Noctua NH-L9a(-AM5) cooler now also available for Ryzen 7000

Many small coolers designed for SFF systems that are compatible with the AMD AM4 platform can’t be mounted on AM5. The NH-L9a(-AM4) top-flow cooler also made the list, and Noctua had to modify its mounting system. The implementation is quite clever, the work is already done and the old-new coolers, whose design is basically unchanged, go on sale. We also have information on which processors they support and under what circumstances. Read more “Noctua NH-L9a(-AM5) cooler now also available for Ryzen 7000” »

Expected 140mm Noctua fans hit by production issues

Until recently, it looked like if Noctua failed to release the new generation of 140mm fans by the end of the year (2022), it would happen shortly after. But right now, even this year’s release is in jeopardy. The cause is a fault that, it seems, Noctua didn’t really expect. This delay, by the way, also significantly delays the planned sale of the successor to the NH-D15 CPU cooler. Read more “Expected 140mm Noctua fans hit by production issues” »

Vapor chamber by Noctua: Premiere to take place in Asus RTX 4080

Just before the end of last year, we wrote about Noctua’s involvement in the development of Asus RTX 4000 graphics card. Now we know for sure that there will be an RTX4080-O16G-Noctua model. While at first glance this card’s cooler will be the same as the last one, it is supposed to be significantly more effective with the implementation of a vapor chamber, which Noctua has never used before, not even with their own CPU coolers. Read more “Vapor chamber by Noctua: Premiere to take place in Asus RTX 4080” »

Asus and Noctua are collabing on GeForce RTX 4000 cards as well

Asus graphics cards with Noctua coolers wasn’t just a one-season affair. On the contrary, it seems that this could be a tradition that will now continue in the Ada Lovelace GPU generation. Information is extremely scarce so far, but we did hear something from the ones in charge and some details are clear. However, we can only speculate about most of it until CES 2023, where the official unveiling of these graphics will take place. Read more “Asus and Noctua are collabing on GeForce RTX 4000 cards as well” »

Noctua is behind schedule, new 140mm fans have been delayed

This is not entirely new information. On the contrary, the news that Noctua won’t release 140mm fans made of “sterrox” this year after all is quite old. Still, it disappeared on Twitter among other posts, and the reach to the public is quite small. We, too, have only now gotten around to the delay of Noctua’s long-awaited fans. So if you’re still waiting and hoping, know that they won’t be coming this year, for certain. Read more “Noctua is behind schedule, new 140mm fans have been delayed” »

Removing notches on fan blades? Sometimes a mistake

On edges of blades of some fans there are small notches forming a kind of teeth, typically on the trailing edges, closer to the motor. These elements serve to break up tonal peaks, and it’s curious that manufacturers are abandoning them rather than adding them. In some designs, however, such a modification can be seen as a backwards move; elsewhere it’s an understandable one. We have a few examples for you. Read more “Removing notches on fan blades? Sometimes a mistake” »

Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black – The legend back in black

The Noctua NH-U12A is a cooler that has previously proven that with a little effort, it is possible to offer the performance of high-end dual-tower coolers in a more compact design. However, the last time I tested it, I was still using the older methodology, so with the release of the chromax.black version, there’s an ideal opportunity to conduct new tests. The question also remains whether the NF-U12A chromax.black can justify its high price tag. Read more “Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black – The legend back in black” »

Noctua has frames (NA-IS1) to reduce microturbulence

Simple but clever. The Noctua NA-IS1-1x supplementary frames are an extension to the existing fan frames, which provide greater clearance from an obstacle, thus mitigating microturbulence, which naturally reduces the noise level of the entire cooling system. To what extent, you’ll find out later from our tests, for now let’s take a look at what it’s actually all about and how it all works. Read more “Noctua has frames (NA-IS1) to reduce microturbulence” »

HWCooling tips to optimize the Noctua NF-A12x25 fan

The Noctua NF-A12x25 fan may be the closest to perfection of the 120mm fans, but even the best things have their weaknesses. This will be no exception and there are elements of the NF-A12x25 that make sense to get into. And that this is true, Noctua will prove sooner or later in the next generation of 120 mm fans. But we’ll discuss the topic of what exactly to tweak, to do neater, right now.. Read more “HWCooling tips to optimize the Noctua NF-A12x25 fan” »

Noctua’s current roadmap: 140mm “sterroxes” later this year

Noctua has announced a new release schedule for its products. And within it, the main question was this – Did the new generation of 140mm fans stay in the fourth quarter of 2022? It did. Given the more advanced time (towards the end of the year), it is thus likely that 140mm fans made from improved LCP from sterrox are right around the corner. Noctua also needs them for the successor to the NH-D15 cooler, which is due out just after them. Read more “Noctua’s current roadmap: 140mm “sterroxes” later this year” »

Paste on AM5 won’t get where it doesn’t belong – Noctua NA-TPG1

The large number of creases on the heat spreader of CPUs for the AMD AM5 platform means a lot of places where thermal paste can run off and dry out. Removing it is then very laborious when cleaning, which is why Noctua has released a frame to protect these critical spots. And it will also protect the exposed SMD next to the heat spreader from paste or possibly liquid metals. Read more “Paste on AM5 won’t get where it doesn’t belong – Noctua NA-TPG1” »

Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM: The most fine-tuned fan of its kind

All the glory and respect of the Noctua NF-A12x25 “sterrox” fan is well deserved. We waited a long time to release its tests, mainly because it was necessary to analyze more seemingly similar designs first. This is necessary to understand why Noctua’s most popular fan among standard thickness models has no competition. We can responsibly say that even though we have only tested a fraction of all the fans. Read more “Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM: The most fine-tuned fan of its kind” »

How to apply thermal paste on Ryzen 7000? Noctua is clear on this

With the new generation of AMD processors (Ryzen 7000), the shape of the heatspreader (IHS) is changing after an extremely long time. It is also significantly different compared to Intel processors, and this again creates room for debate on what the most sensible technique for applying thermal paste should look like. One suggestion has already appeared, in the manual for the Noctua NT-H1 and NT-H2 pastes. Read more “How to apply thermal paste on Ryzen 7000? Noctua is clear on this” »

Commentary: Is adding a spatula to the Noctua NT-H1 useful?

Noctua has quietly, almost secretly, added a new package of NT-H1 thermal paste with the additional designation SW. These are the initials of the English words spatula and wipes. It is with this accessory that the NT-H1 SW pack is supplemented. And in particular, the addition of the spatula raises the question of whether Noctua has revised the recommended technique in applying thermal paste. Read more “Commentary: Is adding a spatula to the Noctua NT-H1 useful?” »

Noctua NH-D12L: A breath of fresh air for short twin-tower coolers

Noctua has recently launched the Noctua NH-D12L, a fairly compact cooler with a height of just 145 millimetres. This makes it an ideal cooling solution for smaller cases, but also for servers with a height of 4U. Thanks to its interesting design and high-end fan, this cooler should offer very solid cooling effectiveness. But of course this assumption needs to be thoroughly verified, which is the aim of today’s article. Read more “Noctua NH-D12L: A breath of fresh air for short twin-tower coolers” »