While the NH-L9a cooler doesn't have any problems mounting to Intel motherboards, it has issues on two of ASRock's mini-ITX boards. The FM2A75M-ITX and FM2A85X-ITX boards feature a mounting system that deviates from that of AMD's reference specifications. Therefore, it is impossible to mount Noctua's NH-L9a low profile cooler on it. We cannot blame Noctua for this deviation.
"The SecuFirm2 mounting system of the NH-L9a complies strictly to the AMD specifications and guarantees 100% compatibility with mainboards that follow these specifications. We've been overwhelmed with the great press and customer feedback on this cooler, but unfortunately, some mini-ITX mainboards do not follow the AMD specifications, so the NH-L9a could not be installed on these. We have now designed an alternative mounting option and will provide the new parts to customers who need it free of charge," said Mag. Roland Mossig, CEO of Noctua.
Any buyer who has this problem can show Noctua the proof of purchase for the motherboard and the NH-L9a cooler. In return, Noctua will send its NM-APS3 spacers over free of charge.
From now on, Noctua will also be including the spacers with all of the NH-L9a coolers that leave the factory.
