Question 1

Will this fan work with mATX motherboards?

Accepted Answer

There should not be any particular issue with an mATX board.

There is nothing inherently different with mATX processor layouts.  It will fit most boards.  The only concern with an mATX are the same things you have to look for in any other board, are there other heatsinks close to the processor zone? and are ram slots too close?

Pretty sure this would fit even the mini-itx board I have.

Question 2

How does this compare to AMD's stock aluminum heatsinks that ship with their APUs? I know an A10 is over this Heatsink's rating, but this is one of the few heatsinks that fit the form factor I am going for. I'll get it still if it is an improvement over AMD's stock heatsink.

Accepted Answer

This heatsink is a huge improvement over the stock cooler. I am currently running this cooler in an Antec isk 110 and this cooler keeps my a6 6400k at 30° C with a substantial over clock. The fan is the only one in my case it runs nearly silent at idle on stock clocks, with the over clock I have noticed some more noise while loading programs. I currently am using this on a htpc running xbmc, windows media center, Netflix, and some internet browsing during these tasks I rarely notice the fan even at night with the house silent. Although the a10 is above the tdp of this cooler it is head and shoulders above stock coolers. I believe if this is the only thing that will fit it will be an improvement over those cheap stock coolers.

Question 3

Does anyone know if I used this on a ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+ FM2+ motherboard would I still be able to use both RAM slots? Thanks.

Accepted Answer

I have a Gigabyte F2A88XN-WIFI ITX and the cooler and fan fit no problem with both RAM slots filled. Everything's a little tight and a pain to install but, hey, it's ITX. My guess is this rig will work in the Asrock as well.

The trouble I ran into was actually with my case. Even with a Pico PSU, cable management vs. airflow became a problem. I ended up ditching the 90mm in favor of two side mounted 40mm fans but kept the heat sink. No performance issues to date.

Question 4

Will this work with an AMD FX-8320 cpu?

Accepted Answer

The NH-L9a is only recommended for 65 watt CPUs. The FX-8320 is a 125 watt CPU. It will struggle with that amount of heat.

An adventurous builder could make it work by using an FX-8320e (note the "e") or similar, as they are lower power versions, and tweaking the CPU's clockspeed & voltage to get desirable results.

Question 5

Does his come with the spacers needed for select boards?

Accepted Answer

It comes with 4 spacers for boards that have stuff on the back off the motherboard, which would prevent you from using the metal bracket. These spacers should go with all motherboards.

Question 6

Does this item include the NT-H1 thermal compound mentioned in the description or must that be purchased separately?

Accepted Answer

It's included.

Question 7

Will this work with a socket FM2+ chip?

Accepted Answer

Yes it will work with a FM2 + socket. Just remember it is not suitable for overclocking and only recommended for CPUs with up to 65W TDP (Thermal Design Power)

Question 8

Compatible with AM3+ socket?  (AMD FX-4170 cpu)

Accepted Answer

The NH-L9a is made for AMD systems and conforms to mini-ITX motherboard cooler specs.  I'm using it with an AM2 m-ITX system, AMD A10-5700 Trinity CPU, in a Silverstone ML05 case, and it works like a champ.  t's listed as compatible with AM3 and I wouldn't expect any problems with Noctua's specs.  They make good products.  You should check your motherboard compatibility for RAM and other component clearance just in case, but I doubt you would have any issues unless you are using a specialized motherboard.

Question 9

Which product shall I use with a AMD A10 6800k? It runs @ 100W.

Accepted Answer

this cooler will work with your processor.  the "a" at the end of the model number designates that it is for AMD processors; more specifically, this cooler is designed for am3, fm1, and fm2 sockets.  according to specs, your particular processor is running at the top-end wattage for this cooler to be effective; in real-time practice, i have used this cooler on the HIGHEST-end (125w) fm2 processors, and it has performed perfectly.  the only caveat i will note here is that i would NOT recommend using this cooler if you plan to overclock your cpu; in my mind, the only safe way to overclock would be to use a water-cooled system.  this cooler right here is everyones answer to better, quieter, LOW PROFILE cooling than the stock fan offers.  it is THE ideal solution for amd systems in small form factor cases, period.  i dont believe there is any other cooler that does better for the money.

Question 10

I have amd 9950 (tm) Black phenom x4   My problem is not sure if it's 125 w  or 140w.  Bios has it at 2600, and voltage 1.3 Was thinking mb is only good for 125w   continues to blue screen. Has from beginning. I keep a strong fan on it (exterior directional floor fan that is) to reduce blue screens. I would like to consider a better cpu cooler before buying a mb as the boards are now getting hard to find reasonable. Which cooler would u suggest for this situation?  ty for help  Long time customer

Accepted Answer

I believe that Noctua recommends the use of the nh-9la on cpus of 65-95 or less - if so this would make it unusable for your needs.
If you have room in your case I would look at  the Noctua dh-15 or Dark Rock (??) 3 - which I believe is supposed to be appropriate for cpus up to 250 w.  Check the  clearance of your case and the parameters of the cpu cooler b4 buying.

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