We have looked at a variety of low profile CPU coolers over the past few years, and some of the top performing units have come from
Noctua. They manufacturer CPU coolers for all sorts of applications, but I have become quite fond of their low profile units, as they offer the high performance and low noise operation required when running an HTPC in a compact case.
The promotional image above shows off the subject of this review... the Noctua NH-L9x65. Previous low profile coolers from Noctua have been a bit different, as they have been even smaller. We covered the
NH-L9a and the
NH-L9i, both of which stood just 37mm tall, while sporting a pair of heatpipes to aid in cooling the CPU. If you have room for the NH-L9x65's 65mm overall height you'll get a cooler with the same sized fan, but with clearly more heatsink material and twice as many heatpipes (4).
In this review we'll attempt to see what sort of benefit can be achieved by having a taller low profile cooler, but first let's cover some of the published data on the NH-L9x65, as taken from the
product page on the Noctua website...
Cooler Features and Specifications:
» Socket compatibility:
» Intel: LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3(Square ILM), LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150
» AMD: AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required)
» Height (without fan): 51 mm
» Width (without fan): 95 mm
» Depth (without fan): 95 mm
» Height (with fan): 65 mm
» Width (with fan): 95 mm
» Depth (with fan): 95 mm
» Weight (without fan): 340 g
» Weight (with fan): 413 g
» Material Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating
» Max. TDP:
see TDP guide
» Fan compatibility: 92x92x14, 92x92x25
» Scope of Delivery:
» NF-A9x14 PWM premium fan
» Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
» NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound
» SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kit
» Noctua Metal Case-Badge
» Warranty: 6 Years
Fan Features and Specifications:
» Model: Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM
» Bearing: SSO2
» Max. Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): 2500 RPM
» Max. Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%): 1800 RPM
» Min. Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%): 600 RPM
» Max. Airflow: 57,5 m³/h
» Max. Airflow with L.N.A.: 40,8 m³/h
» Max. Acoustical Noise: 23,6 dB(A)
» Max. Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.: 14,8 dB(A)
» Input Power: 2,52 W
» Voltage Range: 12 V
» MTBF: > 150.000 h
