Today we’re reviewing the Noctua NH-U12S. This is the little brother to the NH-U14S, which is so far the best cooler we have ever tested on an open bench – this includes dual fan closed loop coolers. The U14S sets a high standard, and it will be interesting to see if the NH-U12S can follow up on it.

Although not as tall as its big brother, the NH-U12S is not a tiny cooler either. It measures in at 15.8 cm tall when a fan is installed. This is plenty short enough for most tower cases, but if you have a fan installed on the door of a mid-tower case, that may cause issues. Be sure to check your specifications before proceeding.

It comes equipped with a single 120mm NF-F12 fan, and can accommodate a second fan by installing the extra tall rubber pads and using the included brackets. At full voltage, the fan spins at 1500 RPM, and can push air at a rate of 93.4 m³/h. Noctua includes a Low Noise Adapter that lowers the speed to 1200 RPM max, lowering the airflow to 74.3 m³/h. Noctua rates the sound levels at 22.4 dB and 18.6 dB, which should easily be below ambient sound in most scenarios.