Performance
The NH-U9S chromax.black performance has been tested on AMD Ryzen 5 4650G, a six-core processor. The processor’s TDP is 65W, but in tests, we could reach nearly 80W. Quick tests using Ryzen 9 5900X showed that the cooler couldn’t handle high wattage without performance drops, so we had to skip it. The CPU kept a safe temperature, but during work, CPU’s clock was going below 3.8GHz, so for these higher wattage processors, I recommend stronger coolers. On the other hand, I doubt that users who decided on the top series processors will use smaller coolers like the NH-U9S.
The test platform also includes the ASUS Strix B550I-Gaming motherboard, 32GB Crucial Ballistix DDR4-4400 memory kit, Crucial P5 500GB M.2 SSD, and Corsair SF600 80+ Platinum PSU.
Our comparison includes three tests. The idle mode is a PC left without any load besides standard Windows services running in the background. The mixed-mode base on a PCMark 10 extended test that uses popular applications and simple games. The max load is a CPU+FPU AIDA64 stability test. Shows about maximum CPU load during the most demanding work on all CPU cores.
Let’s take a look at our results.
The Ryzen 5 4650G is not really a demanding CPU, and Noctua NH-U9S seems perfect to keep it cool and don’t make unnecessary noise. Our maximum temperature was around 78°C during longer tests. During mixed load tests, so also during gaming, we could see anything between 60°C and 72°C.
The CPU had no problems with temperatures or keeping the frequency at its maximum 4.3GHz.
During mixed load tests, the fan was spinning between 600 and 1400 RPM. The temperature was low enough, so it didn’t have to run at the maximum speed. Even during full CPU load tests, the fan was going up to about 1750 RPM. Overclocking on our CPU is impossible as it reaches the same maximum frequency at automatic and manual settings.
In comparison, there are also results with two fans. However, as you can see, it’s not really worth adding a second fan as the temperatures are barely lower. We could see about a 1-2°C difference, depends on tests.
Even more interesting is a situation with a much stronger NH-D15S cooler added to the comparison. This cooler was clearly boring during our tests, but we will add some more when the time comes for reviewing the NH-D15S chromax.black. Expect it in a couple of days.
The NH-U9S chromax.black is one of my favorite coolers. It’s small, looks great, and performs well. Anyone who is searching for a small but high-end cooler will be satisfied.
