Noctua Surface Roughness and Acoustic Comparisons

Acoustic Samples: Listen to this Heatsink!

With a single 92 x 92 x 25mm Zalman PS92252H fan installed on the Noctua NH-U9 heatsink the unit operates with a moderate amount of noise. Some users may find this fan audible outside the computer chassis, but it forms a good reference point and you can always select something quieter. To listen to this heatsink in operation, be sure to click on the little headphones icon below and play the sample MP3 file.

frostytech acoustic sampling chamber

standard waveform view of a 10 second recording. click on the headphones icon to listen to an mp3 recording of this heatsink in operation. this test is with a 92x92x25mm zalman ps92252h fan running on 12v dc.

Sound Level Measurements: Which Heatsink is Quietest?

Listening to the actual noise a heatsink makes allows you to hear what pure numbers alone cannot get across. To further emphasize FrostyTech's reliance on cold hard facts when evaluating a heatsink, we also take noise level measurements with a sound level meter.

FrostyTech.com Heatsink Noise Level Measurements
Noise level Decibel measurements of each heatsinks' fan in operation are taken with the aid of a sound level meter and sound isolating enclosure. The values may be higher than the mfgr's listed specs, but are directly comparable to one another. Measurements are made on the dB (A) scale. Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.

manufacturer: model no.: *fan speed: noise level (dba):

Verax Quattro 1 30.9 dB Quiet

Gigabyte NeonCooler 8-BL 42.0 dB

Coolermaster Hyper48 43.6 dB

Arctic Cooling Alpine64 43.9 dB

Dynatron A22 44.5 dB

Zalman CNPS7000B-CU high 44.9 dB

Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu high 45.2 dB

Zalman CNPS7000-Cu high 45.2 dB

Noctua NH-U12 45.4 dB

Ajigo MF043-044 45.4 dB

Scythe Shogun high 45.9 dB

Scythe Kama SCKK1000 47.5 dB

Thermaltake Silentboost K8 49.7 dB

Zalman CNPS9500LED (clip parallel) high 50.3 dB

Gigabyte 3D-Rocket 50.7 dB

Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro 50.9 dB

Evercool K802-715 51.5 dB

Scythe Samurai SCSM1000 high 51.6 dB

nPowertek NPH K8-1 52.2 dB

Jetart JAX801 53.5 dB

Coolermaster Hyper6 high 54.7 dB

Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Ultra TC high 55.5 dB

Evercool Magic Cooler 55.5 dB

Dynatron SK-V24 56.4 dB

Gigabyte 3D Rocket-Pro high 56.7 dB

Vantec Mach1 high 56.9 dB

EKL V8 high 57.5 dB

Noctua NH-U9 58.4 dB

Alpha PAL-8150 58.9 dB

Coolermaster Aquagate Mini high 59.2 dB

AVC Z7U3301001 high 59.9 dB

Ajigo AJ442FC high 60.3 dB

Cooljag SFO-H high 60.6 dB

Gigabyte 3D Cooler-Pro high 62.5 dB

Gigabyte 3D Cooler-Ultra high 63.0 dB

Titan TTC-K8ATB/825/SC 63.1 dB

CoolJag SFO-D(18SC) 64.0 dB

ASUS Starice high 67.4 dB

Thermaltake Polo 735 high 68.0 dB

Thermaltake Venus 12 high 68.1 dB

Gigabyte G-Power Pro high 71.9 dB Loud

noise level (dba)

*unless noted, for reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans only the 'high speed' (12V) fan noise measurement is included in the comparison sheet; more detailed results for the low fan speed (~5V) tests reside in each specific heatsink review.

The Noctua NH-U9 heatsink operates moderately noisy with the 92 x 92 x 25mm Zalman PS92252H fan used in this review. Since the fan is user supplied, you can install whichever fan suits your requirements - noise or CFM. At stock speeds, the 92mm Zalman fan produces 58.4 dBA noise, but there are plenty of alternate fans to choose from on the market which run quieter so keep that in mind.

Surface Finish and Flatness

Surface finish is an important factor that we all look for when holding a new heatsink. Flipping a cooler over to see how well the base has been machined is a quick way to judge the attention to detail that was put into making it. The following test involves the use of a Surface Roughness Comparator, which offers a concise cross section common machine surface finishes.

The Noctua NH-U9 heatsink has a surface roughness of approximately 32 microinches, which is considered good. Next, let's see how this heatsink handles the heat compared to a selection of other heatsinks!

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