In today's world computer manufacturers come and go. The quality of their products will determine how long they are in business, and how well known they become. In late 2005, Noctua released the NH-U9 and NH-U12 coolers in Europe. These coolers were developed in Austria in cooperation with the Austrian Institute of Heat Transmission and Fan Technology, and have some impressive specifications. I will take a look at both the Noctua NH-U9 and the NH-U12, and see whether they can compare to other top contenders such as the Thermalright HR-01 and the Zalman Fatal1ty CPU coolers.


Specifications (taken from the Noctua website):

Thanks to the 4 Dual-Heat-Pipes, 38 aluminium cooling fins with a total surface area of more than 3800cm² (NH-U9) / 5000cm² (NH-U12) and soldered joints for optimal heat-transfer, the Noctua NH-U9 and NH-U12 achieves superior cooling performance with a fan of your choice - no matter whether used for super-silent or ultra-high-performance cooling!

Specification	NH-U9
Socket Compatibility Height (without fan) Width (without fan) Depth (without fan) Height (with fan) Width (with fan) Depth (with fan) Weight Material Application Fan Size	Intel Socket 478 & LGA 775, AMD K8 128mm 95mm 70mm 128mm 95mm 95mm 570g Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints P4 all frequencies, AMD all frequencies 92x92x25mm / 80x80x25mm

Specification	NH-U12
Socket Compatibility Height (without fan) Width (without fan) Depth (without fan) Height (with fan) Width (with fan) Depth (with fan) Weight Material Application Fan Size	Intel Socket 478 & LGA 775, AMD K8 155mm 124mm 70mm 155mm 124mm 95mm 700g Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints P4 all frequencies, AMD all frequencies 120x120x25mm, 120x120x35mm (2 fans mountable)

4 Dual-Heatpipes for optimal heat absorption - The 4 u-shaped Dual-Heat-Pipes have a huge contact area with the copper base to efficiently absorb the CPU's heat. They form 8 risers to spread the heat throughout the fins.

38 aluminium cooling fins for optimal heat dissipation - Thanks to a surface area of more than 3800cm² (NH-U9) and 5000cm² (NH-U12), the cooling fins dissipate the heat extremely fast. Both the choice of aluminium and the fins' shape and spacing allow for outstanding cooling performance even with silent fans.

Soldered joints for optimal heat-transfer - Unlike many other coolers, whose heatpipes are stuck to the base and the fins, the Noctua NH-U9 and NH-U12 possesses high-grade soldered joints to ensure optimal heat transfer.

Screwless fan-mount including anti-vibration strips - The choice of fan is all yours: 80mm or 92mm (NH-U9) and 120mm (NH-U12) fans provide excellent results regardless of whether silence or performance is your primary concern. Attaching the fan with the steel clips is a child's play and doesn't even require a screwdriver. The supplied anti-vibration strips minimize vibrations transmitted to the cooler and hence allows for extra quietness.

Universal fit for socket 478, LGA, K8, easy installation, thermal paste - The NH-U12 fits Intel socket 478 and LGA 775 as well as AMD K8. The mounting mechanism using a backplate and spring-loaded screws is as easy as it is secure thanks to the detailed step-by-step installation guide.