Noctua NH-U9B SE2 Review
Conclusion
Published: 31st August 2010 | Source: Noctua | Price: £44.99 |
Conclusion
I believe that it is safe to say that Noctua have produced yet another high quality offering.
The NH-U9B is a universal CPU heatsink that will cool your processor quietly and without consuming huge amounts of space. It is easy to install and is also backed by a stunning 6 year warranty, in the event that it decides to malfunction in a spectacular manner.
Our testing leads us to believe that the cooler is best suited towards lower heat consumption processors if your intention is to overclock; our Core i3 530 was kept at bay at 4.00GHz 1.30V however we're not quite sure that a fully fledged Core i7 Quad Core would remain as cool at a similar operational voltage and clock frequency. For those that don't intend on overclocking, this particular cooler will suit any processor up to and including the Core i7 970/980X Hex Cores for quiet operation.
The only major downside is the cooler's price. Weighing in a £45 means that it sits in the same territory as high end 120mm compliant coolers such as the Prolimatech Megahalems, however the Noctua offers a better accessory set, which includes two high quality fans.
All in all, another potent offering from Noctua. A great buy for those who care about silence however the keen overclockers may want to consider investing a further £10-15 on more capable (but larger) offerings.
The Good
- Quiet operation
- Easy Installation and Tight Fit
- Universal socket mounts
The Mediocre
- Pricing
The Bad
- None
Thanks to Noctua for the NH-U9B-SE2 on test today, you can discuss our reults in the forums.
Most Recent Comments
If they started churning out tens of thousands of units of a £10 cooler their high end would suffer more than the drop in price would suggest.
They are onto a good thing and steadily growing, one of my favourite brands even if I hate with a passion their colour scheme.
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Originally Posted by alexhull24
I agree with all your sentiments guys, except the colour scheme. I actually quite like it, if only because it's become synonymous in my mind with top quality kit. I don't think they should change that. Nice to see you posting here Yewen. |
shame its not a dh14 beater
Not this cooler -it's sporting a 92mm fan- no way is that going to beat the king of all air coolers, the DH14. I don't think there's a single air cooler on the market that can beat the DH14....
Nice review for a great product! For a smaller cooler, I think the temps are actually pretty freekin' good!! OC'd to 4ghz and only about 60c seems good to me, esp for a small 92mm cooler!
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Originally Posted by dlb
Not this cooler -it's sporting a 92mm fan- no way is that going to beat the king of all air coolers, the DH14. I don't think there's a single air cooler on the market that can beat the DH14.... Nice review for a great product! For a smaller cooler, I think the temps are actually pretty freekin' good!! OC'd to 4ghz and only about 60c seems good to me, esp for a small 92mm cooler! |
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Originally Posted by Yewen
Noctua have the low volume high quality low tolerance manufacturing down perfectly. If they started churning out tens of thousands of units of a £10 cooler their high end would suffer more than the drop in price would suggest. They are onto a good thing and steadily growing, one of my favourite brands even if I hate with a passion their colour scheme. |
Guys, remember that this isn't supposed to be a NH-D14 killer; at least not when its so much smaller! For its size it does a fantastic job and I'm sure it will suit a large number of users. It does sit a little too close (price wise) to more capable coolers for my liking but no one can knock the build quality of their units!
This appears to be a Noctua (lite) or the diet version, but surely Noctua wouldn't release a product just to fit one type of CPU.
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