Noctua NH-L9i & NH-D14 CPU Coolers Review
Introduction
Noctua has become one of the most popular companies in the cooling market and they have been constantly releasing top notch products one after another. Noctua has been getting a lot of positive attention for their superb fans and exceptional coolers and the color scheme is the reason why people recognize Noctua products when they see one.
Noctua offers a six year warranty on their products and has possibly the best customer service out there and I can certainly vouch for that. They have always sent me replacements for fans and mounting kits free of charge and that was long before I became a reviewer. Noctua sets the perfect example of what a customer service should be like.
The NH-L9i is Noctua's low profile heatsink designed to fit into small factor systems or HTPCs for Intel socket LGA115x (1155/1156/1150) processors only. Since it's designed to work only on Intel platforms, this makes for a super easy installation thanks to Noctua's SecuFirm 2 mounting system. It comes at a super low profile of only 37mm tall (23mm heatsink and 14mm NF-A9x14 low profile fan) that makes it extremely slim and ideal to use for mini ITX cases. It provides full compatibility with tall RAM modules and VGA cards on mini ITX mainboards.
The NH-L9i is designed to replace stock cooling that comes
with Intel CPUs and should theoretically eliminate overheating issues that you might have with the stock heatsink.
The NH-L9i comes with a strict set of TDP guidelines and according to Noctua's website, it should be used with care on CPUs with more than 65W TDP.
To find out if the NH-L9i is recommended for your CPU, head over to Noctua's website for their
TDP guidelines.
The other product that we will be taking a look at is the complete opposite of the NH-L9i. This is Noctua's
largest CPU cooler that combines a massive six heatpipe dual tower design for extreme overclocking. We are talking about
none other than the notorious NH-D14 that has won numerous awards for its exceptional performance. We will put the NH-D14 to the test to see how well it stacks up against other high end water coolers and air coolers.
As you might have guessed from the name (-D14),
this monster features a 14cm/140mm (NF-P14 FLX) fan that sits right in the middle of the two towers and also a 12cm/120mm (NF-P12) fan that sits on the side used in push/pull configuration. Similarly like the NH-L9i, this cooler also comes with SecuFirm 2 that makes installation a breeze.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the specifications.
Technical Specifications
| Heatsink Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacture: | Noctua |
| Model: | NH-L9i |
| Socket Support: | Intel: LGA1150, LGA1155, LGA1156 |
| Material: | Copper (base and heat-pipes) Aluminium (cooling fins) Soldered joints & nickel plating |
| Fan Compatibility: | 92x92x14mm, 92x92x25mm |
| Heatsink: | Dimensions: 23 mm x 95 mm x 95 mm (w/o Fan) Heatpipes: 2pcs Weight: 345 g (w/o Fan) 420 g (w/ Fan) |
| Scope of Delivery: | NF-A9x14 PWM premium fan Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kit Screws for 92x92x25mm fans Noctua Metal Case-Badge |
| Warranty: | 6 Years |
| Fan Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Model: | Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM |
| Bearing: | SSO2 |
| Max. Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): | 2500 RPM |
| Max. Rotational Speed WITH L.N.A. (+/- 10%): | 1800 RPM |
| Min. Rotational Speed: | 600 RPM |
| Max. Airflow: | 57,5 m³/h |
| Max. Airflow with L.N.A: | 40,8 m³/h |
| Max. Acoustical Noise: | 23,6 dB(A) |
| Max. Acoustical Noise with L.N.A: | 14,8 dB(A) |
| Input Power: | 2,52 W |
| Voltage Range: | 12 V |
| MTBF: | > 150.000 h |
| Heatsink Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacture: | Noctua |
| Model: | NH-D14 |
| Socket Support: | Intel LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150 LGA775, LGA2011 on request, Asus X-socket™ AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2 (backplate required) |
| Material: | Copper (base and heat-pipes) Aluminium (cooling fins) Soldered joints & nickel plating |
| Fan Compatibility: | 140x150x25 (with 120mm mounting holes) 140x140x25 (with 120mm mounting holes) 120x120x25 |
| Heatsink: | Dimensions: 160 mm x 140 mm x 130 mm (w/o Fan) Heatpipes: 6pcs Weight: 900 g (w/o Fan) 1070/1240* g (w/ Fan) |
| Scope of Delivery: | 1x NF-P14 premium fan 1x NF-P12 premium fan 2x Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.) Y-Split Cable 4x Vibration-Compensators (for using NF-P12 as case fan) 4x Fan screws (for using NF-P12 as case fan) NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kits Noctua Metal Case-Badge |
| Warranty: | 6 Years |
| Fan Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Model: | Noctua NF-P14 & Noctua NF-P12 |
| Bearing: | SSO |
| Max. Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): | 1200 / 1300 RPM |
| Max. Rotational Speed WITH U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%): | 900 / 900 RPM |
| Max. Airflow: | 110,3 / 92,3 m³/h |
| Max. Airflow with U.L.N.A: | 83,7 / 63,4 m³/h |
| Max. Acoustical Noise: | 19,6 / 19,8 dB(A) |
| Max. Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A: | 13,2 / 12,6 dB(A) |
| Input Power: | 1,2 / 1,08 W |
| Voltage Range: | 12 V |
| MTBF: | > 150.000 h |
Packaging & Accessories
The packaging of both the NH-L9i and the NH-D14 feels top notch and very sturdy. Just as you would expect with any Noctua product, the components inside are well packaged and everything feels well secured inside the box. The front of the box lists some of the features such as Full Memory Compatibility, compatibility with past and future sockets, 6 year warranty, PWM support, Low-Noise Adaptor, and the NT-H1 thermal compound.
When opening up the package for the NH-L9i, you are presented with a high density foam that securely holds the NF-A9x14 PWM fan, NT-H1 thermal compound, Low-Noise-Adapter, four mounting screws, four screws, Noctua case sticker and a manual. Noctua has always done a fantastic job on their packaging and the packaging of the NH-L9i is no exception.
Here we can see how the NH-L9i is constructed and that is with a copper base and heatpipes, aluminium fins, soldered joints and nickel plating. The dimension for the NH-L9i come in at 95 mm x 95 mm x 37 mm (L x W x H) for the heatsink which makes it perfect for mini ITX cases. The cooler weighs 345 g without the fan and 420 g with the fan installed. This might be a tiny cooler but it has two 6 mm heatpipes while Intel's stock cooler has none. You can't rely on Intel's stock cooler for anything because it's cheaply made and makes loud noises. Noctua engineers everything for quietness and puts a lot of R&D into their products, more on that on the next page.
The packaging of the NH-D14 is also top notch. The accessories included in the box are excellent. Noctua has included mounting brackets needed to mount the cooler either on an Intel or AMD motherboard. They have also included a Phillips screw driver that you can use during the installation, two U.L.N.A. adapters which can be used to reduce fan speed for ultimate quietness, a manual is included as well and their amazing NT-H1 thermal compound
Moving on to the design of the NH-D14, we can see that this thing is huge compared to the NH-L9i. The NH-D14 weighs in at a hefty 900 grams without any fans and 1240 grams with both fans installed. That's over two pounds for a CPU cooler and it's a lot of weight for the motherboard to support. As you can see from the picture, this monster uses six 6 mm copper heatpipes and they have been soldered to the base plate and to the aluminium fins as well. The copper base plate measures 2 mm to 4.5mm thick and has a nickel-plated finish. Each stack has 42 aluminium fins and measures 0.4 mm thick and is approximately spaced 2 mm from the next.
Fan Design
Something that many people probably don't know that I personally like about Noctua is that everything from fan design to bearing design is done in house. And this means that a lot of testing and R&D goes through when making a Noctua fan. Most manufactures simply use a stock model fan from an OEM and just slightly tweak the RPM levels and call it a day.
Noctua puts a lot of R&D into their fan designs and it totally shows in the build quality of their fans. Typical fans don't last a long time; most fans come with a MTBF of 50,000 to 100,000 hours and most of them stop working before they even hit the limit; some even start to make high pitch noises.
All the fans that Noctua designs come with a MTBF of more than 150,000 hours so they essentially pay for themselves in the future since you don't have to keep buying new fans if they stop working. Noctua also has an amazing customer service that I have always been very fond of. I have lost mounting kits numerous times and they have always sent me new ones free of charge. They have even sent me extra fans free of charge. I wish more companies had a customer service like Noctua! A simple Google search will reveal how great Noctua's customer service is.
The NH-L9i comes with the NF-A9x14 PWM fan that spins at a maximum 2500 RPM, or 1800 RPM with the L.N.A. It uses Noctua's second generation SSO2 bearing with metal bearing shell and Noctua's custom designed PWM IC for fully automatic PWM speeds. The metal bearing shell is made from CNC milled brass that delivers long term stability and durability. The NF-A9x14 PWM fan can drop as low as 600 RPM via PWM mode. It comes at a 14mm thickness that makes it ideal for low profile CPU coolers.
The fans that are used on the NH-D14 are the NF-P14 & NF-P12 and these are a little older fans than the one that's used on the NH-L9i.
These fans use the first generation of SSO bearing. The NF-P14's max rotation speed is 1200 while the NF-P12 is 1300 RPM.
If you decide to use
the Ultra-Low-Noise-Adapter then the speed will drop to 900 RPM for both of them. These fans are whisper quiet even under full load and you will hardly hear them spinning.
Noctua has discontinued the NF-P14 FLX because they have released the successor to that fan and that is the NF-A15 PWM fan.
Test Setup & Methodology
| Test Setup | |
|---|---|
| Processor: | Intel i7 3770K @ 4.6GHz 1.30v |
| Motherboard: | Asus Sabertooth Z77 |
| RAM: | Kingston HyperX 8GB @ 1866 MHz |
| Graphics Card: | EVGA GTX 680 |
| Storage: | Samsung 840 Pro 256GB |
| Power Supply: | Antec Earth Watts 650W |
| Case: | Antec Nine Hundred |
| OS: | Windows 7 64Bit |
| Thermal Compound: | Noctua NT-H1 |
| Heatsinks: | Noctua NH-L9i Noctua NH-D14 Noctua NH-U14S Noctua NH-U12S Corsair H60 Corsair H55 Cooler Master Hyper 212+ Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Scythe Mugen 3B Phanteks PHTC12DX NZXT Respire T20 NZXT Respire T40 |
Installing both the NH-L9i and the NH-D14 was relatively easy thanks to the SecuFirm2 mounting system that Noctua has greatly designed.
SecuFirm2 is compatible with pretty much all AMD and Intel sockets.
The whole assembly took less than 5 minutes and even if you are someone with no knowledge whatsoever,
you will still be able to install this cooler with little to no effort thanks to SecuFirm2.
SecuFirm 2 isn't compatible with Intel's 775 and 1366 sockets so you will need to contact Noctua so they can send you the necessary
equipment free of charge. Noctua also promises to provide upgrade kits for future sockets free of charge which is also very nice!
Since I'm using low profile RAM modules, I didn't have any problems with the cooler hanging over the RAM slots. If you are using RAM with tall heatsinks then you might need to do some calculations before purchasing the NH-D14.
In my opinion, there's very little reason to purchasing RAM with tall heatsinks because RAM does not produce enough heat that you would need to dissipate it and there's no performance boost to having the tall heatsinks. I know some people like them for looks but you have to decide if you're one of those people. If you need help figuring out the RAM compatibility with the NH-D14 then head over to Noctua's website NH-D14 RAM Compatibility.
Before I talk about the test methodology, I just want to say that since these two coolers are engineered for completely different purposes, we will be testing them differently from each other. We will be testing the NH-D14 with our regular system setup and that is with the 3770K overclocked to 4.6Ghz with using around 1.30 volts. This will be a good way to test this beast because we all know that Ivy Bridge runs super hot once overclocked and it really puts a lot of stress into any modern CPU cooler that's out there. The NH-L9i on the other hand will be tested against the Intel stock cooler with no overclocking. We will run the CPU at default settings and see how well the NH-L9i does against Intel's stock cooler.
All of the testing is done with an ambient temperature of ~19C. RealTemp will be used to monitor the temperature of the CPU and Prime95 (Large FFTs) will be used to deliver the full load to the CPU for 20 minutes. After each testing, we let the temperature inside the case to stabilize for 10 minutes to ensure that the temperature inside the case is back to normal. This is something that many reviewers take for granted when testing CPU coolers and believe it or not, it makes a world of difference.
Idle temperatures will be measured after leaving the computer idle for 20 minutes. CPU-Z will be used to verify the CPU speed and the voltage being used in Windows 7. Also, the coolers are tested with the default settings (Turbo, C1E etc) enabled in the BIOS.
We will measure the noise levels for both in idle and load using a dBA meter and point it at the computer at a distance of ~50 CM. It's always difficult to measure noise levels because there are always noises in the background which can affect it so the results may not be 100% precise but it should give you a clear indication of the noise levels for the cooler.
One thing that I have to say before the test is that I'm using 1.30 volts for the overclock but you clearly don't need 1.30 volts to get the 3770K stable at 4.6Ghz but I'm doing this to stress test the cooler to its limits. You can easily get it stable with using ~1.25 volts and you will probably get much better temperatures than I did so keep that in mind.
Thermal & Noise Level Results
The Noctua NH-D14 obviously has no problems keeping the idle temperatures nice and low when running the 3770K at such high voltage.
The majority of the coolers did fine during the idle testing but the NH-U14S in push/pull config managed to do a little bit better,
probably because it uses Noctua's second generation SSO2 bearing PWM fans which are a more up to date fans than the ones used in the NH-D14.
Looking at the full load temperatures, the NH-D14 pulled ahead and managed to beat the NH-U14S with dual fans.
If you compare it with the regular one that's using a single fan, you can see that there's a 6 Celsius difference between the two.
The NH-D14 also has room for a third fan which you could install and get even lower temperatures.
Now let's look at the noise levels for both idle and load.
The Noctua NH-D14 is super quiet in idle mode and you can hardly hear the fans spinning. Anything below ~45 dBA is considered to
be silent and the NH-D14 stays well below that.
Here's the NH-D14 at full load and it still manages to stay below 40 dBA, very impressive!
Now let's move on to the NH-L9i because you are going to like the results.
Well, the results speak for themselves but the NH-L9i surprised me how well it did considering how small it is. The temperature for the Intel stock cooler went all the way to 94c so I stopped it at that point because I didn't want to fry my board. I'm sure it would have easily surpassed 100c if I had let it running a little bit longer.
Conclusion
People recognize Noctua products when they see one because of the color scheme that they use on their fans and that's what makes Noctua unique from different manufactures. Noctua has gained a lot of positive recognition in the cooling market because of their exceptional CPU coolers and amazing fans. Noctua's NH-D14 has proven to be a truly fantastic cooler offering the highest cooling performance you could possibly get.
The NH-L9i on the other hand has shown its true power. I'm actually more surprised by the performance of the NH-L9i than the NH-D14 because it's such a small cooler that I would have never thought it could handle the 3770K under full load at such low temps. It put Intel's stock cooler to shame both in idle and under load so Noctua gets a big thumbs up for designing a truly amazing low profile cooler. The only negative that some people might have with Noctua's products in general is the color scheme which might not be a problem for some of you but for modders it could be a deal breaker.
Pros:
+ Superb Performance
+ Excellent Build Quality
+ Extremely Quiet Fans
+ Super Easy installation thanks to the SecuFirm 2
+ Top-Notch Packaging and Accessories
+ Six Heatpipe Dual Tower Design
+ 6 Year Warranty/MTBF 150,000 Hours
+ Amazing thermal compound (NT-H1)
Cons:
- Pricey
- Color scheme might be a con for some
Overall, both the NH-D14 and the NH-L9i come packed with whisper quiet fans and come loaded with a ton of useful accessories. The NH-D14 is known for being one of the best CPU coolers that has ever been created and it totally deserves that title. It was released back on 2009 which makes it even better for a 4 year old air cooler still able to compete and beat most of today's air coolers and water coolers with little effort. This beast has no problems handling CPUs such as the 3770K that run extremely hot when overclocked at 4.6Ghz with high voltage. You could probably slap a third fan on the other side of the NH-D14 and get even lower temperatures.
SecuFirm2 makes the installation process so easy that it's not even funny. The NT-H1 thermal compound that Noctua includes is also top notch. The TIM is much heavier and thicker than Artic Silver 5 but it is still easy to spread around. Noctua is not only great at making CPU coolers and fans but also thermal compounds which not many people are aware of. The customer service is a bonus if you ask me because if the fans ever stop working, Noctua will send you new ones free of charge!
The Noctua NH-D14 retails for $85.99 on Newegg which might be a little steep for some people but considering that this is probably the best cooler
that you could buy, then it makes sense to go all way.
The NH-L9i retails for $47.99 which is not so cheap either and I could also tell you that it completely destroyed Intel's stock cooler.
With all that being said, we are proud to give both the NH-D14 and the NH-L9i the Editor's Choice award.
NH-D14
Final Score 9.8
NH-L9i
Final Score 9.4
