Noctua NH-L9a-AM4, Premium Low-profile CPU Cooler for AMD AM4 (Brown)

After getting poor cooling with the stock AMD cooler on Ryzen 1400 and 3600, I opted for this to fit within my mid-sized case and keep the power draw low. A second PC running a 5600G also runs absolutely fine with it but for a bigger CPU or in a case with a hot GPU, I went for the awesome Noctua NH-U12S redux.This is very quiet, miles better than the poor AMD cooler. If you need a low profile cooler that's easy to install (thank you Noctua), this is just the ticket.

The Asrock Deskmini A300 is a very small desktop computer and comes with a stock cooler. The Stock cooler does its job but is a little noisier than most people would prefer. The Noctua NH-L9A-AMA is the recommended cooler for these small factor computers. Asrock deskmini owners are familiar with opening up and configuring the computer so it shouldn't be difficult to fit the cooler. I would say it is fairly easy if the instructions are followed and the job isn't rushed. I fitted the included low noise adaptor because my computing needs are small and i don't do gaming; thus the computer is never going to get very hot. After reassembly, the difference between old and new was a delight. The computer, which is I have vertically-positioned, is now silent. If I stick my ear right next to the exhaust side I can hear a very slight hum. otherwise - nothing. The temperature (linux 'sensors') is stable at around 30°C, slightly lower than previously. All-in-all a great buy at under £35 and I wish I had done this much earlier.

Was absolutely ready to throw my PC together, with the help of my step brother to choose parts. Even from my very little knowledge of pc parts, I knew a noctua fan would end up in my mini itx build, and this was the one.Putting it together was fine, a little fiddly at first for a beginner like me but it came together. There was no need to use the brackets that came with my case as it simply screwed onto the motherboard easily enough.Performance wise, it seems to be working just fine -considering the space between my psu and the fan itself, my cpu temperatures stay at around 38°C idle and around 6-65°C when using decently heavy usage games/programs for a good few hours (even whilst streaming them to discord) I've yet to experience it get to the danger zone of 80°C. (Ive also got a noctua case cooler bringing cool air into the case)From my knowledge, the fan isn't loud but I'm not sure whether it's this fan or another one i have installed in my case that could be a little quieter.Overall, works perfectly fine on my first PC build and added to the fun experience of building one!

I bought it as a replacement for my loud Water Cooling loop, which was getting old in the tooth and wanted something more low profile. So decided to bite the bullet and get this, which on instalment, it was rather easy though can be fiddly with the screws.My one complete though is that my thermals are actually WORSE now than they were with my Water Loop, now I'm getting above 76c on idle, which isn't perfect especially when I start using software like Blender and such.Overall, it's an okay cooler IF you plan to use it for basic things like building a media PC, would not recommend for Gaming or Workstation rigs unless you have really good airflow in your case.

As always, another great product from Noctua.I have a machine with a Ryzen 5 3400G processor, which until I bought this Noctua cooler, I was using with the stock "Wraith Spire" cooler. It was doing adequate amounts of cooling, but it was really noisy- at least for my needs as a living room PC.I was dubious as to whether this Noctua would make much difference. Some random posts I'd found online suggested that the noise profile of the fans of the Noctua and the stock cooler weren't too dissimilar. However I'm pleasantly surprised - It's made a huge difference. My stock fan would ramp up and down in speed all the time, whereas this is a constant low noise, which is much more pleasing! Plus it's keeping CPU temps in the 30-40's which is awesome!

Comes in a very nicely presented box, with a metal case badge, cable to reduce speed, tube of thermal paste, rear mount plate and extra screws in case you want to replace the stock fan with a thicker one.Very weighty and well machined, it all seems very good quality.I fitted this to a Ryzen 3 2200g on an AsRock AB350 Gaming ITX motherboard. It was a little awkward as you have to screw the heatsink on from the underside, while holding it in place and keeping aligned. It's very well mounted though.Most temps seem similar to stock, but with much lower noise. I was always aware of the Wraith Stealth fan whereas in the same situations this is silent. When pushed the fan is louder but still acceptable, and quieter than the Stealth. With a GPU overclock to 1500MHz and gaming on GTA Online the fan seems to get to about 80% speed, so probably has a bit more potential.I'm using this is a very compact case with restricted airflow so my temps are higher than average, hitting about 80C in games that push the 2200g.

Using this in an AsRock Deskmini A300 with a Ryzen 5 3400G APU and it keeps the temps under 70C even under heavy load.It's not noisy and was simple to install with the simple bracket supplied.Yes, this is more expensive than other low profile coolers, but I guarantee they won't do the job half as well.Ok, Noctua fans don't look all that nice, unless you are fond of beige/brown combos, but by god do they do the job you buy them for.5 out of 5 all day long.

Quiet as a church 🐭🐁