|
|
|
#811 - Noctua NC-U6 Chipset Cooler |
|
|
|
Written by Zach Jeffers
|
|
Tuesday, 24 April 2007 |
|
Page 3 of 5
A Closer Look:
The included User’s Manual is very clear and easy to read. There really isn’t much to the manual, but hey, there really isn’t much to write instructions about. The included chipset spacer is made of simple dense foam with non-conductive plastic coating. This is used for chipsets that do not have a HIS (Integrated Heat Spreader). This is used to help balance the load on the chip while mounting the cooler. The included thermal paste is nothing real special; just standard OEM white paste in no specific labeling.
  
The including mounting hardware pretty much covers all your bases. First they include a push-pin style retention arm for most chipsets. The second retention arm is for hook-style mounting. This is more found on south bridges, but still very applicable. Both retention arms have dual pivots for adjustment to any chipset. Also used in these mounting systems, is a single screw. I would have liked to have seen a second for the inevitable “oops, I dropped it behind the desk and down the heater vent” moments, but the good news is that these are the same screws used to secure an optical drive into a case which we all have lying around right?
  
The Noctua NC-U6 is a very impressive little cooler at first glance. You can see the resemblance to its uncle the NH-U12. Two copper heat-pipes run through a thick copper base and back up through 28 heat dissipating aluminum fins. The cooler stands around 85mm high and will fit in 99% of cases.
The NC-U6 chipset cooler is 70mm wide and the fins are 23.5mm deep. Up top you get a view of the slits on each end that create the tabs that hold the aluminum fins apart. You can also get a good view of the channel where you place your screw driver to mount the retention arm to the cooler.
  
If you look at the side shaping of the aluminum fins, you will notice some familiarity to the larger NH-U12’s fins. There are cuts that would imply that there are mounting brackets for a 60mm fan. It was sad to not see any mounting brackets included for this. This cooler is marketed as a passive cooler, but the option to upgrade for overclockers is a huge selling point.
The base is comprised of a solid copper block with an aluminum block that holds the soldered heat-pipes to the copper base. This also facilitates the mounting screw. From the side, you can see the channels that are cut into the copper block. This gets the heat-pipes closer to the heat source (the CPU) to better remove heat.
 
Covering the bottom of the copper base is the standard warning label telling you to remove it before use. This sticker hides the machined smooth copper surface for contact to the processor.
 
The surface of this face is pretty smooth and reflective. In these pictures you can see the machining marks. These are able to be felt using your figure nail, but are smooth to the touch.
 
|
|
