Question 1

this cooler works with an AM3 socket. Will it fit a AM3+ socket ?

Accepted Answer

I hope that this might help.  I built two machines at the same time, both using ASUS top of the line mob's, each designed for the specificity for the CPU that I was using.  One, whatever the latest eight core AMD CPU is and the other for the stirong premium Intel Haswell (sic) CPU.

This was my choice of coolers for both machines.  I can attest that Nactua included both AMD and Intel mounts.

Take my advice with a grain of salt however because I only know my latest AMD proc as an FX processor.  I haven't kept up to know if it is the same dimensions as your.

Question 2

It blows down on to the components right? would that not cause them to heat up even further? I really want to buy this but im a little confused on how it cools parts when it will be pushing cold air in and hot air out

Accepted Answer

I assume by components you mean the VRM's and other parts on the motherboard around the CPU socket.

From what I've seen using this cooler, it moves so much air that while the air gets warmed a bit while passing through the cooler, it is still cool enough to keep the motherboard components cool.

You might see a 1-2°F rise in the air temp as it passes through. You're cooling VRM's and chokes that are 98-120°F with air that is 75-77°F. There is still plenty enough differential there to have effective heat transfer.

As for the CPU itself, the heat pipes do the cooling work, and they are extremely effective at it. I'm running a Xeon E3-1275 V3 with mine. It's a 95-watt CPU, and it runs at constant 50-100% CPU load. The highest I've seen is 42°C.

If you're concerned about the effectiveness of CPU cooling, do an internet search on heat pipes and how they work. A heat pipe can conduct heat 50-225x more effectively than copper.

In short, I'm very happy with mine, and I run it constantly at moderate load with no problems at all. Also only sing the bottom fan since it's in a 4U case. I'd imagine that with both fans, it works even better.

Question 3

work with 1150 socket Haswell i7?

Accepted Answer

It works with 1150 socket haswell i5 so I assume it works with i7 since they are both based on the 1150 socket architecture.  Be careful, this cpu fan is HUGE!!!  I had o remove the bottom 120mm fan to fit it into my HAF XB LAN box.  This thing is as big as a dinner plate.  Works good though, super quiet and solidly built.  Well worth the money.  Now I just need to find a place for the extra 120mm fan.

Question 4

How high off the mobo will this come up?

Accepted Answer

If my math is correct with both fans installed, the heighth should be 130mm or 5.12 inches. I did not have issues with heighth in mid tower case. One minor complaint, the angle of the heat pipes barely clears the ram slots on a Maximus VI Hero basically if you have ram issues you will have to remove the cooler. The fans work great very quiet. I an running CPU at 4.1 GHz. The MB and CPU temps are running about 32c or 90F   Regards, Curt

Question 5

any issues mounting this cooler on a m-itx mother board if computer case is big enough ?

Accepted Answer

I have this cooler and it is bigger than i expected but it fit in my micro ATX box. I don't see an issue as far as cooler compatibility with m-itx as long as it's compatible with your CPU and has space to fit in your case. Fitting in your case might be an issue. Also, i had some issue with the included fans bumping up against components (like memory). Which made it impossible to fit inside the case. Luckily my cpu doesn't run very hot so removing one of the fans so it would fit was not an issue.

Question 6

According to Noctua's web page for the "Noctua - NH-C14" cooler it states that it fits an FM2 Processor. This is the same product, correct?

"SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting system
Noctua’s enthusiast grade SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting provides broad socket compatibility (LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150, LGA775, AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+) and meets the highest demands in safety, performance and ease-of-use."

Accepted Answer

The cooler definitely comes with mounting bracket, etc. for several different AMD socket types. However, i used it on an LG1366 Intel processor so i can't guarantee anything for your need. Having said that, Noctua has a reputation not only for very advanced engineering but also for accuracy in their documentation. If it says it will fit the socket type you  asked about then you can be confident. Otherwise, dash off an email to Noctua and confirm it with them.

Question 7

Would this cooler be alright to use with a mini-ITX motherboard without causing clearance issues for any other motherboard components? I know mini-ITX motherboards vary greatly in layout, so maybe if there is a particular board which is more or less problematic that would be nice to know as well.

Accepted Answer

I am happy with this cooler. Its very quiet, I cant even tell when the computer is on. The only concern when installing i had was that the cooler is so huge the cooling tubes touch one of the RAM sticks, but a year later its not a problem. The only way I know the computer is on is the monitor display and the flashing lights on the tower.

Question 8

How well would this cool a A8-6600K Richland for media streaming? No OC.

Accepted Answer

Brain, I'll have to take your word for compatibility with the AMD as I use Intel.  That said, as for performance it has been my salvation.  With my stock cooler on the i7-950 (no OC) was not able to keep the temps below 100C when software loaded it up and fans at full speed.

As a result, CPU performance would throttle down to self-protect.  I think the original cooler also had too much paste but I can't tell how much that affected the performance.  Others said perhaps 10 C, but they are only guessing.

After installing the C14 I rarely get above 55C fully loaded and CPU performance is normal.  The fans run about 40-50% of top speed

My case layout has a large top fan that now is blocked by the fins of the C14, and so very little air flow comes out the top.  This must decrease the coolinlg efficiency, as others report the CPU should run between 45-50.  So, I suspect the top fan is not helping remove the heat from the case very well.

I will soon OC the CPU, but first I want to improve the air flow out the top.

I would certainly recommend the C14 to anyone with enough room in the case to mount it without destroying the air flow.

Hope this helps a bit.

Questions & Answers