Noctua is keeping it's ear to the ground, and seeing a lack of quality, quiet, low profile CPU coolers has taken it apon itself to fill this need.

Vienna, February 21st 2012 - Noctua today presented its new NH-L12 low-profile cooler for Small Form Factor cases and HTPC environments. The NH-L12 features a flexible NF-F12 (120mm) / NF-B9 (92mm) dual PWM fan setup that can be configured either for full performance in dual fan mode or extra-low profile (66mm) with the top fan removed.

 

If yo're thinking this would look cool in your overclocked highend system, take note of this quote from the Noctua Specs page for this product.

   "Caution: The NH-L12 is a low-profile quiet cooler designed for use in small form factor cases and HTPC environments. While it provides first rate performance in its class, it is not suitable for overclocking and should be used with care on CPUs with more than 95W TDP (Thermal Design Power). Please consult our TDP guidelines to find out whether the NH-L12 is recommended for your CPU."
 

"The industry trend towards Small Form Factor and Home Theatre PCs is well-established, but there's still a lack of suitable high-quality quiet CPU coolers", explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "Building a powerful PC always requires a capable CPU, which in return demands a competent cooling solution. But who wants his HTPC to sound like a jet engine? This is precisely where the NH-L12 steps in."

Thanks to its exquisite dual fan setup consisting of Noctua's highly optimised NF-F12 (120mm) and NF-B9 (92mm) premium fans, the NH-L12 pushes the bar in terms of low-profile quiet cooling performance. Alternatively, the NH-L12 can also be used with the NF-B9 92mm fan only in order to reduce the overall height to 66mm. This way, the cooler is suitable for many typical µATX or Mini-ITX enclosures and ideal for whisper-quiet HTPC systems.

The NH-L12's NF-F12 and NF-B9 fans support PWM for convenient automatic speed control. In addition, the maximum fan speed can be reduced to 1200/1300rpm using the supplied Low-Noise Adaptors for even quieter operation. Bundled with the award-winning NT-H1 thermal compound and Noctua's SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting system, the NH-L12 packs everything a premium quality quiet cooler needs into a highly compact package.

Price and Availability
The NH-L12 will be available immediately at a recommended retail price of EUR 49.90 / USD 59.90.

About Noctua
Designed in Austria, Noctua's premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 1000 awards and recommendations from leading hardware websites and magazines, Noctua's fans and heatsinks are chosen by more than a hundred thousand satisfied customers around the globe.

Links
Details: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=46&lng=en
Specifications: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=46&lng=en&set=1
Photos: http://www.noctua.at/inc/imageviewer.php?item=46&pnr=0&lng=en

 

Specsifications;