The low profile coolers measure just 37mm tall and do not encroach on RAM or PCIe zones. Even with tightly-packed mini ITX boards, near-socket connector access should not be an issue. The heatsink comes equipped with Noctua’s NF-A9x14 92mm fan, which supports fully automatic PWM speed control. With the included low noise adapter, the fan generates just 13.5 dB of noise (or 19.9 dB without the adapter). Buyers also get a tube of Noctua’s own NT-H1 thermal compound with their purchase. The NH-L9a-AM5 is available in two configurations. The standard model utilizes a copper base and heatpipes along with aluminum fins and nickel plating plus Noctua’s familiar cream and brown colored fan. The chromax.black variant is an all-black version of the same for a stealthier appearance.
Our own Steven Walton recently took a look at all three new AMD processors and put their stock cooling solutions to the test. The 7600 with the Wraith Stealth peaked at a toasty 97c while the 7700 and 7900 with their improved Wraith Prism cooler only hit 79c. Noctua makes no claims for its new low-profile coolers but CEO Roland Mossig said they have been running them at up to 130W on the Ryzen 7950X and 7900X. If you are in the market for a low-profile cooler for use in a small form factor chassis or other custom build, Noctua’s latest are certainly worth a look. They have been turning out top-notch coolers since 2005 and recently claimed several spots in our best CPU cooler roundup.
