Noctua NH-L9x65 Low-Profile CPU Cooler Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The Noctua NH-L9x65 Low-Profile Performance CPU Cooler is available from Overclockers UK for a very reasonable £34.99. While that’s certainly not loose change for a cooler so small, but build quality, acoustic performance, easy installation and the fantastic warranty all add up to justifying the extra investment.

Overview

There’s a lot to love about this cooler, and while I admit that it’s certainly not suitable for everyone’s needs, there’s a big market for very small coolers and the NH-L9x65 is one of the best in its class by a rather large margin. Capable of cooling a powerful CPU including the high-end Intel 2011 range in such a small form factor makes it an ideal choice for workstation and server deployment, or a mid-to-high end CPU with a modest overclock.

The SecuFirm II mounting system is worthy of much credit too and it’s been a long time favourite of mine and can be seen on many of the latest Noctua coolers. It’s incredibly easy to install, remove and maintain. The fact that Noctua also includes their high-end thermal paste, as well as a custom screwdriver to help with the install/re-install process only makes things even easier and it’s going to be a big benefit for those who plan to install these coolers in multiple systems.

The overall build quality is very robust, and the design is pretty neat too. Sure, not everyone is a fan of the Noctua colour scheme, but I certainly do. The fan is one of the best small fans we’ve ever seen or heard, it’s amazingly quiet even at high RPM, despite its compact size and that’s something for Noctua to be proud of.

Pros

• Solid performance on non-overclocked CPU
• Support for wide range of chips/sockets
• Very easy to install/remove
• Exceptional acoustic performance
• Durable build quality
• High-quality thermal paste included
• Excellent warranty
• Trusted brand name

Cons

• Not ideal for overclocking (but that’s to be expected given its compact size)