By: Ben Joubert
June 21, 2024
Growing up, our family had four dogs at our home. This included two large Labradors, a Jack Russell, and a Dachshund. These dogs were tons of fun. The Labradors were obviously outdoor dogs, since having a dog that size indoors would be a pain, while the smaller ones could go in and out as they pleased. They were all fed in the same place, and we were starting to have some behavior issues. We also wanted to introduce a new puppy at a certain time. One thing to be aware of is that if you already have a few dogs, the new one can be rejected. We had to make sure the dogs would get used to the puppy without hurting it. My parents decided to hire a professional dog trainer to come in and help out with this process. This trainer came in and spent some time with the dogs, and afterwards gave us a bit of a debrief about how they interacted with each other. This was interesting, particularly since the trainer said that the smallest dog, our Dachshund, was the alpha of the pack. Now, I do not know how the trainer figured this out, but we did not believe it. Apparently, even though this dog was so small, she was mighty in her influence. We have these ideas often of the underdog -- literally, in this case -- who is able to beat the odds and actually be the strongest. It is in stories all over the world, but is it true in the tech world? Do we have small but mighty products? Today, we have the Noctua NH-L12Sx77, a small but potentially mighty air cooler. Read on to find out how it performs!
The Noctua shipping box has some of its own branding, as noted above. The box has traveled all the way from Vienna, Austria to reach Calgary, Alberta. It was shipped via UPS Express Saver, and arrived in fairly good condition considering its far travel distance. There were some small bruises or the edges throughout the box that were more beat up than usual, but it is not surprising. Let us open it up and see how the items held up.
The retail box for the Noctua NH-L12Sx77 follows the same design language as all the other Noctua products. White forms a backbone color, while brown is the next most prominent color. The cooler's name is found vertically on the left, while the features and the main style of cooler it is found in the middle. The rest of the box follows the same color scheme, with images and other specifications printed on the other sides.
Here are the specifications as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
Specifications:
Socket compatibility: Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151, LGA1150 and AMD AM5, AM4
Height (without fan): 77 mm
Width (without fan): 128 mm
Depth (without fan): 131 mm
Weight (without fan): 410 g
Height (with fan): 77 mm
Width (with fan): 128 mm
Depth (with fan): 131 mm
Weight (with fan): 520 g
Material Copper (base and heat-pipes): aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating
Fan compatibility: 120x120x15 & 120x120x25
Scope of delivery:
NF-A12x15 PWM premium fan
NA-RC7 Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
NT-H2 high-grade thermal compound
SecuFirm2™ mounting kit
Noctua metal case-badge
Warranty: 6 Years
Fan Specifications:
Model: Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM
Bearing: SSO2
Max. rotational speed: (+/- 10%) 1850 RPM
Max. rotational speed with L.N.A.: (+/- 10%) 1400 RPM
Min. rotational speed @ 20% PWM: (+/-20%) 450 RPM
Max. airflow: 94,2 m³/h
Max. airflow with L.N.A.: 70,8 m³/h
Max. acoustical noise: 23,9 dB(A)
Max. acoustical noise with L.N.A.: 16,8 dB(A)
Input power (max.): 1,56 W
Voltage range: 12 V
MTTF: > 150.000 h
Unboxing the Noctua NH-L12Sx77 is a pleasant experience. The box easily opens along the top, and all the accessories are neatly packed into a rectangular box. Below the accessories, we find another box which contains the cooler and the fan. All of this means the contents will stay safe if there is damage to the exterior. All the installation components are also listed on the front of the accessory box, making it easy to know if anything is missing from the contents. As you can tell from the specifications, there are accessories to support installation on all of the latest AMD and Intel sockets.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
