Noctua originates from a collaboration between the Austrian Rascom Computer distribution Ges.m.b.H. and the Taiwanese cooling specialist Kolink International Corporation, pooling more than thirty years of experience in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of high-end cooling components. Established in 2005, Noctua took international silent enthusiasts’ hearts by storm and quickly developed into one of the most acclaimed suppliers of premium quality quiet cooling products. Today, Noctua is present in more than 30 countries across the globe and working with several hundred sales partners. Chosen by noise-conscious PC users, system integrators and industry clients alike, Noctua has become synonymous with impeccable quality, excellent customer service, and class-leading quiet cooling performance.

It has been a while since we saw a new CPU cooler from the Noctua. But the wait is finally over as they have released a new generation in NH-U series of the air coolers named as NH-U12A. As the name suggests this is a 120mm size cooler having a dimension of 158x125x112mm (HxWxD) with both fans but don’t let the size fool you. Noctua has claimed that this 120mm size cooler will offer the performance of the 140mm size coolers. A bold claim but coming from Noctua, we need to test if that is so! Noctua has beefed up this cooler by increasing the surface area by up to 37% as compared to the NH-U12S and by using 7 heat pipes which are now soldered to the fins to ensure the same performance over the period of time.