Cooling [SFFn] Quick Look: Noctua 's NH-L12S and NH-L9a-AM4, Ryzen and Noctua Collide

[confusis]

Sometimes, it is iterative improvement that really makes the difference - no flash in the pan concepts, just solid, tested performance. It is with this that Noctua recently released two 'new' coolers - the NH-L9a-AM4 and the NH-L12s. These monikers may seem somewhat familiar, which is no surprise, as these are the aforementioned iterative improvements over the previous generation.

AMD's Ryzen platform has caused a significant sea change in the world of personal computers, with many manufacturers releasing adapter kits for their existing products. Noctua has gone one better and released a trifecta of AM4 specific coolers (albeit variants of their existing products). Today we are looking at the smallest of the bunch, the NH-L9a-AM4.

Read more here.

 

[zovc]

I agree with your "Cons."

 

[Aki]

Thanks for the review. How is the fit of the l12s on the gigabyte board. Does it overhang the ram or could you potentially mount a thicker fan instead of the thin one?

 

[owliwar]

smal typo on the R5 1700x
35c and 20c delta? thats really impressive
I almost got an l9i for my intel rig but it was double the price of the cooler I ended up buying. I guess it wasnt a very smart choice.
but damm thats nice

 

[confusis]

Thanks for the review. How is the fit of the l12s on the gigabyte board. Does it overhang the ram or could you potentially mount a thicker fan instead of the thin one?

You're stuck with the slim fan if you want to use the bottom fan mount on the L12S on the Gigabyte board - It overhangs the RAM in one orientation and the WiFi card in the other.

 

[Aki]

You're stuck with the slim fan if you want to use the bottom fan mount on the L12S on the Gigabyte board - It overhangs the RAM in one orientation and the WiFi card in the other.

Awww, damn. Thanks anyway. At least I don't need to think about it anymore.