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

Noctua NH-L9i-17xx chromax.black Specifications and Features

The NH-L9i-17xx chromax.black is an all-black version of Noctua’s award-winning NH-L9i-17xx low-profile quiet CPU cooler for Intel LGA1700 (LGA17xx family) 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-L9i-17xx’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 Intel LGA1700 (LGA17xx family), Noctua’s enthusiast-grade NT-H1 thermal compound and a full 6-year manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-L9i-17xx chromax.black is a premium choice for customers who seek an ultra-compact heatsink that looks just as great as it cools.

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.

 

chromax.black design

The NH-L9i-17xx 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-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

The chromax.black version is nothing more than a black NH-L9i cooler. Computer enthusiasts care about details like that as the cooler’s color matches high-end components and high gaming ITX motherboards. It perfectly fits our ASUS Strix Z690-I Gaming motherboard.

The cooler’s package is similar to that of the NH-L9i-17xx. The main difference makes its dark theme and the picture of the chromax.black version of the cooler.

The package contents are the same as for the NH-L9i-17xx. Of course, everything is black to match the cooler’s style.

There is no performance difference between the NH-L9-17xx and its chromax.black version. Both coolers handle the same processors, and I recommend them for processors up to 100W TDP as then they show the best balance between performance and quiet work.