Cooling

Noctua NH-U9S Review

vortez
April 8, 2015 10 Min Read
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The NH-U9S is a compact, single tower 92cm CPU cooler which focuses its attention on compatibility – with 100% memory clearance.


Product on Review: NH-U9S
Manufacturer & Sponsor: Noctua
Street Price: £44.99 GBP / $99 USD

After taking a short break from reviewing coolers here at Vortez (to upgrade our computer chassis and re-test coolers) – We are back again! And what better way to kick things back into action than to look at a product from the king of coolers, Noctua. To most enthusiasts, Noctua has become synonymous with premium quality and low-noise. Under their belt they have a strong lineup of cooling solutions and today we’re to take a look at a revision of their much loved 92cm tower design.

The NH-U9S is a compact, single tower CPU cooler which focuses its attention on compatibility. Noctua has addressed key concerns for system builders and enthusiasts – A condensed size makes it easy to install in tight spaces, memory clearance now receives 100% compatibility and mini-ITX users can now use the top PCI-E slot without any hassles.


Noctua on their NH-U9S
Continuing the renowned legacy of Noctua’s award-winning NH-U9 series, the NH-U9S is a premium quality quiet CPU cooler in classic 9cm size. Its asymmetrical design with 5 heatpipes not only provides even better cooling performance than the previous generation but also improves compatibility: Thanks to its 95x95mm footprint, the NH-U9S clears the RAM and PCIe slots on all Intel and most AMD based mainboards, including µATX and ITX. Combined with its 125mm height, this makes the NH-U9S a highly versatile solution with excellent case, RAM and PCIe compatibility. The included NF-A9 premium fan supports automatic speed control via PWM for outstanding quietness of operation and a second, optional NF-A9 fan can be added for further improved performance in dual fan mode. Topped off with the trusted, pro-grade SecuFirm2™ multi-socket mounting system, Noctua’s proven NT-H1 thermal compound and full 6 years manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-U9S is a deluxe choice through and through.

Technical Specifications


Heatsink
Socket compatibility Intel LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3 (Square ILM), LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150 & AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required)
Height (without fan) 125 mm
Width (without fan) 95 mm
Depth (without fan) 68 mm
Height (with fan) 125 mm
Width (with fan) 95 mm
Depth (with fan) 95 mm
Weight (without fan) 524 g
Weight (with fan) 618 g
Material Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating
Max. TDP see TDP guide
Fan compatibility 92x92x25
Scope of Delivery
NF-A9 PWM premium fan
Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound
SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kit
Fan-clips for second NF-A9
Noctua Metal Case-Badge
Warranty 6 Years

Fan specifications
Model Noctua NF-A9 PWM
Bearing SSO2
Max. Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) 2000 RPM
Max. Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 1550 RPM
Min. Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%) 400 RPM
Max. Airflow 78,9 m³/h
Max. Airflow with L.N.A. 62,6 m³/h
Max. Acoustical Noise 22,8 dB(A)
Max. Acoustical Noise with L.N.A. 16,3 dB(A)
Input Power 1,2 W
Voltage Range 12 V
MTBF > 150.000 h

Packaging, Bundle & Fan



U9S arrives in a small box which carries with it Noctua’s well-known styling. The front details key features and the sides/back reveals the technical specifications and drawings of U9S.

Inside, the heatsink and respective components are sectioned off into specific boxes. As we’ve seen before, Noctua always take extra-care with their packaging.


Within the packaging there are a wide range of components which allows U9S to be installed on multiple sockets. The supported sockets are as follows:

Intel: LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3 (Square ILM), LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150
AMD: AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required)

Noctua bundle these accessories with U9S:

• NF-A9 PWM premium fan
• Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
• NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound
• SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kit
• Installation-kit for second NF-A9 fan (optional)


Along with the heatsink, Noctua bundle an NF-A9 PWM cooling fan with U9S. This fan is 92mm in size and uses a 7-blade design and being PWM offers up to 2000RPM. Noctua include another set of fan clips so that a second fan can also be attached to the heatsink for a push/pull configuration.

Closer Look




Measuring just 125x95x68 mm, the U9S heatsink is small in comparison to Noctua’s renowned lineup of high end coolers. Nevertheless, this cooler still retains the quality materials from its counterparts – aluminium fins with soldered joints and nickel plating.

This fin-stack is condensed and follows a curved but symmetrical contour.


Running through from the baseplate, through the fins are a total of five copper heatpipes. At the top the tips of these heatpipes are clearly visible – along with the engraved logo of Noctua.

The baseplate which has direct contact with the CPU, is constructed of copper and has a fully reflective and mirror-like finish. Noctua has pre-attached the mounting screws and respective tension springs which is a huge benefit, making the task of installing much easier.


Noctua supply fan clips to attach 92mm cooling fans to the heatsink. The NF-A9 is simply attached by looping the clip through the mounting hole and fitting the clasp behind the fin indented fin stack. In less than a minute a fan can be attached to the heatsink.

Installation Process


In order to demonstrate the installation process for NH-U9S we are installing the cooler on the Intel LGA2011 socket.


STEP 1
Attach four double-sided standoff screws to corners of CPU socket plate.


STEP 2
Next, the two curved brackets must be installed. The placement of these brackets will depend on the desired orientation –we opt for a traditional position of having the heatsink/fans facing the rear exhaust and therefore use the above configuration.

Once the brackets are in place, thumbscrews need to be attached.


STEP 03
Finally, we need to apply thermal paste to the CPU and then slot the cooler over the CPU/socket, lining up the screws and then tightening up.

It’s important to tighten these screws in sequence – making one turn on one screw and then another on the other. By doing this, even pressure is applied.

Overall the installation is very easy. Noctua’s SecuFirm2 is a distinguished component of the feature-set and is both a reliable and efficient way to install a CPU cooler.

Memory Clearance



With the NH-U9S now installed on our motherboard, we can gage its overall size. This CPU cooler takes up very little space on the motherboard and causes no obstructions. Noctua actually claim that NH-U9S offers 100% compatibility with PCIe cards on mini-ITX motherboards.


Even with memory on both sides of the CPU, NH-U9S creates no memory clearance compatibility issues. Both the heatsink and the attached fan(s) do not obstruct the memory slots at all.

Test Setup & Methodology


Test System
CPU – Intel Core i7-3930K (3.6GHz)
Motherboard – GIGABYTE X79-UP4
Memory – 8GB Corsair Vengeance LP 1600MHz CL9
Graphics – Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1GB
PSU – NZXT Hale90 650W
Hard Drive – Kingston HyperX 240GB SATA III SSD
Case – Corsair Carbide 760T

CPU Coolers
Alpenföhn K2 (120mm Wingboost: 500-1500RPM, 140mm Wingboost: 300-1100RPM)
Thermalright SilverArrow SB-E Extreme (Dual TY-143 fans – 600-2500RPM)
Corsair Hydro Series H100i (Dual 120mm fans – up to 2700RPM Push Config)
Noctua NH-U14S (Single 140mm cooling fan – 300-1500RPM)
Corsair H75 (Dual 120mm cooling fans – 600-2000RPM)
CRYORIG R1 Ultimate (Dual 140mm cooling fans – 700-1400RPM)
Corsair Hydro Series H105 – (Dual 120mm fans – up to 2700RPM Push Config)
Noctua NH-D15 (Dual 140mm cooling fans – 300-1500RPM)
LEPA LV12 (Single 120mm cooling fan – 300-2200RPM)
CRYORIG H5 Universal (Single 140mm cooling fan – 600-1400RPM)
Fractal Design Kelvin S24 (Dual 120mm cooling fans – 800-1700RPM)
Noctua NH-U9S (Single 92mm cooling fan – 800-2000RPM)


Program Suite
Real Temp – Maximum temperature analysis
LinX 0.6.4 – Applies thorough stress test to CPU
CPU-Z – Confirmation of CPU frequency/voltage
AIDA64 Extreme Edition – Confirmation of temperatures/fan speeds

Testing methodology

Testing will be based on temperatures recorded by Real Temp after 20 passes of LinX stress test. The maximum absolute temperatures will be recorded after the test and averaged over the 6 cores. The delta is then calculated by subtracting the temperature recorded near the intake fans from the average temperature calculated. Tests are conducted with the Intel i7 3930K at its default 3.6GHz stock speed and overclocked to 4.6GHz @ 1.42V. The tests are done inside the Corsair Graphite 760T chassis to simulate real world conditions. To keep the tests standardised we are using Noctua’s NT-H1 thermal paste on all coolers.

CPU coolers are reviewed as they come out of the box – with their factory cooling fans, as the manufacturer intended and as the consumer expects.

Additional tests include a passive test where the cooling fans are taken away from the heatsink and a comparison between the cooler used with stock thermal paste against our Noctua NT-H1 paste.

A kind thank you to Noctua for supplying us with NT-H1 thermal compound.

Benchmarks: Stock Performance


Although NH-U9S finds itself at the bottom of the pile – it’s important to note: its competition are high-end cooling solutions and that this CPU configuration (LGA2011) is extremely demanding. Bearing these points in mind, NH-U9S does an admirable job in cooling the 3930K at its stock settings.

Fan Speed: Cooling fan spins at 1800RPM during stock testing and is barely audible.

Benchmarks: Overclocked Performance


Sadly (but as expected) NH-U9S struggles to cool a substantially overclocked 3930K. The temperatures exceeded 90C – this highlights U9S’ intended use, for stock conditions or a light overclock.

Benchmarks: Passive Performance


Again, a CPU cooler of this calibre is unlikely to be able to passively cool such a high-end CPU/configuration and unfortunately NH-U9S fails this test.

Conclusion


In the newly revised NH-U9S, Noctua has addressed some key concerns which are centred around compatibility. By using such compact dimensions, U9S can be paired up with tall memory kits due to the generous memory clearance and mini-ITX motherboards even have the option of freeing up the top PCI-E slot too.

As we’ve seen previously with the multitude of products we’ve reviewed from Noctua, the quality of the included items and heatsink itself are unquestionably good. The SecuFirm2 mounting kit is not only engineered to high standards but it is a reliable solution for efficiently installing a CPU cooler.

Without understanding U9S’s intended use and characteristics, an initial look at the performance would, at first appear disappointing. U9S is really designed to replace the stock reference cooler and be used in systems which are both tight on space and do not require any overclocking. As such, the stock performance demonstrates commendable results. (We’ve recently upgraded the computer chassis for our cooling rig and have re-tested a number of prominent/flagship products – all of which).


Noctua’s NH-U9S is priced at £44.99 GBP / $99 USD – more than we expected for a cooler of this stature. Though, we are reminded of the quality, reputation, included fan and 6 years warranty and weighing this up makes U9S an interesting proposition.

NH-U9S sets out to offer flexibility for the system builder and it certainly achieves this. This cooler is ideal for users who are tight on space and who want to swap out that tired, noisy and inefficient stock reference cooler.

Pros
+ Small footprint
+ Excellent build quality
+ Great bundle
+ Easy to install
+ No memory clearance issues

Cons
– Struggles in overclocked configurations


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