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Noctua Presents NH-L9a-AM5 Low-profile CPU Coolers for AMD Ryzen

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Noctua today presented the latest addition to its successful NH-L9 series of low-profile CPU coolers: At a height of only 37 mm, the new NH-L9a-AM5 and NH-L9a-AM5 chromax.black are an excellent choice for quiet, ultra-compact HTPCs or Small Form Factor (SFF) systems using AMD's latest, AM5-based Ryzen processors.

"AMD's just-released 65 W Ryzen CPUs are ideal for building small yet highly powerful systems, and our new NH-L9a-AM5 is the perfect cooler to match", explains Roland Mossig (CEO). "It can easily cool the new 7900, 7700 and 7600 at ultra-quiet fan speeds and offers plenty of headroom if customers want to push them beyond 65 W - we've actually been running up to 130 W on the Ryzen 7950X and 7900X!" Since the original NH-L9a coolers for AM3 and AM4 have received more than 100 awards and recommendations from international hardware websites and magazines, the new AM5 revision builds on the same proven heatsink design to provide excellent low-profile cooling performance for AMD's latest Ryzen processors.



At a height of only 37 mm, the NH-L9a is ideal for extremely slim cases and, due to its small footprint, it provides 100% RAM and PCIe compatibility as well as easy access to near-socket connectors even on tightly packed Mini-ITX motherboards. The custom-designed SecuFirm2 mounting system for the AM5 socket makes installation a breeze and, thanks to the highly optimized NF-A9x14 92 mm fan that supports fully automatic speed control via PWM, the NH-L9a-AM5 runs remarkably quietly. The chromax.black version with its black fan and black coated heatsink combines these assets with a sleek stealth look.

Topped off with Noctua's renowned NT-H1 thermal compound, the NH-L9a-AM5 and NH-L9a-AM5 chromax.black combine everything users have come to expect from Noctua's larger coolers into a super-compact, premium-quality package for ITX and HTPC builds with AMD AM5 processors.

For customers who seek to further improve the performance of the cooler, the optional NA-FD1 fan duct kit allows for bridging the gap between the cooler and perforated side panels of Small Form Factor cases. This enables the cooler to draw in fresh air from the outside through the perforated panel, which can, depending on the setup, improve CPU temperatures by as much as 5°C or more.

Suggested retail prices
The manufacturer's suggested retail prices are as follows:
  • NH-L9a-AM5: EUR 49.90 / USD 44.90
  • NH-L9a-AM5 chromax.black: EUR 59.90 / USD 54.90
For more information, visit the product pages of the NH-L9a-AM5 and NH-L9a-AM5 chromax.black.

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we've actually been running up to 130 W on the Ryzen 7950X and 7900X!
The only thing that's gonna be running up to it's TJMax.
 
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Just cause it says noctua; It doesn't mean its perfection.

I watch a yt channel and dude swapped out one of these noctua LP coolers and temps were ridiculously high.
 
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The only thing that's gonna be running up to it's TJMax.
Noctua is probably the only company I never felt the need to question their claims or intentions though.

Awesome, helpful guys, thorough and thorough, as far as I'm concerned.
 
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I can't wait for TPU to test this cooler with 7950x3D including 105w and 65w ECO modes.
 
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My son gave me his old AM4 MB last spring. CPU backplate was missing. Fastest and easiest way to get one was to buy CPU cooler with it. So I bought older AM4-version of this cooler. Cool enough and silent for 2600 non-X.

Noctua have never let me down.

Looking forward to new AMD CPU's benchmarks. And any new tech.
 
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Noctua is probably the only company I never felt the need to question their claims or intentions though.
The problem is that it's a stupid claim. You can run "up to" anything with any cooler because the CPU will just throttle to accommodate whatever level of cooling it receives.
 
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I love coolers like this, but is it enough for AM5 CPUs?
 
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Does this revision actually do anything specific for AM5? Or is it just a rebadging exercise of the previous version?
 
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Does this revision actually do anything specific for AM5? Or is it just a rebadging exercise of the previous version?
AM5 has a different backplate system vs AM4. This kit is uses different screws (vs the old kit) to interface with the stock AM5 backplate and no longer uses a proprietary backplate.
 
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I love coolers like this, but is it enough for AM5 CPUs?
For running in eco mode, yes, it'll cool better then the stock cooler that comes with 7600s and 7700s.

a 7950x may be pushing it.
 
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For running in eco mode, yes, it'll cool better then the stock cooler that comes with 7600s and 7700s.

a 7950x may be pushing it.
Any X CPU would be pushing it at stock. And by pushing, I actually mean kicking its backside hard. My 7700X runs at 92-93 °C with a 280 mm AIO in Cinebench all-core.
 
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The problem is that it's a stupid claim. You can run "up to" anything with any cooler because the CPU will just throttle to accommodate whatever level of cooling it receives.
That might be, but the support list clearly indicates, that R7 7700 is the best you can go for, and mentions that you should forget any OC.
 
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