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

This replaced a Scythe Shuriken, in Silverstone ITX case, socket 1155, with a second generation i5 rated at 77 watts.The Scythe is also low profile but was large enough to touch the memory on one side, and it blocked the PCI slot at the other, thus making it impossible to install a graphics card.This comes in exemplary packaging, a sort of double box, which makes damage in transit just about impossible. It also includes a long screwdriver and thermal paste. There are two separate packages of materials, for AMD and for Intel.It turned out to be harder than expected to release the Scythe, which made me wonder how on earth I had managed to get it installed in the first place. You have to turn the usual plastic Intel rods anti-clockwise, and in the tiny space available this is quite awkward. The contrast with the Noctua system of fastening is very striking, and I will never use a cooler with the plastic push rod system again. I was thinking of using the Scythe on another build, but after seeing the contrast with the Noctua mounting system am having second thoughts and may drop it off at a charity shop instead!To install, you have to take everything out and lift up the main board enough to be able to fit the backplate. This is very simple, you just push the bolts up through the main board holes, then drop it back and attach the mounting strips on the top side using some knurled nuts, which you tighten up fairly gently with a cross head screwdriver. The result is a very solid mounting base.The instructions are very clear. The mounting strips can be installed on either pair of sides, and depending which way you do it, the heat sink will be differently oriented. The difference is that the heat pipes project a few mm on two of the sides, so if space is very crowded you might need to choose one way rather than the other. It is however so compact that at least on my own installation it comfortably cleared the memory and the PCI socket whichever way it was oriented.In terms of vertical clearance, my own installation is in a Sugo5 case, using a Silverstone power supply. This is a little larger than a standard ITX supply and projects out over the cpu. The Noctual fits with a couple of centimeters clearance under the PSU. The PSU is mounted with the fan at the top, so it vents externally through the top of the case. It also is just about silent. On the front of the case there is a large Noctua case fan, also very low noise.I cleaned off the old thermal paste from the processor using cotton buds and surgical spirit, then finished off with paper towel dipped in surgical spirit. Apply a small heap of the Noctual thermal past in the center of the processor, then remove the plastic cover on the contact plate and drop it onto the processor.The backplate and mounting strips are very robust, and the method of attaching the heat sink matches. There are two threaded rods which project upwards from the mounting strips. Two spring loaded sockets project downwards from the heat sink, and you attach these to the rods using a cross head screwdriver. It is not necessary to remove the fan for this, you can reach through the fan blades.To connect, you can use the low noise adaptor. I did not bother and doubt it will be necessary for many people. The reason I didn't is that the processor is a little out of spec for this cooler, high by about 12 watts.Its now mounted with plenty of space around it for access to the rest of the board, and the questions are noise and temperature.In terms of noise, its just about inaudible. I am not doing any very demanding graphics work or anything that will really stress the processor, but in normal use of office or home media applications its inaudible. So far its never risen to any audible level.Cooling is exemplary. Its at least as good as the Scythe, and quieter with it. Temps at idle are in the high thirties, rising to the low forties on one or two cores in use, and as I say, in just about complete silence. Writing this for instance the hottest cores are 38 and the cpu fan is at zero.If I were assembling an ITX today, I'd, get a Silverstone 13 case, mount the biggest Noctua fan it will take in the front, use a 35 watt processor, a smaller power supply, and cool it with one of these. It will be silent and low power and will last forever.Reservations? None. There is a comment in these reviews that the supplied screwdriver is chromed down to the tip, and that small bits peel off in use. It is indeed chromed, and just to be safe I used a standard cross head screwdriver with bare metal tip in most of the installation, but I used the supplied on on a couple of the heads with no problem. To anyone considering this I would say just get it. Its a real quality item, does exactly what its supposed to, well designed and built and great performance.

The Noctua NH-L9x65 is a high-performance CPU cooler that is perfect for use in small form factor (SFF) systems or any other system where space is at a premium. The NH-L9x65 is only 65mm tall and features a compact design that makes it easy to install in tight spaces. Despite its small size, the NH-L9x65 is able to provide excellent cooling performance. The cooler features a high-quality 92mm fan that runs at a low noise level and has a maximum speed of 2500 RPM. The cooler also comes with a low-noise adapter that can be used to reduce the fan's speed and noise even further. The build quality of the NH-L9x65 is also excellent, it's well-constructed and feels very sturdy. I've been using this cooler for a few months now and it's been working great, keeping my CPU cool and quiet. If you're looking for a high-performance, compact CPU cooler that is easy to install, I highly recommend the Noctua NH-L9x65.

I have been recently racking up two I7 4790 setups and I was looking for a descent CPU fan.It had to be:- efficient in terms of cooling,- fairly low profile to suit 3U rack case, and- quiet.I was torn between Shadow Rock LP and Noctua NH-L9x65. I used Noctua's fans for case cooling in the past so I went for the latter.As I could expect it was a good choice. The fan comes with AMD/Intel mounting kits, thermal paste, extension and splitting cables and Noctua case badge. There are manuals of course to allow user properly assembly and fit the component. The heat sink is fairly heavy and the CPU contact area is generous. Mounting system, as advertised, fits different mother board layouts without problems.Cooling efficiency is very good. Both systems operate with CPU temp between 24C to 28C idle/light use (20C ambience temp). I have recorded maximum of 38C (CPU) when the systems were heavily stressed by Photoshop or Studio One/Cubase projects. At this point I would like to note that the noise levels were very low/low under the CPU stress test.I do not have time nor inclination for carrying out scientific test but having built many desktops over last 20 years I have to say that this one is a clear winner to me. I would recommend it without blinking an eye.

In terms of the build quality, it is outstanding.I now can't tell if my htpc has shut down.In terms of the performance.... It is no different from the stock cooler.I am very disappointed about this.But I'm not going to return it.The build quality, and silence, make up for it.But there is no way that I'll be able to overclock the i7 4790 k.I've knocked a star off for this reason.