Noctua NH-C14 Heatsink Review

High performance cooling has come a long way over the years and while most people associate aftermarket cooling options with overclocking that isn't always the case.  Some coolers may be best suited as high capacity alternatives to the cheap and unattractive OEM designs.  

Heatsink installation went incredibly smooth and was actually quite simple.  There is only a single set of mounting screws holding the main retention clips in place and much to our suprise those spring loaded screws are also very sturdy.  This is likely due to the mounts actually being attached to the heatsink instead of just floating on top.

Due to the overall size and weight of the heatsink Noctua has included a reinforcement bracket that helps reduce vibration and really strengthen the overall design.  This bracket only works with the bottom fan is installed, since that is what it rests against.

Overall performance was very good and our heat tests showed that the Noctua NH-C14 could handle a good overclock despite the rise in our C/W results.  Cooling performance can be enhanced by installing a more powerful fan though will detract from how silent the cooler actually is.  Running a single fan does translate into slightly higher system temperatures and is not recommended if you plan to overclock your system, however under stock and turbo speeds the NH-C14 offered excellent performance.

Now for our list of good things and bad things  

6 Heatpipe Construction
Lots of Surface Area
Low Profile Design
Silent Cooling

Not recommended for overclocking