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

Noctua NH-L9i-17xx Specifications and Features

The NH-L9i-17xx is the latest, LGA1700-specific revision of Noctua’s award-winning NH-L9i low-profile CPU cooler for Intel-LGA17xx based HTPCs and Small Form Factor (SFF) systems. 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 LGA1700 (LGA17xx family) 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 LGA17xx family CPUs.

New revision for Intel’s LGA1700 (LGA17xx family) socket

Since the original NH-L9i for LGA1200 and LGA115x has received more than 200 awards and recommendations from international hardware websites and magazines, the new 17xx revision builds on the same proven heatsink design to provide excellent low-profile cooling performance for LGA1700 (LGA17xx family) CPUs.

 

Award-winning NH-L9i cooler

Tens of thousands of enthusiast users all over the world swear by the NH-L9i’s quality and performance. Recommended by more than 150 international hardware websites and magazines, it is renowned as being one of the best low-profile coolers on the market.

 

37mm low profile

Due to the slim 23mm heatsink and the NF-A9x14 low profile fan that measures only 14mm in thickness, the NH-L9 stands a mere 37mm tall, which makes it ideal for use in compact HTPCs or Small Form Factor cases that offer minimum clearance for CPU coolers.

 

100% RAM compatibility

The NH-L9i has a 95x95mm footprint that complies exactly with the Intel LGA1700 (LGA17xx family) socket keep-out zone. This means that it won’t cause issues with VRM heatsinks and doesn’t overhang the RAM slots, so it’s fully compatible with tall memory modules.

 

100% compatibility with PCIe cards on mini-ITX

Some mini-ITX motherboards have the PCIe slot sitting close to the 95x95mm socket zone. While larger coolers that exceed this zone are likely to block the PCIe slot, the 95x95mm sized NH-L9i provides full compatibility with PCIe cards.

 

Easy access to near-socket connectors

Many low-profile coolers use larger fans or heatsinks in order to achieve sufficient performance, but by protruding over the socket zone, they make it difficult or even impossible to reach near-socket connectors on tightly packed ITX motherboards. Thanks to its compact footprint, the NH-L9i-17xx provides easy access to all connectors and components.

 

NF-A9x14 PWM premium fan

The highly optimised NF-A9x14 premium fan features Noctua’s proprietary AAO frame as well as sophisticated aerodynamic design measures. Supporting PWM for fully automatic speed control, the NF-A9x14 allows the NH-L9i to stay remarkably quiet.

 

Low-Noise Adaptor

Allowing the maximum speed of the NF-A9x14 PWM fan to be reduced from 2500 to 1800rpm, the included Low-Noise Adaptor (LNA) makes it possible to achieve near-silent setups with suitable CPUs that only create smaller heat loads.

 

Custom-designed SecuFirm2™ mounting for LGA1700 (LGA17xx family)

The NH-L9i-17xx bundles a custom-designed, backplate-less SecuFirm2™ mounting system for LGA17xx family sockets that offers extended compatibility with mini-ITX boards and makes installation easier than ever, all while maintaining the trusted SecuFirm2™ quality.

 

NT-H1 thermal compound

Noctua’s much-acclaimed NT-H1 is a pro-grade TIM solution that provides minimum thermal resistance, excellent ease-of-use and outstanding reliability.

 

Soldered interface between heatpipes and fins

With many heatsinks, the fins are press-fitted to the heatpipes. Due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of copper and aluminium, this fit can loosen over years of thermal cycling, which may lead to reduced performance. By contrast, the NH-L9i’s fins are soldered to the heatpipes in order to guarantee a superior thermal interface that doesn’t deteriorate even after many years of usage.

 

6-year manufacturer’s warranty

Noctua products are renowned for their impeccable quality and outstanding longevity. Like all Noctua fans, the supplied NF-A9x14 features an MTTF rating of more than 150.000 hours and the entire NH-L9i package comes with a full 6-year manufacturer’s warranty.

 

Closer Look

All new Noctua products arrived in retail packages, so they are exactly the same as you can buy in a store. The NH-L9i-17xx cooler has a package that is about the same as that of previous NH-L9i coolers. It’s a quite small flat box which is well-described and tells us everything we may need to know about the product inside.

Inside the package, we will find a user’s manual, mounting screws, a badge/sticker with the Noctua logo, a low-noise adapter, and a tube of NT-H1 thermal compound. It’s everything we may need for the installation.

The cooler itself is well-known, so I don’t think I have to say much about its design, especially since we have reviewed every previous version. The cooler is very small, about as small as Intel box coolers, but it performs significantly better. The main difference between the 17xx version and previous Intel or AMD versions is that now we can install the cooler on new motherboards with the LGA1700 socket.