Noctua NH-U9B Heatsink

LincLinc OwnerDetroit Icrontian
edited February 2009 in Science & Tech
Mike returns to heatsinks to evaluate the Noctua NH-U9B:
Three months after Noctua released their very successful NH-U12P, they are back with a new, more compact heatsink: the NH-U9B. I was so impressed with the NH-U12P when I took a look at it last month that I jumped at the opportunity to see what a 92mm version could do.

Comments

  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    Great job Mike!

    Is there any pricing on either the NH-U12P or the NH-U9B?
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited March 2008
    Thanks :)

    The NH-U9B goes for around ~$50, and the NH-U12P goes for around ~$60. They can be found for less on sale, I'm sure.
  • DogSoldierDogSoldier The heart of radical Amish country..
    edited March 2008
    Great review. But I don't see "A higher CFM fan is needed to unleash its full performance potential due to more densely packed fins." as a Con. Amazing little piece of "cool" engineering.
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited March 2008
    DogSoldier wrote:
    Great review. But I don't see "A higher CFM fan is needed to unleash its full performance potential due to more densely packed fins." as a Con. Amazing little piece of "cool" engineering.

    Thanks :)

    I see what you are saying, DogSoldier. Densely packed fins may be a positive thing for some individuals. Performance on tap for those not interested in silent cooling is a good thing. From a buyers perspective though, the cost of a higher flow 92mm fan would have to be factored in.

    It would probably be more accurate to state that "The included fan is not able to unleash the NH-U9B's full performance potential", rather than mentioning the densely packed fins.
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited April 2008
    Some additional information I received from Noctua regarding the review:
    Noctua wrote:
    I'm also glad to hear that you like the new backplate and the improvements of the mounting system. We'll also include self-adhesive washers to make the installation process easier in the future. The new mounting parts will also be included with the NH-U12P by the way.

    I'd also like to comment on the clearance for mainboard components and on the fin-spacing: Since the NH-U9B is quite a bit lower, we had to pack the fins a little tighter in order to keep the overall surface area large enough so that the cooler can cope with higher heat loads. The same thing goes for the smaller clearance underneath the fin stack. Due to the smaller size of the NH-U9B, this doesn't result in compatibility issues because it nicely fits into the 95mm LGA square that has a maximum component height of 25mm.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited April 2008
    Looks like another winner. Great review, too... I think your testing methodologies are much more rigorous than most websites go into for heatsink reviews. :bigggrin:
  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited February 2009
    The NH-U9B is still making rounds.
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