Noctua NH-C14S: Review | Test |Specs | CPU | Hashrate | Pros & Cons | Config

Test – Noctua NH-C14S – Conseil Config: Specs | Price | CPU Perfromance| Hashrate| Setup| Config | Advantage (Pros) and Disadvantages (Cons) and other important features that will help you make better decision

Here we are back at Noctua which is gradually changing its old range with today a cooler in “Top Flow” format, a direct descendant of the aging but nevertheless very efficient NH-C14 (see the test here) I named the NH -C14 S ! In the program a memory compatibility which remains excellent but above all a planing on the PCIe port side which will allow the use of a graphics card in the first slot, which will be a deliverance for those who have a motherboard with the first PCIe port glued to the socket processor. In the process, however, we lose a fan to go from 2 for the NH-C14 to only 1 for the NH-C14S, the price remains at 74.90 € TTC, let’s see if the youngest does better than his big brother!

We do not change something that works at Noctua, the box is in line with all the other products of the brand with their famous color which does not necessarily please everyone as well as the model and a list of the strong points of the beast (“Top Flow”, “Low profile” mode, NF-A14 PWM fan, LNA adapter, etc.). At the back again a listing of the main strengths, but this time with a small spiel accompanying each of them.

On the side as usual all the technical characteristics are present, weight, dimensions, compatible sockets as well as the specifications of the fan.

When opening the box we find the classic 3 small boxes, 1 for the Intel assembly system, 1 for the AMD system and another containing the accessories (screwdriver, thermal paste, etc.).

Under the boxes of accessories we fall on the beast, and as much to say that Noctua was not stingy on the cardboard, a stack of cardboard worthy of Russian dolls allowing the NH-C14S to be very well protected.

Here is the beast! Visually not that different than its big brother, apart from the fan which becomes square instead of the round fan and some small changes here and there that we will see right away!

Let’s start with the options available to us in terms of the placement of the fan, either at the top if the space in the tower allows it, leaving the field free for the memory modules or at the bottom with the fan blowing upwards for the boxes skimpy.

The radiator is made up of 66 aluminum fins, as usual at Noctua the quality is first class, we expected no less! The heat pipes are nickel plated. We can see that unlike the first NH-C14 of the name a reinforced bar is present as standard so that the beast does not bend, which is a very good thing.

On the front wing the Noctua logo engraved, as usual for the brand, but it remains very discreet and sober! At the rear there are 6 heat pipes, 3 on each side with the support bar in the center, itself raised so as not to reduce performance. Note that the heat sink is shorter on one side than the other to ensure compatibility with the first PCIe port.

The build quality is really excellent here, no twisted fins and you can see the 2 holes that will allow the screwdriver supplied to pass through to fix the beast.

The base is therefore composed of 6 heat pipes surmounted by a block accommodating the support bar, the quality of manufacture and finishes are as usual impeccable.

The finish is once again excellent, the surface in contact with the processor has a mirror effect with grooves in the shape of a circle, becoming smaller and smaller as they get closer to the center.

The supplied fan is an NF-A14 PWM running at a maximum speed of 1500 RPM (tested here) and will therefore be without surprises very pleasant to use, like a majority of the brand’s fans. The big change here compared to the old NH-C14 besides the fact that the fan is in the “normal” square format is that it is finally PWM compatible and therefore directly manageable by the motherboard.

The bundle consists of:

• 1 venterad Noctua NH-C14S
• 1 tube of thermal paste
• 1 kit de fixation Intel
• 1 kit de fixation AMD
• 1 LNA adapter
• 2 clips for an optional fan
• 1 Phillips screwdriver
• 1 Noctua metal sticker
• The different manuals

We do not redo the bundle at Noctua, we have everything you need to install the NH-C14S without problems, screwdriver, thermal paste, adapter to lower the maximum fan RPMs and even a sticker metal logo, for those that they want to play it in society.

Specification: Hashrate – Noctua NH-C14S

The first thing that we notice is that the NH-C14S is still a beautiful baby, with 14.2 cm in height (the fan installed at the top, 11.5 cm with the latter installed at the bottom) for 14 cm in width and 16.3 cm deep it will not go unnoticed very clearly in the config! The weight is in accordance with the dimensions of the beast, 820g without fan for 1015g with, a good little kilo of cooling!

The NH-C14S is of course compatible with all current sockets ranging from 115x to 2011-3 at Intel (point of 1366 and 775 however, they have long been outdated) and all AMD sockets, as much to say that it will have to be done on purpose so as not to have a compatible socket 😉.

On the cooling side, Noctua offers 6 nickel-plated copper heat pipes responsible for transmitting the heat to the 66 aluminum fins, themselves cooled by an NF-A14 PWM fan rotating at a maximum speed of 1500 RPM (1200 RPM with the LNA adapter ) for a given maximum sound level of 24.6 dB (19.2 dB with the LNA adapter).
Offered at a price of 74.90 € it is clear that as usual the NH-C14S is not given, but we are entitled to a 6-year warranty accompanied by an MTBF of 150,000 hours for the fan, so a Once purchased, we are relatively quiet, especially since Noctua ensures the compatibility of new sockets when they are released by providing free fixing kits if necessary.

The assembly does not change from other Noctua products and turns out to be as usual very simple and fast, let’s go!

To start, you have to put the back plate in place under the motherboard, being careful to put it in the right direction.

Then put the black plastic spacers as above.

Once done, all you have to do is install the 2 fixing plates.

Then they must be screwed, and once done pose a grain of rice of thermal paste.

Then nothing could be simpler, you have to put the radiator (without the fan) on the processor and screw the 2 screws through the 2 holes provided for this purpose on the radiator. Once screwed, just place the fan above (or below depending on the space available in the box) and it’s done!

PCIe and memory compatibility

As usual the big fear when buying a cooler is compatibility with the motherboard, by that I mean the memory as well as the PCIe port which can be stuck to the socket. Let’s see what this gives for the first PCIe port first:

Noctua did not lie when he said that the compatibility with the first PCIe port has been worked on, it will be possible to install a graphics card there without the slightest problem! Now let’s remember, to do this I did not take a photo with the fan above, because with 7 cm there will be plenty to do!

With low profile memory modules there will still be 1cm of space between them and the fan, so be careful what you buy!

The test platform

The Noctua NH-C14S has been tested on the configuration below:

• Processor : Intel Core i7 875K @ 3.2 Ghz
• Motherboard : Asus P7P55D
• Mémoire: Kingston HyperX 4 x 2 Go 1600Mhz
• Disque dur: WD Raptor 150 Go
• Graphics card : Sapphire Toxic 5850
• Power supply : Seasonic X650

The test protocol

The core i7 875K has been slightly overclocked to 3.2Ghz. The temperatures under load are an average of all the cores for 3 tests of 30 minutes on OCCT, the temperatures at rest were taken after 15mins on the desk (still an average of the 4 cores). All the tests will be done with a 5V, 12V and PWM fan managed by the motherboard once above, then the same tests with the fan below.

The cooler has been tested against:

• be quiet! Pure Rock (tested here)
• Cryorig C1 (tested here)
• Noctua NH-C14 (tested here)
• Noctua NH-L12 (tested here)
• Noctua NH-C12 (tested here)
• Noctua NH-D15 (tested here)
• Scythe Ninja 4 (tested here)

The choice of coolers is not random, the NH-C14S being a “Top Flow” cooler I compared it to its competitors in my possession, namely the Cryorig C1, Noctua NH-L12 and Noctua NH-C12P. In addition to the “Top Flow” coolers, I added the monstrous Noctua NH-D15 which is the best in terms of air cooling as well as the be quiet! Pure Rock, which is an entry-level cooler, will also be there to see the difference in performance. Likewise, the Scythe Ninja 4 which represents an excellent performance / silence / price / compatibility and present ratio.

The temperatures

As we can see the Noctua NH-C14S is really quite capable of keeping the core i7 cool! However, a difference of around 3 ° is observed in all readings when the fan is in the low position, certainly due to a more difficult supply of air. With the fan in 12V the processor goes up to a maximum of 53 ° (56 ° in the lower position) for 63 ° (66 ° in the lower position) in 5V and the PWM mode meanwhile stabilizes the processor at 58 °, very good results for a Top Flow cooler.
We notice that the temperatures are identical to its big brother the NH-C14 (which have been redone for the occasion), we could say that there is no real evolution but the NH-C14 first of the name is equipped with 2 fans, so the NH-C14S maintains the same level of performance with 1 less fan, not bad!

Noise pollution

Warning: Part to be taken with a grain of salt, unfortunately not having access to the appropriate equipment and using an android application to take the readings The measurements below are only indicative! The readings were taken 15cm from the cooler. The ambient sound level recorded is 31 dB.

In terms of noise pollution, it is once again very good for the NH-C14S, the fan behaves really very well as usual with Noctua with 39 dB (41 dB with the fan below) in PWM mode, 32 dB in 5V and 45 dB in 12V. However, it should be noted that in PWM the fan does not turn at the same speed as in 5V, when it turns at 700 RPM in 5V it only turns at 300 RPM in PWM, which means that it is completely silent in the latter mode.
As usual, the fan does not suffer from any parasitic noise, no friction, no buzzing of any kind, simply a pleasure for the ears as long as it does not turn fully of course because with 45 dB it will be heard clearly.

Here we are at the end of this test, what about the NH-C14S from Noctua?
The NH-C14S has the heavy task of succeeding the first NH-C14 of the name and it must be said that it passes the test with flying colors, all the small negative points have been corrected such as the blocking of the first PCIe port, and the reinforcement is now directly integrated so you don’t have to worry about this anymore.
In terms of performance it maintains the same level as its big brother while losing a fan in the process, which in the end is not very serious, even if between us the presence of a second fan would not have been an evil. Noise nuisance is contained and in line with what Noctua has offered us until now, ie silent at rest and audible when charging in PWM mode while remaining very pleasant to the ear because it is free from parasitic noise.
Offered at a price of 74.90 € which does not change from its big brother despite the loss of a fan, it will quite know how to cool a processor even overclocked in a case that requires a “Top Flow” cooler, for others others solutions exist 🙂

Advantages

• Memory and PCIe compatibility
• Very good performance
• Excellent finish
• 6 year warranty
• SAV Noctua

Disadvantages

• Noisy to the max
• Loss of a fan for the same price
  as its big brother

A big thank you to Jakob from Noctua who allowed me to do this test.

Related posts:

7-nanometer Nvidia GPU, TSMC will handle most of the production ASRock X299, a new BIOS allows you to install 2 TB of memory MSI Prestige X570 Creation Review: Test | Specs | Hashrate Radeon RX 5500 XT, PCI Express 3.0 castrates performance? An overclocker ran 1TB of RAM on an X299 motherboard limited to 256GB Best Review 2021: MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WiFi Under $250 ($200)