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#761 - Noctua Cooling Solutions |
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Written by Zach Jeffers
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Sunday, 26 November 2006 |
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Page 8 of 14
NH-U12 Closer Look:
The Noctua NH-U12 is a fairly large heat sink with a solid copper base, four copper heat pipes and thirty eight aluminum fins. The
heat sink has folds on the sides that keep the aluminum fins a couple of millimeters apart. There is a large amount of surface to
the fins and they accommodate a 120mm fan of your choosing. This particular model (NH-U12F) comes with a Noctua 1200 RPM NF-S12
series fan. As stated before, you can purchase this without the fan (model NH-U12) if you happen to have a favorite fan already
purchased.
 
At the bottom you will find that Noctua has placed a safety sticker on the base of the heat sink. This is to keep the surface
clean and tamper free during transport. Please follow the instructions on the sticker and remove before installation! At the top
of the cooler you can see the tooth like pattern to which the aluminum fins are stamped out. Though not specifically stated, I can
only assume that this is to break up the airflow and provide a more silent operation. At either side of the top, you will find
where the four copper heat pipes show themselves and are soldered shut.
  
Taking a closer look at the top of the all copper base, you will find that there is a single copper plate that secures the four
copper heat pipes to the base. There are four grooves in the base to create better contact with the copper base. No thermal
compound was seen in these joints, but most manufactures include some kind of thermal interface at this point. The third picture
shows how the copper heat pipes pierce the aluminum fins.
  
Though the outer recessed edges of the base have a mirror like finish, the base itself is grooved but smooth to the touch. Using a
finger nail, you can feel the grooves but they are very minor. There is a growing debate over whether you should lap to a mirror
finish or not. This is what Noctua says on their web site's FAQ:
"Bearing in mind that the majority of today's PC enthusiasts uses
high-viscosity thermal compounds, the bottom-surface of the NH-U coolers is optimised for the use with this type of thermal
pastes. The micro-grooves on the surface of the NH-U coolers' base ensure that high-viscosity thermal compounds are dispersed to a
uniform thin layer across the whole contact area and that no air pockets remain between the cooler and the CPU. With a polished,
mirror like surface, the risk of uneven dispersion is much higher. As too thick layers of thermal paste and air pockets
drastically deteriorate heat transmission, the micro-grooves are is of vital importance to the overall cooling performance of the
NH-U coolers when used with today's high-viscosity thermal pastes."
  
On the bottom side of the bottom fin, you can see some of the tabs that keep the fins apart. I would think that this would
increase noise, but I am sure that the R&D department has tested this out to be the best option. The second picture shows the 'T'
shaped corners. This is were you mount the fan retention brackets.
 
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