Noctua NH-U9B CPU Cooler Review

FAN DESIGN

It really would not be fair of us to compare any SSO/ Fluid Dynamic Bearing 120mm fan with a 92mm fan, regardless of the technology being used in the 92mm. This is because a 120mm can move more air at much lower RPMs than any 92mm fan and thus the larger fan will usually be quieter. With all this being said, most people are going to make this comparison anyways; or at least they are when they compare a 120mm NF-P12-1300 equipped NH-U12 tower cooler with this NH-U9B with its smaller 92mm NF-B9-1600. To this end lets just say the Noctua B9 is a very quiet 92mm fan but it is not in the same league as the NF-P12 since it operates at significantly higher RPMs.


As stated the fan which comes with the U9B is the NF-B9-1600. This fan is a 92mm, 7 bladed fan that is rated to spin at a maximum speed of 1600 rpm. At its top rated speed it can move about 37.85 cubic feet of air per minute and more importantly move that air with a static pressure of 1.61mmH20 (which is only 0.07mmH20 less than the NF-P12-1300). For a high speed 92mm fan this is definitely on the quiet end of the spectrum; but it does make a tonal hum sound which can be annoying and takes it out of the league of the NF-P12. This noise is not what you would call loud and in most cases it will be drowned out long before it reaches your ears, but on a open bench setup it was noticeable.

On the positive side, this humming sound is really only prevalent when the fan is running at full speed. At lower speeds, the NF-B9-1600 is one of the more well mannered 92mm fans it has been my pleasure to use. Of course, if the full speed noise does annoy you, you can always use the Low Noise Adapter which is included (or even the Ultra Low Noise adapter!). However, while this keeps the fan very quiet it also cuts its CFM to 30.9 and more importantly drops the static pressure way down to 1.09mmH2O. Luckily, we don’t see much need for the LNA/ULNA adapters as most of the time it was not rotating anywhere near its max speed.

What makes this fan truly different from most other high performance 92mm fans out there is the fact that its blades have an almost perpendicular pitch to them. This ensures as much air is moved with as few RPMs as possible but it also goes a long way to explaining the noise we were hearing.


As for the construction of the fan, the Noctua NF-B9 uses a proprietary SSO bearing that is ultra quiet. What is an SSO bearing? In a nut shell take a Fluid Dynamic Bearing, add in some extra magnets to increase its stability, mix in a little bit of marketing spin and flavor with a few secret engineering techniques, let bake and when ready you have a revolutionary bearing that is ultra quiet, ultra stable and has a very long life expectancy.

If there is one area that is causes the most controversy when it comes to Noctua fans it has to be their colour scheme and this fan is certainly no exception. The B9-1600 is made from beige coloured plastic with brown fan blades and rotor housing. This color combination is certainly not for everyone; however, it is another classic example of product branding which loudly proclaims to all enthusiasts “I’m a GENUINE Noctua”. Some might say this is because no other company would be willing to take the risk on such an interesting colour combination, but trust us when we say after a while it does grow on you.

If you positively, absolutely can not imagine having these colors in your case, don’t worry! The mounting system consists of easy to install wire brackets which makes mounting any (most likely inferior) pretty fan you wish to the NH-U9B cooler very easy indeed.

Rather that rely on MTBF numbers, an easier and better way to get a “feel” for what the manufacturer thinks is the real length of time a product should last is to simply look at the length of warranty provided. The length of warranty has been calculated to be long enough so that customers feel secure in purchasing it BUT still short enough that it will be “out of warranty” when most fail. Taken for what it's worth (and like all its brethren), the Noctua NH-U9B comes with a 6 year warranty which certainly speaks well to the real world longevity expectations Noctua must have for all their products!


Also on the positive side, the fan cable is nice and long and is completely sleeved. It is always nice when the manufacturers take the time to do this as it does make for a both a cleaner/neater install while also helping to keep air flow restrictions to a minimum.