NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.black

The NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.black is an all-black version of Noctua’s award-winning NH-L9a-AM4 low-profile quiet CPU cooler for AMD Ryzen based HTPCs and Small Form Factor (SFF) builds. Thanks to the same proven heatsink design and NF-A9x14 PWM fan, it stays true to the NH-L9a-AM4’s successful formula of fusing a height of only 37mm with strong performance and excellent quietness of operation, as well as 100% RAM and PCIe compatibility. At the same time, the chromax.black version with its black fan and black coated heatsink combines these assets with a sleek stealth look. Topped off with the renowned SecuFirm2™ low-profile mounting system for AMD AM4, Noctua’s enthusiast-grade NT-H1 thermal compound and a full 6-year manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.black is a premium choice for customers who seek an ultra-compact heatsink that looks just as great as it cools.

The NH-L9a-AM4 is a highly compact, quiet low-profile cooler designed for use in small form factor cases and HTPC environments. While it provides first-rate performance in its class, it is not suitable for overclocking and or CPUs that create high heat loads. Please consult our CPU compatibility list to find out whether the NH-L9a-AM4 is recommended for your CPU/APU.

Details

Award-winning NH-L9a-AM4 cooler

Tens of thousands of enthusiast users all over the world swear by the NH-L9a-AM4’s quality and performance. Recommended by more than 50 international hardware websites and magazines, it is renowned as being one of the best low-profile coolers for AMD Ryzen CPUs and APUs.

chromax.black design

The NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.black is black from head to toe: Featuring a black coated heatsink, a black fan with black anti-vibration pads, black fan screws and black mounting parts, it’s right at home in all-black builds and easy to integrate with other colour schemes.

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-L9a-AM4 has a compact footprint that fully complies with the socket keep-out zones specified by AMD. This means that neither the heatsink nor the fan overhang the RAM, so the cooler provides easy access to the slots and is fully compatible with tall memory modules.

100% compatibility with PCIe cards on mini-ITX

Some AMD-based mini-ITX motherboards have the PCIe slot located close to the CPU socket zone. While larger coolers that exceed this zone may block the PCIe slot, the compact-sized NH-L9a-AM4 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-L9a-AM4 provides easy access to all connectors and components.

NF-A9x14 PWM premium fan

The highly optimised, award-winning 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-L9a 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/APUs that only create smaller heat loads.

Custom-designed SecuFirm2™ mounting for AM4

The NH-L9a-AM4 comes with a custom-designed SecuFirm2™ mounting system for the AM4 socket of AMD’s Ryzen platform. Allowing the heatsink to be fixed from the back of the motherboard, it 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. Chosen again and again by overclockers and enthusiast users worldwide, it has established itself as a benchmark for premium-quality thermal compounds.

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-L9a’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-L9a package comes with a full 6-year manufacturer's warranty.

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Product Details

Notes and warnings

Cooler Specification

Socket compatibility

AMD AM4

Height (without fan)

23 mm

Width (without fan)

114 mm

Depth (without fan)

92 mm

Weight (without fan)

390 g

Height (with fan)

37 mm

Width (with fan)

114 mm

Depth (with fan)

92 mm

Weight (with fan)

465 g

Material

Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating

NSPR

Max. TDP

see NSPR

Fan compatibility

92x92x14mm, 92x92x25mm

Scope of delivery

Black NH-L9a-AM4 heatsink
NF-A9x14 HS-PWM chromax.black premium fan
NA-RC7 Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound
Black SecuFirm2™ AM4 mounting kit
Black Screws for 92x92x25mm fans
Noctua Metal Case-Badge

Warranty

6 Years

FAN Specification

Model

Noctua NF-A9x14 HS-PWM chromax.black

Bearing

SSO2

Max. rotational speed (+/- 10%)

2500 RPM

Max. rotational speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%)

1800 RPM

Min. rotational speed @ 20% PWM (+/-20%)

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 (max.)

2,52 W

Voltage range

12 V

MTTF

> 150.000 h

INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION SHEETS (PDF)

FAQs

Motherboard Compatibility

Case Compatibility

RAM COMPATIBILITY

CPU Compatibility

Installation Manual (PDF)

Information Sheet (PDF)

Disclaimer:
We create and update our compatibility lists with the utmost care. Unfortunately, mainboard manufacturers tend to change certain components and heatsinks without pointing it out by using corresponding revision names. If you run into problems while installing our coolers on one of the mainboards listed as being compatible, please don't hesitate to contact our support team at support@noctua.at.

Please also keep in mind that other components such as narrow or small cases as well as memory modules with special (higher) heat-spreaders can cause compatibility-issues.

For use in systems from Dell, HP or Lenovo, please note this FAQ.

Can't find the motherboard you're looking for? Please don't hesitate to contact our support team at support@noctua.at in order to obtain compatibility information for motherboards that aren't listed below.

NT-H2 3.5g
Further improved second generation of the award-winning NT-H1 with even better thermal performance

Not electrically conductive and non-corroding

Excellent long-term stability (usage time on the CPU up to 5 years)

3.5g pack for around 3-20 applications (depending on CPU size, e.g. ~3 applications for TR4, ~20 for LGA1151)
NT-H2 10g
Further improved second generation of the award-winning NT-H1 with even better thermal performance

Not electrically conductive and non-corroding

Excellent long-term stability (usage time on the CPU up to 5 years)

10g pack for around 9-60 applications (depending on CPU size, e.g. ~9 applications for TR4, ~60 for LGA1151)
NA-SCW1
Cleaning wipes for removing thermal compounds such as Noctua NT-H2 and NT-H1

Ideal for cleaning the contact surface of the heatsink as well as the heat-spreader of CPUs, GPUs or other chips

Pre-moistened with a custom detergent mixture for easy and efficient cleaning

Large size (15x12cm) is usually enough to clean both the chip and the cooler

Pack contains 20 individually packed wipes