2.66 GHz


The NH-C12P SE14 does quite well at stock speed. While it does not match up to the far superior and bigger tower heatsinks, it holds its own very well for its size. Lagging only 1.25 degrees behind the previous flagship NH-U12P, Noctua shows us that their new cooler is definitely a contender for the best top-down cooler in its league. Compared to the old NH-C12P, the new fan does wonders in improving performance at no extra cost.

4 GHz


Considering the target audience for this cooler, overclocking may not be advisable but it's still good to see how well it copes with the heat output. Surprisingly, it copes very well and kept the overclock fully stable. While temperatures are on the high side once you add the ambient temperature to the delta value, the SE14 still beats the CoolIT Domino A.L.C, which was purposefully made for overclocking. If the size of tower heatsinks seems daunting to you, then your next port of call should be this cooler. As for consumers with m-atx cases, hopefully this cooler is the answer to your prayers.

Noise

As with all Noctua products, the noise level is very low and cannot be heard over the case fans. The 140mm ensures even quieter operation and higher performance as shown above. If noise is still a problem, the U.L.N.A and L.N.A adapters are available but I would not recommend them if overclocked CPUs.