Page 3 - Test Results
Our test configuration is as follows:
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K
Motherboard: ASUS ProArt B660-Creator D4
RAM: Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3600 4x32GB
Graphics: ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
Chassis: NZXT H710i
Storage: Kingston KC3000 1TB, Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD 1TB
Power: Seasonic PRIME Ultra Titanium 850W
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
Compared hardware:
- Noctua NH-L9i-17xx
- Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black (Single Fan)
All tests were run in our custom-built computer to best reflect real life performance. The computer remained in the same location in the same room throughout all tests. The room temperature in our testing lab was around 21c. Stock thermal paste respective to all coolers were used to rate its performance; all pastes were given a proper amount of time for them to fully settle. The fans on all heatsinks were directly connected to the motherboard's 4-pin connector. Computer was turned on and idling for at least one hour for the idling tests. High CPU load results were obtained using the Prime95 small FFTs test with twelve worker threads for a minimum of 10 minutes or until the temperature was deemed stable.
After letting my computer sit idle for a while, I went to take a look at the core temperatures. From the first graph, you can see the Noctua NH-L9i-17xx was idling at a 47c, which was significantly higher than the company's flagship Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black. This was not surprising, considering how much smaller the NH-L9i-17xx is compared to the much larger tower-style cooler. Of course, idle results do not give a full representation of what CPU coolers can do, so I opened up Prime95 and started the tests to see what would happen.
You can see how each of the coolers performed with the peak temperatures across all the cores and threads with a sufficient amount of time to load the processor. The Noctua NH-L9i-17xx was unable to keep the Intel Core i7-12700K cool, with the CPU bouncing off the 100c limit with thermal throttling. Compared to the much larger NH-D15, this was quite a bit hotter and was expected. Overall, the results were not spectacular, but do keep in mind our tests were designed to push the limits more than anything else. The NH-L9i-17xx was not designed for the high-performance Intel Core i7-12700K CPU, nor was it expecting the ultra-intense, worst-case scenario Prime95 test all at the same time. If you are building a compact system, you can still use a processor of this caliber with the NH-L9i-17xx, but you may run into throttling in CPU-intensive applications. I still consider the Noctua NH-L9i-17xx's performance to be acceptable, considering the overall dimensions and the purpose of the low-profile cooler.
As for the sound analysis section of the Noctua NH-L9i-17xx, on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is silence and 10 is the definition of loud, I would rate the NH-L9i-17xx at 2.0/10 during idle and around 4.5/10 under full load for the single fan. Unsurprisingly, the NF-A9x14 HS-PWM fan was quite loud under full load. This is due to the fan's small size and high rotational speed. On a day-to-day use, the fan was pretty quiet and spun without much noise.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
