Noctua NH-L9i-17xx: Only 37 mm tall and 65 W in silence

Conclusion

Very low profile, high cooling performance and Intel LGA 1700 support. These are demanding requirements that Noctua NH-L9i-17xx meets as one of the few coolers (maybe the only one?). The first two requirements could probably be argued about in others, but in the end it still comes down to the support for Intel’s new socket. Moreover, the NH-L9i-17xx outperforms even coolers twice its size, including the Arctic Alpine 17, with the right settings.

Conclusion

The cooling performance is excellent for such an extremely low-profile cooler and the NH-L9i-17xx can do an excellent job. Naturally, you need to choose the right processor or the right settings. If you’re expecting low noise, it’s a good idea to stick to 65 watts. Without power limits, the cooler will be noisier on the Core i5-12400 as well, but with power draw alignment to TDP, you may not even be aware of the cooler on the Core i9-12900.

While at higher speeds and noise levels, the Noctua NH-L9i-17xx lags behind the Intel Laminar RM1 and Arctic Alpine 17 (CO) a bit, with decreasing speeds the situation starts to turn around. Especially compared to the Arctic Alpine 17 CO. Arctic’s cooler is only more powerful at higher speeds. It still comes out on top even when aligned at the same 45 dBA. But that’s still an uncomfortable band for the NH-L9i-17xx.

With decreasing noise, the Noctua cooler catches up to the cheaper Arctic to eventually outperform it at low speeds (corresponding to 39 dBA mode in our tests). So Arctic doesn’t lie in their internal tests that their cooler is more efficient at the same noise level, but Noctua would counter with the choice of an inappropriately set noise level. At the lower noise level, which is usually more attractive to most demanding users, the NH-L9i-17xx already has the upper hand. And that’s despite the fact that it’s two fans lower in height.

It’s still not enough for the Intel Laminar RM1 (not even in secondary duties around VRM cooling), but the NH-L9i-17xx doesn’t even compete with these taller coolers. First of all, it’s supposed to be a replacement for cases where the Laminar RM1 or Alpine 17 won’t fit, and somehow the Noctua cooler has no or very little competition there (ID-Cooling IS-30). So there was not much to hesitate over when choosing the right award – “Top-notch”.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• The Noctua NH-L9i-17xx cooler in detail
• Results: Maximum performance
• Results: Higher performance (42+ dBA)
• Results: Medium performance (42 dBA)
• Results: Lower noise level (39 dBA)
• Results: Low noise level (36 dBA)
• Results: Very low noise level (33 dBA)
• Results: Audibility threshold (31 dBA)
• Conclusion