Noctua NH-U12S TR4-SP3 CPU Cooler

The package came with everything promisedPro : Able to keep my TR2950 at a boost clocks (typically 4.1ghz) happy, the mounting system is good and the extra clips to attach an extra fan worked exactly as expected, the offset clearance is nice but it still wasn't enough onf my xZenith extreme board to let me use the top slot but thats not the fault of Noctua.Cons : Not many, the fan noise (even with x 2 on) at 100% is a slight whine sound but its ignorable (plus can use software to set ramps / curves) box had everything needed.Overall if you want air cooled, don't care about RGB and just want raw performance go for this, it handily beats the cooler master wraith ripper it replaced and is a bit of a through back to the older chungus air coolers, for me it ... MoreThe package came with everything promisedPro : Able to keep my TR2950 at a boost clocks (typically 4.1ghz) happy, the mounting system is good and the extra clips to attach an extra fan worked exactly as expected, the offset clearance is nice but it still wasn't enough onf my xZenith extreme board to let me use the top slot but thats not the fault of Noctua.Cons : Not many, the fan noise (even with x 2 on) at 100% is a slight whine sound but its ignorable (plus can use software to set ramps / curves) box had everything needed.Overall if you want air cooled, don't care about RGB and just want raw performance go for this, it handily beats the cooler master wraith ripper it replaced and is a bit of a through back to the older chungus air coolers, for me it delivers +20 c over ambient, and on a prime 95 1 hour torture test only just nipping at the heals of 65c, as a nice bonus the fans also help keep the mobo VRMS cool in a traditional push -> pull setup

An awesome cooler, for your Threadripper.

The Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3 is an awesome cooler for your Threadripper systems, it easily mounts on your motherboard by using the Socket's mounting positions.The cooler keeps your Threadripper running cool and helps it keep a sustained boost frequency while remaining below 50°C under use, you can trust it to make your system run quieter, cooler and faster.The provided fan of their NF-A15 PWM Series runs quietly, even under heavy load while maintaining great air flow and pressure over the fins.Though, RAM clearance is a bit of a miss, with tall sticks, like the Corsair Dominator series, the fan needs to be offset a bit, notwithstanding this problem, cooling isn't badly impacted, thanks to the great fin density and 12 heatpipes.Once again, Noctua proves to be a ... MoreThe Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3 is an awesome cooler for your Threadripper systems, it easily mounts on your motherboard by using the Socket's mounting positions.The cooler keeps your Threadripper running cool and helps it keep a sustained boost frequency while remaining below 50°C under use, you can trust it to make your system run quieter, cooler and faster.The provided fan of their NF-A15 PWM Series runs quietly, even under heavy load while maintaining great air flow and pressure over the fins.Though, RAM clearance is a bit of a miss, with tall sticks, like the Corsair Dominator series, the fan needs to be offset a bit, notwithstanding this problem, cooling isn't badly impacted, thanks to the great fin density and 12 heatpipes.Once again, Noctua proves to be a trusted and reputable brand in the Enthusiast PC World.

Fantastic Air Cooler

I replaced an Asetek 5th gen water cooler with 240mm radiator with this air cooler. Temperatures under full load (30min prime95, stock clock 1920x Threadripper) have dropped from ~67C to 58-59C at 1000-1200rpm on the fan. Quieter and lower temperature. The difference is that Noctua covers the entire surface of the cpu, where 5th gen asetek only covers 2/3. That makes a significant difference! Recommended as "first choice" for Threadripper CPUs.

Found a 10 degree temperature improvement

I bought this in place of the 90mm Noctua version. I have seen at least a 10-degree temperature delta between the two in favor of this heatsink fan combo. I also have my Threadripper 1950x clocked at 4.1Ghz. I have this installed in an X399 Gaming Pro Carbon, I have 32Gb of memory installed. The fan placement fits in a memory slot. If I had all 8 memory slots populated I would have to raise the fan placement well above the heatsink height. I have this in my NZXT H500i case, where the top of the heatsink is several mm too large for the glass to be placed back in place. I would like to say that adding a few washers might fix this issue, but don't count on it. I was able to conveniently adjust the heatsink placement to fit between my video card and a top case fan (as ... MoreI bought this in place of the 90mm Noctua version. I have seen at least a 10-degree temperature delta between the two in favor of this heatsink fan combo. I also have my Threadripper 1950x clocked at 4.1Ghz. I have this installed in an X399 Gaming Pro Carbon, I have 32Gb of memory installed. The fan placement fits in a memory slot. If I had all 8 memory slots populated I would have to raise the fan placement well above the heatsink height. I have this in my NZXT H500i case, where the top of the heatsink is several mm too large for the glass to be placed back in place. I would like to say that adding a few washers might fix this issue, but don't count on it. I was able to conveniently adjust the heatsink placement to fit between my video card and a top case fan (as additional top exhaust).

Incompatible with EPYC Processors

I would not recommend this cooler for EPYC Processors. I have an EPYC 7551P and it does not properly cool it. My idle temperatures are far too high and under a heavy load they are high enough to threaten the lifespan of the CPU. I have returned the cooler for this reason. To be clear: I would not have bought this processor if the product description had not said "EPYC" in it. While the cooler is physically compatible with the SP3 socket (which is physically identical to the TR4 and sTRX4 sockets, not electrically though), it cannot move enough heat to be considered "compatible." Noctua's website in some sense affirms this, their stated TDP is 163 while the TDP of my CPU is 180. Moreover in their CPU compatibility database, EPYC CPUs are said to be compatible, but ... MoreI would not recommend this cooler for EPYC Processors. I have an EPYC 7551P and it does not properly cool it. My idle temperatures are far too high and under a heavy load they are high enough to threaten the lifespan of the CPU. I have returned the cooler for this reason. To be clear: I would not have bought this processor if the product description had not said "EPYC" in it. While the cooler is physically compatible with the SP3 socket (which is physically identical to the TR4 and sTRX4 sockets, not electrically though), it cannot move enough heat to be considered "compatible." Noctua's website in some sense affirms this, their stated TDP is 163 while the TDP of my CPU is 180. Moreover in their CPU compatibility database, EPYC CPUs are said to be compatible, but not rated for the "turbo" functionality which is present on any modern CPU. I'm not sure if I could even turn this functionality off if I wanted.

It's working fine and is quiet.

When reading other reviews here, I see people running their CPUs well above the 68c limit recommended by AMD for *all* 1st and 2nd gen Threadripper. I'm running a first gen Threadripper 1900x. At full load I'm sitting rock steady at 69c. (Not being cheeky with the temp.) That's one degree hotter than AMD specs. Either I am running a bit hot or the temp reading is off. For that alone, I take one egg away. Otherwise, I have two 1080's with fans that far outpace my Noctua and therefore this fan "is" silent. Tip: Read the installation instructions before installing. I did and it saved me from any hardship. Threadripper is not like any other CPU skt I've worked with. You've been warned.

NH-U12S

My previous CPU fan was covering one of the RAM slots, and this one works much better and allows me to use all available RAM slots. Quieter, cooler and more functional. Great device. Installation was very easy and straightforward.

Not up to the job

I installed this on a 2950X. My CPU temperatures at idle are around 65C. Make the CPU work hard and the temperature hits the throttling limit of 95C within seconds and the system event log fills with messages about the temperature exceeding the limit and then dropping back every second or so. I put my finger on the heatsink and the top of the heatsink was barely warm while the CPU was at 95C. I know how to use thermal paste, so that isn't the issue, but I did re-seat the heatsink twice with a thorough cleaning of everything in between just to be sure. The first 2 times I used the included thermal paste, the last time I used Arctic Silver instead. The Arctic Silver did a slightly better job, but only dropped the temperature at idle by a few degrees. Thermal design ... MoreI installed this on a 2950X. My CPU temperatures at idle are around 65C. Make the CPU work hard and the temperature hits the throttling limit of 95C within seconds and the system event log fills with messages about the temperature exceeding the limit and then dropping back every second or so. I put my finger on the heatsink and the top of the heatsink was barely warm while the CPU was at 95C. I know how to use thermal paste, so that isn't the issue, but I did re-seat the heatsink twice with a thorough cleaning of everything in between just to be sure. The first 2 times I used the included thermal paste, the last time I used Arctic Silver instead. The Arctic Silver did a slightly better job, but only dropped the temperature at idle by a few degrees. Thermal design isn't my area of expertise, but I tend to think the issue is that the heatpipes have far too much thermal resistance and the cooler needs more or bigger ones. There is certainly enough area in the fins and the fan is quite good (and if those were the problem the whole heatsink would get hot, but it doesn't). Water cooling next I think...

Works great

Have this mounted on a 180 watt sTR4 Threadripper processor, overclocked by about 200Mhz (and slightly over-volted but can't remember by how much). The Noctua cooler has been working reliably since day 1. This is a workstation build and sometimes runs at 100% CPU utilization for days on-end (when rendering 3D images, for example). The Noctua has reliably kept temps in the 50°-60°C range. And it is practically silent (at idle temps), barely a soft whisper at load. Very satisfied. I will likely buy Noctua again in the future! (And I hope they keep their no-nonsense colour scheme! I kind of love it.)

great air cooler

built a new system around the 1900x cpu using a Asus Strix- X399 E-Gaming motherboard. Using Corsair memory, 16gb in a dual channel configuration. Using Case from old intel 2700k build. Antec 900/2 and Corsair HX750 for power supply. Kept with AMD for video card and installed a RX-560 4gb card. Also using a Samsung evo500gb for system drive. after getting everything up and running I went ahead and ran Prime 95 for a 1/2hour with stock clocking to test how cooler works. Idle runs around 21-24c all the time and with prime never gets over 56c. when overclocked and running a 4k core clock the temp never gets above 57c. Now to the case. I removed the Antec speed pot controlled fans and replaced them with these fans ... Morebuilt a new system around the 1900x cpu using a Asus Strix- X399 E-Gaming motherboard. Using Corsair memory, 16gb in a dual channel configuration. Using Case from old intel 2700k build. Antec 900/2 and Corsair HX750 for power supply. Kept with AMD for video card and installed a RX-560 4gb card. Also using a Samsung evo500gb for system drive. after getting everything up and running I went ahead and ran Prime 95 for a 1/2hour with stock clocking to test how cooler works. Idle runs around 21-24c all the time and with prime never gets over 56c. when overclocked and running a 4k core clock the temp never gets above 57c. Now to the case. I removed the Antec speed pot controlled fans and replaced them with these fans https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAB9457U0859 and a Corsair ML120 in the back. I run the top fan on low. I also added another fan to the CPU heat sink and the was the matching Noctua fan that came with cooler. After tuning fans up with AI3, this pc is now running cool and extremely quiet. If you do not use liquid cooling, this is the current way to go. Great product!!!!!!