Noctua NH-C14
Pros: C-type "top flow" design, dual 140mm fans, low profile, cools motherboard components
Cons: Needs more heat pipes, no PWM fans
The Nocuta NH-C14 is an excellent cooler. It has solid craftsmanship and easily meets Noctua's reputation for quality. Although not as strong a performer as its cousin the NH-D14, the C14 can still hold its own when tested with high overclocks and provides for more versatility and compatiblity due to its design.
Its two fan configuration allows for multiple setups of the cooler including ultra low profile (remove top fan) and high clearance profile (remove bottom fan). Also due to its design, motherboard MOSFETS and system RAM are cooled along with the CPU, which in theory should help prolong the life of the components.
One of the short comings in my opinion is that it only has 6 heat pipes. Although the 6 heat pipes do an excellent job, the cooler could have performed better overall if there were two more heat pipes tucked away somewhere on the CPU block.
The fans are not PWM but do come with "low noise" and "ultra low noise adapters", which do make a substantial difference to the noise level of the cooler. I would strongly suggest attaching the "low noise" adapter as the difference in noise far out weighs the ~3-4 degrees increase in temps.
I have this cooler on my 2500k, which is overclocked to 4.8GHz with 1.38v (under load), and with a 22C ambient temp, the C14 manages to keep the chip under 65C under full load.
In conclusion, this is an excellent cooler and highly recommended for anyone looking for a high performance cooler for those high overclocks.
Its two fan configuration allows for multiple setups of the cooler including ultra low profile (remove top fan) and high clearance profile (remove bottom fan). Also due to its design, motherboard MOSFETS and system RAM are cooled along with the CPU, which in theory should help prolong the life of the components.
One of the short comings in my opinion is that it only has 6 heat pipes. Although the 6 heat pipes do an excellent job, the cooler could have performed better overall if there were two more heat pipes tucked away somewhere on the CPU block.
The fans are not PWM but do come with "low noise" and "ultra low noise adapters", which do make a substantial difference to the noise level of the cooler. I would strongly suggest attaching the "low noise" adapter as the difference in noise far out weighs the ~3-4 degrees increase in temps.
I have this cooler on my 2500k, which is overclocked to 4.8GHz with 1.38v (under load), and with a 22C ambient temp, the C14 manages to keep the chip under 65C under full load.
In conclusion, this is an excellent cooler and highly recommended for anyone looking for a high performance cooler for those high overclocks.
