Sound Level Testing
We used a standard generic digital sound level meter at 15 inches. It is important to note we use the MicroCool Banchetto 101 Chassis for testing which is an open chassis. This means you are hearing the CPU cooler’s fan unobstructed. If you place any fan or cooler in an enclosed chassis, the sound results should be quieter in most situations.
Thermal Paste
We use Arctic MX-2 for all heatsink cooler tests and in fact, we use it for all builds, test or otherwise. We run the AIDA64 Engineer stability test as our burn-in programme for thermal paste, which allows the paste to spread out and share the love across the mating surfaces. It is worth doing, we always notice a drop in temperatures even after only 30 minutes of burn-in.
On with the results, with Stock sound and thermal performance first.
Noctua NF-A12x25 120mm Fan Review
Package - 9
Performance - 8
Price - 7.5
Consumer Experience - 8.5
8.3
We are not going to suggest you run out and replace your high-end CPU Cooler fans with the Noctua NF-A12x25 Fans, but boosting your cooling performance with a couple of NF-A12x25 Fans wouldn't see you wrong. For a more traditional use, adding these fans to a radiator or chassis setup is going to give a very good airflow and acoustic performance, depending on the design of your chassis and its airflow, or lack of!