Viewing page 4 of 5 pages.
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next
Stock Fan Measurements
|
Specifications: Noctua NH-L9i
|
|
Manufacturer
|
|
Power Rating
|
2.52 W |
|
Model Number
|
NF-A9x14 PWM
|
Airflow Rating
|
40.8 ~ 57.5 m³/h |
|
Bearing Type
|
SSO2 |
Speed Rating
|
300 ~ 2500 RPM
|
|
Corners
|
Closed |
Noise Rating
|
14.8 ~ 23.6 dBA |
|
Frame Size
|
92 x 92 x 14 mm |
Header Type
|
4-pin |
|
Blade Diameter
|
86 mm |
Starting Voltage
|
4.3 V |
|
Hub Size
|
33 mm |
Weight
|
70 g |
|
Data in green cells provided by the manufacturer
or observed; data in the blue cells were measured.
|
The NH-L9i sports a thin 92 mm fan with a rotational speed of 2500 RPM and a very short, 20 cm 4-pin cable. It's from a new generation of Noctua fans that look nothing like the previous models aside from the color scheme. Noticeably absent are their famous "vortex control notches" on the struts and blades, though there are a few ridges on the intake side. Furthermore, the blade corners are more rounded, giving it a classic torpedo style design.
The 92 mm stock fan had excellent acoustics, producing a very smooth profile. Aside from turbulence at higher speeds, the sound generated was pleasant throughout the range we tested and we didn't perceive any tonality. It's a vast improvement over mismatched fans of the larger NH-L12.
|
Stock Fan Measurements
|
|
Voltage
|
Speed
|
SPL@1m
|
|
12V
|
2430 RPM
|
34 dBA
|
|
9V
|
2020 RPM
|
28 dBA
|
|
7V
|
1710 RPM
|
22 dBA
|
|
6V
|
1530 RPM
|
18 dBA
|
|
5V
|
1330 RPM
|
15 dBA
|
|
Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle from
the center of the heatsink.
Ambient noise level: 10~11 dBA.
|
The fan reacted quite linearly on voltage control, peaking at 34 dBA@1m at top speed speed and dipping down to a very quiet 15 dBA@1m at 5V. The starting voltage of the fan was only 4.3 V so we didn't see cause to push it any lower. With the fan running at the nominal 12V, the included low noise adapter brought the speed down to about 1800 RPM which is equivalent to approximately 8V. However, with PWM control you can make it effectively inaudible so it really isn't necessary in most cases.
Test Results
|
Noctua NH-L9i
|
|
Fan Voltage
|
Fan Speed
|
SPL@1m
|
°C Rise above Ambient
|
|
CPU
|
VRM
|
RAM
|
|
Stock Fan
|
|
12V
|
2430 RPM
|
34 dBA
|
46
|
26
|
20
|
|
9V
|
2020 RPM
|
28 dBA
|
51
|
32
|
26
|
|
7V
|
1710 RPM
|
22 dBA
|
54
|
37
|
28
|
|
6V
|
1530 RPM
|
18 dBA
|
56
|
40
|
30
|
|
5V
|
1330 RPM
|
15 dBA
|
61
|
46
|
32
|
|
Reference Nexus 92mm Fan
|
|
12V
|
1420 RPM
|
19~20 dBA
|
55
|
38
|
26
|
|
9V
|
1150 RPM
|
14 dBA
|
63
|
48
|
32
|
For such a short heatsink, simply surviving our test without our overclocked/overvolted CPU throttling is in accomplishment. The NH-L9i performed fairly well, staying 20°C below the throttling point at the lowest tested speed. The fan became what we consider quiet between 1700 and 1500 RPM which is fairly close to the performance sweet spot. Surprisingly when we strapped on our thicker Nexus 92 mm reference fan, we didn't see any improvement.
| Help support this site, buy from one of our affiliate retailers! |
|
