Among the many manufacturers showcasing their latest developments at Computex, there is one booth that simply cannot be skipped. The Austrian cooling specialist came to this year’s show with an impressive lineup. Athena’s owl has spread its wings through a broader product portfolio and a number of new partnerships. In addition to products already known from published roadmaps, Noctua also unveiled several unexpected surprises.
In the previous part, we covered new products whose arrival Noctua had already signaled earlier through its roadmaps. Now we will look at products that did not appear there. We will start with something that cannot be described as a complete surprise, since Noctua has already showcased its thermosiphon cooler at the previous two Computex events. Nevertheless, we included it in this part because it has not yet appeared on the official roadmaps and because we also tried to keep both articles as balanced in scope as possible. After the thermosiphon project, however, we will move on to the genuine surprises of this year’s booth that Noctua had not publicly presented before.
The thermosiphon is progressing and finally gets a launch window
As mentioned in the introduction, we will start with something that is not entirely new. Noctua once again showed its thermosiphon cooler at Computex, which we first saw back in 2024. What is new, however, is that this year something besides dimensions and technical details has changed. The displayed prototype now included an estimated launch window in Q3 2027. Although, with Noctua and its pursuit of perfectionism, such dates should be treated cautiously, this is the first more concrete indication suggesting that the project is gradually moving closer to commercial reality.
A cooler without a pump and without a compressor
Evaporator geometry optimization
One of the areas Noctua has focused on in recent revisions is optimizing the geometry of the evaporator. Its role is not only to absorb heat from the processor, but also to ensure efficient circulation of the working fluid and the generated vapor. As vapor forms, it rises upward while simultaneously dragging some of the liquid along with it. If this process is not managed appropriately, turbulent mixing of flows occurs, worsening evaporation conditions.
The new evaporator design therefore uses a system of vertically oriented fins and separate flow paths. These ensure controlled upward movement of vapor while simultaneously guiding the returning liquid circulation in the opposite direction. Upward and downward flow are thus better separated from one another, leading to higher evaporation efficiency. Noctua also optimized the inlet path of the returning liquid so that backflow does not disrupt stable vapor from the evaporator.
Optimization of the liquid-to-vapor ratio
Another important development area is so-called fluid balancing, meaning maintaining an optimal ratio of liquid and vapor phases throughout different parts of the system. Although the thermosiphon principle appears simple, in practice it is necessary to manage the amount of working medium in both the evaporator and condenser very precisely. Excessive liquid levels in the evaporator can restrict vapor escape, while excessive accumulation inside the condenser increases flow resistance and limits liquid return back to the processor. The goal is to achieve a state where the evaporator surface remains sufficiently wetted with liquid while preserving free space for efficient vapor transport to the condenser.
Evaporator surface treatment
Significant changes also affect the evaporator surface itself. Noctua used a special microporous layer that continuously delivers liquid to the hottest surface areas through capillary forces, where evaporation takes place. The large active area of this layer also significantly improves heat transfer from the metal base into the working fluid.
The biggest benefit of this treatment becomes evident at high heat densities. On ordinary smooth surfaces, such conditions can create local vapor cushions or continuous vapor layers that begin acting as thermal insulation. The microporous layer, by contrast, promotes the formation of a large number of nucleation sites and keeps the surface better wetted with liquid.
It is precisely the combination of optimized evaporator geometry, controlled working fluid circulation, and the new microporous surface treatment that ranks among the main reasons why Noctua talks about significantly improved hotspot resistance. This is extremely important for modern processors because heat is no longer generated evenly across the entire heat spreader surface. Instead, it concentrates into relatively small areas above individual chiplets or compute cores, where local heat flux densities can reach extreme values.
Perhaps the boldest project in the company’s history
Although this year the first NL-LC1 AIO coolers attracted most of the attention, the thermosiphon remains the company’s most technologically ambitious project. If Noctua succeeds in bringing it into mass production, it would represent a solution combining the benefits of liquid cooling with the absence of a pump and potentially higher reliability as well. For now, however, it remains a development project where Noctua clearly has greater ambitions than simply bringing something to market as quickly as possible. Still, for the first time, we now have at least a rough idea of when this long-running prototype could become a real product.
Further genuinely unexpected announcements
NT-CP1 thermal pad
Among the surprising products at Noctua’s booth was one that had never appeared on any previous company roadmap. The Austrian manufacturer is expanding its portfolio of thermal interface materials with the Carbice NT-CP1, a thermal pad using carbon nanotube (CNT, Carbon NanoTubes) technology. It is the result of cooperation with Carbice, which both companies announced only recently.
Noctua has traditionally been associated with NT-H1 and NT-H2 thermal compounds, making its move into the thermal pad segment a rather unexpected step. Even more so because this is neither a conventional graphite pad nor one of today’s popular phase-change materials. Carbice relies on a carbon nanotube structure that, according to the manufacturer, should provide not only high thermal conductivity but also stable long-term characteristics and resilience across repeated thermal cycles.
The pad itself consists of a thin aluminum substrate layer (essentially a foil) onto which carbon nanotubes are vertically applied and embedded within a polymer. Such a structure allows it to conform precisely both to the surface of the cooler base (cold plate) on one side and the processor heat spreader (IHS) on the other.
The first product will be the NT-CP1 pad intended for AMD Ryzen processors on AM5 and AM4 platforms. Dimensions are optimized for the shape of these processors’ heat spreaders (IHS), and the manufacturer emphasizes easy installation without requiring thermal paste application. Another advantage should be cleaner handling during cooler installation and removal, since both paste application and subsequent cleanup are eliminated. .
Interestingly, CNT technology will not appear solely in standalone products under the Noctua brand. According to available information, similar CNT thermal pads will also be included with the newly released anniversary edition of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor (10 Years AMD AM4 Anniversary Edition). This will therefore become one of the first consumer processors where the manufacturer bundles a carbon nanotube-based solution instead of conventional thermal paste. In relation to this, both Noctua and Carbice point out that not all CNT thermal pads are technologically equivalent in performance.
What will be particularly interesting is how this new solution performs in independent testing. With products like these, immediate cooling performance after installation is not the only factor—equally important is the ability to maintain stable characteristics over long periods without degradation. This is precisely the aspect both Carbice and Noctua emphasize heavily. The announced partnership also suggests that this is not merely a one-off product but potentially the beginning of broader collaboration on future heat transfer solutions for computing applications.
Next-generation NH-L12—low profile, big ambitions
Alongside other announcements, Noctua also introduced a new low-profile cooler for the AMD AM5 platform. Although it may resemble previous NH-L12 series models at first glance, the manufacturer describes it as a completely redesigned generation. The goal was to design a cooler specifically for today’s ecosystem of Mini-ITX motherboards and SFF (Small Form Factor) cases, which are becoming increasingly popular among compact-build enthusiasts.
The new model reaches a total height of only 70 mm including the fan, while despite strict dimensional constraints Noctua decided to use as many as six heatpipes and a full-size NF-A12x25 G2 fan instead of thinner or smaller fans. According to Noctua, it is precisely the combination of the larger fan and new heatsink construction that delivers a significantly better cooling-to-noise ratio than previous solutions.
The design was developed specifically with the component layout of modern AM5 Mini-ITX motherboards in mind. Noctua states that the cooler literally “fits like a glove” on current board designs. It leaves 35 mm of clearance for memory modules, which could significantly limit the use of modules with taller heatsinks.
Another interesting detail is the use of a base with optimized convexity (LBC—Low Base Convexity), which Noctua designed specifically for AMD AM4 and AM5 processors. The manufacturer claims this enables optimal mounting pressure and contact with the processor heat spreader without requiring eccentric (offset) mounting, which some existing coolers use but which could prove problematic in certain Mini-ITX configurations.
The package will traditionally include the SecuFirm2+ mounting system, NT-H2 thermal paste, and the NA-TPG1 protective frame that prevents paste from spilling into gaps around the processor. According to the current roadmap, launch is expected in Q2 2027.
Next-generation workstation CPU coolers
Noctua also introduced a new generation of workstation coolers at Computex, designed primarily with future AMD Threadripper processors in mind. Although the new design retains the proven dual-tower concept, the manufacturer speaks of a completely redesigned heatsink architecture. It has been optimized for modern motherboards with horizontally oriented CPU sockets, while airflow follows the conventional front-to-back direction aligned with standard case layouts.
Heat dissipation is handled by a pair of towers connected by seven heatpipes, while Noctua promises higher cooling capacity and better compatibility compared to current models. The cooler uses a combination of NF-A14x25r G2 and NF-A12x25 G2 fans—the newest second-generation models designed to provide the best possible balance between cooling performance and noise even with processors featuring extreme core counts.
The new design will support not only AMD sTR5, TR4, SP3, and SP6 platforms but also Intel LGA4677 and LGA4710. According to current information, Noctua plans to launch the new workstation series in Q2 2027.
WireView Pro II
Another interesting collaboration Noctua showcased at Computex is its partnership with Thermal Grizzly and well-known overclocker Roman “der8auer” Hartung. The result is a special version of the WireView Pro II monitoring adapter intended for 12V-2×6 GPU power connectors. Noctua’s involvement went beyond simply supplying a fan. Compared to the standard version, the WireView Pro II Noctua Edition received a larger 40 mm fan, a modified heatsink, and a redesigned PCB and airflow layout.
According to the project creators, the new model should operate passively more often while simultaneously achieving lower noise levels under active cooling. This represents another rather unconventional expansion of Noctua collaborations beyond the traditional fan and cooling segments, with availability expected sometime during the coming months.
And with that, we conclude our overview of Noctua’s announcements from this year’s Computex show.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
Just the fact that the pad (Carbice NT-CP1) works directly on the processor already seems like a good sign to me. I’ve always had it fixed in my mind that these solutions usually have lower thermal conductivity and that between the CPU IHS and the cooler coldplate, thermal paste is typically the way to go. 🙂
Hmm, it will probably also be interesting to observe how well it adapts to surface structure. I don’t just mean base flatness, but also surface microstructures that thinner thermal pastes can penetrate more effectively. What might that look like in the case of ‘solid’ thermal pads?