While Noctua’s regular 120mm CPU coolers stand 158mm tall, the NH-D12L measures only 145mm. This allows it to fit not only a wide range of 4U rackmount server cases and many tower-style enclosures that are not wide enough for 158mm units, but also some larger Small Form Factor (SFF) and Mini-ITX chassis.

Despite its reduced height, the NH-D12L easily outperforms 92mm coolers. It can even surpass renowned 120mm units such as the NH-U12S and often comes close to Noctua’s award-winning 120mm flagship model NH-U12A.

Introduced in 2018, Noctua’s NF-A12x25 is widely considered to be the best 120mm fan on the market. The round-frame variant used on the NH-D12L provides the same renowned quiet cooling performance yet makes it possible to reduce overall cooler height without risking compatibility issues with tall motherboard heatsinks or shrouds.

Due to its asymmetric design, the NH-D12L does not overhang the RAM slots on Intel LGA1700 (LGA17xx family)/LGA1200/LGA115x and AMD AM4/AM5 based motherboards, which ensures easy access to the modules and 100% compatibility with DIMMs that feature tall heat-spreaders or RGB lighting. On LGA2066, the rear fin stack will overhang the RAM slots on the left-hand side of the socket, so RAM modules must not exceed 45mm height.

The NF-A12x25r 120mm fan supplied with the NH-D12L supports PWM for convenient automatic speed control through the motherboard: full performance under load, virtually silent at idle! In addition, the maximum fan speed can be reduced from 2000 to 1700rpm using the supplied Low-Noise Adaptor for even quieter operation.

The NH-D12L ships with a second pair of fan clips that can be used to install a second NF-A12x25r PWM fan either on the front or on the rear fin stack. However, it must be noted that the second fan will usually sit on top of either the RAM or I/O panel and thereby increase the total height beyond 145mm.

Noctua’s SecuFirm2™ mounting systems have become synonymous with quality, safety and easy installation. Supporting Intel LGA1700 (LGA17xx family), LGA1200, LGA115x (LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156) and LGA20xx (LGA2066, LGA2011-0, LGA2011-3), as well as AMD AM4 and AM5, the SecuFirm2™ mounting included with the NH-D12L is straightforward to install, provides perfect contact pressure and will stand the test of time even under heavy use.

Thanks to Noctua’s SecuFirm™ ecosystem, the NH-D12L can be made compatible with the older LGA1366 and LGA775 sockets using the optional NM-I3 mounting kit, which is provided free of charge. If technically possible, Noctua will also provide upgrade kits for future sockets, which makes the NH-D12L a safe long-term investment.

Noctua's much-acclaimed NT-H1 is a pro-grade TIM solution that provides minimum thermal resistance, excellent ease of use and outstanding reliability. Chosen again and again by overclockers and enthusiast users worldwide, it has established itself as a benchmark for premium-quality thermal compounds.

With many heatsinks, the fins are press-fitted to the heatpipes. Due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of copper and aluminium, this fit can loosen over years of thermal cycling, which may lead to reduced performance. By contrast, the NH-D12L’s fins are soldered to the heatpipes in order to guarantee a superior thermal interface that doesn’t deteriorate even after many years of usage.