Review on 🍫 Noctua NH-C14S, High-Performance CPU Cooler with NF-A14 PWM 140mm Fan (Brown) by Chris Owens

Just installed my NH-C14S. Relevant specs for my setup: mATX MSI Z390M AC motherboard, EVGA 1070 TIthermaltake Core v21 case, Intel i7-8700k processor, 6 Noctua 140mm (ULN type) low noise case fans. RAM Corsair Vengeance 4x16 GB, 2400 MHz. Heatsink for extra power (both fans blow up). Installing a second fan was very easy thanks to the included clamps and Y-splitter cable. My only issue with this product so far has been the actual placement of the heatsink over the CPU. Luckily, Noctua offers a long screwdriver that should match the length of the heatsink. The problem was that when installing such a massive component (with thermal grease already applied to the processor) it is very difficult to bolt the heatsink housing to the terminal posts. I really had to apply a lot of pressure (a lot of body weight) to activate the threads. With such fragile components, I worry about things slipping and/or breaking. Spacing: There are two space issues with such a small setup. 1) The installed heatsink interfered VERY little with the 140mm case fan blowing through the rear. I had to push the heatsink back a bit (used a folded credit card to push it). 2) The back of the graphics card is VERY close in the way of the heatsink. It succeeds, but there are only a few millimeters between them (maybe 1/8 inch). The height of the v21 core is high enough to easily handle this heatsink even with two 140mm case fans connected to the top of the case. .Thermal Performance: I haven't run any CPU intensive tasks or overclocked yet, but a 2 hour gaming session has never raised the CPU temperature above 45C. While the heatsink does the trick, the Thermaltake v21 core does a great job of handling airflow, and my GPU, running at full power, never went above 58C. There's definitely room for some overclocking, if I ever do that Feel like the CPU is limited. Sound: I'm still working with the chassis on the table (rear facing) and there is no sound from the heatsink. A slow ceiling fan in an office is the noisiest element.