Finding a good low profile heat sink and fan (HSF) that isn’t also incredibly wide is a lot harder than it should be, especially for AMD’s FM1/2 socket. Fortunately this will be much easier now that Noctua has announced its NH-L9 HSF for that platform (NH-L9a) and Intel’s LGA 1155 socket (NH-L9i). It’s hard not to like Noctua’s cooling solutions, but they can be a bit pricey for a budget build and at ~$50 the NH-L9 is no exception.

Full PR and links to more pictures after the click.

Noctua presents NH-L9 low profile CPU coolers

Vienna, October 23rd 2012 – Noctua today presented its new NH-L9i and NH-L9a low profile CPU coolers for Intel and AMD. At a super-low profile of only 37mm, the NH-L9 coolers are ideal for extremely slim cases and with footprints tailored to the respective socket keep-out zones, they provide full compatibility with tall RAM modules and VGA cards on mini-ITX mainboards. Topped off with the new NF-A9x14 PWM premium fan, the NH-L9 coolers fuse everything users have come to expect from Noctua’s larger coolers into a super-compact package for slim HTPC systems.

“The response on our first low profile cooler, the NH-L12, has been overwhelming”, says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. “However, users asked for even smaller, lower height models that also provide better compatibility for extra slim, ITX based HTPCs. We’re thrilled that we can now meet this demand with the new NH-L9 coolers.”

The NH-L9i and NH-L9a are premium quality quiet CPU coolers for Intel LGA115x (NH-L9i) and AMD FMx (NH-L9a) based HTPCs and Small Form Factor systems. Due to the slim 23mm heatsink and the NF-A9x14 low profile fan that measures only 14mm in thickness, the NH-L9 coolers stand a mere 37mm tall, which makes them ideal for use in compact HTPCs or Small Form Factor cases that offer minimum clearance for CPU coolers.

The heatsinks have a 95x95mm (NH-L9i) and 92x114mm (NH-L9a) footprint that complies exactly to the Intel LGA115x and AMD FMx socket keep-out zones. This means that the coolers are fully compatible with tall memory modules and PCIe cards on mini-ITX mainboards.

The highly optimised NF-A9x14 premium fan features Noctua’s proprietary AAO frame as well as sophisticated aerodynamic design measures. Supporting PWM for fully automatic speed control, the NF-A9x14 allows the NH-L9 coolers to stay remarkably quiet. The included Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) allows to reduce the maximum fan speed from 2500 to 1800rpm and makes it possible to create near-silent setups.

The NH-L9 coolers bundle custom-designed SecuFirm2™ mounting systems for AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+ (NH-L9a) and Intel LGA1150/1155/1156 (NH-L9i) that offer extended compatibility with mini-ITX boards and make installation easier than ever, all while maintaining the trusted SecuFirm2™ quality. The premium quality bundle is completed by Noctua’s much-acclaimed NT-H1 thermal compound, a well proven pro-grade TIM solution that provides minimum thermal resistance, excellent ease-of-use and outstanding reliability.

Price and availability
The NH-L9i and NH-L9a will be available immediately at a recommended retail price of EUR 39.90 / USD 47.90.

About Noctua
Designed in Austria, Noctua’s premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 1000 awards and recommendations from leading hardware websites and magazines, Noctua’s fans and heatsinks are chosen by more than a hundred thousand satisfied customers around the globe.

Video: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productvideos&products_id=50
Photos NH-L9i: http://www.noctua.at/inc/imageviewer.php?item=50
Photos NH-L9a: http://www.noctua.at/inc/imageviewer.php?item=51
Details NH-L9i: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=50
Details NH-L9a: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=51