Noctua Releases Blacked-Out chroma.black CPU Coolers
The chroma.black low-profile CPU coolers provide a dash of stealth.
Noctua announced two CPU coolers for its chroma.black range — the NH-D9L and the NH-L9x65 low-profile CPU coolers. The low-profile CPU coolers are perfect for many small form factor builds. With a black-coat on the CPU coolers, fans, vibration pads, fan clips, and mounting systems, it looks more stealthy than the nickel-plated counterparts with Noctua's signature colors on the fans.
The newer variants of these CPU coolers support the current-gen Intel and AMD CPU sockets. Underneath that painted layer, both coolers use copper base and heatpipes, aluminum cooling fins with soldered joints, and nickel plating mounting.
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Same-old-but-new-ish!
We reviewed the Noctua NH-L9x65 CPU cooler some time ago, but it is tested on an older Intel LGA 1151 Coffee-Lake-based system.
The new models are no different than the original variants but with added support for current-gen Intel and AMD sockets. So naturally, end-users will be keen to know how these perform when paired with modern CPUs.
The specs of the chroma.black variants are as follows:
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | NH-D9L Chroma.Black | NH-L9x65 Chroma.Black |
| Socket compatibility | Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151, LGA1150 and AMD AM5, AM4 | Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151, LGA1150 and AMD AM5, AM4 |
| Height (without fan) | 110 mm | 51 mm |
| Width (without fan) | 95 mm | 95 mm |
| Depth (without fan) | 95 mm | 95 mm |
| Height (with fan) | 110 mm | 65 mm |
| Width (with fan) | 95 mm | 95 mm |
| Depth (with fan) | 95 mm | 95 mm |
| Weight (with fan) | 531 g | 413 g |
| Material | Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating | Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating material |
| NSPR | 88 | 67 |
| Max. TDP | see NSPR | see NSPR |
| Fan compatibility | 92x92x25 | 92x92x14, 92x92x25 |
| Scope of delivery | Black NH-D9L heatsink, NF-A9 PWM chromax.black premium fan, NA-RC7 Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A), NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound, Black SecuFirm2™ mounting kit, Black fan-clips for second NF-A9, Noctua metal case-badge | Black NH-L9x65 heatsink, NF-A9x14, HS-PWM chromax.black premium fan, NA-RC7 Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A), NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound, Black SecuFirm2™ mounting ki,t Noctua Metal Case-Badge |
| Warranty | 6 Years | 6 Years warranty |
| Fan Specification | Noctua NF-A9 PWM chromax.black | Noctua NF-A9x14 HS-PWM chromax.black model |
| Bearing | SSO2 | SSO2 |
| Max. rotational speed (+/- 10%) | 2000 RPM | 2500 RPM |
| Max. rotational speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) | 1550 RPM | 1800 RPM |
| Min. rotational speed @ 20% PWM (+/-20%) | 400 RPM | 600 RPM |
| Max. airflow | 78,9 m³/h | 57,5 m³/h |
| Max. airflow with L.N.A. | 62,6 m³/h | 40,8 m³/h |
| Max. acoustical noise | 22,8 dB(A) | 23,6 dB(A) |
| Max. acoustical noise with L.N.A. | 16,3 dB(A) | 14,8 dB(A) |
| Airflow | 78.9 m³/h | 57.5 m³/h |
| Airflow with L.N.A. | 62.6 m³/h | 40.8 m³/h |
| Acoustical noise | 22.8 dB(A) | 23.6 dB(A) |
| Input power (max.) | 1,2 W | 2,52 V |
| Voltage range | 12 V | 12 V |
| MTTF | > 150.000 h | > 150.000 mtbf |
Both coolers are made exclusively to be paired with 92mm fans. The NH-D9L chroma.black is a vertically aligned heatsink supporting 14mm and 25mm thick fans with the ability to mount a second fan with clips included.
The NH-L9x65 chroma.black is horizontal. It's only compatible with a 92x92x14mm CPU fan. Typical with CPU coolers like Noctua, all the required tools are included, including the well-known NT-H1 thermal compound syringe that's more than enough for a typical PC enthusiast. Keeping up with Noctua's traditions, these fans use its in-house SSO2 bearing, and the CPU coolers are backed with a six-year warranty.
One should note that these are low-profile CPU coolers made specifically for mini-ITX builds. However, you can pair these on any ATX layout motherboard, but it is best to do so with certain CPUs, irrespective of the socket compatibility. Though Noctua is one of the top-notch CPU cooler manufacturers, these are made for small form factor, and HTPC builds and not high-performance overclocked systems or to be paired with certain mid-range and high-end CPUs.
Noctua did provide a CPU compatibility list for both the NH-D9L and the NH-L9x65. Though this isn't exclusive to Noctua's low-profile CPU coolers, they are one of the companies that list the required details a user will need.
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Roshan Ashraf Shaikh has been in the Indian PC hardware community since the early 2000s and has been building PCs, contributing to many Indian tech forums, & blogs. He operated Hardware BBQ for 11 years and wrote news for eTeknix & TweakTown before joining Tom's Hardware team. Besides tech, he is interested in fighting games, movies, anime, and mechanical watches.
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DookieDraws Great looking coolers! I have the Noctua NH-U12A chromax.Black, 120mm Single-Tower CPU Cooler cooling my Ryzen 7600X and it does a fine job. And it's very quiet! A little pricey at $130 US dollars, but I splurged after hearing all the talk about the new Ryzen 7000 CPUs getting toasty. I probably could've gotten something else just as good and cheaper, but I am very happy with my purchase.Reply
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10tacle I have the chromax.Black NH-D15 and couldn't be happier with its performance both in cooling and low noise. It really shows its legs during summer indoor ambient temps with an overclocked 11700K. Worth the money, and it's my third Noctua. My first, the original NH-D14, is still running my old 4690K build.Reply
I'm due for an upgrade next year on CPU/chipset and the fact that Noctua offers updated mounting hardware for new generations for free makes it that much of a better value long term.