Is the Noctua NH-L9i L-Type Low-Profile Cooler worth it?

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mel21

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So I'll be building a rig next week or so and I was deciding on coolers for my i5 4670K I did not want to use the intel fan they come with so I was deciding to get the Noctua NH-L9i L-Type Low-Profile Cooler if it is as good as they say it is with the quiet fan and cooling.

Since this is the 1st time I'm buying this product I'd like some people's opinions about it.

Btw The only thing I'll be doing is gaming and browsing that's all I won't be pushing my cpu/gpu to its limit by overclocking since I see no need for it for just gaming and I don't know how to o/c lol but yeah keep in mind that i'll just be gaming and no O/C at all ever in my life.

Anyways thanks in advance!
 
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mel21

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Thx for replying!

I was actually debating on either the Noctua or the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo

Will the Noctua perform like the Hyper 212? Or the Hyper 212 a bit better on the cooling?

I was thinking of Noctua since the installation for it seems to be as simple as reading & I couldn't possibly mess it up lol



 
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mel21

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Here's the build I'm going for

Case : NZXT Crafted Series Phantom ATX Full Tower Gaming

Mobo : Asrock Z87 Extreme4

CPU : i5 4670K

Heatsink : Hyper212 (By popular recommendation, Thx everyone!)

GPU : Evga 760 2gb

RAM : G Skill Ripjaw 8gb 1333 (From a previous rig)

SSD : Samsung 840 EVO MZ-7TE120BW 120GB SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5

HD : Western Digital WD Blue 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s

PSU : Corsair CX Series CX750M 750 Watt ATX Modular

Thx everyone for all your help!
 
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mel21

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Yeah I know but since its cheap in my area and I know a friend that works at microcenter and I get %off he said to just get that just for gaming. And if I ever want to O/C which I probably won't, well some day I probably will when I have money to blow if I fail LOL

& the mobo only uses 4th gen. cpu's
 
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mel21

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Referring to the Noctua? If so awesome I will keep in mind about the hyper 212 as well still but that's +1 for the Noctua I'll keep going and see if 2-3 more people agree with the Noctua then I will order it

Thx for your help!
 
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geofelt

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Noctua makes very good coolers and quiet fans.
The NH-L9i is a downdraft cooler with a 92mm fan.
Unless you are building using a small form factor case, I suggest a tower type cooler it will direct the hot air out of the case more directly.
Look for a tower type cooler with a slower turning(and quieter) 120mm fan. $30 buys you a cm hyper212.
Or this noctua will be more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608040

Update:
Your build looks good.
The microcenter price is very good, a discount is a big plus.

The noctua mounting is simpler than cm, but neither should be a problem.
They are both backplate mounts that are bolted to the motherboard. Size is not really an issue unless you are regularly transporting the case.

One plus for the noctua is that it includes several low noise adapters to control fan speed and noise.

About the best would be the NH-D14, and it is huge. but, there is nothing better in an air cooler.
 
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mel21

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Oh okay well my case is a full tower so theres alot of space already in that. Was also putting that into consideration since the case was a full tower a better cooler would be better.

I'm just worried about installing it but hey I guess its how we learn.

Thx for the reply!

+1 for the hyper212

Update:

Thx! yeah I like the low noise adapter & no I won't be moving my pc regulary it'll just stay in my room where I play.

Well the Hyper212 seems to be a good price also so I will keep that in mind.

Thx again!
 
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nukemaster

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If you are not overclocking also the 212 is the best performance/price ratio. I HIGHLY recommend it.

I say this as someone who has the 212 and NH D14. the NH D14 is better(performance/the mounting system is great too) in every way, but the 212 is not bad at all.

Just ensure your memory is not too tall with the 212. it does not sit as high as the NH D14. The fan can be moved up a bit if needed too(on either cooler).

212 clearance. Sorry i do not have a side shot, but that is normal memory without any tall heat spreaders

Click \/
212memory.jpg

NH D14 with taller memory and still has room to spare(can can move up. I have it low to cool vrms).

Click \/
nhd14memclear.jpg
 
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mel21

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I see well I only have 2 Ram not going for all the slots
I apologize I totally forgot to add my RAM

I'll be using my ram I have on my rig right now its the-

G Skill Ripjaws 8gb RAM
I think I should have alot of space still for it once I install Hyper212

Thx!
 
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nukemaster

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As long as you can use the slots further from the cpu, I see no reason for it to be an issue. Some users who want all slots and do not want to move up the fan on the 212 will also just move the fan to the other side and have it pull air from the heatsink.

All boards are a bit different, but I think you should be ok.

Found you an image of someone using that cooler and board :) seems all 4 slots are accessible

I do not know if ONC allows direct linking, so here goes.

Click \/
fb4fc839_IMG_8195.jpeg
 
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mel21

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Awesome this makes it more easier to see what I'll be working with thank you for finding this!

Btw I'm not a computer expert i know basic things so sorry I ask what this means?

"I do not know if ONC allows direct linking"

ONC stands for?
 
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mel21

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Ohhh haha okay sorry kinda got confused when I was reading what you wrote before thought you were still talking about the cpu fan & ram

heh, I feel stupid -_- lol

but anyways thx for that image! really helps me alot on what to expect once I start building my pc
 
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mel21

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Hey guys I'm back really quick this just hit me in the head about the ram compatibility for this mobo the Asus Z87-A would my G skill work? its G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311


Would this be an issue? or would it still work I bought this RAM last year & I know the mobo supports the 240-pin & DDR3 my ram is at 1333 would that be fine? or would I need to upgrade it to 1600
 
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geofelt

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nukemaster

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The official Intel spec for that cpu is DDR3 1333/1600 so it should work.

If you wanted 100% sure I would check the MB makers memory QVL, but those are not always updated to include all sticks and most times sticks not on it still work fine.

I am using 2 x 8gigabyte Gskill Ripjaws X(in my image above) and even without being on the list they worked fine.

Please note that if you did plan to go with 4 sticks it is recommended to go with a kit that has all 4 sticks because sometimes 2 kits will not get along well. This is not to say it can not be done, but sometimes it does not work right.
 
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mel21

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Oh okay thanks!

@nukemaster
its only 2 sticks (4 x 2) 8gb It works great on the rig that I have now never had a problem my mobo read it right away and I never removed it or had to remove it for anything


@geofelt
Awesome! just checked it and its compatible to it!

Thanks guys!
 
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mel21

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hey guys back again with a delemma found out that the mobo i was getting next week is about to sold out 1 stock left & i doubt it'll last next week so i gave myself 2 options on 2 different mobo if the asus z87-A solds out

option 1 mobo
Asus Z87 Pro
orig. 199.99 @ microcenter with the i5 deal its 169.99

option 2 mobo
Asrock Z87 Extreme4
119.99 @ microcenter with the i5 deal its 89.99

Now i dont know much about asrock or asus but from the reviews videos ive seen on youtube about asus @ their main asus youtube acc. asus seems to be really good & on point on what their doing. As for Asrock some random people are doing reviews so i cant decide if its good or not

What do you guys suggest?
Thx!
 
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nukemaster

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Asrock has had a name for offering good performance at a lower price point. The board has almost the same feature set(chipset/intel network card/sound card(asrock seems to have some shield over the card and a path around that part of the board to reduce unwanted noise. This may or may not help depending on the board layout. Please note all these goodies apply to ANALOG audio in most cases)/pci-e slot spacing is great on both boards) as the Asus board and still keeps 2 pci slots for older hardware if you happen to need them. Asus has wifi onboard as well if that is something you are looking for.

I think both boards are good depending on what you want. Asus has a slight edge by not holding on to as much old tech(PCI and no usb2.0 on the back), but for some users those things still matter.
 
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mel21

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Oh ok well i dont mind the old 2.0 usb since i dont really keep anything on my extra hd just for music & back up files if i need to & i dont think i need the wifi since my router is next to my comp right in my room a foot away only actually. For asrock and the good performance for a cheap price i'll take it!

Thx!
 
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