Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review

Posted by: Sahil Mannick (Helios1234) on: 11/08/2009 05:05 PM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]

Packaging

The box
Breaking away from convention, Noctua approached the packaging with a more minimalistic yet clean design with the box. The box is cardboard based as is the case for all boxes these days but rather than the previous pink and blue box, Noctua settled for a more professional white coloured package. In my opinion, that's a very appealing look. The box itself is quite large, to securely house the heatsink and fans, and it also helps provide all the features and specifications without having to cramp all the information around the box. Surrounding the box are subtle illustrative outlines of the cooler. Noctua has informed us that this box isn't the final design so I'll be gladly waiting to see how it eventually turns out.

The front of the box
The front of the packaging has a clear plastic window to allow us to gaze at the beast within. Noctua adheres to this image by firstly showing us the top of the heatsink and the 140mm NF-P14 fan. We also see the features listed on the front. The first impression you get is almost that Noctua are trying to downplay the sheer robust and sharp design of its cooler. The stripe goes on to the side where a diagram of the cooler is presented to illustrate the cooler's dimensions.

Specifications
At the top, the specifications are listed very thoroughly, including those of the heatsink itself and the NF-P14 and NF-P12 fans. If you've read the last page, you'll know already that they are very impressive indeed.

"Made in Taiwan"
At the back, Noctua elaborates on the key features of the cooler, as mentioned on the last page. The product is stated to be "Made In Taiwan".

And all is laid bare
Upon opening the box, we are greeted with foam. Thankfully, removing the foam reveals the beast itself, pre-installed with the two fans using the wire clips, and on the sides are two boxes, one holding the installation kit and the other holding some useful tools. More on the next page.