INTRODUCTION

   As many of you have noticed things are somewhat slow lately in everything related to PC cooling but considering most solutions we do get to see are very similar in design, size and performance this is not really surprising (nor bad really). On top of that add that we have entered the winter season and i doubt we will see anything really interesting at least for another couple of months or so (although CES is just around the corner so we may see something new announced there). Regardless of that however from time to time we do get to witness the release of unique (or dedicated as I like to call them) CPU Coolers aimed specifically at one of the various market segments (enthusiasts, overclockers, casual users, gamers, HTPC users) just like the latest NH-L9 L-Type low-profile cooler line by Noctua which is clearly aimed for HTPC use.

   Designed in Austria, Noctua's premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 1000 awards and recommendations from leading hardware websites and magazines, Noctua's fans and heatsinks are chosen by more than a hundred thousand satisfied customers around the globe. Noctua comes from a cooperation of the Austrian Rascom Computerdistribution Ges.m.b.H. with the Taiwanese cooling specialist Kolink International Corporation, pooling more than ten years of experience in the development, manufacturing and marketing of high-end cooling components. Established in 2005, Noctua took the international silent enthusiasts' hearts by storm and quickly developed into one of the most acclaimed suppliers of premium quality quiet cooling products. Today, Noctua is present in more than 30 countries across the globe and working with several hundred sales partners. Chosen by noise conscious PC users, system integrators and industry clients alike, Noctua has become synonymous with impeccable quality, excellent customer service and class leading quiet cooling performance.

   So far the Noctua NH-L9 L-Type low-profile cooler line consists by two models, the Intel LGA1150/1155/1156 compatible NH-L9i and the AMD AM2(+)/AM3(+)/FM1/FM2 compatible NH-L9a. Both CPU coolers are extremely small in size and thus ideal for use with very small mini/HTPC cases but it's their height that really steals the show which is no more than 37mm (23mm without the fan) along with the latest NF-A9x14 PWM 92mm fan which as you will see later is quite impressive in terms of performance, for its size that is. The only problem was that all our test systems are either based on the "old" yet proven Intel Core i7 920 or with the newest and quite more powerful Core i7 3930k Rev.2 so although i did my best to track down someone with a serious AMD system to test the NH-L9a with i was unable to. So basically only the NH-L9i was tested in the end by recruiting a friend who has built a somewhat powerful LGA1155 system and lives not far from where i do.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

NOCTUA NH-L9I

NOCTUA NH-L9A

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Both the NH-L9i and the NH-L9a get shipped inside very small cardboard boxes with the socket compatibility, main features, height and Noctua logo at the top.

You can find the full specifications tables on the left side.

On the right side Noctua has placed small images to illustrate the features of each cooler.

A few words about each cooler are placed at the bottom in 8 different languages right next to a small drawing with the unit’s measurements.

As you can see both coolers are securely placed inside a thin layer of foam along with the rest of the bundle.

Both bundles are quite similar and so aside each cooler you are also getting an thermal paste tube, low noise fan adapter, installation manual, Noctua case badge and all the necessary mounting screws (the AMD version also has a backplate).

THE NH-L9I @ NH-L9A

Although both coolers are of the same line only their height and fan used are identical and so the NH-L9i measures 37mm in height, 95mm in width, 95 in depth and weighs 420g (with the fan).

On the other hand the NH-L9a is 37mm in height, 114mm in width, 92mm in depth and weighs a total of 465g (with the fan). 

Both models use the latest NF-A9x14 PWM 92mm fan which measures just 14mm in height and comes with special SSO2 bearing and flow channels on each blade. This allows the fan to achieve speeds of up to 2500RPM and output airflow levels of 57.5m3/h (33.8CFM) at 23.6dBA.

As always Noctua has placed their logo at the front aluminum fin.

Here we can see that the NH-L9i has a total of 56 aluminum fins while the NH-L9a has 68.

The base of both coolers is even and comes with a mirror like finish.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Since these tests were not performed in our lab we didn't have many CPU Coolers to test the 3770k with (i had a hard time convincing my friend to remove the Kuhler 920, reinstall the stock HSF and then the NH-L9i) but we did manage to keep the room temperature to 22-23 degrees celsius (not really hard this time of the year) and as always to successfully record the load temperatures we used the latest OCCT application (this time for around 6-10 minutes) to push the processor to its limits and after that was done and the temperatures were recorded we waited for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure was then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results were off. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests were performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   The people over at Noctua have designed and manufactured many CPU Coolers and fans during their 7 years in the market targeted towards pretty much every user out there from enthusiasts and overclockers and up to casual users, gamers and HTPC owners. Now normally that alone would never be impressive enough, however what makes Noctua stand out from most other manufacturers is that almost each and every one of their products has won awards around the globe, some due to their excellent build quality, some due to their awesome performance, some due to their extremely low noise levels and some (actually most) for all three. Now numbers don't lie so the NH-L9i (and generally the L9 line) is a small CPU cooler designed for people with extremely small PC cases (HTPC ones) who want something better than the default Intel HSF (performance wise) without extra noise levels. Of course although the NH-L9i outperformed the stock Intel HSF by 22 degrees (!!!) Celsius it did output 2.9dBA more and that is actually what initially surprised me since Noctua is well known for their very quiet solutions. In the end however the performance gap between the stock Intel HSF and the Noctua NH-L9i is so huge that 2.9dBA more is nothing. Also we may not have managed to test the NH-L9a but it uses the same 92mm fan and it's even larger than the NH-L9i so you can expect similar performance levels (if not better ones).

   Noctua is not your average CPU cooler/Fan manufacturer nor are their products and that is easily reflected on their prices so the NH-L9 Low-Profile CPU Cooler line (NH-L9i/9a) currently retails for around USD50 inside the USA (Amazon) and 45Euros inside the EU. Granted you can find many other low-profile CPU coolers in the market (like the NH-C14/NH-C12/NH-L12 by Noctua) but to my knowledge the NH-L9 is currently the lowest/smallest one around and once you combine that with its performance, build quality and low noise levels it's really not hard to understand how impressive it is which is also why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Size/Performance Ratio
- Extremely Low-Profile
- Low Noise Levels 

CONS

- Price (For Some)