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Noctua NH-L9i-17XX and NH-L9i-17XX chromax.black CPU Coolers Review, including NA-FD1 Duct Kit

Noctua are probably one of the first CPU cooler manufacturer to start offering products compatible with the latest Intel processors for the LGA1700 socket. Noctua products are always top quality, so we never have to worry if the product will be good or not. The question is always how good is it really? This review focuses on the smallest low profile coolers for the ITX platform. Interestingly, Noctua have also made these coolers compatible with their NA-FD1 duct kit. The duct kit is a simple way to improve the performance for the smallest ITX PCs, and works well with the NH-L9x line of coolers.

Stay with us to see how well the NH-L9i-17xx coolers perform with and without the air duct kit on the i5-12600K CPU.

As usual, we will start with a long list of specifications and features. This time it will cover three separate products.

Let’s begin with the specifications and features of the new Noctua cooler.

 

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The NH-L9i-17xx and the all-black NH-L9i-17xx chromax.black are the latest, LGA1700-specific revisions of Noctua’s award-winning NH-L9i low-profile CPU cooler. At a height of only 37mm, the NH-L9i is ideal for extremely slim cases and, due to its small footprint, it provides 100% RAM and PCIe compatibility as well as easy access to near-socket connectors even on tightly packed mini-ITX motherboards. The custom-designed SecuFirm2™ mounting system for the new LGA1700 socket makes installation a breeze and, thanks to the highly optimised NF-A9x14 92mm fan that supports fully automatic speed control via PWM, the NH-L9i-17xx runs remarkably quietly. Topped off with Noctua’s renowned NT-H1 thermal compound, the NH-L9i-17xx combines everything users have come to expect from Noctua’s larger coolers into a super-compact, premium-quality package for ITX and HTPC builds with Intel’s new 12th generation Core CPUs.

The new NA-FD1 fan duct kit makes it possible to significantly improve the performance of Noctua NH-L9i and NH-L9a series CPU coolers in Small Form Factor (SFF) environments where there is a gap of 5mm or more (up to 45mm) between the cooler and a perforated top or side panel. Bridging this gap, the duct prevents the cooler from taking in hot air from the interior and enables it to draw in fresh air from the outside through the perforated panel, which can, depending on the setup, improve CPU temperatures by as much as 5°C or more. As the duct is assembled from EVA foam spacers of different thickness , it is fully modular and can be adjusted in 1mm increments from 5mm to 45mm height in order to fit various different cases and configurations. In short, the NA-FD1 is a simple yet smart, flexible, and cost-effective way of boosting the efficiency of NH-L9a and NH-L9i series coolers!

 

 

You can buy the Noctua NH-L9i-17xx cooler for around $45, and the NA-FD1 Fan Duct Kit for around $13, from Amazon.

 

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