Noctua’s long-awaited passive CPU cooler is here

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Noctua is known for making mighty quiet PC fans, and now it has a CPU cooler that doesn’t need a fan at all. Two years after announcing a passive heatsink potent enough to keep a Core i9-9900K CPU in check, the dead-silent Noctua NH-P1 (via VideoCardz) has finally gone on sale today for $110. It’s an absolute unit at 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds).

According to the company’s delightfully ASMR build video below (via PC Gamer), the final product’s six soldered heatpipes and thick fins are good enough to run a Core i9-11900K near its TDP of 125W, and even give you a slight overclock to 3.6GHz, though it’ll heavily depend on your case and other components that might also generate heat. The company has a whole set of setup guidelines, a CPU compatibility list, and even a list of recommended cases so you know what you’re getting into and start off on the right foot.

Assuming you’ve got those things in check, you shouldn’t have too much trouble fitting it to your motherboard: it appears to be compatible with all modern desktop CPU sockets and has “100% RAM clearance on LGA1200 and AM4,” with a note that you might want to avoid tall RAM modules if you’re using an LGA2066 motherboard.

The company also has a quiet (12.1dB) new 120mm fan, the NF-A12x25 LS-PWM, if you really want an extra burst of cooling on occasion. It’s set to come to a dead stop at 0 percent PWM, so your fan controller can only turn it on when you need it.