You buy it with your eyes closed... and if you don't like coffee, now it also comes in black. It is by far one of the best air coolers on the market and is intended for those who want similar performance to the NH-D15 but prefer the best fans ever made, much less noise, much smaller size, and compatibility with all RAM.

It uses the best fans ever made by Noctua (NF-A12x25) in terms of noise/performance, as they have incredible aerodynamic design. For even lower noise, it can be installed with a "Low-Noise" adapter, although in my opinion, it is not necessary.

In my system, it cools an Intel i7-11700K Overclocked @ 5.0 GHz (all-core) without any issues. It literally outperforms many liquid cooling systems, which require maintenance and have much more noise due to the pump.

With proper placement on a core i7-12700 in a huge spacious case, it does not perform as expected. Currently, it idles at 36-39 degrees and reaches up to 85 degrees in stress tests. When running at full capacity, it is audible. Additionally, on the Aorus Z690 Pro, it fits towards the RAM due to an asymmetry on the sides, matching the Kingston DDR5 Furybeast exactly. It will not fit with taller RAM or it will be installed towards the other side, causing the exhaust fan to be raised above the IO panel, which will further affect performance. Okay, it doesn't allow the CPU to throttle, but it's too expensive for what it offers. Let's not make false claims that it is better than a water cooler.

Initially, I was skeptical about air cooling and was ready to buy an AIO liquid cooler that offers guaranteed performance and an extra fan to improve the case's airflow. After watching Linus' video, I thought about combining this cooler with the Lian-Li Lancool 2 Mesh, which is possibly the case with the best airflow, as he showed that in some cases it is quieter and more effective than an AIO. And he was right. I found that under load, the CPU didn't exceed 55°C and the GPU stayed below 50°C. In my opinion, if you can combine it with a case with good airflow, there is no reason to buy a liquid cooler.

With Ryzen 7 5800X and Noctua H2 paste, the lowest temperature is 28 degrees and the highest is 52 degrees. Finally, Noctua knows what they are doing!