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DESIGN OVERVIEW
After removing the low-profile fan, we get a look at the compact heatsink itself. It is rather small measuring only 51mm tall, 95mm wide, and 95mm deep, without the fan. With the fan only the height is increased slightly to 65mm, which Noctua points out is the same height as low-profile expansion cards, ensuring its compatibility with virtually any small form-factor or mini-ITX chassis.
The heatsink is made up of 50 aluminum fins which span across the entire length of the heatsink except for where the cutouts are for the screws. The fins are also slotted at the bottom, near the middle, and near the top in order to improve airflow for the downward facing fan.
At the bottom of the heatsink we can see where the twin nickel-plated copper heatpipes meet with the nickel-plated copper base, which features a highly polished but not quite mirror finish.
The Noctua NF-A9x14 included with the heatsink is a highly optimized premium PWM fan which features Noctua’s proprietary AAO frame, and what Noctua claims to be “sophisticated aerodynamic measures.” it is 600-2500 RPM, features Noctua’s SSO2 (self-stabilizing oil-pressure) bearing, and a noise rating of 23.6 dB, along with a max airflow rating of 33.6 CFM.
It also features a low-profile design, measuring 92mm in diameter, and a mere 14mm in thickness.
The corners have a small rubber padding on them to help minimize sound due to vibration. The fans power cable features an all-black sleeve, with a dimpled rubber texture. It connects to the heatsink using a pair of wire retention clips, which hook on to the fans mounting holes.
All together, the fan and heatink are very well-built and make a very nice package. This is easily one of the best low-profile coolers we’ve encountered, in terms of design and build quality. We’ll just have to see if it has the performance to match.\
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.