[section_title title=Introduction]
Introduction
Today we take a closer look at the NH-C14s from Noctua, it’s the latest model of top down cooling from Noctua. Now as you’ll already know from reading the words Noctua, you can expect incredible premium cooling performance. In my eyes Noctua have been doing things properly for so long its hard to see them taking a bad turn with their products, from the l9i that I love in small form factor computers, to the D15 that provides insane cooling. Now the C14S is a step up from the popular C14 featuring a few changes to the award winning design that the C14 brought to the PC community.
Firstly I wanted to talk about the incredible 6 year warranty you get straight out of the box, this means if you do ever manage to melt the C14S they’ll send you another one. However the fact they’ve opted to give such a large warranty speaks very highly of what the company thinks of the product, and after years of using Noctua products I think they could offer a one decade warranty with ease. I don’t want this review to sound one sided or like I’m in the pocket of Noctua, but they simply make awesome products that I love reviewing.
What Noctua has to say about the NH-C14S:
Successor to the award-winning NH-C14, the NH-C14S is an elite class top-flow CPU cooler that is extremely efficient, highly compatible and remarkably adjustable. Thanks to its deeper fin stack and the renowned NF-A14 PWM fan, the single fan NH-C14S provides similar quiet cooling performance to its dual fan predecessor while being even more versatile: With the fan installed on top of the fins, the cooler is compatible with RAM modules of up to 70mm height. With the fan installed underneath the fins, the total height of the cooler is only 115mm, making it suitable for use in many HTPC cases. At the same time, the new offset layout allows it to clear the top PCIe slot on most µATX and ATX motherboards. Topped off with the trusted, pro-grade SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting system, Noctua’s proven NT-H1 thermal compound and full 6 years manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-C14S is a premium quality top-flow solution for the highest demands.
Technical Specifications:
Built with six heatpipes in a top-flow configuration, the NH-C14S offers flexibility and excellent quiet cooling performance thanks to the NF-A14 PWM 140mm fan:
Successor to the award-winning NH-C14, the NH-C14S is an elite class top-flow CPU cooler that is extremely efficient, highly compatible and remarkably adjustable. Thanks to its deeper fin stack and the renowned NF-A14 PWM fan, the single fan NH-C14S provides similar quiet cooling performance to its dual fan predecessor while being even more versatile: With the fan installed on top of the fins, the cooler is compatible with RAM modules of up to 70mm height. With the fan installed underneath the fins, the total height of the cooler is only 115mm, making it suitable for use in many HTPC cases. At the same time, the new offset layout allows it to clear the top PCIe slot on most micro-ATX and ATX motherboards. Topped off with the trusted, pro-grade SecuFirm2 multi-socket mounting system, Noctua’s proven NT-H1 thermal compound and full six years manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-C14S is a premium quality top-flow solution for the highest demands.
Based on the award-winning NH-C14:
Having received more than 200 awards and recommendations from leading international hardware websites and magazines, the NH-C14 has become an established reference for 140mm top-flow coolers. With its deeper fin stack and more efficient NF-A14 PWM fan, the new S-version provides similar performance and further improved compatibility.
C-Type top-flow design:
The c-type top-flow design of the NH-C14S not only allows for superb quiet cooling performance while maintaining a much lower profile than today’s 140mm tower-style coolers but also ensures excellent airflow over RAM modules and near-socket motherboard components.
Low Profile Mode:
Run with the NF-A14 fan installed underneath the fin stack, the NH-C14S stands only 115mm tall, which is much lower than tower coolers with 140mm or 120mm fans and allows it to fit many desktop style or HTPC cases.
High Clearance Mode:
Run with the NF-A14 fan installed on top, the NH-C14S provides extended clearance underneath the fin stack. This way, it is fully compatible with chipset coolers and RAM modules with heat-spreaders of up to 70mm height.
Offset design for PCIe clearance:
Compared to the original NH-C14, the layout of the NH-C14S has been offset in two axis. Thanks to this measure, the heatsink will clear the top PCIe slot on most micro-ATX and ATX motherboards when the bendings of the heatpipes face the PCIe slots or the I/O panel.
NF-A14 140mm premium fan:
Featuring sophisticated aerodynamic optimisations such as Flow Acceleration Channels, the NF-A14 is renowned to be among the best quiet 140mm fans on the market. Combined with the deeper fin stack of the NH-C14S, it allows the cooler to achieve similar performance levels as its dual fan predecessor despite only using a single NF-A14.
PWM support and Low-Noise Adaptor:
The NF-A14 premium fan supplied with the NH-C14S supports PWM for convenient automatic speed control through the motherboard. In addition, the maximum fan speed can be reduced from 1500 to 1200 RPM using the supplied Low-Noise Adaptor for even quieter operation.
SecuFirm2 mounting system:
Noctua’s SecuFirm2 mounting systems have become synonymous with quality, safety and ease of use. Supporting Intel LGA115x (LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156), LGA2011 (LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3) and AMD (AM3(+), AM2(+), FM1, FM2(+)), the SecuFirm2 mounting included with the NH-C14S guarantees perfect contact pressure and maximum convenience on all current sockets.
Compatibility with past and future sockets:
Complying with the open SecuFirm standard, the NH-C14S can be made compatible with the older LGA1366 and LGA775 sockets using the optional NM-I3 mounting kit, which is provided by Noctua free of charge. If technically possible, Noctua will also provide upgrade kits for future sockets.
NT-H1 thermal compound:
Having received more than 100 awards and recommendations from hardware journalists around the world, Noctua’s NT-H1 is a proven professional grade TIM solution that provides minimum thermal resistance, excellent ease of use and outstanding reliability.
Six years warranty:
Noctua products are renowned for their impeccable quality and outstanding longevity. Like all Noctua fans, the supplied NF-A14 features an MTBF rating of more than 150,000 hours and the entire NH-C14S package comes with a full six years manufacturer’s warranty.
