Noctua today announced two new members of the Redux product line: An updated NH-U12S, the line’s first CPU cooler, and the NA-FK1 second fan kit to complement it.
The company billed the NH-U12S Redux as “a streamlined, accessibly priced version” of the original cooler that features “the same proven heatsink layout.” But there are some notable differences between the NH-U12S Redux and its predecessor.
Noctua said the NH-U12S Redux boasts four heatpipes to the original’s five; lacks a soldered interface for those heatpipes and cooling fins; and ships with a single NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM fan rather than the dual-fan setup offered by the original.
Those changes were accompanied by a slight increase in operating noise volume: Noctua puts the NH-U12S’ acoustical noise rating at 22.4 dB(A) and the NH-U12S Redux’s at 25.1 dB(A). The revised model also lacks a low noise adaptor or second fan clip.
That’s where the NA-FK1 comes in. Noctua said the kit “contains a second NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM fan, fan clips, anti-vibration pads, a y-cable and Low-Noise Adaptors” that can be used to improve the NH-U12S Redux’s performance.
The NH-U12S Redux features the SecuFirm2 mounting system for use with Intel LGA 115x, 1200, and 20xx sockets as well as the AMD AM4 socket. (AM3 socket support wasn’t listed in the official specs.) It also comes with pre-applied thermal paste.
We’ll have to test the NH-U12S Redux to determine if it‘s worthy of a spot on our list of the best CPU coolers, but it would have to aim for the value crown. Noctua made it clear that it wanted to offer a more affordable NH-U12S, not a more powerful one.
To that end: The NH-U12S Redux and NA-FK1 are both available now via Amazon. The cooler’s priced at $49.95, and the second fan kit costs $16.95 at the time of writing. Their combined total of $66.90 comes in right under the NH-U12S’ $69.95 price tag.
