A Closer Look
Noctua has a quality that really stands out against all others. The attention to detail is one to view in person if possible. The design aspects of the NH-D9L are simple yet flawless. Not much going on past the aluminum fins and the nickel coated heatsink and heat pipes. The NH-D9L features couple of notched areas in the center and outer edges of the cooling fins. The notches on the edges serve the purpose of the fan mounts. Noctua has stuck to the performance over style for a while now and that motto of thinking has really paid off. Nothing about the NH-D9L is going to make you hoot and holler about ground breaking style. No fancy lights, crazy colors, just a design that has been proven to give optimum performance and quality.
Now let us install the NH-D9L and check out some finished looks!
Installation
Installation of any cooler can be a daunting task. The process usually requires the take your entire rig apart pull out the motherboard and proceed from there. Depending what case you may have the possibilities of avoiding taking everything apart greatly increase just by the small size of the NH-D9L. The small size should make for a more manageable install. The size alone made things easier to see around obstacles and the heatsink screws easier to work around. I am going to attempt to install the NH-D9L with out removing the motherboard and I am also going to leave in place the water cooling system I have mounted. The clearance on the water cooler makes life easy with a huge case but that will also give you an idea of the 95×95 footprint of the NH-D9L.
Finished Looks
As you can see the clean simple looks of the Noctua NH-D9L. The entire process was made simple by the SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting system. I added the second fan towards the rear of the cooler. You have the option to add the second fan to either side of the cooler.
Now let us see how the NH-D9L performs!
