Testing Configuration and Benchmarks Used
To verify that the cooler kit operates up to specs, the Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 CPU cooler was tested with the CPU running at stock speed using an AMD AM4 -based motherboard, so that comparative results could be provided for Ryzen based systems. The results are presented for the cooling kit under review as well as the Noctua NH-D15 CPU air cooler, the Noctua NH-L12, and the XSPC Raystorm Pro waterblock for performance comparison purposes. The benchmark tests used should give you a good understanding of the Noctua CPU coolers capabilities so that you, the reader, can make a more informed purchasing decision. The comparison coolers were selected based on their superior performance capabilities.
Test System Setup | |
CPU | AMD X370-based system AMD Ryzen 7 1700X Stock – 3.4GHz CPU, 34 x 100MHz FSB |
Motherboard | GIGABYTE AX370-Gaming 5 |
Memory | AMD X370-based system Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 modules Stock – 2400MHz, 16-18-18-35-1T, 1.225V |
Hard Drive | Intel 730 240GB SSD Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA III HD |
Sound Card | On-board sound |
Video Card | NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB |
CPU Cooling | Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 CPU Air Cooler Noctua NH-L12S CPU Air Cooler Noctua NH-D15 CPU Air Cooler XSPC Raystorm Pro waterblock with D5 Photon reservoir and RX480 radiator |
Video Drivers | NVIDIA 376.33 |
Power Supply | Corsair HX750 |
Operating System | Windows 10 Pro x64 Anniversary Release (build 1607) |
Thermal Paste | MG Chemicals 860-60G Silicone Heat Transfer Compound |
Coolant | XSPC D5 Photon reservoir with RX480 radiator loop Distilled water w/ PTNuke |
The 64-bit Windows 10 based test bench used for AMD X370 AM4 board testing includes an AMD Ryzen 7 1700X processor, 16GB of DDR4-2666 memory, an NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB video card, and an Intel 730 240GB SSD drive. Using the selected components gives us the ability to demonstrate the cooling system's capabilities rather than that of the system components.
Benchmark Tests used for evaluation:
- AIDA64 Extreme Edition v5.30.4300
- EVGA OC Scanner X v3.6.1.2
Hi Morry, thanks for the
Hi Morry, thanks for the great write up. Do you have any experience with any of the Wraith coolers? Just wondering how this compares for performance and noise.
I have a 2400G for my HTPC and the wraith stealth cooler makes too much noise, I have it turned down to 15% fan speed to make it quiet enough.
Have not had any experience
Have not had any experience with the wraith cooler unfortunately. This one is much quieter than most other coolers I've tested. As far as the noise output reported by vendors, the numbers themselves may be acurrate, but how they measure them (ie, equipment used and distance to source) probably varies greatly. That would even be true between sites. For example, I use an audio app on my cell phone to measure from a 3ft distance. For all of my reviews, the sound measurements would be consistant and comparable, but probably not between my reviews and those of Sebastian (b/c he uses different gear for measurement).
In any case, this cooler, or any Noctua cooler for that matter, will be much quieter than the wraith cooler.
How much would a typical CASE
How much would a typical CASE raise the temperature?
It seems the testing was done without a case?
Assuming 25degC average that means the CPU would be roughly 68degC under load… while that leaves about 12degC (80degC is max recommended for sustained usage I believe) I suspect you would be hitting 80degC in a small case with so-so air flow.
That’s fine still for both cooling and noise (22dB is silent) though overclocking may not be feasible due to temp in some situations.
If you are looking to
If you are looking to overclock, I would not recommend using this cooler. As far as your initial question goes, it really depends on case airflow. Assuming you have decent front to back airflow (ie, fans mounted in front grill and in rear panel), you should see temps on par or may 5C higher. However, the "stress" temps reported are under extreme use scenarios. I wsa using the stress tool in AIDA64, which puts the CPU under 100% load across all cores. During normal gaming and use sitruations, you would not see anywhere near that load…