INTRODUCTION

   Most people we know may be serious gamers, overclockers, enthusiasts and professionals who are pretty much always after high-performance when it comes to their PCs but there are also quite a few who are just looking to build a cost-effective system which they can use as an HTPC or just for basic functions like downloading, web surfing and casual gaming. With that into account PC case manufacturers have focused a lot lately in the design and manufacture of small m-ITX and m-ATX PC cases (even 3 liter ones) which as expected really are nowhere near as spacious as regular ATX compatible models and thus require to be fitted with low-profile hardware components. Noctua is one of the very few manufacturers to have released a good number of m-ITX and m-ATX compatible CPU coolers recently and today with us we have their latest NH-L9x65 model which is based on their award winning NH-L9.

   Designed in Austria, Noctua's premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 3000 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.

   Just like the NH-L9 before it the NH-L9x65 is yet another compact, low profile CPU cooler that measures just 65mm in height, weighs a mere 413g and has a TDP (thermal design power) of 84W. Because of its size it doesn't really come as a surprise that it offers zero clearance issues with components like memory modules and a hassle-free installation procedure with virtually any mainboard in the market largely thanks to Noctua’s SecuFirm2 mounting system. It also comes ready with a low profile (just 14mm thick) NF-A9x14 90mm PWM fan which according always to Noctua is not only very fast (2500RPM) but also quite silent. Well once again the specifications and features look great but how does the new NH-L9x65 CPU cooler really perform? Let's find out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A small area of the cooler is used as background for the front where we also see the main product features, a round sticker pointing out to the relation between this model and the NH-L9, a 2D barcode and of course the company logo.

All of the product features are listed in detail on the right side of the box.

The product specifications and the bundle contents are printed on the left side.

A few words about the NH-L9x65 can be seen at the rear of the box in 8 languages.

Perfect packaging once again by Noctua with the bundle placed inside a thick cardboard box and the cooler placed right beneath in a much thicker piece of cardboard.

The box contains the NH-L9x65 CPU Cooler, low-noise fan adapter, NT-H1 thermal paste tube, 3 installation manuals for Intel and AMD mainboards, Noctua case badge and all the screws and pieces required to install the cooler onto Intel LGA1150/1151/1155/1156/2011/2011-3 and AMD AMD2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2+ mainboards.

THE NH-L9X65

The NH-L9x65 comes from the factory with the NF-A9x14 fan preinstalled and so both measure 95mm in width, 95mm in length, 65mm in height (51mm without the fan installed) and weigh 413g (340g without the fan).

For the fan Noctua has used regular brackets (no problems since they are very easy to place and remove) and as you can all see the heatsink is made out of 50 aluminum fins.

Noctua has placed their logo on the very first aluminum fin as seen above.

The NF-A9x14 92mm PWM fan features Noctua’s AAO proprietary frame and SS02-bearing (MTBF of 150.000 hours) and can spin up to 2500RPM to produce 33.84CFM of airflow with just 23.6dBA of noise (to install the cooler you will need to remove the fan first).

There are four 6mm nickel plated heatpipes leaving the base of the NH-L9x65 and going through all 50 fins (two however go through the left and two from the right side).

Although the copper nickel plated base is quite polished and looks very nice it doesn't feature a mirror-like finish.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   As we have stated in the past the Intel I7-3770k system is not placed in our lab and so it's obviously not our primary choice when testing CPU Coolers. Still since HTPC oriented models shouldn’t be used with our overclocked Core I7-3930k we have decided to take this path whenever one such model lands at our doorstep. As always our first concern is ambient temperatures so once again we keep the room temperature to around 21-23 degrees (not really hard but unfortunately not 100% accurate as in our lab) and as always to successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application (for around 6-10 minutes) to push the processor to its limits so we can record its temperatures. After that is done 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 was then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results were off. As many of you have pointed out time and again this procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures are recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Before we post our conclusion it’s important to understand that the L-Type NH-L9x65 is not a high-end CPU cooler aimed at overclockers and enthusiasts alike but rather an update to the award winning NH-L9 which if you’ve read our review is ideal for SFF systems since it outshines the stock Intel cooler in every possible way. With that out of the way the NH-L9x65 is a definite improvement over the NH-L9i both in terms of performance since it surpasses it by roughly 9 degrees Celsius and noise levels since it’s roughly 6dBA more silent. Of course the D-Type NH-D9L (another SFF targeted model by Noctua) is slightly better as shown in our graphs but if you have serious height issues the NH-L9x65 should be a much “safer” bet.

   As always after we wrap up a review we check online to see where it stands in terms of price and the NH-L9x65 Low-Profile CPU Cooler by Noctua currently retails for USD59.95 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 49Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). In case you’re all wondering this puts the NH-L9x65 right next to the NH-D9L so again if the 2^nd fits in your case I strongly suggest going for that instead. Overall the NH-L9x65 may not be the perfect and highest performance Low-Profile CPU Cooler in the market currently but its size, build quality, performance and noise level are more than enough for us to give it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Small Size (65mm height / no clearance issues)
- Very Good Performance (for its size)
- Noise Levels
- Socket Compatibility
- Bundle
- 6 Years Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)