Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited By: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: NOCTUA
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PRODUCT PICTORIAL AND WALKTHROUGH
Mr. Bones is very impressed by the sheer size of the cooler and recommends that potential users do their homework to assure that the NH-C14 will fit in the system at hand. As we discussed in the specifications and features section of this review, Noctua makes this easy by posting complete dimensions and an extensive motherboard compatibility table on their website. The fantails are sleeved in a black mesh material, of generous length and terminate in the standard 3-pin connectors. The rather unusual fan mounting solution is easy to use and it'll come in handy if a fan needs to come off for installation, but the cooler can be installed with both fans in place.
The six copper heatpipes are strategically placed within the fin array to maximize cooling performance. A total of eight silicone isolators will minimize vibration noise imparted to the radiator from the fans, and the cooler design also features a chrome-plated steel brace to reduce stress on the ‘pipes. A plastic cover protects…
…the nickel-plated copper base, which doesn't have the highly polished finish that we see on some coolers. The Noctua website states in the FAQ section, “The micro-grooves on the surface of the NH 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.”
The six heatpipes fill the base area completely and the joints are soldered for maximum heat transfer. The fins on the radiator are aluminum, and the heatpipe/fin attachment appears very solid and the overall build quality of the cooler is first-rate.
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