Noctua NH-U12P 120mm SSO CPU Cooler

Pros: Wow..this thing keeps my CPU at 28C idle, 32C under my normal workload (server 08, sql server 2005, two copies VS2008, photoshop, and a VM).

Cons: Make sure you have clearance all around. I had to turn this around to blow away from my DIMMS because it would not fit otherwise.

Overall Review: This is cooling an AMD Phenom II X4 3.0ghz Black Edition.

Pros: Large and heavy. Very solid construction, including mounting hardware. Also includes a small tube of Noctua's premium thermal paste, though I didn't use it. Good at soaking up the heat prior to its being blown out the back of the case. Keeps my 720BE at 22/24 degrees Celsius at idle/under load when the ambient temperature is low enough. Too bad I don't like being quite that cool.

Cons: Large and heavy. Had to take both side fans off my case to accommodate it. Baaarely fits. Not really a con because this cooler makes up for the job those two fans were assisting with in the first place. Maybe even count it as a pro if you dislike high RPM 80mm fans. Closed-end fans will have to be modified (into at least semi-open-end fans) if you want to use them with the provided attachment clips. Had no problem taking a hacksaw to my cheap aftermarket fan though, and it worked out fine. Just took some time.

Overall Review: Replaced the stock fan with a Yate Loon D12SH-12. I had no problem installing the fan before sticking it in the case. The attachment method is a bit odd, but it works. Might buy another fan to use in push-pull configuration.

Pros: Its silent and keeps cpu (phenom II 920) at 40c or below on idle... Used it to build a silent pc...

Cons: It took me a bit of time to get it installed but was so happy with the results that it gets a 5. I would buy this product again since the results expecially the silence in comparison with even a water cooling system can't be beat...

Overall Review: The machine I used the cooler on makes less noise than my water cooled system or my laptops... It makes me scared sometimes because I think the fan might have stopped or something... When I check it everything is fine... and temps are great...

Pros: Works great. Effective. It is approximately 3 time the volume of AMD's stock heatsink. With this heatsink, I can run my 940BE @ 3.65 GHz on prime95 for hours and only reach 55 deg C. I took this heatsink off of the 940BE to use elsewhere and used the stock heatsink: I was only able to OC to 3.2GHz and still keep it to 55 deg C under the same full load. This heatsink is the most cost effective way to gain an additional 450MHz of clock speed as far as I can tell

Cons: The instructions imply that you have to remove the motherboard and replace the backing plate with Noctua's backing plate. Not so with my Gigabyte MA790GP-UD4H MB. The backing plate is identical.

Overall Review: It is big. Probably the most effective heatsink without going to H2O. I wasn't able to use the closest DIMM sockets without switching the fan to a "pull" configuration (manual recommends a "push" config)

Pros: great heatsink, nice sturdy design, beautiful packaging (not that that matters). The included fan is one of the best fan designs I've ever seen. The weight, the glide, everything is just amazing compared to any other fan I've ever touched... granted I'm not using it on the heatsink because it won't move as much air as I'd want it to... but it's a really well designed fan. I actually want to get another one of these, specifically the SE1366 version when I go core i7, and use the fans as case fans while I use something along the lines of yate loons to cool the CPU.

Cons: The only thing I can complain about is mounting to a socket 939 was a pain in the backside. I had to go buy some extra screws that were long enough to reach the backplate. Most screw down based heatsink in my opinion should be farely compatible with beheaded CPU's (I have a 3800X2 at 3.05Ghz with the IHS removed) and I couldn't even get the included screws to reach the backplate.

Overall Review: Just a nice product, I've bought one and sold one to a customer. Both great.

Pros: Completely Silent ,, Perfect build quality ,, Fans last forever & are still silent 4 years later ,, Fins are welded to heatpipes so they still have perfect heat conductance years later (non-welded heatpipe designs tend to lose contact with fins due to expansion/contraction over time). ,, Noctua SecuFirm & SecuFirm2 are THE best heatsink mounting system I've ever encountered and haven't read a single review on another heatsink that has said otherwise. Customer service is second to none. They have continued to support this cooler to this day & offer free mounting upgrade kits (made and shipped from Austria) for all their customers. If you buy a Noctua heatsink, you won't have to worry about buying another one for a long time.

Cons: None, it's a perfect product. And the company is always very helpful if you ever do need assistance.

Overall Review: Good news, everyone! This is a great heatsink!

Pros: Quality of materials and workmanship is very high. Instructions are thorough and well-written. Versatile, can be mounted facing the back or top of the case. Accompanying hardware is also very high quality. Noctua NF-p12 fan... what's left to say about that? Comes with resistors to slow down the fan, if you're a German Shepherd and can actually hear the thing.

Cons: Tall, but that's to be expected. To install on an AM2/AM2+/AM3 system, mobo has to be out of the case, but that's also to be expected.

Overall Review: I've not used many other aftermarket coolers, so I cannot compare this to any of them directly. But I was very impressed by the quality of this product, and delighted with it's performance. I got it because the stock fan on my AMD 955 processor howled like a banshee. This thing is absolutely silent, and I'm not using the resistors to slow it down. I put the included fan on the heat sink, and another Noctua NF-p12 on the back of the case directly in line with the first one, and I can't hear the two of them over my video card's fan. I put this in a CoolerMaster 690 case on an ASUS M4A79T deluxe mobo, and it fit fine. Dropped my CPU idle temps by 10C, and my load temps by about 15C, but at least part of that is probably due to the extra exhaust fan on the back of the case that I added at the same time. Three hours of CODWAW last night, CPU temp never got above 54C. Price is not a con... it's worth it for what you get.

Pros: Best thing is definately the fan, smoothest and quietest thing I've never heard. This cooler is MASSIVE which totally rocks, it cools amazingly and the included thermal paste is award winning. Fits nocely in my new Antec 300 case.

Cons: As I said before, MASSIVE! make sure to take measurements of your case and mobo for the necessary room.

Overall Review: get it, great investment for overclockers that hate liquid systems.