CPU Cooler Check

Cooler comparison

Noctua NH-L12S vs Noctua NH-L9a-AM4

Across the 120 processors either cooler can mount, the Noctua NH-L12S cools better or equally on 94 of them, at $74.95 versus $49.95 on Amazon. The NH-L12S is rated 55 W higher.

Reviewed by Farrukh Sufyan SarwarHow we estimate temperaturesPrices verified Model v1.2 · data updated

As an Amazon Associate, CPU Cooler Check earns from qualifying purchases. How this works

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

01

Excellent verdicts by socket

Number of processors per socket each cooler keeps in the Excellent band
SocketCPUsNH-L12SNH-L9a-AM4
AM52512 / 250 / 25
AM42613 / 260 / 26
LGA185180 / 8no bracket
LGA1700413 / 41no bracket
LGA1200202 / 20no bracket
02

Head to head on popular processors

Estimated full-load temperature and verdict for each cooler on the highest-power processors
ProcessorBoostNH-L12SNH-L9a-AM4
Core i7-13700K253 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core i9-13900K253 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core i9-14900KF253 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core i7-11700K251 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core Ultra 7 265K250 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core i9-12900KS241 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Ryzen 9 9950X3D230 W95 °CThrottling risk95 °CThrottling risk
Core i7-14700224 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core i9-13900219 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core i7-12700KF190 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core Ultra 9 285182 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core i5-14600KF181 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Ryzen 9 7900X3D162 W89 °CThrottling risk89 °CThrottling risk
Core Ultra 5 245K159 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core i5-13500154 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket
Core i5-12600KF150 W100 °CThrottling risk100 °CIncompatible socket