Noctua NH-U9B SE2 Review

Introduction

This summer we have reviewed CPU cooling solutions in all shapes and sizes from a just as varied number of manufacturers. Unsurprisingly there are some that we particularly liked and some that we didn't. Thus far Noctua is a brand that has never disappointed us, so when we were asked to review another one of their products we were more than happy to oblige. Today we will be reviewing an existing offering, but has very recently been refreshed; the NH-U9B SE2.

Yes, I know - yet another brand who insists on code names for products. I'm not sure what's so wrong about naming a cooler “The FLAGSHIP offering”, “The QUIET offering” and “The COMPACT offering”. Self describing names help the end user understand the significance and purpose of a particular product but sadly many brands don't quite appreciate this.

The NH-U9B is part of Noctua's family of Tower coolers, which sport U shaped heatpipes (hence the U in the name). It is however the smaller of the two tower coolers and can only support 92mm fans; hence the 9 in the product name. Finally, this particular version of the NH-U9B adds support for the recent LGA1156 socket and also comes with two 92mm fans for enhanced performance – the SE2 in the name denotes this.

Now that we're done deciphering the product's name, let's discuss specifications.

Standing at 12cm in height, the NH-U9B is among the shortest tower based heatsinks. While it isn't quite suitable for small form factor style machines, it is likely to work very well in most ATX chassis and with it's small footprint from a base level, it should also suit most motherboards too.

Photoshoot time.