Noctua NH-L9x65 CPU Cooler Review: A New Low-Profile King

A Closer Look at the Noctua NH-L9x65

The new NH-L9x65 keeps the 95×95 layout of the Noctua NH-L9, except it extends itself upwards from the original 37mm height up to 65mm (with fan). The extra space also allows Noctua to add two more heatpipes bringing the total count to four.

There are 50 aluminum fins in total with a 7-fin gap in the middle side center edge to allow for installation to the motherboard.

The NF-A9x14 fan comes pre-installed out of the box and is attached with wire clips on both sides on the lower notch. The upper notch is used for mounting a 92mm standard thickness (25mm) fan such as the Noctua NF-A9. Adding a standard thickness fan extends the height to 76mm.

Unlike the NH-L9 which had a separate version for Intel (L9i) and AMD (L9a), the NH-L9x65 offers motherboard mounting support for both and extends support to Intel LGA2011 sockets as well. The mounting bar type on the NH-L9x65 is similar to the NH-D9L which used the curvier NM-IMB2 instead of the newer NM-IMB3 used by the NH-U9S and the rest of the U9 series. The four 6mm heatpipes alternate as they connect to the base and curve diagonally upward to make a C-shape into the fin array assembly.

The base and the heatpipes are nickel-plated and have a reflective shiny surface. The contact base however, has very fine rounded machining marks and is visibly convex in the center.

The NF-A9x14 PWM fan is the same as the fan on the NH-L9i with PWM control and RPM of up to 2500. The nine-blade impeller implements flow acceleration channels at the tips of the intake side for minimizing vortex noise and improving airflow efficiency, stepped inlet design first seen in the Noctua NF-F12 fans for better airflow attachment to the frame, inner surface microstructures for minimizing suction side flow separation, integrated anti-vibration pads, advanced acoustic optimization frames, and Self-stabilizing Oil bearing v2 (SSO2). More information is available on Noctua’s technology page: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=technologies&lng=en

The fan cable is nicely sleeved and has a black 4-pin connector, Readings from ASUS Fan Xpert II reveal the real-world controllable PWM range:

Bundled Fan Specifications: