Noctua Preps For AMD Ryzen With Three New Coolers

Noctua announced three new coolers for the upcoming AMD Ryzen processors: the NH-D15 SE-AM4, NH-U12s SE-AM4, and NH-L9x65 SE-AM4. Each is designed exclusively for AM4 systems; Noctua said it won't offer mounting kits to make these special edition products compatible with other sockets.

The company positioned each cooler for a specific use case. The NH-D15 SE-AM4 is supposed to allow "overclockers to push their AM4 systems to the limit and silent enthusiasts to run the fans at super-low speeds" The NH-U12s SE-AM4 was made with "a highly compact design and low profile, which makes it ideal for cooling lower TDP AM4 CPUs in HTPC or Small Form Factor cases." And the NH-L9x65 SE-AM4 offers "an excellent balance of efficiency, quietness, and compatibility." (Along with the dubious honor of having the most complicated name in Noctua's Ryzen-ready cooler lineup.)

Noctua referred customers to its Thermal Design Power (TDP) guidelines to learn more about the coolers' capabilities and how much overclocking headroom they will provide. Yet the guidelines haven't been updated for Ryzen--they show figures only for AM2/AM3 and FM1/FM2 on the AMD side of the aisle. (Information for fans compatible with Intel processors is also available.) That seems like a notable oversight on the company's part.

"AMD’s Ryzen architecture promises exciting possibilities for various applications and the NH-D15, NH-U12S and NH-L9x65 are some of our most popular models, so it was a natural choice to create dedicated special editions for the new platform,” says Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). “Each of these coolers has received more than 100 awards and recommendations from international websites and magazines, so we’re confident that the SE-AM4 special editions will be a great choice for anything from compact ITX builds to overclocked gaming rigs.”

All three coolers are shipping now. The MSRPs for the NH-D15 SE-AM4, NH-U12s SE-AM4, and NH-L9x65 SE-AM4 are $100, $65, and $53, respectively.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
ProductNH-D15 SE-AM4NH-U12s SE-AM4NH-L9x65 SE-AM4
Socket CompatibilityAMD AM4AMD AM4AMD AM4
Height (without fan)160mm158mm51mm
Width (without fan)150mm125mm95mm
Depth (without fan)135mm45mm95mm
Height (with fan)165mm158mm65mm
Width (with fan)150mm125mm95mm
Depth (with fan)161mm71mm95mm
Weight (without fan)980g580g340g
Weight (with fan/s)1,320g755g413g
MaterialCopper (base and heat-pipes), aluminum (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel platingCopper (base and heat-pipes), aluminum (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel platingCopper (base and heat-pipes), aluminum (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating
Fan2x Noctua NF-A15 PWM Noctua NF-F12 PWMNoctua NF-A9x14 PWM
Fan compatibility140 x 150 x 25mm (with 120mm mounting holes) 140 x 140 x 25mm (with 120mm mounting holes)120 x 120 x 25mm120 x 120 x 25mm92 x 92 x14mm92 x 92 x 25mm
Scope of Delivery2x NF-A15 PWM premium fan2x Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)4-pin PWM y-cableNT-H1 high-grade thermal compoundSecuFirm2™ AM4 mounting-kitNoctua metal case-badgeNF-F12 PWM premium fanLow-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)NT-H1 high-grade thermal compoundSecuFirm2™ AM4 mounting-kitAnti-vibration pads and fan-clips for second NF-F12Noctua metal case-badgeNF-A9x14 PWM premium fanLow-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)NT-H1 high-grade thermal compoundSecuFirm2™ AM4 mounting-kitNoctua metal case-badge
Warranty6 Years6 Years6 Years
MSRP$100$65$53
Nathaniel Mott
Freelance News & Features Writer

Nathaniel Mott is a freelance news and features writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering breaking news, security, and the silliest aspects of the tech industry.

  • elbert
    They look good Just wish they were test numbers on the coolers. Wonder what level of cooling the 8 core Ryzen requires.
    Reply
  • why_wolf
    Is there some size difference that makes it impossible to just release a fitting bracket to make their existing line fit AM4? Because none of these coolers are new.
    Reply
  • TMTOWTSAC
    Maybe they wanted to make absolutely sure they wouldn't experience any bending issues like Skylake had.
    Reply
  • skibo1219
    Whats the TDP ratings for these?
    Reply
  • shrapnel_indie
    19239798 said:
    Is there some size difference that makes it impossible to just release a fitting bracket to make their existing line fit AM4? Because none of these coolers are new.

    It's called sales... just like the SE series for the LGA-2011 socket.
    Reply
  • Sakkura
    19239694 said:
    They look good Just wish they were test numbers on the coolers. Wonder what level of cooling the 8 core Ryzen requires.

    The coolers look identical to the regular versions, just changed mounting for the AM4 socket. So current reviews of all three coolers should be representative of performance with these. We just don't have data on how the Ryzen CPUs behave.
    Reply
  • firefoxx04
    Noctua has always been good about giving customers new brackets at no charge. I am curious what makes AM4 the exception.

    I wish AM4 used the same mounting system as AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+ and probably whatever came before AM2. AMD has always kept it the same.
    Reply
  • svan71
    Noctua ugliest fan colors ever ! Cool,quiet and ugly as sin. I can't build a setup with all attention drawn to there shit brown and beige fans.
    Reply
  • Dunzaus
    They already said that they would give consumers new brackets free of charge
    Reply
  • Sakkura
    19240868 said:
    They already said that they would give consumers new brackets free of charge

    It's more complicated than that. Here's the explanation from Noctua's site:

    Please note that being a dedicated special edition for AM4, the NH-D15 SE-AM4 comes with AM4 mounting hardware only, and that for this cooler, Noctua cannot provide free mounting kits for other current sockets such as LGA115x or LGA2011. For the NH-D15 SE-AM4, these mounting kits can only be purchased in retail or online shops (NM-i115x for LGA115x and NM-I2011 for LGA2011). Future mounting upgrades will be provided free of charge as usual if technically possible.

    Basically you can't get mounting brackets for any other current sockets. But you can get mounting brackets for future sockets (AM5 etc).
    Reply