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| Noctua NH-L9x65 Low Profile CPU cooler review |
In today's review we shall look at the Noctua NH-L9x65 Low Profile CPU cooler, with 65 such as 65mm. These smaller than average and petit CPU coolers can be utilized with any style factor motherboard and CPU but give attention to Micro ATX and Mini ITX. They are small, deadly silent but do pack enough punch to even cool a Core i7 4790K. And yes, you can also overclock a little as well. Yup, that will be Noctua for ya.
You know, there really aren't bad performing coolers produced anymore. For every segment and budget you will find something you need. The market stabilized and in the entire range and scope of heatpipe based coolers you will find there's certain comfortable zone with a corresponding product available. As a result, the majority of coolers out there are all adequate at least. There are always exceptions for this, there exists a handful of manufacturers on the market that offer the really interesting stuff, the kit and gear that truly stand out from the cooling crowd, the hardware me and you crave and wish so badly... that may be in the enthusiast domain of gaming hardware. And that's where we should make a take a look at Noctua when they tick all of the boxes.
In their long distinct CPU coolers, Noctua recently introduced the L9-type coolers, especially created for the small form factor range The cooler has been introduced in to the channel to make available OK performance however its main focus is going to be silent according to small form factor PCs. The Noctua NH-L9x65 Low Profile CPU cooler is likely to keep any CPU released currently cooled including the most high-end Haswell SKUs.
Have a peek at the model tested, it would look a little bulky, but keep in mind that when I say this is a very small coolers.
You know, there really aren't bad performing coolers produced anymore. For every segment and budget you will find something you need. The market stabilized and in the entire range and scope of heatpipe based coolers you will find there's certain comfortable zone with a corresponding product available. As a result, the majority of coolers out there are all adequate at least. There are always exceptions for this, there exists a handful of manufacturers on the market that offer the really interesting stuff, the kit and gear that truly stand out from the cooling crowd, the hardware me and you crave and wish so badly... that may be in the enthusiast domain of gaming hardware. And that's where we should make a take a look at Noctua when they tick all of the boxes.
In their long distinct CPU coolers, Noctua recently introduced the L9-type coolers, especially created for the small form factor range The cooler has been introduced in to the channel to make available OK performance however its main focus is going to be silent according to small form factor PCs. The Noctua NH-L9x65 Low Profile CPU cooler is likely to keep any CPU released currently cooled including the most high-end Haswell SKUs.
Have a peek at the model tested, it would look a little bulky, but keep in mind that when I say this is a very small coolers.
The Noctua Cooler
Noctua released its new NH-L9x65 low-profile cooler plus a 4-pin PWM version of the company's popular NF-A6x25 60mm fan. While the latter adds PWM support for automatic speed control towards the proven NF-A6x25 design, the NH-L9x65 is usually a taller, performance-enhanced version of Noctua's award-winning NH-L9 low-profile coolers.
"Our NH-L9 coolers have grown to be a default option for customers seeking premium grade quiet coolers inside sub-40mm class, though a height of only 37mm, their performance is inevitably limited", explains Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO), "The new NH-L9x65 supplies the increased performance essential to cool high-end CPUs quietly while still offering excellent case and component compatibility."
Due to its compact heatsink along with the renowned 14mm thin NF-A9x14 PWM fan, the NH-L9x65 stands only 65mm tall (the identical height as low-profile expansion cards), rendering it ideal for utilization in compact HTPCs or Small Form Factor cases that include limited clearance for CPU coolers. With 65 rather then 37mm height and four rather then two heatpipes, the NH-L9x65 is a lot more powerful than its smaller siblings yet retains their 95x95mm footprint, which guarantees 100% RAM and PCIe compatibility on Intel based ITX mainboards and helps make the cooler far easier to work with mainly because it doesn't overhang near-socket connectors.
Topped served by the professional SecuFirm2 multi-socket mounting system for Intel and AMD, Noctua's renowned NT-H1 thermal compound and 6 years manufacturer's warranty, the NH-L9x65 fuses everything users have arrived at expect from Noctua's larger coolers right into a compact premium package for space restricted systems.
Prices and availability
The new models are now shipping and are available shortly. The manufacturer suggested retail cost is as follows:
- NH-L9x65: EUR 44.90 / USD 52.90
The NH-L9x65 can be a taller, performance-enhanced version of Noctua’s award-winning NH-L9 low-profile coolers. With 65 rather than 37mm height and four as an alternative to two heatpipes, the NH-L9x65 is much more powerful than its smaller siblings yet retains their 95x95mm footprint, which guarantees 100% RAM and PCIe compatibility on Intel based ITX mainboards and definitely makes the cooler far easier to work with since it doesn’t overhang near-socket connectors. Thanks towards the highly optimised NF-A9x14 premium fan that supports fully automatic speed control via PWM, the NH-L9x65 runs remarkably quiet. Topped served by the professional SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting system for Intel and AMD, Noctua’s renowned NT-H1 thermal compound and 6 years manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-L9x65 fuses everything users have learned to expect from Noctua’s larger coolers to a compact premium package for space restricted systems.
Caution: The NH-L9x65 can be a highly-compact low-profile quiet cooler created for use in small form factor cases and HTPC environments. While it provides an awesome experience performance in their class, it's not suitable for overclocking and really should be used with pride on CPUs exceeding 84W TDP (Thermal Design Power). Please consult our TDP guidelines to determine whether the NH-L9x65 is suggested for your CPU.
Preparing the System Overclock
We'll consider the cooler in numerous system configurations/conditions. For the audiophiles amongst us your focus must be noise levels mostly. Then there is your normal non-overclocked mainstream usage therefore the performance enthusiast overclocking users. So with all the many variables at heart we'll be testing three things for your cooler.
- dBA noise pressure levels
- Temperature together with the CPU at default settings
- Temperature together with the CPU at 4600 MHz with 1.3 Volts placed on the CPU
Mind you that every our tests are carried out at a room temperature of roughly 21 Degrees C. We decided to go with all the Core i7 4790K the way it literally could be the hottest processor your dollars can get you. You guys are all aware of that once overclocked with added voltage, the temperatures escape control big-time.
We've been battling the question whether or otherwise not to actually work with a Core i7 4790K on the Z97 motherboard. The Haswell processors all have poor heat transfer on the silicon die on the IHS. Fact remains that it CPU is really what the Guru3D audience buys -- and thus you -- may want to know how these coolers perform. We could likewise have used one thousand EUR 8-core Core i7 5960X processor but exactly how many people do actually purchase these processors? The vast majority of our readers will buy the Core i7 47x0 series -- so this is exactly what most of our readers are actually interested in hence we took the very best tier 4-core SKU -- it's only that Intel made things very complicated which has a rather poor heat transfer design.
So we'll be testing that processor at default clock frequencies, then we'll blast the processor with 1.30 Volts like shown above. That voltage isn't needed for 4600 MHz but typically will provide the processor having a non-performance heatpipe cooler towards 90 Degrees C (!). We are merely attempting to see how the cooler will behave under such stringent conditions. All temperatures reported will be the processor package sensor temps. The cores will independently differ slightly in Degrees C every now and then. We measure in an ambient room temperature of 21 Degrees C.
We've been battling the question whether or otherwise not to actually work with a Core i7 4790K on the Z97 motherboard. The Haswell processors all have poor heat transfer on the silicon die on the IHS. Fact remains that it CPU is really what the Guru3D audience buys -- and thus you -- may want to know how these coolers perform. We could likewise have used one thousand EUR 8-core Core i7 5960X processor but exactly how many people do actually purchase these processors? The vast majority of our readers will buy the Core i7 47x0 series -- so this is exactly what most of our readers are actually interested in hence we took the very best tier 4-core SKU -- it's only that Intel made things very complicated which has a rather poor heat transfer design.
So we'll be testing that processor at default clock frequencies, then we'll blast the processor with 1.30 Volts like shown above. That voltage isn't needed for 4600 MHz but typically will provide the processor having a non-performance heatpipe cooler towards 90 Degrees C (!). We are merely attempting to see how the cooler will behave under such stringent conditions. All temperatures reported will be the processor package sensor temps. The cores will independently differ slightly in Degrees C every now and then. We measure in an ambient room temperature of 21 Degrees C.
The CPU stresser
We test processor coolers carrying out a strict protocol. We have already shown you the BIOS settings to the overclock. To stress the CPU we apply the strain modes (default and OC 1.3V) and have absolutely our stress software wPrime finish the whole run twice. We however possess a security feature enabled, when a cooler reaches 98 Degrees C the machine will power right down to prevent it from damage.
Below, an illustration of this one of our test runs. We compose the package temperature, the per core temps as a result can differ occasionally. For LOAD testing we make a note of the MAXIMUM measured temperature from a two full wPrime 1000M runs. In the example below we employ a clock setting of 4600 MHz on all CPU cores which has a strict 1.3 Volts for the processor.
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Final words and conclusion
The Noctua NH-L9x65 is really a small form factor cooler and must be used as such. Our testing methodology and hardware used just isn't exactly what the Noctua NH-L9x65 function is for, hence the somewhat high temperatures. Obviously overclocking had not been an option in cases like this and circumstances. That said, which has a lower spec processor things could consider looking much better, and again, small form factor ... think silent HTPCs here as that si the location where the Noctua NH-L9x65 shines. Given the size both coolers, it truly is hard to believe how well they with regards to noise though. I mean, this cooler is give or take 95x95mm possibly at default clock frequencies nevertheless can tame the beast be the Core i7 4790K well.
Aestethics & Design
Fot the Noctua NH-L9x65, the looks remain trivial. We stated often times that Noctua could really work with a change in their color scheme in regards to their products. The brown/beige colors simply are not consistent with today's high-end preferred and colored products. Despite the colors the end-users are prepared to look away, because the quality with the coolers are just too good, which matters more. Noctua, why don't you consider a black cooler with darker brown/beige fans? We do comprehend the dilemma accessible for Noctua though, Gigabyte uses Blue, ASUS ROG used Red with each company really has their unique house color design thereby trademark for company branding. Also achievable market growing, we might REALLY like to find out Noctua engage the AIO Liquid cooler segment, a location where they may be very popular using their low-noise and high quality fans.
Performance
Cooling wise it performed okay average at best, but perform need to mention that we armed our test system using the difficult to cool Core i7 4970K, obviously intentionally as we test that other part of the spectrum (liquid cooling) for this setup likewise. The default clock frequency performance is OK at best, no more, nothing less. Overclocking that has a CPU in this way is ill-advised though. With our 4790K processor at 1.3 Volts / 4600 MHz heat jumped to around 80 Degrees C, not advised. Keep planned though that in several mITX configurations, this device is meant for mainstream CPUs with silent operation planned.
Pricing
Mind you the prices listed here are suggested prices (MRP). Shave off another five bucks per cooler when they are available in good volume in e-tail. The manufacturer suggested retail prices are as follows:
- H-L9x65: EUR 44.90 / USD 52.90
Remember it is Noctua quality with great after sales and pure silence. You get 6 years warranty so we all know the extraordinary after sales.
Final Words
For the NH-L9x65 you need to see the purpose, silence. And that is meant for low-end to mainstream processors. We tested high-end/enthusiast level knowning that paints some a different picture. With its low profile, an appropriate alternative to use within a HTPC or net / mainstream PC. Cooling performance is average when comparing full size models, but that has been to be expected. The Core i7 4790K we used remains within acceptable temperature levels as long as we all do not overclock it. The trade-off with all the small form factor and relative average performance can be an incredibly low noise level, you can be hard pressed being able to even hear noise via this puppy. So in that respect, the item ticks the best boxes as which is the sole purpose of this system. Installation is easy as mounting kit is superb, sturdy and simple to install. Sure the motherboard will ought to come out, even so the mounting design and ease of use within installation is top quality. Even a screwdriver is roofed in the kit. The noise levels are low, heck even when you can't PWM control the fans, a little resistor wire is protected to force the fans at low RPM. The looks and aesthetics, well you either love or hate the Noctua design colors I guess, absolutely nothing is in-between it therefore that remains trivial go over. The NH-L9x65 is usually a decent performing product, in case you stick to repeat the Core i5 series the performance will probably be fine, the secret however continues to be low noise level combined with all the small form factor this supplement has to offer. The NH-L9x65 can be found from the stores even as we speak and they are covered by a 6-year carry in warranty. Recommended for those who need a tiny yet silent solution because of their mainstream PC / HTPC / Net PC.
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