Last year we did not review very many air-coolers, particularly the high-end variety. Rather the focus was on water-cooling kits which were all the rage at the time. Water-cooling really came onto the scene in a big way during 2005, though we did notice that this trend was slowing by the end of last year. So far this year we have yet to test a water-cooling product, with the focus shifting back to high-end air-coolers, and today’s review takes a look at yet another metal monster.

Back in 2005 when everyone was racing to pump out as many water-cooled products as they could, a new company popped up and they did not seem particularly interested in water-cooling. That company was Noctua, and they presented us with what they called the NH-U12 and NH-U9 heatsinks. These massive tower heatsinks used four dual copper heatpipes to remove heat from the CPU and disperse it through a massive array of aluminium fins. The design proved to work rather well, matching the performance of competing high-end products.

Since then Noctua has been rather quiet, releasing just a few new revisions of the original NH-U12 and NH-U9 heatsinks. However, earlier this month (5th May) the new NH-C12P was announced, featuring a totally new design, at least when compared to the NH-U12 and NH-U9. This new cooler comes priced at $70 US, making it one of the more expensive high-end air-cooled products out there. Having recently tested the Thermaltake DuOrb, which costs $65 US which we had thought to be a little rich, it will be interesting to see what the NH-C12P has in store for us in terms of performance.