Testing
The following system was used to test the cooler:
– Processor: Intel i9 9900K @ 5GHz
– Motherboard: ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming X
– RAM: GOODRAM IRDM PRO 16GB DDR4-3600MHz
– GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
– SSD: Crucial p5 500GB
– HDD: GOODRAM IRDM 1TB SSD
– PSU: Seasonic Snow Silent 750W Platinum
– Case: be quiet! Silent Base 802 White
– Thermal compound: Noctua NT-H2
Software used for testing the cooler:
– AIDA64 Extreme Version: 6.32.5600
– Intel Burn Test v2.54
– Prime95 29.1
The cooler was tested with the CPU at the default turbo frequency of 4.9 GHz and overclocked to 5 GHz with a core voltage of 1.261 V.
Also, the included fans have been used at their maximum speed.
The room temperature was approximately 26°C (78°F), with 2°C margin of error.
The idle test consists of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 30 minutes, the temperature was measured at the end of the test.
The settings of the software used are the following:
Intel Burn Test v2.54 – Stress level: Maximum
Prime95 29.1- small FFT
AIDA64 Extreme Version – FPU Benchmark & Temperature monitoring.
Each test was conducted for 40 minutes.
Idle
Full Load – IntelBurnTestV2
Full Load – AIDA64 CPU, FPU & Cache
The noise level was measured at three different distances from the fans (10cm, 20cm, 30cm.) the noise was measured with a margin of error of ± 2 db.
Final thoughts
The Noctua NH-P1 is the first fully passive CPU cooler developed and released by Noctua. This CPU cooler has one simple purpose, to cool the CPU with zero noise output, in addition, having no fans, the NH-P1 has no failure points and will work for many years. Despite being a CPU cooler that is recommended to be used with medium TDP CPUs, the NH-P1 can handle a Intel i9 9900K, however overclocking is out of the question and intensive tasks will push the cooler over its limit.
The build quality of this CPU cooler is one of the best on the market, with no flaws in the soldering of the heatpipes and the edges of the cooling fins are smooth. All surfaces of the heatsink are smooth to the touch and have no manufacturing defects.
The performance of the NH-P1 is very good, especially since this cooler has no included fans and will rely solely on the airflow of the system. With an ambient temperature of 26°C (78°F), the 9900K used for testing reached a maximum temperature of 78°C with no fans used. However, if the optional Noctua NF-A12x25 LS-PWM is used, then the temperature is lowered to 72°C. While these temperatures might look high for a stock i9 9900K, the cooler achieved them in absolute silence.
The installation process is very easy not only thanks to the way the cooler is designed, with ample room to work around it and through the heatsink, but also thanks to the SecuFirm2 mounting system. Speaking of which, the SecuFirm mounting system included with the NH-P1 cooler uses a brand new Torx screwdriver, this is required to successfully install the cooler on the CPU. The reason why Torx screws are used instead of the regular Phillips is because a Torx screw allows for more torque and grip to be used.
The price of around 100 USD for the NH-P1 is justified by the zero-noise output of this CPU cooler. Not only that, but this cooler will work forever, as it has no failure points.
One disadvantage of this CPU cooler, for some users, is its size, with a height of around 158mm, the NH-P1 is not a small CPU cooler, but it’s not abnormally tall either. What this means is that some cases will be unable to fit the CPU cooler, but this is the case with many air CPU coolers available right now.
In conclusion, the Noctua NH-P1 is a great CPU cooler that innovates a product that is close to its performance peak. For many years, air CPU coolers have remained the same, with little improvements of fans and build quality. The NH-P1 improves on that with its unique layout, improved mounting system and the installation flexibility. The cooling performance is good for a cooler of this size and for a CPU cooler that does not use any fans by default. In addition, the usage of the Noctua NF-A12x25 LS-PWM fan will not add any sound into the system as the fan is dead silent.
