Noctua NH-L9x65 CPU Cooler Review

By Julian Duque

Manufacturer: Rascom Computer distribution dba Ges.m.b.H.
Product Name: Noctua NH-L9x65
UPC: 842431012517
Price As Tested: $55.99 (Amazon)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Noctua.

Last week, while we took a look at Scythe’s new releases for 2015 we discussed the importance of Scythe’s heavy investment in research and how it has changed the cooling market over the years. Although more popular, today’s review comes thanks to a company with a very similar business philosophy. Noctua is an Austrian company most commonly known to enthusiasts for making class leading silent cooling solutions which is not normally what we expect from a small cooler, as they are usually the opposite. The Noctua NH-L9x65 is a step forward in Noctua’s line of small profile coolers and thus it comes into this review with high remarks.

Measuring just 65 mm by 95 mm by 95 mm makes the Noctua NH-L9x65 the smallest cooler we have reviewed so far in 2015. Of course, Noctua is not marketing this product to overclockers and performance users, but rather to the growing number of users of small form factor (SFF) cases in environments like HTPCs. This is greatly evidenced by Noctua’s TDP guidelines of the NH-L9x65 which lists a clear warning about using the NH-L9x65 with any Intel Haswell chip with a thermal dissipation power (TDP) of above 88 W such as the I7 4790k.

There are several misconceptions when it comes to the ordeal of choosing a cooler for your processor. It is true that Water-Cooling may yield better cooling results, mostly due to water’s higher thermal conductivity when compared to the ethanol and ammonia mixture found in most heat-pipes based coolers. But that does not mean that air coolers should not be considered as an option for enthusiasts. Unlike water-coolers, air-coolers do not need a pump, and can be “Passively Cooled” for quieter operation. Although pumps have become more silent and reliable, they should still be considered as another moving part inside your system that may be subject to failure, as well as being a source of noise. Another important factor to take into consideration when choosing the right CPU cooler is compatibility, Most heatsinks require certain parameters to be met including the CPU cooler height limit of your case, and motherboard clearance compatibility. In contrast, water-coolers only require a place to mount the radiator inside your case, as most CPU blocks are small enough to not interfere with important components near the CPU socket.
Courtesy of Noctua.at

Socket Compatibility	Intel LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3 (Square ILM), LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150 & AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required for AMD).
Dimensions Without Fan	51 mm x 95 mm x 95 mm
Dimensions With Fan	65 mm x 95 mm x 95 mm
Total Weight	413 g
Material	Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating
Fan Compatibility	92x92x14, 92x92x25
Scope of Delivery	NF-A9x14 PWM premium fan Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound SecuFirm2™ Mounting KitNoctua Metal Case-Badge
Warranty	6 Years

 

Again, like with most CPU coolers, the packaging is far from exciting, mostly made from cardboard which not only protects the heatsink, but keeps the accessories organized. In a measure to keep the review interesting we always omit boring stuff, so let’s get going. In this section we will look over the included accessories of the Noctua NH-L9x65, as well as taking a look at the physical details of the cooler.

It has always stricken me how far manufacturers can go in order to give buyers the feeling that what they are buying is much more than a cooler, but rather a luxury. Of course, Noctua is no exception. Along with the NH-L9x65, Noctua has included a tube of NT-H1 thermal compound, a low noise adapter for the included NF-A9x14 PWM fan, a Noctua metal case badge, and the SecuFirm 2 mounting system which has become standard on all Noctua products. It is one of my favorites as it includes three different manuals that go in much detail for each of the three mounting platforms (AMD, LGA 115x, and LGA 2011). a back-plate for installing the NH-L9x65 on Intel LGA 115x motherboards, two bags that hold the brackets and screws with labels to identify them from each other, and a magnetic screw driver.

Unlike most small heatsinks, the Noctua NH-L9x65 has a very dense fin array accompanied by four heatpipes that run from the bottom of the cooler across the center of the aluminum fin array. Each heatpipe is nickle plated mainly to prevent corrosion, but also for aesthetic purposes. Another reason to choose such a small cooler is compatibility, being in theory compatible with any motherboard or case out of the box, with the exception of the old LGA-77x socket, and the narrow ILM variant of the LGA-2011 socket. Measuring 95 mm x 95 mm means that you will not have any ram or PCI lane incompatibility, no matter which way you mount the NH-L9x65.

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I usually rant a lot about not perfectly machined base plates on high-end CPU coolers, after all no matter how small the Noctua NH-L9x65 is it is not a cheap product. Our sample of the LH-L9x65 has no notorious mistakes on it’s overall finish of the base plate and was absolutely flawless as we expect from any Noctua cooler. Having a perfectly machined base plate with no errors should yield better performance as there will be no place for air pockets to form between the TIM and the base of the cooler.

At the side of the cooler we find the Noctua branding that you can find in almost all of their products. Above the branding is a 14 mm slim fan, which is an interesting move from Noctua considering how much pressure it will have to build to get air across the dense fin arrow below it. You can always replace it with a 25 mm standard fan but that would mean adding an extra 11 mm of height to a low profile cooler.

Before we inspect each member of our new CPU cooler collection, let’s establish that our tests consist of methods we have determined to be the best for our one singular purpose. Our methodology isn’t written in stone, and could very likely be changed or modified as we receive justification (and feedback from the community). Our scope is limited to stand-alone products only, meaning those products which can be installed and operated without additional critical components needed or kit construction. This is the reason for this first test, in which the mounting system for each cooler is tested. Since this is not an apple to apples comparison, but rather a subjective description of each of the kits available without any form of quantitative data, it does not affect the numerical scores we give to each product. The purpose of this test is to inform our readers on how the mounting system of each processor cooler can affect the buying experience.

Because the Noctua NH-L9x65 does not have LGA 775 compatibility out of the box, this time we will test it using our AMD platform . For this test we will be using a Gigabyte GA-M68M-S2P AM3 motherboard to test the mounting system included with the Noctua NH-L9x65, which Noctua lists as one of the supported sockets.

Installing the Noctua NH-L9x65 starts with locating the AMD back-plate included with your motherboard, the two brackets, the four silver screws, and the white spacers which are all in the AMD labeled bag of included accessories. The process is a bit tedious if you do not have your motherboard placed on a table, as you will have to hold everything together while tying the screws through the bracket, spacer, and motherboard to the back plate. The process is hard, but it is definitely doable if you already installed your motherboard inside of a case.

With the brackets in place you can easily install the heatsink now by simply screwing both sides of the cooler. For this you will have to remove the fan, but it only takes a matter of seconds to do so with the included fan clips. Orientation does not matter, as the Noctua NH-L9x65 is square and does not have any ram or PCI compatibility issues. Because Noctua has standardized the SecuFirm 2 mounting system, this means that you will not have to repeat the entirety of this process if you decide to upgrade your cooler later on to another Noctua cooler.

Benchmark Reviews is always looking to improve our testing methodology over the past few years. We have always solicited suggestions from the enthusiast community, and received guidance from the experts in this field. This particular time we will be using a fresh testing methodology. Benchmark Reviews continues to test CPU coolers using the stock included fan and thermal interface material (whenever applicable) but this time we will not be replacing them. The included fan of the Noctua NH-L9x65 can replaced with any other 92 mm fan of 14 mm or 25 mm of thickness , however we do not expect most people to replace due to it’s peculiar dimensions. Ultimately we’re more interested in the discovering the best possible cooler, and we believe that you’ll feel the same way.

• Motherboard: Asus Gryphon Z87 Motherboard
• Processor: Intel Core I5 4670k
• Enclosure: Phanteks Enthoo Mini XL
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional.

Testing was conducted in a loosely scientific manner. Ambient room temperature levels were maintained within one degree of fluctuation, and measured at all times throughout testing. The processor received the same amount of thermal paste in every test, which covered the ICH with a thin nearly-transparent layer. The cooler being tested was then laid down flat onto the CPU, and compressed to the motherboard using the supplied retaining mechanism. If the mounting mechanism used only two point of force, they were tightened in alternation; standard clip-style mounting with four securing points were compressed using the cross-over method. Once installed, the system was tested for a baseline reading prior to testing.

At the start of each test, the ambient room temperature was measured to track any fluctuation throughout the testing period using Asus AI Suite and two of the included temperature sensors located at the front intake of our test system. Aida 64 Engineer was utilized to create 100% CPU-core loads and measure each individual processor core temperatures. It’s important to note that software-based temperature reading reflects the thermal output as reported from the CPU to the BIOS. For this reason, it is critically important (for us) to use the exact same software and BIOS versions throughout the entire test cycle, or the results will be incomparable. All of the units compared in our results were tested on the same motherboard using the same BIOS and software, with only the CPU-cooler product changing in each test. These readings are neither absolute nor calibrated, since every BIOS is programmed differently. Nevertheless, all results are still comparable and relative to each products in our test bed (see The Accuracy Myth section below).

All test results utilize Aida 64 Engineer to report core temperature averages (within the statistics panel), which gives us more precise readings. To further compensate for this, our tests were conducted several times after complete power down thermal cycles. Conversely, the ambient room temperature levels were all recorded and accurate to one-tenth of a degree Celsius at the time of data collection.

All modern processors incorporate an internal thermal diode that can be read by the motherboards’ BIOS. While this diode and the motherboard are not calibrated and therefore may not display the actual true temperature, the degree of accuracy is constant. This means that if the diode reports 40°C when it’s actually 43°C, then it will also report 60°C when it’s truly 63°C. Since the design goal of any thermal solution is to keep the CPU core within allowable temperatures, a processor’s internal diode is the most valid means of comparison between different heatsinks, or thermal compounds. The diode and motherboard may be incorrect by a small margin in relation to an actual calibrated temperature sensor, but they will be consistent in their margin of error every time.

Our CPU Cooler Performance Test takes use of the included TIM and fans included with each CPU cooler. The Noctua NH-L9x65 includes one 92 mm fan for a push setup and a small bag of Noctua NT-H1 TIM which can be reused. The purpose of this test is NOT to prove which cooler is better, but rather to give our readers an expectation of what to expect from each cooler using the stock fans and TIM.

Courtesy of Noctua.at

Size	92x92x14 mm
Connector	4-pin PWM
Bearing	SSO2
Blade Geometry	A-Series with Flow Acceleration Channels
Frame Technology	AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation)
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%)	2200 RPM
Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%)	1700 RPM
Min. Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%)	500 RPM
Airflow	50,5 m³/h
Airflow with L.N.A.	38,1 m³/h
Acoustical Noise	19,9 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.	13,5 dB(A)
Static Pressure	1,64 mm H2O
Static Pressure with L.N.A.	0,92 mm H2O
Max. Input Power	1,32 W
Max. Input Current	0,11 A
Voltage	12 V
MTBF	> 150.000 h
Warranty	6 years

The Noctua NF-A9x40 fans have a measured RPM rating from 500 to 2200, however our Asus Gryphon Z87 only allowed us to lower the fan speed down to 880 rpm. The tests reveal that at best, the Noctua NH-L9x65 is a minor upgrade in terms of performance when compared with the Intel stock cooler that came with our I5 4670k..The NH-L9x65 passes our performance test with flying colors, averaging 64.4 degrees Celsius under load from our Aida 64 run, which is fairly comparable to any load coming from a CPU intensive game.

As per request from many members of the enthusiast community, Benchmark Reviews has added noise measurements to our CPU cooler testing methodology. Each test is conducted in a noise isolated room, during the night time to avoid any minor disturbances caused by normal daytime activities near our location. Our base ambient temperature was measured at 15 dB for each of our tests. Noise was measured using a Brüel & Kjær type 2225 sound level meter located at 1 meter from the fan/fans. Fans were placed so that the axis of rotation of the fan is perpendicular to our line of measurement. For our dual fan noise measurements, fans were placed in series (facing each other) with a 10 cm gap between them. All fans were tested at 12 Volts.

The included fan provided by Noctua has the model name NF-A9x14 and is available for purchase for $19.99 (Newegg). Being slim can actually help reduce the noise caused by the fast moving small blades of smaller fans proven by Noctua’s 92 mm fan almost beating any other fan in our single fan noise measurements test. Most notably it was 3.6 dB lower than the Intel reference cooler at 100 rpm, which is a measure of improvement. These are great number for such a small fan.

In reference to it’s competition, the Noctua NH-L9x65 is a top of the line cooler with great technical features such as advanced Flow Acceleration Channels that allow the blades of it’s 92 mm fan to be more airflow efficient and reduce noise caused by the vortex phenomenon. It has major gains when compared to the Intel stock cooler in terms of performance and noise, and it is a very decent performer as it managed to cool our I5 4670k with no major hiccups. All of that topped with Noctua’s 6 year warranty and outstanding customer service make the NH-L9x65 a very good performer.

The performance of the Noctua NH-L9x65 is what is expected from such a small cooler. It managed to make some gains when compared to the Intel stock cooler and it’s predecessor the NH-L9i, but there is a lack of major improvements that would make the NH-L9x65 comparable to any adequate tower heatsink. Overall, the NH-L9x65 managed to keep our i5 4670k under sustainable temperatures.

Unfortunately, it is impossible for us to test the reliability of most of the products we review. However, the Noctua NH-L9x65 shows some very positive signs when it comes to it’s overall construction. The mounting mechanism is sturdy and showed no signs of flex. The fins on the heatsink were not easily bent, and are protected by the fan at the top. There were also no flaws on the base plate of our sample, which should result in better performance.

Noctua was clever enough to give the NH-L9x65 a very simple and small layout. There are no ram or PCI clearance issues, which can be attributed to the cooler having a footprint of only 95 mm x 95 mm. Installation is not as hard as with some of the coolers we have seen this year with the SecuFirm 2 mounting system.

Our last score pertains to the value of the product at hand. The Noctua NH-L9x65 is priced online for $55.99 (Amazon) at the time of this review which is above average for a low profile cooler. This is a premium over the already free Intel stock coolerr. Of course, any Noctua product is more than a product and therefore should be consider a luxury.

Beauty is subjective but I will leave you guys to decide, do you like the Noctua NH-L9x65? Or do you think Noctua should make a more industrial version of this cooler?

+ Improvement over the Intel Stock Cooler.
+ Simple, small design ensures no clearance issues.
+ Easy installation.
+ SecuFirm 2 mounting system works with any Noctua cooler.
+ 6-Year warranty.
+ Silent performance.

– Performance is not adequate for high TDP processors.
– Really expensive low-profile cooler.

• Performance: 8.5
• Appearance: 9.0
• Construction: 9.75
• Functionality: 9.5
• Value: 7.0