Reviews & awards

After testing NL-LC1-36 and NL-LC1-42 coolers, we have also tested the 240mm version of this generation of liquid coolers from Noctua named NL-LC1-24. This cooler is compatible with AMD AM4/AM5 and Intel LGA1700/1851/1954 sockets. Noctua has bundled its high-performance NF-A12x25 PWM G2 with this cooler. These are the best fans from Noctua at present and provide an excellent noise-to-performance ratio.

For the pump, Noctua has employed Asetek Emma V2 Gen8 platform which is Asetek’s flagship pump solution for liquid coolers. Noctua’s customization comes in the form of three layered sound dampening/noise absorbing foams with dense barrier that sits right on top of the pump inside the main housing. This pump uses a three-phase motor with a centrifugal impeller type and a ceramic sleeve and shaft.

Noctua has introduced three modes for pump speed regulation: Quiet, Balanced, and Manual. A slider switch is provided on the rear of the pump housing. For a complete and wide PWM range, use Manual mode. In our testing, the Quiet mode also provides highly competitive performance from these coolers.

An integrated sensor monitors the liquid temperature and uses built-in safety features under certain conditions like pump operating at 100% PWM range if the coolant temperature crosses 55°C. Similarly, when coolant temperature starts crossing 45°C, the pump speed also starts increasing accordingly.

The NL-LC1-24 features an aluminum radiator of size 279.5x120x30mm. It has a total thickness of 59mm. Noctua has used a non-louvered fin design. The EPDM tubes with a low permeation rate are used on these coolers. The NL-LC1-24 has a tube length of 400mm. Speaking of the coolant, it comprises 22% propylene glycol and 78% water.