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In our review of Noctua’s latest flagship, the NH-D15, we proclaimed it the king of air coolers, for its massive cooling performance and silent operation. However, while the NH-D15 is the definitive solution where space is not a concern, it is definitely not the end all be all, especially for those looking for a cooler for their small form-factor systems.
Mini-ITX users fear not, as Noctua also has a solution such situations as well. The company’s NH-L9x65 promises an ultra compact design, as well as Noctua’s signature silent operation, but can it keep even the most demanding overclocks cool? Let’s find out!
PACKING, PRICING AND SPECIFICATIONS
Packaging is very much the same as with the NH-D15, only much smaller. We have Noctua’s standard white and brown/black color-scheme with a faint image of the cooler on the front of the box. We also have some key features, and specifications on either side, as well as a multilingual product description around back.
The NH-L9x65 features an ultra compact design, complete with a super low-profile NF-A6x25 PWM. The cooler also uses Noctua’s standard SecuFirm2™ mounting system which features support for Intel’s LGA115x, 2011/2011-v3, and AMD’s AM2/AM2+, AM3/AM3+, FM1, FM2/FM2+ sockets.
A quick search on Amazon brings us a current pricing of $55.99, making it a fairly premium cooling solution.
Inside the box we’ll find the mounting kit and accessories box packed neatly at the top, underneath that we’ll find the cooler itself with the fan pre-installed, encased in some thick cardboard packaging which should have no issues protecting it in shipping.
Inside the accessories box we’ll find the Intel and AMD installation sets packaged separately in easy tear plastic bags, a set of installation manuals, a backplate for Intel 115x motherboards, as well as the low-noise adapter for the fan which changes its maximum RPM from 2500 down to 1800. We’ll also find a very nice Noctua case badge, a tube of Noctua’s NT-H1 thermal compound and a Phillips head screwdriver to help with installation.
While the NH-L9x65 does command a bit of a higher price than similar low-profile coolers, the included extras such as the premium case badge, low-noise fan adapter and convenient screwdriver really do help justify the cost, and make the overall package much more premium.
Review Overview
Design
Build Quality
Performance
Noise
Price
Slim Cooling!
The Noctua NH-L9x65 is a slim, low-profile CPU cooler that doesn't lack on performance! A recommended buy in our books!
Why did you test this on a X99-based system? It seems to me this wouldn’t be the target platform so such a cooler. It’s certainly a worst-case scenario but it probably makes more sense on lower-power part, IMO. I have the NH-9Li version which works great on a i7 4770.
This is our standard test bench for cooler tests. Also, as the 5860x does draw more power and create more heat it is the worst-case scenario as remember these coolers will be used in smaller, tighter places that can be much hotter that our relatively open testbench.
If it can cool the 5960x to comfortable temps, it can cool any Intel chip at even higher clock speeds.