Noctua NH-P1 Passive CPU Cooler Review

How Much Does it Cost?

Noctua has confirmed that the NH-P1 passive CPU cooler is available to purchase now for a price in the region of $109.90. Additionally, the NF-A12x25 LS-PWM fan (designed for use with this cooler) is also available for an extra $29.90. – We should note though that the fan is an additional optional purchase and, to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing, is not provided as a ‘bundle’ package. – In a nutshell, if you want the optional fan, you have to pay the extra for it.

Sticking with this as a purely ‘passive’ cooler though, in direct comparative terms, the NH-P1 is around $20 more expensive than their market-leading NH-D15. Is it worth it though? Well, that will ultimately boil down to the consumer. This comes with a 6-year warranty. Albeit, given its practically bulletproof design and passive functionality, I see no reason why this couldn’t be ‘lifetime’. There is, quite literally, very little that could go wrong in this cooler’s design (it scores big points due to the ‘no moving parts’ durability bonus).

Overview

Aesthetically speaking, we’ll freely admit that the NH-P1 is challenged. Yes, it tries its best with that very sleek stainless steel design, but it is hard to escape the reality that this is bulky and, quite frankly, huge. There is no doubt in our minds that even when compared to Noctua’s other rather girthy offerings, this would be the most dominant factor in any PCs overall interior appearance.

As many might argue with Noctua cooling solutions, however, looks have never been their strongest suit. Although I am not a spokesperson, I would personally suggest that they have always placed a greater emphasis on performance than appearances. In that regard, the NH-P1 is absolutely fantastic. Admittedly, it does better with the fan installed, as you might expect. However, in its passive state, it still manages to provide an excellent level of CPU temperature control. One that would undoubtedly be even better within an enclosed PC case with a decent enough intake/exhaust set-up.

The key factor in any passive design, however, is noise. With no fan, this is entirely silent. I’ll even admit that when testing it at 100% load, I did have to check to see if I’d actually started the test as there wasn’t the noise I anticipate with practically ever other CPU cooler I review.

Should I Buy One?

So, we’re onto the most critical part of the review and, rather annoyingly for me in coming up with a succinct evaluation, also one of the most contentious. Noctua has, without a doubt, created the best passive CPU cooler money can currently buy with the NH-P1. It provides excellent levels of CPU temperature control and does so without making any noise whatsoever. Depending on how ‘grunty’ your processor is, however, there will potentially be some limitations placed on its performance with this as your cooling solution. While it will largely run as normal and happy enough in its passive state, there will definitely be limitations as to how often it will allow the CPU to go into ‘boost’ clock speed modes just based on the proxy of average running temperatures. Particularly after around an hour’s usage when it should start to get fully up to its ‘ambient’ temperature with no dedicated airflow to help shift that away. And we’re not going to lie; that is something that may ultimately translate into slightly lower gaming framerates and/or performance from your system. Lower temperatures allow for more access to boost clock speeds and that’s definitely a factor to consider with any passively cooled product. Specifically where they usually get up to a certain temperature point and have nothing to offer in terms of dropping it quickly other than shutting the PC down for a bit. It passively heats, and it passively cools.

Therefore, if gaming or high-end performance is a factor for you, then we honestly couldn’t make a strong argument for choosing this particular cooler over something like the Noctua NH-D15. It’s ultimately no bigger and will provide better performance over longer, consistent, or more demanding portions of CPU operation. Yes, you can buy a fan to go with the NH-P1, but we’re not sure if this really defeats the purpose of this truly being marketed as a passive cooler. Again, the temperature performance was undoubtedly better in our testing with that dedicated cooling solution in place, but if that’s what you value over noise, you might as well choose one of Noctua’s alternative (and excellent) products.

In a nutshell, I like the NH-P1, I want to love it, but overall, I feel that for the vast majority of PC consumers (and particularly so gaming), Noctua just simply has better alternatives. The NH-P1 is almost too much of a niché product.

Overall, I think what this boils down to is the NH-P1 being an amazing CPU cooler, but only for the right sort of person. What do you value more? Low CPU temperatures with high noise levels or decent temperature control with totally silent performance? Because that’s basically the choice you’re given here with the NH-P1. – Think about this for one second, though… How often, as a consumer, have you ever been given that as an option? Compromises are there for sure, but few offer totally silent performance while still handling the CPU effectively.

While we find it hard to recommend the NH-P1 to the ‘average’ consumer who likely wants the best of both worlds, or the least worse, (in terms of noise and temperature), if you want a cooler that performs exceptionally well while not even making a whisper, the NH-P1 could very well be the answer to your acoustic prayers! – It’s solid, silent, and when you truly consider what Noctua has achieved here with a passive design, it’s nothing short of remarkable!

Pros

• A true ‘high-end’ passive cooling solution
• Build quality is to the highest standard
• Highly decent levels of CPU temperature control while providing literally zero noise output
• Despite being very large, the NH-P1 still manages to pull off a relatively attractive aesthetic
• Exceptionally easy to install

Cons

• Taking the ‘zero noise’ aspect out of the design (which admittedly is a majorly positive selling point of this design), we struggle to find any benefit to the NH-P1 when compared to Noctua’s other amazing CPU cooling solutions
• Noctua seemingly downplays the NH-P1’s size/dimensions on both the packaging and its official website (a small diagram for the former with no ‘full-sized’ images, and absolutely nothing on the latter) – This could lead to purchases by consumers who may not find this suitable for their system

Neutral

• Compatibility with motherboards, cases, and processors will be an important factor (the latter in terms of high-load performance – the former in terms of its size)
• Something of a specialist product. Ideal for those who value minimal overall system noise output, but hard to recommend if any other factors take a greater priority for the consumer
• The price is (on the surface) rather high, and more so if you opt for the optional fan (about $140 all-in)