Performance
The performance of the NH-P1 cooler has been tested on the gaming platform, which contains the i7-11700K CPU, MSI Z590I Unify motherboard, HyperX Predator 16GB DDR4-4600 memory kit, and EVGA RTX3060 XC graphics card.
Our comparison includes tests performed only on the NH-P1 cooler. The results contain the temperature in idle and under a full load but also the average temperature during the test.
There are three settings: 3D test, which includes a quite long Final Fantasy XV benchmark, CPU test without AVX performed by AIDA64 stability test, and CPU test with AVX/AVX-512 performed by AIDA64 CPU+FPU stability test. Each setting has been tested passively and with the help of an NF-A15x25 LS-PWM fan.
The results require additional explanation. The CPU temperature in three tests reached 100°C what is still safe for the CPU. However, the CPU test without AVX instructions kept the CPU frequency around 4.6GHz, while in AVX tests, the CPU was running at about 3.6-4.0GHz. In 3D tests, the frequency could go up as high as 5GHz what gives us about the same performance as on large coolers with standard fans. The short version would be that our 11700K CPU could run at the frequency specified by Intel, and this is already a success considering its TDP and real wattage.
I highly doubt that anyone would use AVX instructions for longer during daily gaming or work. In every other scenario, we can assume that the NH-P1 is good enough to keep the CPU at reasonable temperatures and optimal frequency at the same time. We can play games or do everything in the passive mode as the CPU won’t ever run at 100% load. Of course, our tests were made on an open space rig but in 3D tests, the graphics card was blowing hot air into the NH-P1 cooler. PC cases recommended for passive cooling are not much worse than the open space rig, but the list of optimal cases for passive cooling is not very long. With the expensive cooler comes also an expensive PC case. We have to remember that these are not products for an average user, and exceptional, high-quality products have their price.
To help with the airflow, we can install a graphics card on a riser or farther PCIe slot. That’s assuming we are using a gaming series, discrete graphics card.
The cooler is able to handle any CPU at about 120W of the continuous load so this is what I recommend setting as a long load power limit during a manual overclocking. The 11700K was reaching even a 200W peak during AVX tests but the average was still around 140W. During CPU tests without AVX and in 3D tests, we could register around 150W maximum and 125W average.
I won’t hide that the initial idea was to test the NH-P1 cooler on a Ryzen 4650G. However, good results on the i7-11700K, known for being very hot during work, convinced me that this CPU should appear in the review. It proves that even high series processors can be passively cooled when it’s done right. Noctua again proved that can change the market by delivering well-designed and unique products.
The NH-P1 cooler is not designed for overclocking. As far as it can be used to overclock lower TPD processors, most of them have locked ratios and won’t overclock anyway. Those users who are thinking about overclocking higher TDP processors should take a look at the NH-D15/D15S coolers as they’re quiet and perform great with CPUs at 200W+.
