Noctua NH-U9S CPU Cooler Review: Undersized but Over-performs
A Closer Look at the Noctua NH-U9S
Measuring 125 x 95 x 68 mm without the fan installed, the Noctua NH-U9S’ dimensions are not too far off from the NH-U9B SE2 which measures 12 x 96 x 70mm. For compatibility’s sake however, Noctua shifted the fin array placement toward the exhaust side to provide more room for RAM compatibility when the 25mm-thick 92mm fan is installed. Because of this shift, Noctua also had to re-arrange the heatpipes to a new directional layout.
The number of heatpipes have been increased from the NH-U9B SE2’s four heatpipe design to five with the bulk of it positioned closer to the intake and the fifth heatpipe closer toward the tail-edge outward. By comparison, the U9B-SE2’s heatpipes are grouped in the middle and airflow orientation is not much of a factor.
The fin array design has also changed with the cut-out grooves now grouped together 1/3rd of the way in from the side on both the intake and exhaust side unlike in the U9B-SE2 where the grooves are spaced out equally across the left and right side. The exhaust side of the fin array has a rounded cut-out to accommodate mounting bar installation and also for fan intake allowance should a second fan be installed on this side. There are 43 aluminum fins in total.
If the bundled screwdriver was nickel plated then you can be sure that the heatpipe and the base will be as well, giving the Noctua NH-U9S a very premium feel like its larger siblings. The contact surface is highly reflective but has very minute rounded machining marks that can be felt.
The A-series fan blades are very wide with compared to the B series Noctua fan blades. There are seven in total across all fan sizes and there is a gradual curve on the leading tip and a straighter edge on the trailing tip. There are four standard straight struts on the exhaust side. The NH-A9 fan version maxes out at 2000 RPM, higher than the 1600 RPM on the NH-B9 fan on the U9B-SE2 heatsink. Readings from ASUS Fan Xpert II reveal the controllable range:
NH-U9S vs NH-U9B fan specification comparison:
Model |
Noctua NF-A9 PWM | Noctua NF-B9 PWM |
Bearing |
SSO2 | SSO |
Max. Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) |
2000 RPM | 1600 RPM |
Max. Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) |
1550 RPM | 1300 RPM |
Min. Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) |
400 RPM | 300 RPM |
Max. Airflow |
78.9 m³/h | 64.3 m³/h |
Max. Airflow with L.N.A. |
62.6 m³/h | 52.6 m³/h |
Max. Acoustical Noise |
22.8dB(A) | 17.6dB(A) |
Max. Acoustical Noise with L.N.A. |
16.3dB(A) | 13.1dB(A) |
Static Pressure |
2.28 mm H2O | 1.61 mm H2O |
Static Pressure with L.N.A. |
1.53 mm H2O | 1.09 mm H2O |
Input Power |
1.2 W | 0.96 W |
Voltage Range |
12 V | 12 V |
MTBF |
> 150.000 h | > 150.000 h |
