To test the performance of the Noctua NH-U12S we built a powerful X79 based system on an open test bench to push the cooler to it’s limits. As we were testing on an open test bench, we directed a Be Quiet! Shadow Wings 120 mm fan at the VRM circuitry to better simulate the airflow generated in a case. We will be testing the cooler both in single and dual fan configurations.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-3930K
- Motherboard: Asus P9X79
- Memory: 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) Mushkin Blackline 1600 MHz
- Thermal Paste: Arctic Cooling MX-2
- Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7950
- Graphics Card (noise tests): HIS Radeon HD 5550 Silence
- Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum P1000W
- Prime 95 (64-bit)
- CPUID Hardware Monitor
Overclocking
We manually overclocked the i7-3930K to 4.3 GHz by increasing the multiplier to 43x, leaving the baseclock set at 100 MHz. We set the voltage to 1.35V.