Reviewed:Noctua NH-C14S

Before we look at the detailed specifications of the NH-C14S, let’s take a look at the fan at the heart of the cooler, the NF-A15 PWM. Whilst the NF-A15 fan has featured in the NH-D15, D15S, U14S coolers, the C14S is a low profile horizontal heatsink and even with the offset, the 150mm A15 fan just takes up too much room. The included NF-A14 fan fits the fin stack perfectly and keeps the whole cooler looking very tidy whilst still providing the necessary airflow at a low acoustic price.

The NF-A14 PWM has:

• a stepped inlet to reduce intake noise and improve suction
• Anti-vibration pads
• SSO2 bearing with the magnet placement designed to be more precise and stable during operation and more durable in the long run
• Inner surface microstructures (basically little dints) on the inside of the frame where the blades spin. These create a boundary layer of air that supresses the noise of the ends of the blades as they pass around the inner frame area and improve the airflow and efficiency of the fan. Sounds complicated but it seems effective.
• Blades with Flow Acceleration Channels – slightly raised fins on the tips of the blades. These speed up the airflow as it leaves the blade for lower vortex noise.

The A14 doesn’t have a single ‘hero’ feature, rather each innovation contributes to an overall result in an efficient and quiet running fan with enough static pressure to suit the heatsink. Our testing found that despite the horizontal orientation and obstructed airflow (from the motherboard), the A14 doesn’t have to work that hard with the C14S heatsink to maintain a good operating temperature. The cooler remained basically inaudible under idle or low load and barely audible under load using a standard PWM fan profile.

Specifications 

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Build Quality

Noctua has consistently delivered products with unquestionable build quality. The heat sinks are always well packed and arrive undamaged in their retail packaging. Accessories are borderline excessive but consumers never complain about getting

• an extra set of clips to attach a second fan
• a much larger tube of thermal paste than they need
• fan speed reducers for a fan that is barely audible anyway

The trademark ‘L’ shaped screwdriver and SecuFirm2 mounting bracket make attaching the cooler to the CPU socket safe and easy.

I use Noctua as the benchmark for packaging and general build quality – we haven’t had a single issue with a Noctua product since first using their coolers in 2011. As with any air cooler (and water cooling radiators), you do need to give them a periodical hit with compressed air and/or a really soft paint brush depending on the level of your dust problem. Thankfully, the fin spacing on the C14S lends itself to easy cleaning as well. The cooler is easy to remove for cleaning and there is enough thermal compound in the tube of NT-H1 for several applications.

The NH-C14S was easy to attach, worked exactly as specified and arrived in pristine condition.

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