Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
If you recall the Noctua NH-C14 reviewed by Preston Yuen back in 2011, you will notice the Noctua NH-C14S is very similar, especially when comparing the heatsink itself. Furthermore, they both share the C-shape design, which is named accordingly from looking at the heatsink from the side. This design is obviously not unique to Noctua, and is featured for generally good cooling capabilities, while offering enough clearance from memory heatsinks, or being able to fit in tighter cases, depending on the fan placement. Comparing the two coolers, the Noctua NH-C14S is taller than the original NH-C14. However, they share the same width and thickness, and they occupy a similar amount of space over the motherboard. Otherwise, they are quite similar on first glance. A single NF-A14 PWM fan is attached onto the NH-C14S, and a second one can be added via the metal wire clips, which we will look into this later.
As you can see from the top, Noctua has implemented a hybrid approach in the leading edges of the heatsink fans. There is a V-shaped slope towards the middle on both sides, and quite a few zigzagged teeth on both sides of the metal fin edges. Both of these design choices permit airflow in between the fins, while reducing resistance and noise, without decreasing the heatsink surface area by too large of a margin. There is a total of sixty-six fins on the radiator, which are actually two less than the original NH-C14. The spacing in between each fin is approximately 2.0mm. From my total calculations, the total surface area of the cooling fins combined is a little bit less than 0.77 square meters, which is about the same as the Noctua NH-C14. This is generally reasonable, considering the size of the heatsink itself.
As for looks, Noctua is sticking with its famed colors of tan, burgundy, and silver. The heatsink is completely silver, due to the aluminum and nickel plating around the entire unit. The fans are the standard tan and burgundy colors. While you could argue it clashes with your case and other component colors, Noctua is widely known for its color choice. Even though it may not look pretty, any computer enthusiast will know it is functionally exceptional. You could always replace the fans too if this bothers you so much, but I would not compromise the possible cooling loss just for aesthetic reasons.
At a mass of 820g without the fan, and 1015g with a single NF-A14 PWM fan attached, the Noctua NH-C14S is a hefty boss of a cooler. The original NH-C14 was 120g lighter without any fans attached, and the difference is definitely seen in the heatsink itself. There is a visibly substantial amount of aluminum and copper added between the fins too. The NH-C14S is obviously not the heaviest of heatsinks, with the NH-D15 weighing in at 1kg without any fans attached.
As we have seen with many of the Noctua CPU coolers, the NF-A14 on the NH-C14S is very easy to remove. This utilizes the same system with two wire clips on each side. These clips attach into the mounting holes of the fan, and attach to the sides of the heatsink fins. Raised edges are integrated onto the heatsink, and the wire clips attach directly to the fan. The retention length of the wire clips are also balanced on each side, and overall stability is exceptional. All in all, the fan is easy to remove, but also attach and hold their position quite well, and I have no worries of any fan falling off by accident. Wire clips also allow users to be a bit more flexible with the fan to heatsink location. Due to the nature of the C-shaped cooler, this will not really make a difference if you need extra RAM clearance, or if you cannot fit the heatsink into the case. The fans themselves should not need to be removed, except for during installation, as the single fan blocks two holes used to access the mounting screws.
As for the fan, a single NF-A14 PWM comes attached with the NH-C14S. This is a newer fan than the one found with the NH-C14. This 140mm fan has a specified rotational speed range of 300-1500 RPM, and airflow rating of 140.2 cubic meters per hour, and a static pressure of 2.08 mmH2O. The cooler also comes with a low noise adapter, which reduces all of the numbers I have stated above in order to keep the output noise low. Rated mean time before failure is approximately 150000 hours, which is over seventeen years. You could swap this fan out, or add an additional non-Noctua fan such as the 140mm Fractal Design Venturi HP14 PWM, but Noctua really does make one of the best fans overall. They have done so well in the past with their cooling options, and it is hard to recommend any other fan for the job.
Taking a look at the whole product, the Noctua NH-C14S is a medium-to-large sized heatsink. With dimensions of 115mm in height, 140mm in width, and 163mm in depth, the heatsink is large in different ways compared to other heatsinks. I should mention these dimensions are smaller than the Noctua NH-D15S in all dimensions except for depth. When I say it is large, this is because it occupies a relatively large footprint when it sits over the motherboard. There is definite overhang over the memory slots. However, depending on the orientation of the fans, the Noctua NH-C14S can work around taller memory heatsinks. By placing the fan on top, the NH-C14S offers a clearance of up to 70mm of height, which is generally good for even tall RAM heatspreaders. On the other hand, if you are working in a tighter case, the fan can be placed in between the processor and the heatsink, keeping the maximum height at 115mm in total. This makes the NH-C14S capable in smaller cases such as HTPC chassis. If you have space to spare, you can place fans on both sides for optimal cooling performance. Compared to the NH-C14, the NH-C14S offers more room when operating in high clearance mode, with an extra 5mm to work with. While these numbers may seem small enough to scoff at, considering the relative size of RAM, this extra clearance may actually be the difference people are looking for. This change means the NH-C14S is taller than its predecessor, but this is understandable. In addition, the NH-C14S has been offset to not interfere with the top PCI Express slot on a motherboard, which is good to see.
The NH-C14S, just like the original NH-C14, is symmetrical in design when looking at the heatsink towards the base. From the base, a total of six pipes flow through the base and into the fins. These fins stretch all through the array of fins, and poke out at the top. A seventh pipe goes from the top of the base into the fins, but does not follow all the way through. The heatpipes are supposed to efficiently lead the heat away from its source due to the low heat of vaporization, or phase change energy, of the fluid inside. The heatpipes are aligned in an alternating manner to spread out the heat in the single array of radiating fins. The 0.77 square meters of surface area, combined with Noctua's NF-A14 PWM fan should be able to deliver very good heat dissipation performance, but we will see if this statement is true on the next page.
A picture of the bottom of the Noctua NH-C14S CPU heatsink. The photo shows the configuration of the aforementioned pipes more clearly in relation to the base leading into the fin array. As we have seen with other Noctua NH-C14S, the base is very flat, and should ensure the entire base sits evenly on top of the processor. There are no abnormalities, but the base shows the circular milling marks made during production. While this means the base of the NH-C14S cannot be used for selfie shots due to its lack of a mirror like finish, it should still rest flat on the processor.
The following sections have been borrowed from Jonathan Kwan's Noctua NH-D15S review. Like all Noctua heatsinks we have reviewed in the past, the NH-C14S is a copper and aluminum hybrid heatsink electroplated with nickel. The vital parts such as the base and heatpipes are built using copper for best heat transfer ability with a thermal conductivity of 401 W/mK. The heatsink fins utilize aluminum as its material due to its lightweight properties as juxtaposed to copper. This is to allow the construction of larger heatsinks without stressing too much on the motherboard due to weight. Aluminum has a thermal conductivity of 237 W/mK, which is not as optimal for heat transfer compared to copper, but it is much lighter.
While this is all quite interesting information, visually speaking, the NH-C14S from Noctua has none of the copper color with its copper heatpipes and base. According to the specifications, the Noctua NH-C14S is electroplated with nickel on top of its copper, which has a thermal conductivity of only 90.9 W/mK. Even though nickel has lower thermal conductivity than copper, which may limit heat transfer, the electroplated layer is very thin, and should not directly affect performance to a significant degree -- but it is likely related to the corrosion allowance factor. Nickel and nickel-base alloys generally have desirable properties that can withstand corrosive environments and high temperatures, which are especially beneficial for a heat dissipation device.
The reason why nickel has such a property is because of nickel's ductility and toughness all the way up to the melting point of 1455°c, measured at non-standard pressure. Nickel's face-centered cube crystal structure is virtually unaltered all the way up to that temperature. Nickel, like titanium, is highly resistant to corrosion, therefore corroded material will not build up on the surface in the long run. It is surely a good sign, because the NH-C14S will be less prone to losing its cooling performance over time, as compared to a corroded copper surface.
Additionally, all the joints are cleanly soldered at the base, as well as the fact that the heatpipes are soldered to the fins, so that it will not lose contact over time. Lower quality heatsinks offer high initial performance, but degrades over time as contact between metals decreases due to thermal expansion and contraption. Overall, the Noctua NH-C14S appears to be built very solidly. Reliability should also be excellent as Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Kwan swears by them for their long endurance and retaining performance over time. If you are not convinced, the NH-C14S also comes with a six year warranty, so this guarantee is backed by Noctua, too.
If there is one company every other hardware maker should learn from when designing any products for easy installation, it is Noctua. As we have raved about in practically all of the Noctua CPU cooler reviews, Noctua's installation is superb. If you are confused about anything, users can refer to the detailed but well-documented user manual, which simplifies the installation process even more. The SecuFirm2 system is the same found in all sorts of heatsinks, including the Noctua NH-D15S and the Noctua NH-U9S. Therefore, if you have a recent Noctua cooler, you are more than likely able to exchange between the two heatsinks for parts. The metal backplate is pictured above, with "Rev. 2" engraved on the back, and part number NM-IBP2. This backplate has preattached bolts, which makes for a much easier time with installing the unit. Starting from the beginning, be sure to align the circular openings on the supplied backplate with the screws on the stock backplate, and then flip the motherboard over.
On the processor side, two mounting bars are included to attach the heatsink to the motherboard. Once the backplate is pushed through, insert plastic spacers on each bolt, and place the two mounting bars on top. These bars can be oriented in a horizontal or vertical configuration, depending on the users' preference. I should note Noctua tells users to not install the NH-C14S with the bends of the heatpipes pointing downwards, as this configuration may result in reduced cooling performance. The bars included here are the NM-IMB3, which are the same mounting bars found with the NH-D15S. From the photo above, I have placed the bars in order to get a horizontal position as you will see soon enough. Once you tighten the thumb bolts on the bars, you can mount the heatsink itself.
But first, be sure to place some thermal paste between the processor and the heatsink. Noctua advises to place a pea-sized dot measuring 4 to 5mm in diameter, but I have also heard recommendations of sizes like an uncooked grain of rice. I should note it is possible to actually put too much thermal paste which may negatively affect performance, so do not be too liberal with your paste amount. Next, remove the attached fan, and place the heatsink over the two protruding screws on the mounting bars. At this point, I would recommend you to use the provided screwdriver, as this is the only tool with access to the screw. Thankfully, Noctua has provided two square cutout holes for users to access the mounting screws, but a long screwdriver is necessary to reach it. With this tool, tighten the screws, alternating between each screw to evenly attach the heatsink to the motherboard. Finally, reattach the fan to the heatsink, whether in high clearance or low profile mode.
All in all, the installation process is easy, and took very little time to get the NH-C14S installed and running. As with the fan location, the Noctua NH-C14S did not interfere with my RAM, even with the fan attached underneath the heatsink. Depending on the installation orientation or your memory modules, you may be forced to use the higher clearance mode, but this is exactly what the NH-C14S is used for. In addition, there was ample room between the heatsink and the graphics card. Our physical inspection shows Noctua is still consistent in both its build quality and aesthetics as past products. Now comes the real question: Is the Noctua NH-C14S still able to perform as well as its predecessor? Let us see what the results show on the next page!
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
