Noctua NH-U9B SE2 Review

Conclusion

Published: 31st August 2010 | Source: Noctua | Price: £44.99 | Author: Milind Chidrawar

Conclusion


I believe that it is safe to say that Noctua have produced yet another high quality offering.

The NH-U9B is a universal CPU heatsink that will cool your processor quietly and without consuming huge amounts of space. It is easy to install and is also backed by a stunning 6 year warranty, in the event that it decides to malfunction in a spectacular manner.

Our testing leads us to believe that the cooler is best suited towards lower heat consumption processors if your intention is to overclock; our Core i3 530 was kept at bay at 4.00GHz 1.30V however we're not quite sure that a fully fledged Core i7 Quad Core would remain as cool at a similar operational voltage and clock frequency. For those that don't intend on overclocking, this particular cooler will suit any processor up to and including the Core i7 970/980X Hex Cores for quiet operation.

The only major downside is the cooler's price. Weighing in a £45 means that it sits in the same territory as high end 120mm compliant coolers such as the Prolimatech Megahalems, however the Noctua offers a better accessory set, which includes two high quality fans.

All in all, another potent offering from Noctua. A great buy for those who care about silence however the keen overclockers may want to consider investing a further £10-15 on more capable (but larger) offerings.

The Good
- Quiet operation
- Easy Installation and Tight Fit
- Universal socket mounts

The Mediocre
- Pricing

The Bad
- None 

Thanks to Noctua for the NH-U9B-SE2 on test today, you can discuss our reults in the forums.

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Most Recent Comments

01-09-2010, 10:59:52

SnowWhite
Seems like another great product from them Quote

01-09-2010, 11:13:49

alexhull24
Interesting stuff, seems like a typical high quality offering from Noctua, but you do pay for it. Whether it makes sense as a lower-end cooler at that price will remain to be seen I think. Still, it'd be a mighty-nice upgrade from a stock cooler if you want something of top notch quality, otherwise you might be better with something cheaper that can boast better performance, especially if you're not bothered about the fans. The cost of a single fan alone almost justifies the extra cost of this, they are brilliantly quiet for the performance they offer. Shame it's £5-£10 too pricey in my opinion, we'll see if that puts anyone off.Quote

01-09-2010, 11:22:36

silenthill
Noctua are always going to have hefty prices because of its high quality and unique design so get use to it and if you’re looking for something cheap I think Noctua is not the name that comes to mind.

Quote

01-09-2010, 12:10:39

tinytomlogan
Its deffo not a budget brand. And tbh I wouldnt ask for them to do it either. Its quality and works well, some of their products cant be questioned as class leaders, why confuse it with cheapy stuff.Quote

01-09-2010, 12:46:14

Yewen
Noctua have the low volume high quality low tolerance manufacturing down perfectly.

If they started churning out tens of thousands of units of a £10 cooler their high end would suffer more than the drop in price would suggest.

They are onto a good thing and steadily growing, one of my favourite brands even if I hate with a passion their colour scheme.Quote
Reply

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