The Noctua NH-U12 heatsink arose from a collaboration between the Vienna, Austria based Rascom Computerdistribution Ges.m.b.H and Taiwanese manufacturer Kolink International Corp. Under the banner name of Noctua, the companies have released a set of heatsinks optimized for use with large fans which can operate very quietly, without restricting the underlying thermal performance of the heatsink... and as you’ll soon see the Noctua NH-U12 is quite impressive in that regard.

Such is the background story behind the Noctua NH-U12, a large 155mm tall heatsink that resembles a Soviet-era apartment block. The Noctua NH-U12 heatsink comes with all the necessary mounting hardware, but no fans are included. Mounting clips will allow users to install a 120mm fan on either side of the unit if they desire, but we found a single 120mm fan more than sufficient for the job. The 38 nickel-plated aluminum cooling fins are connected by four copper heat pipes to a copper base plate that pushes the overall weight to around 700grams.