Noctua NH-C14S C-Type Premium CPU Cooler Review

DESIGN OVERVIEW

Once we get the NH-C14S out of the cardboard packaging, you will see that it features an asymmetrical design that promotes high clearance/low profile with an overall strategy of supplying a top-flow design.

The overall width of the cooler is 163mm, which in our case on the ASRock Z170 OC Formula, covers our Crucial 64GB DDR4 2133Mhz memory, which doesn’t have it’s own heatsink. We are anxious now to see how this design will increase our overall performance as this cooler should provide us with substantially more airflow for our system in general.

The height of the cooler with the NF-A14 fan installed on top is 142mm, which should give you just enough room for most ATX chassis. The NH-C14S fit in our In Win 805 with ease. The NH-C14S features six (6) nickel-plated copper heat-pipes which protrude out from one side of the heatsink and meet a the base.

The aforementioned base is made of a nickel-plated copper and features a mirror-like finish. It has a good sized surface area that should give us good contact with most CPU’s. On the side the cooler we’ll see where the six heat-pipes are capped off, as well as a Noctua logo embossed into the center of the heatsink.

The NF-A14 premium PWN fan has a max rotational speed of 1500 RPM, max airflow of 140.2 m3/h, is listed to have a max acoustical noise of 24.6 dB/A and is listed to have a MTBF of greater than 150,000 hours. The NF-A14 measures in at 140 x 140 x 25mm, and features an SSO bearings.

The  seven  fan blades also feature three angled ridges at the top, which is what Noctua calls ‘Flow Acceleration Channels’. This is said to speed up airflow at the outer portion of the blades, which would reduce suction side flow separation, allow for better efficiency and lower noise.

The fan is attached to the NH-C14S using metal clips that fit through the fans mounting holes. Rubber padding can be found around the corners to help with noise dampening. The fan’s 4-pin PWM power cable is sleeved with an all black dimpled rubber and has heat shrunk tubing to give the cables a sleek and minimalistic appearance.