The Basics:
All pictures of the coolers will show the NH-U9 on the left, and the NH-U12 on the right.
Removing the coolers you can get an idea of how they are designed. From the first view, they look very similar to other coolers, such as the Thermalright HR-01. You can see all of the fins, as well as the all copper heat-pipes. You can also see the height difference between the two coolers. They both have 38 fins, however the NH-U9's fins are closer together, resulting in a shorter overall height.
 
In this picture, the NH-U9 is in front of the NH-U12. Here you can see the tops of the coolers are identical. In fact, these coolers are identical in every way, except for the size. They are shaped a little different than other coolers, and this unique shape allows the fan to rest on the coolers and still leave sufficient space between the fan blades and the coolers to allow for good airflow. This space should help keep the noise level and temperature down, as well as help avoid any dead air spaces. You can also see the sides of the coolers, which include a large brace between each of the fins. This will provide some stability to the ends of the fins, where they are typically the weakest. I'd like to see the braces on the corners, rather than in the middle of the fins. However, the middle of the fins is where most others put the braces. I was impressed that the braces are much larger than most coolers use, which will provide more support.
Moving to the base of the coolers, you can see the heatpipes and the bases are solid copper. On the bases, you can also see two little holes on each of the sides. This is where you will put screws through for the mounting brackets.
The base of the coolers have been finished very well. There are no scratches or nicks on the bases. The center of the base (the portion that will actually touch the CPU) has been polished to a shine, although it does not have a mirror finish. You can see the edges of the bases were not given as close of attention as the center portion. However, that is not an issue as that portion of the base will not come into contact with anything.
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