// PC GAMER — GAMING
Noctua NL-LC1 review
The Noctua NL-LC1 is hands down the best liquid cooler. It's incredibly proficient at cooling even the most demanding processor under heavy load, and remains remarkably quiet while doing it. Though, it's far from the best value. Silence is golden—be prepared to pay a lot for it.
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Noctua is pretty good at this whole cooling thing. It takes one swing at a liquid cooler and nails it first time. To be fair, it's not done it alone. Noctua developed the NC-LC1 atop of a high-end liquid cooling platform from the company that literally invented liquid coolers, Asetek. Nevertheless, it's a potent combination, combining a performant pump with world-class fans and sound dampening.
The NL-LC1 is the best liquid cooler I've tested, and there's one reason for that. It's just how little sound it generates while running at full speed. It's incredibly quiet. So, if you value quiet above all else, you really should give this a look.
Of course, quiet comes at a premium. If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 is equally competent as the NL-LC1-36 (360 mm model) without the mega-bucks price tag. But the Arctic cooler is anything but quiet at full speed, and the NL-LC1-36 and NL-LC1-42 (420 mm model) are on another level when balancing acoustics with performance.
✅ Money is no object: The NL-LC1-42 does a fantastic job, keeping a chip running at 230 W under control without breaking a sweat.
✅ You want the quietest: The NL-LC1-36 is ridiculously quiet considering its performance. Noctua knows how to build a fan, but that pump enclosure really is something else.
❌ You want value for money: The Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro is more or less as good in terms of performance. It's a lot louder, but if you sacrifice some fan speed you can get it under control.
❌ It doesn't match your build: The brown, beige, and black of the NL-LC1 is tough to match with non-Noctua parts. It's definitely going to clash with lots of RGB lighting.
The Noctua NL-LC1 is hands down the best liquid cooler. It's incredibly proficient at cooling even the most demanding processor under heavy load, and remains remarkably quiet while doing it. Though, it's far from the best value. Silence is golden—be prepared to pay a lot for it.