- Review -

01.04.2015 Overclockers.com

Noctua equipped these heatsinks with their standard mount, the SecuFirm2. In fact, the backplate used in testing the NH-D9L and the NH-U9S came from the NH-D15 kit. The mounts shared spacers and finger nuts; only the brackets differed between the two heatsinks. These are about the easiest mounting systems to use. You might equal them; you will not surpass them. If you are using an NH-U9S, a single fan will suffice for most uses. If you need it not to make any noise that might get out of a case, buy a second NF-A9 PWM and run them both with Low Noise Adapters. That is an extremely quiet combination. Working with the NH-D9L is like working with the NH-D15. Everything is familiar. It’s like seeing an old friend. Here again the difference between one or two fans is really in your noise tolerance. One fan at full speed cools about as well as two fans on LNA, but the two speed-reduced fans run a step quieter. You can hear the noise difference. Two points about the noise – first, these heatsinks were relatively quiet in all configurations; and what noise there was, was pleasant to hear. Second, these fans were tested at a constant voltage. Since they are PWM, they can be set to run as fast as the system demands, and no faster. Most of the time, then, they will be inaudible.

"The Noctua NH-U9S and the NH-D9L are competent heatsinks that make little noise and fit in little spaces." (Edward Hume, Overclockers.com)