Noctua NL-LC1 360mm and 420mm CPU liquid cooler Review
Noctua enters the liquid cooling market with its NL-LC1 series
Noctua has entered the All-In-One (AIO) CPU liquid cooling market with its new NL-LC1 series coolers
Within the PC space, Noctua is famed for creating some of the best fans and CPU coolers on the market. Its NH-D14 and NH-D15 CPU coolers are legendary, and its fans have remained well regarded for decades for their strong low-noise performance and reliability. This year, Noctua entered the liquid-cooling market with its NL-LC1 series, promising low noise and strong cooling performance with custom hardware. Today, we are putting this new hardware to the test.
Instead of relying on LCD screens and RGB lighting to sell itself, Noctua is selling its hardware on cooling performance and low noise levels. If you value silence, these coolers should pique your interest. After all, Noctua didn’t just slap its fans on an existing AIO design and call it a day. Noctua’s engineers clearly worked hard to make this product what it is.
NH-D15 G2
Alongside its new NL-LC1 liquid coolers, Noctua also sent us its NH-D15 G2 CPU cooler, allowing us to add it to our charts. This also gives us a comparison point between Noctua’s premier air-based CPU cooler and its newest liquid-cooling solutions.
Packaging
Noctua’s packaging is simple, effective, and robust. Its fans and accessories are compartmentalised into separate containers, and the liquid cooler itself is well-wrapped to prevent wear during transit. There are brands that don’t wrap their hoses, allowing them to rub against cardboard and discolour during transit. This isn’t an issue here, as Noctua’s packaging is top-notch.
Pump Noise Absorption
The main selling point of Noctua’s liquid cooler is its NL-PNA1 pump noise absorber (PNA). This is what sets Noctua’s NL-LC1 coolers apart from the rest. With multiple levels of noise absorption, Noctua has minimised pump noise, making its NL-LC1 coolers much quieter than competing designs. This is especially true compared with many LCD-clad liquid coolers, many of which lack noise-absorption add-ons because of their integrated screen tech.
Many liquid cooler manufacturers don’t focus on noise absorption, resulting in coolers with loud pumps. Noctua has focused on this area to deliver strong low-noise performance. Everything plays a role, from their metal faceplate to their outer shell and foam inserts.
Pricing
In the UK, Noctua’s NL-LC1 series coolers are available now from Amazon at the following prices. Note that Noctua’s NL-ACF1 Auxiliary fan is available as an add-on to provide motherboard VRM and DRAM cooling.
- NL-LC1-24 (240mm) – £190.95
- NL-LC1-36 (360mm) – £216.95
- NL-LC1-42 (420mm) – £242.95
- Noctua NL-ACF1 Auxiliary Cooling fan – £17.95
OC3D CPU Cooler Test Rig Specifications
Last year, we built a new PC to test CPU coolers. This new PC has a newer, hotter-running CPU, a more power-hungry graphics card, and a cooling layout common in today’s gaming PCs. Simply put, we have moved to more modern hardware so that we can better test modern CPU cooling solutions.
Note that we add an extra top-mounted 120mm fan at the top/rear of the case when testing air-based CPU coolers.
CPU: Intel i5-14600K @1.27V (Fixed)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WIFI
Case: Custom Lian Li O11 EVO XL
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000 32GB (2x16GB)
GPU: Sapphire RX 7900 GRE Nitro+
PSU: be quiet Dark Power 1,000W
Fans: 4x be quiet Silent Wings 4 fans
