Final Thoughts
Looking at the performance numbers this CPU cooler performs very well. At the stock speed of our CPU the NH-C14 had idle and load temperatures of 21C and 37C respectively. This is a 12C difference during idle and 16C during load, which is very impressive. Looking at the overclocked results it performed 9C better during idle and again 16C better during load. The performance really does speak for itself. Also the cooler is very quiet, especially considering it has the 2 large 140mm fans.
This is a large CPU cooler, but Noctua has made it very versatile by allowing you to remove both of the fans for up to 3 different setups, 4 if you don’t use any fans at all. The ability to remove the fans, especially the top one makes it easy to fit this CPU cooler in to cases where you might not have that much head room. The only thing you might want to consider with the C-shape top down design is that it does cover the memory slots. So if your memory has larger heatspreaders like the Corsair Vengeance then you might want to take that in to consideration when purchasing this cooler.
Installation, while a little more complicated than other CPU coolers is fairly easy and straight forward. If you have never installed a Noctua cooler using their SecuFirm2 mounting system then installation will take you a little longer than you are used to. Once you get the hang of it though, installation is very easy.
Currently the NH-C14 sells for $89 at my favorite online retailer, which makes it more expensive than many coolers. If you take into consideration the cooling performance, versatility, quality and quiet operation if you have the money the NH-C14 is worth every penny. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Great cooling performance
– Quiet operation
– Straight forward installation
– Very versatile (able to remove both fans)
Cons:
– Might run into an issues with memory that has larger heatspreaders
– More expensive than many other CPU coolers
