at the NH-C14 on the next page.

[IMG]

[siopao1984]

Packaging and Accessories

The NH-C14's packaging is quite sturdy and our sample arrived without any damage whatsoever. The mounting kits for Intel and AMD are packed separately, making it easy to take out only the parts that you need.


Above: The Noctua NH-C14's packaging.


Above: The Intel mounting kit.


Above: The AMD mounting kit.

The two bundled NF-P14 140mm fans are rated for 1200RPM and use 3-pin connectors, which means automatic fan speed control will not work on most motherboards. Instead, you can opt to lower fan speed by using either pair of the two included adapters, which brings fan speed down to 900RPM (the black-coloured adapter) or 750RPM (the blue-coloured adapter). While we like being able to control fan speed directly, we would prefer it if Noctua combined this with the ability to use automatic fan speed control.


Above: One of the two included 140mm fans.


Above: The fan speed adapters and 120mm fan adapters

Noctua has pre-installed the mounting clips on both fans, saving you the trouble of fiddling with those annoyingly flimsy metal clips. A splitter is also included in case your motherboard doesn't have enough fan headers. Noctua even included adapters for use with a 120mm fan should you choose not to use the included ones.

All in all, we're quite happy with the package that Noctua has put together (though we would expect no less given the hefty price tag of the NH-C14).

[siopao1984]

A Closer Look

At first glance, the NH-C14 might look very similar to its predecessor, the NH-C12P. Closer inspection, however, reveals several subtle changes.



Noctua has widened and lengthened the fin array slightly. Also, the large gaps on both sides which allowed access to the mounting screws on the NH-C12P have been replaced on the NH-C14 by much smaller gaps which are just enough to allow access with a long screwdriver. As we mentioned earlier, part of the fin array no longer extends down to the heatsink base on the NH-C14.

On balance, the surface area of the NH-C14 should be quite similar to that of the NH-C12P.



Another change is the spacing of the six heatpipes. On the NH-C14, the innermost two pairs of heatpipes are much closer to the center. Noctua might have made this change because the 140mm fan's airflow does not cover the extreme corners of the fin array.

The shape of the fins has also changed, with the center portion sloping inwards slightly. Presumably this helps to mitigate the effect of the dead spot underneath the fan motor.



Rubber spacers have been pre-installed on both the top and bottom of the fin array. If you look carefully, you can spot the curved support strut in the middle which extends across approximately half of the fin array. This helps to support the weight of the heatsink and perhaps also prevent excessive oscillation. During testing, we did not notice any vibration issues with the NH-C14.



The copper base of the NH-C14 is very smooth and flat. According to Noctua, the heatpipes are soldered to the heatsink base. Even though the NH-C14 uses only two screws for mounting, we found mounting pressure to be sufficient and evenly distributed.

In case you're wondering, the base and heatpipes are nickel plated to match the color of the fin array and protect against corrosion.

[siopao1984]

Installation and Test Setup

While somewhat tedious, the Noctua NH-C14's installation procedure is straightforward and clearly outlined in the manual. We didn't run into any hiccups, and neither should you.

Installation on an Intel platform requires use of the included backplate. Firstly, the screws on the backplate must be adjusted accordingly depending on the socket in use. For LGA775, an additional rubber insert must be installed on the backplate.



After the backplate has been inserted, spacers need to be installed on each of the four screws. A pair of mounting brackets is then installed and secured by four thumbscrews. As Noctua helpfully notes in the installation guide, the direction of the mounting brackets will determine the facing of the heatsink.



Finally, the heatsink can be secured to the mounting bracket using the two spring-loaded screws. Gaps in the heatsink fins have been strategically placed to provide access to the screws.



Mounting the fans is quite easy, though you have to be careful not to bend any fins in the process. In the picture below, you can see that there is more than enough headroom for standard-height memory modules.



Installation on an AMD platform follows a similar concept, though the spacers and mounting brackets used are different. The default backplate is used, which simplifies the process slightly. One thing to note is that, due to the design of the socket, the NH-C12 is restricted to being mounted in two directions only. But unless your motherboard has exceptionally tall VRM heatsinks, there should be no compatibility issues.





Test Setup

We'll be using the Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition, rated for a maximum TDP of 130W, to test the capabilities of the Noctua NH-C12. This is one of the hotter Intel processors in recent times and serves a good differentiator of heatsink performance.

Processor: Intel Core i7-965 (Reference - 3.2GHz)
Motherboard: Foxconn Blood Rage (Intel X5
Memory: 3 x 2GB DDR3-1600
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 5570
Storage: Intel SSD 320 120GB
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 64-bit
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W

The following heatsinks were also tested for comparison:

• Deep Cool Killer Whale
• Deep Cool Ice Blade Pro
• Intel XTS100H
• Noctua NH-D14
• Thermalright Archon

Load temperature readings were taken after running the Prime95 stress test for 30 minutes. The stress test was then stopped and the system allowed to idle for another 30 minutes before the idle temperature reading was recorded. During testing, ambient temperature was kept at a constant 22 degrees Celsius.

[siopao1984]

Results and Conclusion

The Noctua NH-C14 performs well when faced with a default, non-overclocked setup. Performance is significantly worse in low profile mode than in high clearance mode, especially when the fan speed is decreased to 750RPM using the included adapter. Doing so makes the fan significantly quieter, though. In any case, the CPU temperature is well within limits.



At 1200RPM, going from one to two fans makes little difference. It seems that the NH-C12 is unable to take advantage of increased airflow past a certain point.



Next, we turned up the heat load by increasing CPU voltage to 1.40V and CPU speed to 3.6GHz. With two fans mounted and going at maximum speed, the Noctua NH-C14 performs decently. It manages to beat some tower heatsinks such as Deep Cool's Ice Blade Pro, though it can't touch the best (not to mention largest) tower heatsinks such as Noctua's own NH-D14.

However, the NH-C14 starts to falter when used with only a single fan, with the CPU reaching the highest temperatures out of all the heatsinks tested.



Conclusion

The Noctua NH-C14 is a good candidate if you need a compact and quiet heatsink with decent performance. Temperatures are acceptable even with just a single fan running at the slowest possible speed. You can get away with some light overclocking; Just don't expect to be able to increase CPU voltage by a significant amount. With a newer 32nm processor, you should be able to squeeze even more overclocking headroom out.

If you want to get some serious overclocking done, then the NH-C14 might not be the best choice. Its performance only comes close to the best tower heatsinks when you use both fans at full blast, which mostly negates the NH-C14's height advantage. The equally-priced and only slightly taller NH-D14 would be the better choice unless your casing simply can't fit anything larger.

Now, about the price - the Noctua NH-C14 will burn a whopping US$80-sized hole in your wallet. If you're willing to forego some overclocking, you can find cheaper heatsinks with worse performance but an equally low profile. Besides the price tag, our only other gripe with the NH-C14 is its inability to use automatic fan speed control.

Pros

• Good performance at default settings, even with fan(s) at lowest speed
• Only 105mm tall in low profile mode
• Top flow design helps to cool other components
• Near-silent when fan speed adapters are used

Cons

• Poor performance when overclocking with only one fan
• Doesn't support automatic fan control
• Expensive

Retail Price: US$80 / 3,434.40 PHP

[tremblant]

@siopao1984

Naay distributor ani sa cebu bai?

[jimmy128]

@siopao1984

Naay distributor ani sa cebu bai?

Nab computers bai, murag mu baligya sila mga noctua products. pangitaa lang si NublaX sa forums (promote dayon kay nahan ko sa ila serbisyo )