Noctua today introduced the latest rendition of its venerable U12 cooler, a series which goes back to the company’s roots in 2005. Compared to the venerable U12S that preceded it, the U12A has more fans (two) and more heat pipes (seven, up from the previous five). The fin pack is also deeper (58mm, up from 45mm) to provide 37% more surface area, with those deeper fins offset rearward to provide similar memory clearance to the classic version when installed on LGA 115x and AM4 motherboards.
Noctua’s classic combination of aluminum fins over copper heat pipes on a copper base remains, as do the solder unions and nickel plating covering those copper parts. Rated at 102.1 cubic meters per hour, the newer NF-A12x25 PWM fans are specified to produce a mere 22.6 dBA (each) as these spin at up to 2000 RPM.
If you don’t find this combination of beige, brown, and nickel-plated quality alluring, Noctua’s video has a soundtrack that may help.
Images Credit: Noctua
