INTRODUCTION

   Space is not something we all have in abundance either in our homes or offices so it's no wonder that many consumers tend to prefer micro-ATX and mini-ITX cases for their new systems over mid and full towers (such cases are actually doing considerably well in terms of sales). HTPCs however have never really been my thing, even almost a decade ago when i got to test some cool looking cases (not to mention expensive) with integrated LCD screens on them that still wasn't quite enough to change my mind. Still many friends of mine are into HTPCs so whenever i have the chance to test something from that segment of the market i take it and so today I’ll be testing the latest NH-L9i Chromax.Black Low-Profile CPU Cooler by our friends over at Noctua.

   Designed in Austria, Noctua’s premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 6000 awards and recommendations from leading hardware websites and magazines, Noctua’s fans and heatsinks are serving hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers around the globe.

   Like all previous Chromax.Black CPU coolers the NH-L9i Chromax.Black is basically a re-release of the award winning NH-L9i low-profile model by Noctua released back in late 2012 (review here), but instead of silver (nickel for the heatsink) and brown (for the fan) this is all-black. So once again we have almost the same 23mm tall aluminum & copper body (54 aluminum fins / 56 with the front and rear ones - design has changed slightly however between models) which Noctua has paired with the same 14mm thick NF-A9x14 PWM 92mm fan (2500RPM/33.8CFM/23.6dBA). This combination results in a very compact zero-interference (with mainboard components and RAM) model that stands just 37mm tall. The NH-L9i Chromax.Black is also covered by a 6 year limited warranty.