INTRODUCTION

    Even though AIO liquid CPU coolers are the go to choice for most enthusiasts, gamers and even professionals there's no denying that over the years CPU air coolers have proven to be the more reliable, worry-free choice. Granted, they may not look quite as good and depending on the model they may not play well with tall RAM modules but at least when it comes to cooling efficiency there are some models that come really close to that of AIO solutions. Noctua recently updated their chromax.black product line to include their award winning NH-D9L and NH-D12L models and today I have both of them on my test bench.

    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.

     Both the NH-D9L and NH-D12L chromax.black CPU air coolers by Noctua feature their matte black paint and are based on the same U-type dual-tower (sandwich) design meaning two aluminum heatsinks are joined by soldered all-copper 6mm heatpipes (4 for the NH-D9L and 5 for the NH-D12L). The two 110mm tall aluminum heatsinks used with the NH-D9L sport a total of 35 aluminum fins each, the 145mm tall NH-D12L heatsinks have a total of 38 each (all fins are partially closed on the sides for improved airflow and heat dissipation) and as for the bases of both coolers they are also made of copper and are nickel plated. As for fans Noctua has used a single NF-A9 PWM chromax.black 92mm fan (2000RPM/46.43CFM/22.8dBA) with the NH-D9L chromax.black and a single NF-A12x25r PWM chromax.black 120mm fan (2000RPM/60.09CFM/22.6dBA) with the NH-D12L chromax.black. Needless to say, you can add a second fan (push & pull) on either model to further improve airflow and heat dissipation. So, time to see just how good these two new additions in the chromax.black line of CPU coolers by Noctua really are.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Both coolers are shipped inside black boxes the front of which is taken by a large product picture, the company logo and of course the product name.

Although the NH-D9L chromax.black box has some of its main features listed on the right side the box of the NH-D12L chromax.black has a few words about the cooler and two drawings showcasing its size.

The specifications lists and bundle contents are printed on the left side of both boxes.

Looking at the rear we find some or all the product features.

As always Noctua packs the cooler and its bundle in different boxes inside the main box.

Inside either of the two boxes Noctua has placed an NT-H2 thermal paste tube, low noise adapter, long Philips screwdriver, 2 fan clips, metal case badge, backplate, installation instructions (2 manuals) and all the necessary bits and pieces to mount the cooler onto Intel LGA 1150/1151/1155/1156/1200/1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5 compatible mainboards.

THE NH-DL9 & NH-D12L CHROMAX.BLACK

The 531g heavy NH-D9L chromax.black measures 110mm in height, 95mm in width and 95mm in depth whereas the 890g heavy NH-D12L chromax.black measures 145mm in height, 125mm in width and 113mm in depth (fans included).

Noctua has placed their logo on the top fins and as for the all-black theme well, it looks great.

As mentioned earlier both coolers are twin-tower models with the center section of their fins closed on both sides.

The front of the fins is designed in such a way to increase airflow levels.

In the above picture you can see the NF-A9 PWM chromax.black 92mm fan (2000RPM/46.43CFM/22.8dBA) used with the NH-D9L chromax.black and the NF-A12x25r PWM chromax.black 120mm fan (2000RPM/60.09CFM/22.6dBA) used with the NH-D12L chromax.black.

Without their fans mounted the NH-D9L chromax.black weighs just 437g and the NH-D12L chromax.black weighs 700g.

Both coolers feature 6mm all-copper heatpipes, the NH-D9L chromax.black just comes with 4 whereas the NH-D12L chromax.black comes with 5.

The all-copper base used in both coolers is nickel plated and doesn’t feature a mirror like finish.

These coolers don’t come with LGA2011-3 support so in order to make them compatible with my test rig Noctua send over their LGA2011-3 mounting kit.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   I always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 and LGA2011 databases every single CPU Cooler in the charts will be tested under the same exact conditions. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that I’ve spent both money and time through the years, something that i honestly plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler. Finally, it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with a specific system that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

   To successfully record the load temperatures, we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded, we wait 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 is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure is more time consuming than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can readers get results based on real CPUs, but those results can also be triple checked by using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using the latest versions of AIDA64, HWiNFO and HWMonitor while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here, we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

    Having already reviewed the non-chromax.black versions of both the NH-D9L and the NH-D12L just after they were released I knew more or less what to expect from both of them and well, I wasn’t disappointed. Yes, the NH-D9L was released almost a decade ago whereas the NH-D12L is roughly 2 years old but since they are targeted at different segments of the market, they still do extremely well in terms of cooling efficiency and noise levels (for their sizes always). Build quality is once again perfect and just what one would expect by a product by Noctua. Dropping support for some older sockets like the LGA2011-3 didn’t really come as a surprise to me and since they do still offer that mounting kit as extra, I don’t see a problem with that.

    Currently you can find the NH-D9L chromax.black for USD74.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 78.05Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) and the NH-D12L chromax.black for USD99.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 114.63Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). As with past chromax.black products both coolers retail higher compared to their “regular” versions but they look better and obviously fit a lot easier in all-black setups. Overall there’s nothing else I can say about either the NH-D9L chromax.black or the NH-D12L chromax.black, both perform very well without being noisy in the process and come second to none in terms of build quality so the Golden Award is as expected in order.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Compact (110mm /145mm)
- Near Excellent Cooling Efficiency (For Their Size)
- All Black Color
- Dual Fan Solution
- Noise Levels

CONS

- Price (For Some)