Noctua NH-D9L CPU Cooler Review: The Mini NH-D15
Noctua’s NH-D14 and NH-D15 dual-tower coolers are excellent CPU coolers because of their size but many overlook the fact that part of their effectiveness also lies in their design. As a dual-tower solution, the NH-D14 and NH-D15 have the convenience of further spaced-apart heatpipes compared to a single tower heatsink where they bunch up closer together. This means heat is a lot less concentrated on a specific area and should be easier for the fan to push out. Would the same design idea work on a smaller heatsink?
Noctua’s NH-U9B has been around since 2008 and Noctua has updated it with the release of a RAM-friendly NH-U9S, but they are also releasing a compact dual-tower 92mm heatsink dubbed the NH-D9L. The Noctua NH-D9L is basically a mini-NH-D15 using four heatpipes distributed across a pair of aluminum fin arrays. As with all Noctua coolers, the NH-D9L is premium nickel finished and comes with mounting accessories for AMD, Intel LGA2011 and Intel LGA115x motherboards.
[sc:sponsor sponsor=”Noctua” product_link=”http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=106&lng=en” product_name=”NH-D9L CPU Cooler” product_price=”$56.90″ ]The Noctua NH-D9L is packaged in a glossy outer box has a wall of multi-lingual text on all sides. Unlike the previous generation NH-U9B SE2 packaging, the NH-D9L has no see through window or even a photo preview of what the internal cooler looks like except for a small diagram of the cooler dimensions on the corner side of the box. I guess Noctua is confident that their branding is familiar and so distinct that they don’t need to have a flashy graphical packaging to sell like other coolers.
The packaging inside is separated into two compartments: one for accessories and one for the NH-D9L itself. The NH-D9L is sandwiched between two folded cardboard cube pieces a la the original NH-D14 packaging.
Accessories include documentation for each mounting system, metallic case badge, low noise adapter, a full-sized tube of NT-H1 thermal compound, extra fan clips for an optional second 92mm fan, angled screwdriver and mounting kits for Intel and AMD mainboards.
The mounting kit is closer to the NH-D15 than what was found on the NH-U9S previously reviewed here. Most notably are the Intel NM-IMB2 mounting bars with a more prominent curve and the use of the classic NM-AMB1 mounting for the AMD.
Specifications:
Socket compatibility |
Intel LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3(Square ILM), LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150 & AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required) |
Height (without fan) |
125 mm |
Width (without fan) |
95 mm |
Depth (without fan) |
95 mm |
Height (with fan) |
110mm |
Width (with fan) |
95 mm |
Depth (with fan) |
95 mm |
Weight (without fan) |
428 g |
Weight (with fan) |
531 g |
Material |
Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminum (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating |
Max. TDP |
see Noctua TDP guide |
Fan Compatibility |
92x92x25 |
Scope of Delivery |
– NF-A9 PWM premium fan – Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) – NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound – SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kit – Fan-clips for second NF-A9 – Noctua Metal Case-Badge |
Warranty |
6 years |
