Noctua NH-U12A chromax.Black, 120mm Single-Tower CPU Cooler (Black)

I've had this for nearly two years. Really quiet, compact, and super effective. It's kept my PC cool even on the hottest, most humid of days. I like the understated black design. Modern and sleek with fast fans. Never had a single issue with this. Going forward in any build, I'd give this first consideration over any of their competitors.

I have used Noctua cooling products exclusively over the last several years of building PCs for myself and for my family, friends and clients. There is always a consistent level of quality that comes from Noctua that has more than served me well. I just completed another DAW PC build using the Noctua NH-U12A chromax Black CPU cooler. I used this cooler on an Intel i9 processor and an ASUS motherboard in a 4U rackmount case with 3 other Noctua fans. This system now runs much cooler than the prior i7 based system I had running for my recording studio. This massive heat sink with two 120 mm fans gets the job done. The only slight issue that I encountered but I fully anticipated was the height of this unit in terms of the 4U rack case. It did fit but without any room to spare for the top of the case. There was a slight bulge where the very top bullet shaped protrusions of the cooler were slightly touching the top of the case lid. I remedied this by installing a 6" x 6" fan vent in the top of the case. It probably would have been fine the way it was but I did not want to cause any stress on the processor. Noctua now makes a special CPU cooler for a 4U rack enclosure but I preferred the two fan and larger heat sink of this particular model. All things said and done I am extremally happy with this product for my studio needs in terms of being dead quiet and being able to keep my system cool. The installation was straight forward and the instructions were intuitive and easy to follow. This is a well engineered and designed product that is well worth it's price tag. I am sure it will render years of reliable service as all of the prior Noctua products I have used in the past.

It’s a premium product for a premium price. If you can swing the price the cooler is definitely worth it. It was packaged well, easy to install and it works. Keeps my 13700K cool while gaming. I keep coming back to air cooling due to the noise associated with AIOs. Noctua is the best around when it comes to air coolers and this thing does it’s job. My temps range from 30 c idle to 45-65+ C while gaming. Ease of installation, low noise, looks and performance are the reason I keep coming back to this cooler.The only real con is the price, it’s not cheap but it’s probably the best 120mm air cooler on the market.

Just finished building a new PC. I use my computer for office work during the day and gaming in the evening. I went with a Ryzen 7800x3D and an MSI 4090 Slim. For cooling, I used this U12A with a combination of Noctua 120mm (exhaust) and 140mm (intake) case fans.This is my first time using Noctua parts and I am impressed! My wife commented that the hum of my monitor is now louder than my PC , and that is not an exaggeration. It is absolutely silent during anything less than gaming. And, even then, it's MUCH quieter than my old PC which used an AIO cooler.Temps are good, too. As I write this, my average CPU reading is 32.3c. The average while gaming is around 60-65c. (The CPU's thermal limit is 89c.)I looked into different Noctua coolers before deciding on the U12A. Here's why I chose this cooler:First, the D15 G2 is just too big/overkill for this Ryzen CPU, and would take up a lot of space in my case unnecessarily. I considered the D15S, thinking I could use it down the line with other processors that might need more cooling. But Noctua is scheduled to release a new, updated D15S G2 in 1-2 years, so the current version wouldn't be as "future proof" as I originally thought. I almost settled on using the smaller U12S. However, after researching the U12A, I realized that with only one fan it would be more than enough for my needs.This cooler comes with two Noctua A12x25 chromax fans, which are identical to the case fans they sell. Only using one to push air through the fins, instead of the stock push/pull configuration, means I had an extra fan for my case. Considering the MSRP of that fan at the time of this review, that saved me $39.99 and made the U12A a no-brainer. It's the cheapest option, considering that savings; it's more than enough for my current CPU, so I could use it with more power hungry ones in the future; and it isn't too big, so I have plenty of room in my case. Overall, I'm very happy with this choice.If you're using a glass case, I'd recommend checking out the optional covers (Noctua part NA-HC7 or NA-HC8). It just clips on and makes the cooler look better, in my opinion. But that's purely for aesthetics.

Had some doubts about this cooler on my i9-12900K, but I am pleasantly surprised by how well it performs.While gaming, it comfortably keeps my CPU between the high 40s and mid-50s. While rendering, my CPU gets up to the high 80s, which is pretty impressive given how much power the 12900K uses and how small the cooler is. Also, note that this cooler stays very quiet under load. The fans are incredible and of super high quality.This cooler is very pricey, and there are others on the market that will perform on par or better than this. However, none of those are Noctua coolers. None of them will have the unmatched support and build quality of a Noctua cooler. A good chunk of those other coolers also don't allow you to use any RAM kit you want.Not only is this cooler very well built, quiet, and great-performing, but it is also backed by a company that genuinely cares about their users' satisfaction.