The Basics:

Stripped down to the naked cooler, the NH-U12P might look like many other similar units on the market in the images below. It has a large array of tightly packed Aluminum fins spanning 4 U-shaped heatpipes. The base of the cooler is rather compact, which might allow it to clear motherboard features with ease.


The below left image shows a top view of the cooler, where the unique profile of the fins can be seen. Additionally, the eight heatpipe tips poke through the top fin surrounding the Noctua owl logo. The below right image shows a view past the lower fins towards the top of the heatsink base. The two holes in the base are for attaching mounting brackets, and there is an identical set on the opposite side, as well.


The surface that mates with the processor is shown below, and while it is extremely smooth and flat, it has what I would call a matte finish. The below right image details how the four heatpipes pass through the base in a staggered arrangement.


The images below don't show the fan installed on the NH-U12P, but simply staged on it to show the relative size. Noctua provides two sets of rubberized strips for vibration isolation and two sets of spring wire clips, which allows the user to install two 120mm fans.


While you could use two fans, the package includes just one. The image below shows the label side of the NF-P12 nine bladed 120mm fan. Note the interesting serated edge on each blade, which is just one of the features that Noctua has implemented to keep noise to a minimum and airflow to a maximum.