- Review -

02.03.2015 FrostyTech.com

With a 200W heat load applied by the Intel LGA2011/1366 version of FrostyTech's synthetic thermal test platform, the Noctua NH-U9S heatsink yields an average temperature result of 30.2°C over ambient at stock fan speed (2000RPM / 44.3dBA). Adding a second NF-A9 fan to the rear of the NH-U9S heatsink dropped the synthetic CPU interface die by 5.5°C to 24.7°C over ambient. Noise output increased to 48.1 dBA with both fans. Relative to sub-125mm tall Intel LGA2011 heatsinks, the Noctua NH-U9S is about 8.1°C warmer than the Silverstone NT06-P heatsink which is 100mm tall, but has a larger footprint of 140x147mm. The NH-U9S heatsink with dual fans is only 2.6°C warmer than the NT06-P, but runs quieter and has a footprint of just 95x122mm. To sum up, Noctua have created a very well performing heatsink if size restrictions are the primary concern. Against the full force of the heatsink reference chart, the Noctua NH-U9S heatsink quite plainly offers up quiet, but average cooling performance. Where sub 125mm tall heatsinks are specifically concerned, the NH-U9S is within a few degrees of the best performing coolers Frostytech has tested thus far. Nice.

"Given these height and footprint size restrictions, the Noctua NH-U9S is a pretty quiet heatsink that offers very good thermal performance in the sub-125mm tall heatsink category, making it an excellent choice for PCs which are severely space limited. The results are enhanced by adding a second fan, as we've shown over the course of this review. Couple that with awesome build quality and a 6 year warranty and it's not hard to recommend this cooler." (Max Page, FrostyTech.com)