Noctua NH-P1 CPU Passive Cooler Review

Table of Contents

Conclusion

Finally, we have the passive cooler from none other but Noctua at our hands. Noctua show cased the passive cooler back in 2019 during the CES. Being the passive cooler, it does not have any moving component. Let me clarify one thing which many have asked me. The NF-A12x25 LS PWM fan is not included in the NH-P1 box as it is optional component which the user can buy separately. The dimension of the heatsink is 158x154x152mm (HxWxD). The weight of the cooler is 1180g. For comparison the NH-D15S weighs around 1150g with a fan. So, in terms of overall weight pressure on the PCB, we have no significant difference as compared to the traditional high-end tower coolers from Noctua or competition. The cooler is compatible with Intel LGA2066, LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3 (Square ILM), LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1200 and AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required), AM4 sockets. The cooler has 6 years warranty from Noctua.

The NH-P1 has a total of 13 aluminum fins each having a thickness of 1.5mm. There is an approximate gap of 9mm between any two fins. The whole assembly is soldered with the 6x nickel-coated copper heat pipes. This is one ginormous cooler for its category and it makes perfect sense for that. The fins are arranged so that they are perpendicular to the heat source regardless of the orientation in which the cooler is installed. This is an important design element to avoid obstruction between the fins from the source of heat as the heat rises up, the perpendicular design will have the balanced transmission of heat across the entire surface area. The wider gap between the fins is also important as this cooler operates on the natural convection of airflow, we would want no resistance to airflow between the fins. The 1.5mm thick fins compensate for the low fin density. This is basic physics!

Since this cooler operates on the principles of natural convection, the choice of the PC case along with other components is a critical decision. Noctua has provided a list of the compatible PC cases on the website aiding the user identifying the right PC case for this cooler. Same goes for the CPU which is important as well since this cooler might not support every type of load on every chip and user should check for the Noctua’s NSRP rating and compatibilities notes on the list of the supported CPUs for this cooler. Same goes for the motherboard.

Noctua is using Torx-based multi-socket mounting hardware, SecuFirm2+ making this cooler compatible with the listed sockets including the Intel LGA-1200 and AMD AM4. Noctua has provided a NM-SD1 screw driver in the box with a long tip and a grip handle. The installation is still as simple and efficient as we have seen on other Noctua coolers.

The Noctua NH-P1 is an attractive option for:

Users who would want nothing but quiet operations and would want to have decent cooling capabilities. This cooler can deliver on that with 0 dB sound level. Do check the CPU compatibility listing.
Users who are into low maintenance as this cooler does not have active cooling component so dust build-up on the fins is considerably less as compared to the active coolers.
Gamers who would want silent gaming.
Lower power load setups.

The MSRP of the Noctua NH-P1 at the time of this review is USD/EURO 109.90. This is a high priced tag for being the passive cooling solution. The part of this high price would probably be coming from the high production cost as new equipment for manufacturing of 1.5mm thick fin plates could have been employed by Noctua. The NH-D15 or other competitive solutions actually cost less than this premium price tag and offer far better performance hence it is important to understand the different target market for this cooler as mentioned above.

We put the cooler in testing different loads on Intel i7 10700k and found that the cooler doing a fine job for what it is designed for. For more details, check the thermal testing section. The user can optionally add NF-A12x25 LS PWM fan to lower the temperatures further without much compromising the sound level though this would have other considerations like the fan mounting locations and result on the overall airflow inside the case. The top mounted fan would help with the VRM temperature as well. Keep in mind going that route will up the total price of the cooling solution to USD/EURO 139.8.