In the thermal solutions market, the name Noctua is a highly respected one that is synonymous with a very high build quality and great performance. Their product base is fairly limited though with a total of three different heatsinks but when you can produce products such as the NH-U12P and NH-C12P, you don't exactly need a huge selection.

Noctua's flagship model, the NH-U12P is known throughout the industry and with the addition of an LGA1366 mounting kit; it's moved onto the i7 scene. Perhaps the one downfall of this product is its size and this is where, the third heatsink comes into its own. The NH-U9B, effectively the baby brother of the larger NH-U12P, features the same 4 dual heatpipes but is a much smaller heatsink utilised the 92mm NF-B9 fan. But, how much cooling potential will the heatsink lose in its slimmed down version, let's take a look.