Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. Scope of delivery and packaging
3. Cooling system design
4. Testing and performance
5. Conclusion
Introduction
The hero of today's review will be the Noctua NH-U12P SE2. The manufacturer did not become too smart when releasing a new line of processor cooling systems. Some models received new fans, and some, as in our case, just a second, the same turntable. The Noctua NH-U12P model originally came with one Noctua NF-P12 fan, and now it will be paired with a twin. As a result, it was decided to add the inscription "SE2" to the name. Let's see how successful this is, because some models, such as the Noctua NH-C12P SE14, after the update, began to work only worse.
Scope of delivery and packaging
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 comes in almost the same box as its predecessor. It is colored brownish blue and has quite a lot of information on its surfaces. On one of the sidewalls, the manufacturer indicated the dimensions of the product and detailed the installation diagram. There you can also find a positive review from a well-known site specializing in computer hardware. As was the case with the NH-U9B SE2, the review was written for the old version of the cooling system. The manufacturer believes that the update will only improve the cooler's characteristics and all the merits of the predecessor are characteristic of the newcomer. After the release of the novelty, the old man Noctua NH-U12P will retire and be discontinued. The main features of the new cooling system are listed on the back of the box. This is a universal mount, high-quality Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste and two fans. All complete accessories are arranged in bags, there was even a place for a screwdriver and instructions on two sheets.
The versatility of mounting on Intel processors is achieved due to the presence of different holes in the backplate and thrust plates. The holes correspond to the LGA 775 LGA 1156 and LGA 1366 sockets. The complete fixing system consists of four nuts and screws, a backplate and two metal frames. For AMD processors, the mount is universal, and this is achieved due to the fact that all modern connectors are almost the same. Instead of a backplate, you can use a standard plastic backplate on the motherboard. Therefore, it is not included in the package. The complete list of accessories looks like this:
Two adapters for each fan to reduce the speed, plus a power splitter
Four mounting brackets for installing fans
Universal mounts, four screws for them
Thermal paste Noctua NT –H1
Manufacturer logo badge
Cooling system design
Two identical Noctua NF-P12 fans are engaged in cooling the Noctua NH-U12P SE2 cooler. It has a number of optimizations to increase airflow and reduce noise and is recognized as one of the best in the industry. Like its predecessor, the cooler has a tower design with U-shaped tubes. The distance between the plates is two and a half millimeters, which will turn out to be a good solution for one fan, but when the manufacturer puts two turntables on the radiator, then by reducing the intercostal distance the blowing will not deteriorate, but the useful area will increase. Having some experience in testing, I can say in advance that this cooler will respond poorly to increasing the fan speed. Apparently the engineers had a different point of view when they "created" this cooling system. Although it looks more like a marketing ploy.
Without adapters, the fans have a rotation speed of 1300 rpm and a noise level of no more than 19.8 dBA.This level can be safely called comfortable, but the manufacturer has provided each fan with a pair of adapters to reduce the rotation speed. The black adapter (L.N.A.) Reduces the speed to 1100 rpm, and the blue (U.L.N.A.) To 900 rpm. At minimum revs, the noise level is 12.6 dBA. The air flow will be 92.3 / 78.5 / 63.4 cubic meters of air per hour, respectively.
At the base, the heat pipes are laid in grooves and soldered, and the base itself is nickel-plated to avoid oxidation. The outsole has clear traces of processing. You can clearly feel them by running your fingernail along the base. The mounting system has been improved over its predecessor. The mounting frame now has non-removable, spring-loaded screws, saving the end user a lot of work. Historically, installation on AMD processors is much easier, since you do not need to first remove the motherboard from the case of the system unit. Installation is carried out on existing mountings. Unfortunately, this simplification has one big drawback. The cooler cannot be deployed so that the fans blow towards the rear wall of the case. Thus, the heated air will be more difficult to evacuate outside the system.
For the Intel platform, the mounts have also changed. Now the backplate has become universal and supports three main sockets at once. Although the backplate itself is quite simple to install, you first need to remove the motherboard. After installing the backplate, long screws are inserted into its holes. Already from the front side, iron fastening frames are placed, and tightened with screws. The design of the screws involves tightening by hand, but still there is a screwdriver in the kit, so do not be lazy to work with it. The advantage of mounting on Intel processors is the ability to install the cooling system in any position.
Testing and performance
A Core i5-650 processor was chosen to test the cooler. The rival was the predecessor Noctua NH-U12P, since it is in our store. The operating system was Windows 7 Professional, the ambient temperature was 24 degrees Celsius. Both cooling systems were tested on an open bench.
With two fans, the Noctua NH-U12P SE2 is certainly more efficient than its predecessor, but the gap is not that great. In the mode of maximum fan performance, the hero of our testing overtook Noctua NH-U12P by only two degrees with a result of 55 degrees Celsius. As expected, with such a design of the radiator, there will be little sense from the second fan. The use of adapters only confirmed the guesses - with them the temperature increased by one degree. This tells us that the large gap between the aluminum plates does not require intensive fan blowing. One was enough for the head. The use of an additional fan became justified on the Noctua NH-D14, where the area of the plates is an order of magnitude higher and the distance between them is less. There, and the increase in revs gave a more tangible result.
Conclusion
The Noctua NH-U12P SE2 cooling system turned out to be more efficient and quieter than its predecessor, so the improvements are obvious. At the same time, the radiator did not receive any design changes, only the quantitative characteristics increased, which affected only the fans. In fact, we have before us the same Noctua NH-U12P, only with an updated name and improved support for processor sockets. Overall, this is a decent product, with high efficiency and extremely low noise. The workmanship is also at a fairly high level.
Minuses
Fans do not have automatic speed control
There is no way to direct the air flow towards the rear wall on the AMD platform
Mediocre base processing
pros
New universal mount
The package includes two fans at once
High performance
High-quality thermal paste Noctua NT-H1
