The NH-U9S stems from Noctua’s award-winning NH-U9 series. First introduced in 2005, the NH-U series has become a standard choice for premium quality quiet CPU coolers and won more than 800 awards and recommendations from leading international hardware websites and magazines.

Like its bigger brothers NH-U12S and NH-U14S, the NH-U9S features a revised, slimmer layout: Whereas the NH-U9B SE2 was 120mm deep with its two stock fans, the NH-U9S is asymmetrically built and measures only 95mm with its single, more efficient NF-A9 fan, thus providing better performance and compatibility at the same time.

With its 95x95mm footprint, the NH-U9S does not overhang the RAM slots on current Intel and most AMD mainboards. This gives the user full access to the memory modules and guarantees 100% compatibility with tall heatspreaders or optional memory fans.

Many Intel LGA17xx/1200 based mini-ITX motherboards have the PCIe slot sitting right next to the 95x95mm socket zone. While larger coolers that exceed this zone are likely to block the PCIe slot, the 95x95xmm sized NH-U9S provides full compatibility with PCIe cards, be it on ATX, microATX or ITX.

The highly optimised NF-A9 features Noctua’s proprietary AAO frame as well as sophisticated aerodynamic design measures such as Flow Acceleration Channels, which allows it to further improve the renowned efficiency of Noctua’s previous 92mm models and contributes to the NH-U9S’ superior cooling performance.

The NF-A9 92mm fan supplied with the NH-U9S supports PWM for convenient automatic speed control through the motherboard. In addition, the maximum fan speed can be reduced from 2000 to 1550rpm using the supplied Low-Noise Adaptor for even quieter operation.

The NH-U9S includes an extra set of fan mounting clips for users who want to achieve even better cooling performance by adding a second, optional NF-A9 PWM fan in order to create a push/pull setup. Using the y-cable supplied with the NF-A9 PWM retail fan, both fans can be connected to one CPU fan header.

Noctua’s SecuFirm2™ mounting systems have become synonymous with quality, safety and easy installation. Supporting Intel LGA1851, LGA1700 (since 2021), LGA1200 and LGA115x (LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156), as well as AMD AM4 and AM5 (since 2019), the SecuFirm2™ mounting included with the NH-U9S is straightforward to install, provides perfect contact pressure and will stand the test of time even under heavy use.

The NH-U9S includes Noctua’s offset mounting bars for AM5 that make it possible to install the cooler shifted towards the south side of the socket by 7mm, thereby achieving better contact quality right above the CCD(s). This improved contact exactly at the processor’s hotspot can significantly reduce CPU temperatures with typical improvements in the range of 1-3°C.

Complying with the open SecuFirm™ standard, the NH-U9S can be made compatible with the older LGA1366 and LGA775 sockets using the optional NM-I3 mounting kit, which is provided by Noctua free of charge. If technically possible, Noctua will also provide upgrade kits for future sockets.

Having received more than 100 awards and recommendations from hardware journalists around the world, Noctua’s NT-H1 is a proven professional grade TIM solution that provides minimum thermal resistance, excellent ease of use and outstanding reliability.