Testing & Performance
We tested the Noctua NH-U9B with the NT-H1 thermal compound in a number of ways; the first being without a fan connected, then with one fan connected (NF-B9) to CPU header, straight to Molex (full speed) and finally with both included adapters.
The room temperature at the time of testing was approximately 20 degrees Celsius. To achieve load on the CPU, we ran Prime95 until the temperature stayed constant. We repeated each test three times and the averages are shown below. Any anomalous results were omitted and the test was retaken.
Results
| No fan | w/ CPU Header | w/ Molex | w/ L.N.A. Adapter | w/ U.L.N.A. Adapter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idle | 22.1° C | 21.0° C | 21.3° C | 22.7° C | 22.7° C |
| Load | 43.6° C | 39.5° C | 33.7° C | 40.6° C | 40.9° C |
Even with no fan the NH-U9B performs incredibly! The temperatures when connected via a Molex are simply astonishing. Seeing how small the NH-U9B is, we were pleasantly surprised by the performance it gave us. The whole unit with the fan included is virtually silent.