Introduction

A big thank you to Noctua for supplying the review sample.

With a reputation built on outstanding performance, exceptional quality, and ultra-low noise levels, Noctua remains a premier manufacturer of cooling products. Like the gold standard in the industry, they continue to serve as the benchmark to which all others are compared. The distinctive tan and brown color scheme may not appeal to everyone, but it remains a hallmark of the brand. Most PC enthusiasts can recognize it at a glance, and that brand awareness, combined with some of the best warranty and after-sales support in the industry, ensures Noctua remains a quintessential favorite among enthusiasts.

Noctua is finally releasing their all-in-one liquid cooler, something many thought would never actually happen, but the wait is over. They have three offerings; the NL-LC1-24. NL-LC1-36, and NL-LC1-42. Today's review will focus on the NL-LC1-36, which is a 360 mm Asetek based AIO. It uses the Emma V2 platform which has been heavily customized to suit Noctua's needs. Rather than just sticking with the easy low-hanging fruit of slapping their award-winning fans onto an AIO, Noctua has done a great deal of internal engineering and testing to get the most out of this platform. To start with the pump uses acoustic soundproofing and tuned mass dampening to keep vibration and noise to a minimum. To further improve performance they will continue to use the SecuFirm2+ mounting hardware, with an offset option for AMD and Intel systems. Noctua even opted to create a separate optional VRM fan accessory package; the NL-ACF1. So with that said, let's take a closer look and see how it all comes together, and if it was worth the wait!