Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Noctua NH-L9x65, Premium Low-Profile CPU Cooler (65mm, Brown)

Extremely quiet, but fan failed less than two years in.

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2018

When purchased, I was very impressed with the appearance, fit, and finish of this heatsink/fan combo. It fits perfectly in my home theatre format PC and was exceptionally quiet. No problems at all until 20 months later when the fan just stopped with the unit running.

The product states it has a six-year warranty and this is the most important reason I bought it, so I'm naturally disappointed about finding out this doesn't mean it lasts longer than any other fan I could buy.

UPDATE:
Typically torturous RMA process. Fulfilled by Amazon, but Amazon won't do anything to help expedite an RMA process this long after a sale. Manufacturer doesn't provide clear and easy support/contact information on Amazon, requiring my finding their website and support information myself, WHICH THEN REQUIRES I SUBMIT MY PERSONAL INFORMATION YET AGAIN TO ANOTHER WEBSITE.
It's the holiday season, so naturally they are telling me I can just pound sand until they get around to my RMA request. Funny, they were pretty speedy about taking my money regardless of what day it was. Updates forthcoming....

UPDATE 2
Still being drug through the RMA process with extremely slow response from Noctua. At this point, I've already ordered replacement fans from Arctic, I will never buy another Noctua item again.

63 people found this helpful

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Lynkx

Great choice for LGA1700

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022

Verified Purchase

If you need a lower profile cooler for the newest 12th gen processors, then look no further! I was very hesitant on buying this after reading the reviews for others that have used this on the LGA 1700 socket, but after using it myself I'm very happy with my purchase.

For reference I have an i7 12900f.

Even at almost full blast it's very quiet. As for the temperatures, for boot and light computing such as listening to YouTube music talking on discord and browsing on social media it's temps ranged between 48° and 53°. Adding more on top of that such as steam downloads bumps it up to 56°. During gaming, it went up as high as 67° and as low as 59°. For thermal paste I am just using the paste that came with the cooler, I did however follow their diagram for pasting the processor.

I'm not 100% sure why others are reporting super high temperatures. It works perfectly fine and functions within Intel's set temperature parameters for the processor. As long as you follow the instructions correctly, this cooler will serve you well.

3 people found this helpful

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Dean

It's Noctua, synonymous with quality and performance

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2019

Verified Purchase

I have a 2U workstation I'm working on for a friend. I installed a i7-4790 in the case (replacing a quad core i3 4th gen). The stock cooler during the Intel processor testing could not keep it from hitting 100*C, even with the case opened. I replaced it with this cooler. Keep in mind, a 2U case does not have a great deal of breathing room for a tall CPU cooler. The 65mm height was pretty close to the case top so air flow might be restricted, but let's be honest, if you want good airflow and a strong processor, a 2U case is not the solution. But in this case (no pun intended), the 2U is needed for it's slim height and rack mount for a studio setup.

The cooler did not disappoint. We did hit temps of 92*C which is hot, but it took 5 to 10 minutes to reach that. The cooler did its best, but this is a small cooler, and a small case, but it achieved what I wanted it to do - for 2 hours of testing, NEVER reach 100*C, and it did just that.

Installation was easy and feels pretty darn sturdy. It has a back plate which you will have to remove your motherboard to put on if your case does not have a hole underneath the motherboard for this purpose (no biggie for me, had to remove the motherboard). Mounting hardware goes on that. Finally, the heat sink itself is installed and secured with 2 screws attached to the heat sink. A screw driver to help secure the heat sink (you have to thread the screw driver in between fan blades) is provided as well as thermal paste. I ended up using a high performance cooler master paste (preference and early test results suggested the CM paste performed better). The fan's default position is installed pushing air down towards the cooler, but again, they designed this so you don't have to take off the fan (unless you want to). I would definitely recommend this for any small case to replace the stock cooler, but would be hesitant to recommend this cooler for a performance based processor/build. I would recommend this cooler for a performance i5 or i7 processor and think it would not be needed for an i3 (my opinion). I would buy this CPU cooler again for a small case install.

5 people found this helpful

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RR

This is a great upgrade to a stock cooler

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is a great upgrade to a stock cooler. I recently purchased an Asus desktop with an intel i5 6400 in it. The stock cooler idled at 30 degrees Celsius (86F) and would peak at 67C (152F) under load. This was tested while converting video with handbrake for 15 minutes. After replacing the stock cooler with the Nuctua NH-L9x65, i now idle at 27C (80F) and peaked at 43C (109F) converting the exact same video for the same time. I also ran CPU-Z stress test and had the same results. After 15 minutes, the peak temperature never got higher than 43C (109F).
The fan is amazing as well. The stock CPU fan was pretty noisy and had a high pitched whine to it. This desktop PC sits on my desk right next to my monitors. After upgrading the hard drive to an SSD and installing this Noctua CPU cooler, it is virtually noiseless. I did not use the low noise as it is silent as it is.
Edit: This morning I added a noctua 92mm case fan to see if it would even further the cooling of this PC. There was no real difference. Ran CPU-Z stress test for 15 minutes and it held at a steady 43C (109F). I have added a screen capture of the test.

10 people found this helpful

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Daniel LaRoche

For those who need better cooling in a Mini ITX system, this is the cooler you're looking for!

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

This CPU cooler is probably the best choice on the market for anyone trying to cool a performance processor in a Mini ITX case like my Cooler Master Elite 130. Initially, I was scared away from this by the height of this cooler because my case specs said I only had 65 mm of clearance, but the true clearance is probably around 75 mm so this cooler fits just right under the PSU. Keep in mind, these will cool the S or T series Intel chips phenomenally, but for K processors like my i5-4690k, you are going to be seeing warmer temps, even though they are reasonable if you really can't fit a bigger tower cooler.

Performance (4/5):
I idle between 35-40 degrees C with an i5-4690k OC'ed @ 4.0 GHz. Load on The Witcher 3 with my GTX 970 adding some heat to the case is <= 72 degrees C. A torture test I ran using EVGA OC Scanner reached 90 degrees C after 10 minutes, which is worrying but still under TJMax and well out of normal use case. Keep in mind, this test pegs all four cores at 4 GHz, 100% load. Compared to stock hitting 100 after 3 minutes, the cooler does a much better job but still won't perform miracles. Expect ~70-75 degrees with heavy load from a normal application or game and good case ventilation. The fan is rated at 2500 RPM but mine is showing up to 3000 on SpeedFan.
I switched from the stock cooler to the NH-L9i and then to this, and I am generally seeing around 10 degrees cooler temps with this versus those two, and I had the thicker 25 mm fan for the NH-L9i as well. I have no concerns with the temperatures I am seeing, though I would not consider upping my overclock beyond 4.2 GHz, and probably will just let it sit at 4 GHz.

Installation (5/5):
You will need access to the back of the motherboard for initial installation, but after that you can remove the heatsink and reseat it just from the front. The mount is solidly built and does a great job of simplifying the process of securing the heatsink once you've applied your thermal paste. On other coolers, you have to try hard to center over the processor and tighten 4 points at once. This cooler only requires two connections to the mounting bracket, is easy to align, and is very solid once it is secured. The thermal paste is top notch. Remember to aim for lentil size in the middle! The included Low Noise Adapter and screwdriver round out the package.
There are mounts for LGA 2011, LGA 115x, and AMD sockets included. It truly is a universal cooler for modern processors. The included fan locks to the cooler securely, and the fan cable is sturdy and was definitely long enough. This cooler is even lighter than the NH-L9i so it shouldn't flex the motherboard much if at all. Overall, this was a very quick and sturdy installation.

Noise (4/5):
Definitely noticeable at 100%, but not obtrusive. At 70% or so, the fan is basically silent in the case along with the case fans. At idle, you'll get about the same acoustic performance as the stock cooler. At load, the Noctua is quieter than stock, but a slight acoustic tone is introduced by the 14 mm fan. This is acceptable in my opinion, but people that require absolute silence may want to limit the fan curve or install the Low Noise Adapter at the cost of extra heat. I have not noticed any extra vibration or wind noises in the case. In conclusion, the noise goes from nonexistent to acceptable, which is a triumph for a part that is optimized for size and cooling at the same time as noise.

Build Quality (5/5):
My shipping box came with a corner dented in. Thanks UPS. Luckily, the Noctua packaging was well designed and the cooler was in good condition, no bent fins or anything. The fan is very well made. The heatsink felt a bit fragile but normal handling definitely won't bend fins or make you worry about breaking it. Just don't drop the heatsink and it will be just fine. The fins are much thinner than the NH-L9i or the Intel stock cooler. I'm guessing this helps performance somehow or reduces the necessary static pressure from the fan.
The contact plate was covered with a plastic shield but I had some dust under the shield. A quick wipe with 99% iso was all that was needed to get it completely clear of dust. I would definitely not trust the shield to replace a pre-installation cleaning. Instructions were clear and to the point. There is enough thermal paste for probably 4 overeager applications and a fifth, lentil-sized drop. If you look up reviews of this thermal paste, it is one of the best out there and you get enough to mess up a few times and still have some left over. Overall, this cooler is a premium product through and through.

Final Thoughts:
If you are considering this for anything but a space-restricted setup, you should look elsewhere. Noctua's other coolers and even the cheap Cooler Master 212 will generally perform better. This product is specifically for small cases with limited cooler clearance and people that prioritize noise and performance over price. For what it is, it's a godsend. Now you can use your hot Haswell chips in a Mini-ITX case with even a mild overclock! I have tried other coolers, including the Intel stock cooler and the Noctua NH-L9i with a fan upgrade, and this one is hands down the best performing. That said, the stock cooler will work for most people, so the value proposition of this cooler only makes sense if you need cooler temps or lower noise at minimal height and don't mind the premium pricing. You get what you pay for with this product, and with the 6 year warranty and superb build quality along with promises to send you brackets for new sockets, this cooler may just last you through two builds.

I'm giving this 5 stars even though my average is 4.5 because for those who specifically need to cool their performance CPUs in a small case, this is the perfect product. For others with more clearance, I would probably give this a 4 star and urge you to save money or get better performance with the bigger Noctua coolers or the CM Hyper-212.

46 people found this helpful

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M. Baylor

Wow! Just Wow!

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2017

Verified Purchase

This cooler exceeds all my expectations. Install was a breeze, possibly the easiest cpu cooler install I've ever done. Dropped temps by up to 50% at idle and under load. So quiet I can't even hear it. I have 3x120mm and 3x80mm fans in my mid tower InWin case and I never realized it was the CPU cooler making the most noise. Amazing upgrade. On first impressions, I'm very glad I decided to try a Noctua product. With this little beast installed, I'm running 20-25c at idle and running TW WarHammer at ultra settings on a 980GTX 4GB in a massive campaign I'm barely tipping 50c under load. That's still 25% or more less temp than the stock fan did brand new with Arctic's best avail thermal paste. ( I used the included NT-H1 paste since my order of the MX-4 paste was delayed in being shipped out. I'll send it back I guess. I figured if Noctua included this paste, they trust it. Was a full 4g tube.)

I had a 6 year old stock intel cooler for my i5-2500k I OC'd about `15% with no issues of any kind for all those years but lately was not performing well at all keeping my CPU around 40-50c at idle and up to 81c under load. The fan was no longer revving up with the Asus AI Suite controls or manual control (ROG Gene-IV Maximus). Recently it became a bit sluggish, and more recently it began to set off temp alerts.

Was going to try a Corsair Hydro H60 but as much as I had to bend the hoses to fit into location in my case I felt the connections were going to be stressed so decided against it and issued an RMA. With the lack of actual pressure inside the cooling system I'm not sure why high pressure hoses are used...they are quite stiff. Should be able to accomplish the same thing with a high strength, thin walled, and highly-flexible tubing for roughly the same price.

Definitely going to Install one of Noctuas supersize coolers in my upcoming i7-7700k build instead of going liquid. More peace of mind and obviously outstanding cooling technology. Sure wish the fans had color options though. I don't look inside a lot but these colors certainly don't fit anything I've ever put into a PC case in almost 30 years of building PC's. *yeah, all the way back to when RAM was measured in MB! :o
I'd paint them but that's not a long-term solution. The slightest amount of weight off center throws the fans a bit out of balance and shortens their life a great deal. I'll let it work as intended and sit comfy with that amazing 6 year warranty.

9 people found this helpful

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Duck

Small. Compact. Puzzle Pieces and thermal paste.

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

It is good quality. I bought this to replace my liquid cooling rig that did not turn out so well. Thought I would go back to a fan to minimize cleaning and chance for another clogged waterblock from being misguided by thermaltake. That's for a different review. This fan is not as low profile as Noctua fans come, but also not overly huge and ugly. I wanted a clean look. It lives over an i7 6700 on an MSI Z170A Krait Gaming 3X motherboard. The clearance of all surrounding parts is perfect. It is like it was meant to be. See picture.

My only complaint has to do with the installation. There are many little parts that are easy to loose and I don't remember if there were spares or not. It is like putting together a 3d puzzle.

I've had this cooler for two years and throughout I rarely have had to clean it and when I do it is quick and easy. The fan itself is held on by a wire frame making disassembly easy for cleaning. It comes with fancy Noctua thermal paste and an odd screwdriver for inserting the hidden screws below the fan.

4 people found this helpful

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Eric

Easy to install, seems to do a fair job

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020

Verified Purchase

Recently I have gone through a few CPU coolers for my small form factor Intel PC to replace its aging stock Intel cooler. I've heard good things about Noctua, so I decided to go with this one. This is the 3rd cooler I've tried recently (I returned the others due to their noise level), and I've decided to stick with this one (at least for now).

I bought this for a small PC that I keep running 24/7 with a public-facing server, as well as Plex Media Server which we use for our TVs at home - I wanted to replace the stock Intel CPU cooler, which was getting old, and wanted something to hopefully do an even better job keeping the CPU cool while also being relatively quiet.

I think this cooler was fairly easy to install. It does have a piece that goes through the back/bottom of the motherboard, so it would help to have a PC case that makes that area accessible without having to take the motherboard out. After that goes in, there are some pieces that screw on to the 4 poles of that piece to hold it in, which are fairly easy to screw on. Then the heat sink screws on to two small poles on that piece using 2 screw tops, which are also fairly easy to screw in. It feels fairly secure too. The fan simply clips onto the heat sink, so the fan is fairly easy to remove and clean when needed.

When the CPU is idle or under a light load, this cooler is fairly quiet and barely audible. When the CPU is under a load, the fan on this cooler spins up a bit and is audible, though it's not terrible.

As far as temperature, the PC I'm using this with has an Intel i5-2500, and when idle, I've seen the temperatures around the mid 30s Celsius (keep in mind it's in a small form factor case which doesn't have room for additional case fans). When under a load, I've seen the temperature around 45-50 Celsius.

One person found this helpful

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Jason C.

A Great Cooler

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is an awesome cooler like what everyone else has said, and definitely delivers on what is promised. It has a small form factor which is perfect in my ITX build, which I use as an HTPC (Home Theater PC). It leaves just enough room for my RGB RAM modules as advertised, and a plus is the radiator is very reflective so it nicely reflects the RGB RAM lights. The cooler does an amazing job cooling my i5-6600K CPU overclocked to 4.2 GHz, and is also pretty quiet. Installation was pretty straight forward, just be sure to follow the instructions carefully. One detail is it even gives how much torque you should apply while screwing the components down. Also the power cable is nicely wrapped and just the right length to plug into my motherboard.

Other than that it is on the expensive side, but in this case it translates to quality and longevity, so I'm good with that. The fan is honestly not the best color scheme: brown and tan...like really? I'm not racist or anything, but come on any other color combo is better ;).

3 people found this helpful

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James Bird

Quiet and the fan rarely runs

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

bought this to replace a stock cooler is a mid range prebuilt machine running an Intel i5 10400. The original fan was a poor clone of the stock Intel cooler. The fan was noisy and unbalanced. It would run and make vibrations even at low speed under very low load.

This unit is about the same height and is silent even under full load for 5 minutes when doing huge Excel updates. The vast majority of the time the fan does not run and is 8 to 10 degrees C cooler than the stock cooler. I can't believe that a 10400 is basically passively cooled with this cooler.

The installation does require removal of the motherboard to install the retainer. This could be a bit scary for those that don't build their own PCs. However, just take you time and work logically and all will be fine. If you have access to the back of your motherboard in your case, then all you need is to open that panel as well to remove the old cooler and install this cooler. My case just didn't have that kind of access.

It comes with really good thermal paste and everything you need to attach to Intel or AMD CPUs.

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5 star		86%
4 star		8%
3 star		2%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

Noctua NH-L9x65, Premium Low-Profile CPU Cooler (65mm, Brown)

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