Noctua NH-L9x65 Low-Profile CPU Cooler Review

Introduction

Picking the right CPU cooler for your system can be a tricky task, especially when you’re trying to find the right balance between price, performance, build quality and form factor. Noctua is one of the world’s leading experts when it comes to air cooling and with that in mind, we’re really excited to see what their latest ultra-compact cooler, the NH-L9x65, is capable of doing.

“The NH-L9x65 is a taller, performance-enhanced version of Noctua’s award-winning NH-L9 low-profile coolers. With 65 instead of 37mm height and four instead of two heatpipes, the NH-L9x65 is more powerful than its smaller siblings yet retains their 95x95mm footprint, which guarantees 100% RAM and PCIe compatibility on Intel based ITX mainboards and makes the cooler more convenient to work with as it doesn’t overhang near-socket connectors.” – Noctua

Now, it’s worth pointing out that this is a pretty compact cooler, so it won’t be really suitable for overclocking. However, the ultra-compact size and the legendary performance we’ve come to expect from Noctua, this does have the potential to be one of the cooler and quietest low-profile coolers on the market; something that could be idea for servers or HTPC installations.

“Caution: The NH-L9x65 is a highly-compact low-profile quiet cooler designed for use in small form factor cases and HTPC environments. While it provides first rate performance in its class, it is not suitable for overclocking and should be used with care on CPUs with more than 84W TDP (Thermal Design Power). Please consult our TDP guidelines to find out whether the NH-L9x65 is recommended for your CPU.” – Noctua

Check out this quick product guide from Noctua, then we’ll move on and take a closer look at what is has to offer.

In the box, you’ll find everything you need to get the cooler installed. This includes separate manuals for each socket type, mounting kits, high-quality thermal paste, a low-noise adapter, backplate and even a custom screwdriver.