Noctua NH-P1 Fanless Passive CPU Cooler + NF-A12x25 LS-PWM

NH-P1 Fanless Passive CPU Cooler

The NH-P1 is Noctua’s first passive CPU cooler and has been custom-designed for fanless operation from the ground up: in enclosures with good natural convection, its six heatpipes and thick, widely spaced heatsink fins enable it to cool modern high-end CPUs with low to moderate heat dissipation completely passively (see setup guidelines and list of recommended cases). For further enhanced performance or semi-passive setups that only spin up their fans when necessary, the NH-P1 can be outfitted with a low-speed, ultra-quiet 120mm fan such as the NF-A12x25 LS-PWM. Topped off with the professional Torx-based SecuFirm2+ mounting system, Noctua’s award-winning NT-H2 thermal compound and a 6-year manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-P1 is the ideal cornerstone for premium-grade fanless or semi-passive builds.

Fanless cooling for high-end CPUs

In fully optimised fanless systems, the NH-P1 is capable of cooling high-end CPUs with low to moderate heat dissipation using natural convection only (see setup guidelines and CPU compatibility list). This makes it ideal for powerful builds that have no moving parts and run absolutely silent.

Increased performance headroom with extra fan

The NH-P1 can be fitted with an extra 120mm fan such as the near inaudible NF-A12x25 LS-PWM in order to increase its maximum dissipation capacity significantly (see setup guidelines and CPU compatibility list): ideal for short spikes of higher heat loads or semi-passive systems that only start their fans when necessary!

No noise, less dust, 100% fail-proof

Fanless cooling doesn’t only have the advantage of being completely silent: if you’re relying on natural convection only and don’t have case fans pushing air through a case, less dust will accumulate in filters or inside the system. Last but not least, with no moving parts such as fans or pumps that could possibly fail, the NH-P1 is as fail-proof as it can be.

Asymmetrical layout for optimal PCIe compatibility

As many current motherboards have the top PCIe x16 slot sitting close to the socket, bigger heatsinks tend to block it. Due to its asymmetrical layout, the fin-stack of the NH-P1 is offset towards the upper edge of the motherboard when installed in standard orientation. This allows it to clear the top PCIe x16 slot on most current µATX and ATX motherboards (see motherboards compatibility list).

100% RAM clearance on LGA1200 and AM4

Due to its asymmetric design, the NH-P1 does not overhang the RAM slots on Intel LGA1200, LGA115x and AMD AM4 based motherboards, which ensures easy access to the modules and 100% compatibility with tall heat-spreaders. On LGA2066, it overhangs the RAM slots on the left-hand side of the socket, so RAM modules should not exceed 45mm in height.

NF-A12x25 Fan

Noctua’s 120mm fans such as the NF-F12 and NF-S12A are renowned for being among the best on the market and have received more than 400 awards and recommendations from the international press. With its further improved efficiency and novel, state-of-the-art engineering, the NF-A12x25 represents another step up in performance and manufacturing.

Award-winning NF-A12x25 design

First introduced in 2018, the NF-A12x25 has taken the hearts of quiet cooling enthusiasts around the world by storm and reshaped the common perception of what 120mm fans can do. With more than 100 awards and recommendations from the international press, it’s widely considered to be the best 120mm fan on the market.

Highly optimized P/Q curve for all applications

The NF-A12x25’s sophisticated aerodynamic design allows for a pressure to airflow (P/Q) curve that is extremely strong in the critical mid-section. This means that the NF-A12x25 is a true jack-of-all-trades with excellent performance in both static pressure demanding and airflow demanding applications.

Ultra-tight tip clearance

The NF-A12x25 has a record tight tip clearance (distance between the blade tips and the inside of the frame) of only 0.5mm. This highly ambitious design sets a new benchmark for 120mm fans and helps the NF-A12x25 to work more efficiently against back pressure, such as on heatsinks or radiators, by reducing leak flows through the gap between the impeller and frame.

Excellent on-application acoustics

While many fans produce unpleasant, high-pitched noises when installed in typical applications such as on heatsinks or radiators, the NF-A12x25 has been carefully fine-tuned for optimal on-application acoustics. It produces a smooth, pleasant frequency profile and surprisingly low sound pressure levels (SPL) when working against backpressure.

Flow Acceleration Channels

The NF-A12x25 impeller features suction side Flow Acceleration Channels. By speeding up the airflow at the crucial outer blade regions, this measure reduces suction side flow separation and thus leads to better efficiency and lower vortex noise.