Noctua NA-HC7 chromax.Black.swap, Heatsink Cover for NH-U12A (Black)

It's a very simple thing that adds some flare to your PC build. Air cooling your CPU typically results in having a sizable chunk of metal with sharp fins sticking out into your case. This covers up some of those fins on a Noctua cooler and is held in place by a magnet, providing some swappable color cards you can hide behind the logo to make it red, blue, green, etc. It's definitely not a necessary accessory, but if you have an open or windowed case with a NH-U12A and are often staring at it on your desk, its nice to have; especially if your going for a certain color theme and want to expand that color to your CPU cooler. If your computer case is closed, and you never look at the internals, then there's really no reason to buy it.

Adds a cleaner look with multiple color options. In my case it prevented cpu cable from making contact with cooler heat sink fins.

If you have a glass sided case, this add-on to the Noctua CPU cooler really classes up the look of the cooler. Do you need it? Nope. Do you have to have it? Yep!

Noctua always has the details covered, and even on something as simple as a heatsink cover, there are no exceptions. There are magnets and a steel tension clip to ensure the cover stays in place, as well as small foam pads to dampen any vibrations. The shade of blue on the included color inserts match the blue color theme of my system perfectly.One issue I noticed is a small line across the front of the cover where the finish was slightly marred. The line matches up with the cardboard in which the unit is shipped, and was most likely caused by the box being compressed during shipping. I don’t think the mark will be a detraction once installed.One question I could not find an answer to before I ordered is if the cover causes any change in the effectiveness of the heatsink. I doubt the cover will cause an increase in CPU temp since the gaps in the fin stack are not covered. I plan on monitoring the CPU temp closely after install since at the end of the day, the cover is adding a layer on top of a section of the heatsink.

Super easy to install and elegant, but overpriced

Great fit on the top of my CPU heatsink! Looks awesome!Adds some style and looks to the top of the heatsink. The top of the heatsink is a bit unfinished. This gives it a much more completed look.The value of this is totally good when you get it in the package deal that is offered. I only added $10 to the cost when it came with the heatsink.I didn't think it would add any performance improvement. But because I had to adjust the position of one of the fans to clear my ram, the small opening that was created was sealed by the edge! That allowed for the proper airflow across the heatsink.

I ended up buying some Wood Wallpaper strip to add an extra bit of wood texture to better match my build.

You already spent $100+ on a top-of-the-line Noctua CPU cooler that will perform like a 1989 Chevy Lumina at the Daytona 500 for decades to come.Why not install the Tier 2 Racing Stripe?I dunno if it has any functional benefit, but it looks great and just like every Noctua product, is higher quality than it ever needed to be.Cons:I know it is not Noctua's style, but never has a product begged for ARGB support more than this.