| | |  | Intel Socket 1366 | Home » » » Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Heatpipe Cooler - ( Socket 775, Socket 1156, Socket AM2, Socket AM2+, Socket 1366, Socket AM3 ) - aluminum with copper base - 140 mm | | | | | | | Description: | | Building on the proven basis of the successful NH-C12P, which has received more than 80 awards and recommendations from the international press, the NH-C12P SE14 now comes with Noctua's new NF-P14 140mm fan for further improved quiet cooling peformance as well as the new SecuFirm2 multi-socket mounting system. Topped off with Noctua's pro-grade NT-H1 thermal compound and adding support for both LGA1366 and LGA1156, the NH-C12P SE14 is a premium quality quiet cooler that provides lots of airflow for near-socket mainboard components and excellent case compatibility at a height of only 114mm. | | | Features: | |
• Proven 6 heatpipe design: World renowned for its excellent quality and thermal performance
• C-Type design with Airflow Gaps: Provides superior cooling for near-socket motherboard components du
• High Compatibility: Allows for low height as well as excellent motherboard and case compatibility
• NF-P14 140mm fan: Premium quality vortex control notches for superb quietness and outstanding aerody
• SecuFirm2 multi-socket mounting system
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 5.51 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.51 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.98 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.61 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.0 inches | | Package Height:
| 6.7 inches | | Package Weight:
| 2.9 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 7 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 7 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Very nice, extremely quiet, but....Dec 16, 2010
By A. D. Minton
System specs: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5 with an Intel i7-930 CPU, 6gig of Corsair's Dominator RAM, an ATI 4890 video card, 3 hard drives, an optical drive and an Antec Signature 850 watt power supply - all housed in a Coolermaster HAF X case.
Since this was a new build I wanted to upgrade my ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT CPU cooler, and based on reviews, decided Noctua's NH-C12P SE14 would be that replacement.
With my ambient room temps averaging 77F (25c) and my CPU overclocked from 2.80 to 3.52 gigs I was getting 76c prime95 load, 45 idle with the Zalman. With the Noctua SE14 I'm averaging 71c load, 41c idle. As you can see, I dropped 5 degrees with the SE14. However moving towards a 3.7 gig overclock with the SE14 my temps shot to 77c prime 95 load! Once I moved back down to 3.5 temps stabilized to round 71ish load. Anyway I'm fine with 3.5gigs as I really don't need to go any higher than that. I was just curious to see what the CPU and cooler could do... and well I saw those temps!
Now where the SE14 excels is in noise. The included 750-1200rpm NF-P14 FLX 140mm fan is extremely quiet, even at full speed. If you want "quieter" (at the cost of higher temps) you can use one of the two included voltage adapters to lower the RPMs further (900 & 750 RPM) but I find they aren't necessary because as I said this thing is quiet as is.
As to fit/clearance....
Those with Corsair's Dominator RAM modules may experience clearance issues depending on cooler orientation, and DIMM slots used. However using a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5 motherboard and one of Noctua's recommended orientations (heat pipes down towards GPU) from their website I was able to fit my 3 Dominator modules on the MB without any clearance issues or having to remove any fins. Check my post here - [...]
Out of curiosity though I did try a different orientation (heat pipes facing towards rear fan of case) where you had to remove the fin off the first module closest to the CPU and saw no noticeable difference in cooling temps. And with one of the fins removed temps didn't rise either. I'm sure this is attributed to the fact that cooler blows air down.
Quick note on the DIMM layout of my board: It has six DIMM slots, 0-5 (0 being closest to CPU). Since I'm using six gig of RAM (3 x 2gig), only slots 1-3-5 are used. DIMM slot 0 is not used.
With that said, using my Gigabyte board, if I fill all six DIMM slots with Dominator modules, I'll have to remove the first module's fin for clearance... no matter the orientation. That's because the cooler WILL hit the first module nearest the CPU due the cooler's overhang design. Modules without fins (or very short fins) shouldn't have any issues, and Noctua's website has a list showing all compatible motherboards and RAM for their Coolers. Very helpful.
Installation....
Yes you'll have to remove the motherboard to install this - unless you have a case with a cutout for easy installation - Coolermaster's HAF X is one such case. And while it is a pain to have to remove a MB to install a cooler I'd much rather do this than trust those flimsy plastic clip-on type clips. That's me.
Anyway installation was a breeze and the SecuFirm 2 mounting system Noctua uses is an absolute dream to work with and is easy to install. A long screwdriver WILL easily allow you to install the cooler with fan installed to the SecuFirm mount without any fuss. Careful and common sense go hand and hand here.
Included with the cooler is Noctua's NT-H1-1 thermo compound which is said to outperform Arctic Silver 5. My own unscientific tests show both giving about the same results. However it's been stated that Noctua's paste settles quickly whereas Arctic's paste takes a few days to settle. Debatable.
So....did I get what I expected with this cooler?
I'll put it this way.... for medium overclocks, say around 3.6gigs this'll get the job done, and it's quiet as church mice.... anything above 3.7/8 gig overclock, especially going towards 4gig, get something stronger like the NH-D14. Bear in mind I'm looking at this from an Intel core i7-930 processor perspective so millage may vary with different CPU's.
What I DO like about the SE14 is its low profile design - design allows for cool air to be blown down on MB components, weight (only 730grams with fan) and its low noise 140mm NF-P14 FLX fan. BTW the color doesn't bother me, though a black or dark gray fan would be nice.
My system is extremely quiet. My HAF X case has a front bottom 230mm 700RPM 19dBA fan, a top 200mm 7000RPM 19dBA fan, a rear 140mm 1200RPM 19dBA fan, and 1 side 200mm 700RPM 19dBA fan.
My ATI 4890 GPU fan is running at 27 percent idle, throw in my ultra-quiet Antec signature power supply and this makes for one quiet system. The only fan noise I hear at any time is the GPU fan. The SE14's fan, when running full throttle, still can't be heard. Impressive.
Again, with my ambient room temps around 77F (25c), my core temps average 41c idle, 71c prime95 load.
A quick note on my motherboard's CPU header.... Some motherboards use something like "Smartfan" (Gigabyte boards) which employs a +12v speed control on the second pin of the CPU header. What that means here is that even though the NF-P14 FLX fan uses a 3-pin connector, the fan speed will still be varied based on voltage applied to the fan. In this case the voltage is determined by the temp of the CPU and varied accordingly.
Why do I mention this? The temps above are based on the cooler's fan running at 850is idle, 1150ish load! The point???... my idle temps would probably be lower if I ran the fan full speed!!! BTW you could disable smartfan in the BIOS, I chose not to. So this is something to take into consideration.
To summarize...
Cool and quiet is what this CPU cooler is all about. If you plan on light to medium overclocks and noise is a factor - the NH-C12P SE14 deserves high consideration. Anything higher than 3.7 gigs, consider something more robust.
Pros:
6 year warranty
6 Heat pipe design
Weight - Only 730 grams with fan
Fan - Includes Noctua's NF-P14 FLX 140mm fan which is extremely quiet
Includes 2 low noise fan adapters
Design - allows fan to blow air down on nearby MB components.
Cons:
Design could pose clearance issues with tall RAM modules
Not as efficient on higher overclocks.
Price (maybe) - $77 dollars
All and all.... recommended
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Excellent 1366 "lower profile" Cooler - accomodates Corsair DominatorsNov 22, 2010
By zen-pc.com
"zen-pc.com"
Great "lower" profile model. Cools just as effectively as any of the full size tower models from Noctua except the NH-D14. I get the same temps using this one as the NH-U12P so I'd rather go with this model which has greater compatibility with various PC cases and it also can accommodate RAM sticks with heatspreaders such as the Corsair Dominators (filled up all 6 memory banks and was able to fit the fan cooler that came with the matched Dominator set). I generally get around 32-35c on a stock Core i7 950 using the included thermal paste. Using Indigo Xtreme I've gotten as low as 26c with the NH-C12P.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Excellent CoolerJul 18, 2010
By jr_31
"jr_31"
I did a lot of investigation into which CPU cooler to buy and am pleased with my ultimate decision.
This device is extremely well-made, performs very efficiently, and is extremely quiet. I'm not overclocking my CPU (i7 950) so it's not surprising to me that I have had no problems with heat.
The installation of the device is fairly straightforward. Attachment to the motherboard with the supplied Intel kit was very easy as was mounting the extremely quiet fan.
For me, aesthetics are part of the product's allure. At this level, the product is extremely attractive.
Easy-installing, super-cool on my AMD quad-coreMar 04, 2012
By carvedheart
I looked high and low for one of the giant coolers that would fit my motherboard and case. All the vertical coolers were too tall. This cooler has a down-draft fan that neatly fits the CPU and doesn't touch anything else. It does overhang the first two memory slots, but, unless they fail, they are not going anywhere anyway. Installation was trivial - I had to remove the plastic existing AM2 cooler harness, but the new one went right in the same screw holes, with the metal adapter pieces carrying the cooler (it can also fit Intel boards, but I couldn't try that). Although I was looking for quiet (I set the fan to 7V), it also keeps the CPU at a chilly 26deg C, rising to 38deg on full load. I also fitted a quiet case fan and suspended the hard drive from bungee cord. The whole machine is now very quiet (34dB vs 45dB+ before). Aaaah peace!
High quality product, but does not clear RAM with heat sinksMay 31, 2011
By JazzMan
Reviews on the heat handling characteristics of this fan are widely published, and generally considered to be very good. However, it did not offer enough clearance for RAM with heat sinks, though it appears to from pictures. The heat sink fins overhang the first slot on the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R. The RAM I have is G.SKILL PI Series Model F3-12800CL7T-6GBPI 7-8-7-24.
See all 7 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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