Today we received some interesting Computex 2011 updates from Noctua, including prototype heatsink designs, new backwards-compatible mounting mechanisms and new fans. It is always exciting any time an Overclockers.com Choice Award winner shows off new products. This press release outlines all the new developments:
Noctua Computex 2011 Booth
First of all, we’ve used this year’s edition of Asia’s most important IT fair to present our upcoming Focused Flow fan, whose unique set of innovative features was much lauded by the international press. Teaming up eleven stator guide vanes with a specially conceived seven blade impeller, the Focused Flow system creates outstanding static pressure and focuses the airflow for superior performance on heatsinks and radiators. At the same time, second generation SSO-Bearings, our new, custom designed PWM IC and a wide range of advanced aerodynamic design measures guarantee astounding quietness of operation. For instance, the fan’s stator guide vanes are set out in Varying Angular Distance in order to spread the noise emission over a broader frequency spectrum and thus make the fan’s sound pattern less obtrusive to the human ear.
Noctua Focused Flow Fan Display
Noctua Focused Flow Fan
Secondly, we’ve displayed an upcoming low-profile dual fan cooler designed for use in small form factor cases and HTPC environments. With its flexible 120mm/92mm dual fan setup, the cooler can be configured either for full performance in dual fan mode or extra-low profile (66mm) with the top fan removed.
Noctua Low-Profile Heatsink
With Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E (LGA2011) platform just around the corner, we’ve also displayed our mounting mechanism for the new socket. Using the proven, time-tested SecuFirm2 system, the new mounting will be backwards compatible with all Noctua coolers since 2005 and will be supplied to customers free of charge after providing a proof of purchase. The upgrade kit will be available when the new platform is launched in Q4 2011.
Noctua LGA2011 Mounting Kit
The range of prototypes displayed at the show includes a new 140mm dual tower with recessed fins for improved compatibility and a new, alternating fin design for reduced airflow resistance and better performance.
Noctua Heatsink Prototype with 140mm Fans
The development projects that are still in an earlier stage include a top-of-the-range downdraft cooler with 7 heatpipes and 20% more surface area than the award-winning NH-D14 as well as a slim tower design for one or two 140mm fans. Another new project revolves around an 8 heatpipe triple stack design that allows making use of the airflow of two fans more efficiently than previous dual tower designs.
Noctua Down Draft Configuration
Noctua Slim Tower Design
Noctua Triple Stack Configuration
Click here for more photos and information on Noctua’s website. Note: Not all photos included in the press release are displayed above. All photos courtesy Noctua.
The most exciting news is the prototype heatsink featuring a whopping 20% more surface area and larger fans than the NH-D14. Noctua has already taken air cooling to a whole new level of performance, it will be quite interesting to see how this new heatsink performs. Plus, it looks like the heatsink will be compatible with more motherboards as the fins start higher up, adding additional clearance for taller memory heatspreaders or larger mosfet coolers.
No timetable has been given for the release of these products.
Matt Ring has been part of the Overclockers.com community for 20+ years. He built his first computer at age 12 and has been hooked on computer hardware and overclocking ever since. For the past 10 years, Matt has worked in technology for internet and software companies. These days, Matt focuses on editing and behind the scenes work to keep Overclockers.com humming.
NZXT seems to be on a roll recently. They have cases which are whimsical and stolid, take your pick. They have a variety of accessories. They have a line of AIO coolers (one was reviewed on our frontpage). Additionally they have put out a number of fascinating fans. We will review two kinds of fan here – PWM (for rads) and case fans. What we find out should be interesting.
Today, Noctua announced its latest addition to an already impressive CPU cooler line-up, the Noctua NH-D12L. This all-new cooler is a dual-tower, low-height design with a single NF-A12 PWN fan. With an overall height of only 145 mm, the NH-D12L is compatible with far more mid-tower cases, 4U rack servers, and even several small form factor ITX chassis. Noctua has also ensured that RAM clearance will not be an issue with its asymmetrical design. If you are interested in purchasing one today you can find them on Amazon for $89.95 with availability to other vendors coming soon. For more details, please read Noctua’s press release below.
Case fans are supposed to cool your case. As use in this review, a case fan is a fixed-voltage fan. Today we might want to call them non-PWM fans. These fans are “set ‘em and forget ‘em” fans. Except that some of you insist on using fan controllers to vary the speeds of your fans. Imagine that! Well, in any case (in any case – get it?) we’re going to look at more than twenty case fans. I say “more than twenty’’ because I can’t count. We have more than 30 fans and settings that we will be looking at today. If you are interested in counting actual fans, be my guest.
Using the proven, time-tested SecuFirm2 system, the new mounting will be backwards compatible with all Noctua coolers since 2005 and will be supplied to customers free of charge after providing a proof of purchase. The upgrade kit will be available when the new platform is launched in Q4 2011.
I don't own a Noctua cooler, but that right there is all it takes for a company to go from "Just another manufacture" to a top notch company. Will Thermaltake provide 1155/1156 or 1366 brackets to someone who purchased the old TRUE? If they do, cool, but I don't think that's the case!
Noctua has some pretty interesting designs, and it's neat to see something different than "Big Tower, more heatpipes" though essentially it's what they are accomplishing :)
Good point Kowalski. Customer service seems to be a high priority there, which is great. It's what makes companies like Newegg stand out in the long run.
My favorite part about the new products was definitely the picture with the heatsink that looks like it was built not to interfere with tall ram heatspreaders. That is my only complain about my NH-D14. It cools great, but blocks out several memory slots.
Some interesting products there. Free upgraded mounting for owners of older Noctua heatsinks is a great call!
Kind of off topic, but why are RAM manufacturers still making huge heatspreaders on current RAM anyway? The rated voltage keeps getting lower and lower, it's not like these are 2.6v DDR or Micron D9 DDR2 running at high volts and clocks. I just don't see a need for huge heat spreaders on current RAM, I guess it's for looks :shrug:
Corsair got it right with the dominator gt's allowing you to easily remove the Extended fin if you so choose.
As for Ram height on the nh-d14, yo can easily move the fan up the heatsink or move it to a Pull-Pull configuration and not cut into your ram slots as much.
Noctua's real talent lies in that they achieve so much cooling, at the same time as having minimal auditory impact. They have spent alot of time designing things specificly for low flow, high efficiency.
I rip the heat spreaders straight off any RAM I purchase. In a few cases I've actually had stabillity issues until I pulled the heatspreaders off.
I've found they tend to have more of a negative impact on stabillity. The only good thing about RAM heat spreaders is that they look cool.
I'm keen to get one of the flow focussed fans. Always find these provide better performance than regular fans on heatsinks..... Better static pressure.
I am just loving that triple stack setup, if it does have better performance than the NH-D14 than i can see that as the top selling cooler for them right next to the HTPC low profile one. A lot of people love the performance of the D14 but do not want to sacrifice a RAM slot on some boards so this is a nice alternative. The side-by-side cooler is throwing me off a bit though, i just see it as a bit over kill, You wont even see you MB anymore with this and a couple of 6870s
To me it looks like Noctua is looking for our business. I use their fans and I'm completely satisfied. They do cost a lot, but what doesn't if its quality and does what it's advertise it will do.
The NH-D14 is an incredible cooler. I have mine paired with Arctic Cooling MX-4 thermal paste and the cores of my 1090T (with a Vcore @ 1.57) idle at 21-22C in a 70-72C room in my Coolermaster HAF X 942 with the stock fan configuration. If that is not proof enough of Noctua's Innovation, I don't know what is.
A company like this needs to be rewarded for it's innovation, especially with some of the low-profile solutions that they have created. Yes, it (the D14) does sit above my RAM slots, but I purchased low-profile ram so that i could have that cooler. Airflow around the ram is better than would be expected also.
Noctua's build quality is something to be mentioned also, I have not used a cooler that has been easier to mount with equal pressure on the entire surface of the CPU. The mounts are incredibly secure, and re-mounting is a breeze in case you want to make changes, such as trying new thermal paste. Tension Springs are used on the screws that mount the cooler also. I can't say enough about the quality of the cooler, compared to other popular brands, Noctua truly does outperform in quality and performance.
I'm very excited about the triple stack, and can't wait for benches to come out with the new bulldozer lineup. I would expect to see some wonderful things from this company
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