Noctua NH-U12A User manual

Noctua NH-U12A | Installation Manual | LGA115x
LGA115x
Caution: The supplied backplate will install over the mother-
board’s stock backplate, so the motherboard’s stock backplate
must not be taken off.
Attaching the backplate2
Place the backplate on the rear side of the motherboard so that
the bolts stick through the mounting holes.
Caution: Please make sure that the three cut-outs in the
supplied backplate align with the screws of the motherboard’s
stock backplate.
First put the plastic spacers onto the bolts of the backplate, then
add the mounting bars.
Installing the mounting bars3
Caution: Choose the alignment of the mounting bars according to
the desired final orientation of the cooler:
Caution: Make sure that the curved sides of the mounting bars are
pointing outwards.
Fix the mounting bars using the 4 thumb screws.
Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm).
If there are residual traces of thermal paste or thermal pads on
your CPU, please clean them off first. Then press a small drop
(3-4mm diameter) of NT-H1 onto the centre of the heatspreader.
Applying the thermal paste
Caution: Applying too much thermal paste will lower heat
conductivity and cooling performance!
4
Dear customer,
Thank you very much for choosing the Noctua NH-U12A.
First introduced in 2005, our NH-U12 series has won more than
600 awards and recommendations from leading international
hardware websites and magazines. The NH-U12A is the latest
addition to this prestigious series and I’m confident that you will be
able to sense some of the research, attention and care we’ve put
into making this product.
Enjoy your Noctua NH-U12A!
Yours sincerely,
Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO
This manual will guide you through the installation process of the
SecuFirm2™ mounting system step by step.
Prior to installing the cooler, please consult the compatibility list
on our website (www.noctua.at/compatibility) and verify that the
cooler is fully compatible with your motherboard. Please also make
sure that your PC case offers sufficient clearance for the cooler and
that there are no compatibility issues with any other components
(e.g. tall RAM modules). Double check that the heatsink and fan
clips do not make contact with the VGA card or other PCIe cards.
Noctua cannot be held responsible for any damage or losses
caused by compatibility issues.
Should you encounter any difficulties, please check the FAQs on
our website (www.noctua.at/faqs) and don’t hesitate to contact our
support team at [e-mail].
Multilingual versions of this manual are available on our
website: www.noctua.at/manuals
Required mounting parts:
2x NM-IMB3 mounting bars1x NM-IBP2 backplate
4x NM-ITS1 thumb screws
In case you want to use the cooler on an assembled system and
your case doesn’t have a cut-out at the rear side of the mother-
board tray, you first have to remove the motherboard from the
case in order to be able to install the supplied backplate.
Removing the motherboard1
4x NM-IPS1 plastic spacers Orientation A Orientation B

Noctua NH-U12A | Installation Manual | LGA115x
LGA115x
Reattach both fans using the supplied steel clips for maximum
cooling performance. Alternatively, you can leave the rear fan off
and use it as a case fan instead.
Fan setup6
Even with high-grade products and strict quality control, the
possibility of defects cannot be eliminated entirely. Therefore,
we aim at providing the highest possible level of reliability and
convenience by offering a warranty period of 6 years and direct,
fast and straightforward RMA service.
Should you encounter any problems with your NH-U12A, please
don’t hesitate to contact our support team ([email protected]).
Please also consult the FAQ section on our website:
www.noctua.at/faqs
Warranty, support and FAQs
!
As it is not possible to reliably calculate or control the forces
that act upon a system during transport (e.g. in shipping), we
generally recommend, for safety reasons, taking the cooler off.
Noctua cannot be held responsible for any damage that may arise
due to excessive stress during transport if you keep the heatsink
installed.
Transporting your system!
Connect the fan(s) to the motherboard’s CPU fan header(s). If
necessary, use the supplied NA-YC1 y-cable to connect both fans
to one fan header.
Depending on your CPU and the temperature inside the case,
you may interconnect the supplied NA-RC14 Low-Noise Adaptors
(L.N.A.) in order to further reduce the fans’ operating noise.
Caution: Never use one adaptor for both fans by putting it before
the y-cable.
Caution: When using the L.N.A., check the temperature of your
CPU using appropriate software (e.g. the respective applications
of your motherboard manufacturer), in order to evade automatic
throttling of the CPU due to the increased temperature. If the cooling
performance is insufficient, please increase case ventilation or
remove the L.N.A.
Caution: Please first take off the fans as well as the protection
cover at the bottom side of the heatsink.
Fastening the heatsink to the CPU
5
Then put the heatsink onto the CPU and screw it to the screw
threads of the mounting bars. Perform 2-3 turns on each screw,
then repeat until both are fully tightened.
Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm).
3.
2.
1.

Noctua NH-U12A | Installation Manual | LGA20xx
LGA20xx
First screw the NM-IBT2 bolts into the screw threads of the
LGA20xx socket frame.
Installing the mounting bars1
Then put the NM-IMB3 mounting bars onto the bolts.
Caution: Choose the alignment of the mounting bars according to
the desired final orientation of the cooler:
Caution: Choose the alignment of the mounting bars according to
the desired final orientation of the cooler:
Orientation A Orientation B
Caution: Please first take off the fans as well as the protection
cover at the bottom side of the heatsink.
Fastening the heatsink to the CPU3
Dear customer,
Thank you very much for choosing the Noctua NH-U12A.
First introduced in 2005, our NH-U12 series has won more than
600 awards and recommendations from leading international
hardware websites and magazines. The NH-U12A is the latest
addition to this prestigious series and I’m confident that you will
be able to sense some of the research, attention and care we’ve
put into making this product.
Enjoy your Noctua NH-U12A!
Yours sincerely,
Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO
This manual will guide you through the installation process of the
SecuFirm2™ mounting system step by step.
Prior to installing the cooler, please consult the compatibility list
on our website (www.noctua.at/compatibility) and verify that the
cooler is fully compatible with your motherboard.
Please also make sure that your PC case offers sufficient clearance
for the cooler and that there are no compatibility issues with any
other components (e.g. tall RAM modules).
Double check that the heatsink and fan clips do not make contact
with the VGA card or other PCIe cards. Noctua cannot be held
responsible for any damage or losses caused by compatibility
issues.
Should you encounter any difficulties, please check the FAQs on
our website (www.noctua.at/faqs) and don’t hesitate to contact our
support team at [e-mail].
Multilingual versions of this manual are available on our
website: www.noctua.at/manuals
Required mounting parts:
2x NM-IMB3 mounting bars
4x NM-ITS1 thumb screws4x NM-IBT2 bolts
Caution: Make sure that the curved sides of the mounting bars are
pointing outwards.
Fix the mounting bars using the 4 thumb screws.
Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm).
If there are residual traces of thermal paste or thermal pads on
your CPU, please clean them off first. Then press a small drop
(4-5mm diameter) of NT-H1 onto the centre of the heatspreader.
Applying the thermal paste
Caution: Applying too much thermal paste will lower heat
conductivity and cooling performance!
2

Noctua NH-U12A | Installation Manual | LGA20xx
LGA20xx
Then put the heatsink onto the CPU and screw it to the screw
threads of the mounting bars. Perform 2-3 turns on each screw,
then repeat until both are fully tightened.
Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm).
Reattach both fans using the supplied steel clips for maximum
cooling performance. Alternatively, you can leave the rear fan off
and use it as a case fan instead.
Fan setup4
Connect the fan(s) to the motherboard’s CPU fan header(s). If
necessary, use the supplied NA-YC1 y-cable to connect both fans
to one fan header.
Depending on your CPU and the temperature inside the case,
you may interconnect the supplied NA-RC14 Low-Noise Adaptors
(L.N.A.) in order to further reduce the fans’ operating noise.
Caution: Never use one adaptor for both fans by putting it before
the y-cable.
Caution: When using the L.N.A., check the temperature of your
CPU using appropriate software (e.g. the respective applications
of your motherboard manufacturer), in order to evade automatic
throttling of the CPU due to the increased temperature. If the cooling
performance is insufficient, please increase case ventilation or
remove the L.N.A.
Even with high-grade products and strict quality control, the
possibility of defects cannot be eliminated entirely. Therefore,
we aim at providing the highest possible level of reliability and
convenience by offering a warranty period of 6 years and direct,
fast and straightforward RMA service.
Should you encounter any problems with your NH-U12A, please
don’t hesitate to contact our support team ([email protected]).
Please also consult the FAQ section on our website:
www.noctua.at/faqs
Warranty, support and FAQs!
As it is not possible to reliably calculate or control the forces
that act upon a system during transport (e.g. in shipping), we
generally recommend, for safety reasons, taking the cooler off.
Noctua cannot be held responsible for any damage that may arise
due to excessive stress during transport if you keep the heatsink
installed.
Transporting your system!
3.
2.
1.

Noctua NH-U12A | Installation Manual | AMD
AMD
If your motherboard comes with a pre-installed CPU cooler
retention module, please first remove it by unscrewing it from the
backplate. The SecuFirm2™ mounting system will install directly
to the stock backplate, so please keep it in place.
Removing the stock retention module -
Putting the backplate in place
1
Caution: Choose the alignment of the mounting bars according to
the desired final orientation of the cooler:
If there are residual traces of thermal paste or thermal pads on
your CPU, please clean them off first. Then press a small drop
(4-5mm diameter) of NT-H1 onto the centre of the heatspreader.
Applying the thermal paste3
Dear customer,
Thank you very much for choosing the Noctua NH-U12A.
First introduced in 2005, our NH-U12 series has won more than
600 awards and recommendations from leading international
hardware websites and magazines. The NH-U12A is the latest
addition to this prestigious series and I’m confident that you will
be able to sense some of the research, attention and care we’ve
put into making this product.
Enjoy your Noctua NH-U12A!
Yours sincerely,
Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO
This manual will guide you through the installation process of the
SecuFirm2™ mounting system step by step.
Prior to installing the cooler, please consult the compatibility list
on our website (www.noctua.at/compatibility) and verify that the
cooler is fully compatible with your motherboard.
Please also make sure that your PC case offers sufficient clearance
for the cooler and that there are no compatibility issues with any
other components (e.g. tall RAM modules). Double check that the
heatsink and fan clips do not make contact with the VGA card
or other PCIe cards. Noctua cannot be held responsible for any
damage or losses caused by compatibility issues.
Should you encounter any difficulties, please check the FAQs on
our website (www.noctua.at/faqs) and don’t hesitate to contact our
support team at [e-mail].
Multilingual versions of this manual are available on our
website: www.noctua.at/manuals
Required mounting parts:
Please first choose the correct set of plastic spacers and the correct
set of holes on the mounting bars depending on whether you are
using a socket AM4 or a socket AM2(+)/AM3(+)/FM1/FM2(+)
motherboard:
First put the plastic spacers onto the screw threads of the back-
plate, then fix the mounting bars using the four long screws.
Make sure that the curved sides of the mounting bars are pointing
outwards.
AMD stock backplate
(included with the motherboard)
4x NM-APS4
plastic spacers for
AM4
4x NM-ALS1
screws
2x NM-AMB11 mounting bars
4x NM-APS5
plastic spacers for
AM2(+)/AM3(+)
FM1/FM2(+)
If your motherboard does not come with a pre-installed CPU cooler
retention module, the AMD stock backplate should be included with
the motherboard accessories. Please put the backplate on the rear
side of the motherboard so that the screw threads of the backplate
stick through the mounting holes of the motherboard as shown
below. If your motherboard does not include a stock backplate,
please contact Noctua customer support at [email protected].
Installing the mounting bars2
NM-APS5 (white)
AM2(+)/AM3(+)
FM1/FM2(+)
NM-APS4 (grey)
AM4
Use the grey NM-APS4 spacers for AM4 and the white NM-APS5
spacers for AM2(+)/AM3(+)/FM1/FM2(+).
Use the set of holes marked with “4” for AM4 and the set of holes
marked with “3” for AM2(+)/AM3(+)/FM1/FM2(+).
AM2(+)/AM3(+)
FM1/FM2(+)
AM4
Caution: Applying too much thermal paste will lower heat
conductivity and cooling performance!

Noctua NH-U12A | Installation Manual | AMD
AMD
Caution: Please first take off the fan as well as the protection cover
at the bottom side of the heatsink.
Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm).
Reattach both fans using the supplied steel clips for maximum
cooling performance. Alternatively, you can leave the rear fan off
and use it as a case fan instead.
Fan setup5
Even with high-grade products and strict quality control, the
possibility of defects cannot be eliminated entirely. Therefore,
we aim at providing the highest possible level of reliability and
convenience by offering a warranty period of 6 years and direct,
fast and straightforward RMA service.
Should you encounter any problems with your NH-U12A, please
don’t hesitate to contact our support team ([email protected]).
Please also consult the FAQ section on our website:
www.noctua.at/faqs
Warranty, support and FAQs
!
As it is not possible to reliably calculate or control the forces
that act upon a system during transport (e.g. in shipping), we
generally recommend, for safety reasons, taking the cooler off.
Noctua cannot be held responsible for any damage that may arise
due to excessive stress during transport if you keep the heatsink
installed.
Transporting your system
!
Connect the fan(s) to the motherboard’s CPU fan header(s). If
necessary, use the supplied NA-YC1 y-cable to connect both fans
to one fan header.
Depending on your CPU and the temperature inside the case,
you may interconnect the supplied NA-RC14 Low-Noise Adaptors
(L.N.A.) in order to further reduce the fans’ operating noise.
Caution: Never use one adaptor for both fans by putting it before
the y-cable.
Caution: When using the L.N.A., check the temperature of your
CPU using appropriate software (e.g. the respective applications
of your motherboard manufacturer), in order to evade automatic
throttling of the CPU due to the increased temperature. If the cooling
performance is insufficient, please increase case ventilation or
remove the L.N.A.
Fastening the heatsink to the CPU4
Then put the heatsink onto the CPU and screw it to the screw
threads of the mounting bars. Perform 2-3 turns on each screw,
then repeat until both are fully tightened.
1.
2.
3.