Ever since Noctua's first announcement of its new concept "Sandwich" cooler, people have eagerly waited to see what they\'d bring to the table. Recently however, Noctua have lived in the shadow of other high end coolers, namely Prolimatech and Thermalright's offering. Today we see why Noctua have their name engraved at the very top and in the heart of the enthusiasts. Delivering unparalleled performance, it is unmatched in its cooling performance leaving others in its trail of dust, especially on an overclocked system.

Noctua have done a tremendous job creating a product that is worthy to be called more than just an upgrade. However, the NH-D14 does come at a price and not just money wise. Its sheer titanic size may well put people off, and those who use memory coolers will not have space for the Noctua. Furthermore, someone looking for a quiet HTPC cooler will probably have to look elsewhere because much of an ATX form factor's real estate is already taken up by the NH-D14. Personally, I find the fact that it covers the memory slots a justifiable compromise for what is essentially the best air cooler around. Its price is also fully justified. It might be misleading at first but after considering that you are supplied with two of the best fans on the market, it doesn't take long to realise that it's actually a very good deal.

Pros
[+] Class leading performance and efficiency
[+] Excellent compatibility with modern motherboards including LGA1156
[+] Extremely quiet
[+] Supplied with an NF-P14 140mm fan.
[+] Very easy to install
[+] U.L.N.A adapters
[+] Reasonably priced compared to its main competition and its predecessor
[+] High quality finish

Cons
[-] Size
[-] Middle fan is a tight fit

It\'s my pleasure to present the Noctua NH-D14 with the Vortez Hardware Gold Award today.



I\'d like to thank Noctua enormously for providing us with one of their first samples! To discuss this product or give us feedback, please visit our forums.