Cooler comparison

Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 vs Scythe Big Shuriken 3 Rev.B

Across the 120 processors either cooler can mount, the Scythe Big Shuriken 3 Rev.B cools better or equally on 95 of them, . The Big Shuriken 3 Rev.B is rated 65 W higher.

Reviewed by Farrukh Sufyan SarwarHow we estimate temperaturesPrices verified November 2, 2026Model v1.2 · data updated November 2, 2026

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Noctua NH-L9a-AM4

Type: Low-profile air cooler
Sustained rating: 65 W
Height: 37 mm
RAM clearance: Unrestricted
Sockets in box: AM4, AM5
Price: $49.95

$49.95as of Nov 2, 05:59 AM UTC · In StockCheck price

Scythe Big Shuriken 3 Rev.B

Type: Low-profile air cooler
Sustained rating: 130 W
Height: 69 mm
RAM clearance: 48 mm
Sockets in box: AM4, AM5, LGA1200, LGA1700, LGA1851
Price: ~$55

~$55Check price

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.

Excellent verdicts by socket

Number of processors per socket each cooler keeps in the Excellent band
Socket	CPUs	NH-L9a-AM4	Big Shuriken 3 Rev.B
AM5	25	0 / 25	12 / 25
AM4	26	0 / 26	13 / 26
LGA1851	8	no bracket	0 / 8
LGA1700	41	no bracket	4 / 41
LGA1200	20	no bracket	2 / 20

Head to head on popular processors

Estimated full-load temperature and verdict for each cooler on the highest-power processors
Processor	Boost	NH-L9a-AM4	Big Shuriken 3 Rev.B
Core i7-13700K	253 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core i9-13900K	253 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core i9-14900KF	253 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core i7-11700K	251 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core Ultra 7 265K	250 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core i9-12900KS	241 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Ryzen 9 9950X3D	230 W	95 °CThrottling risk	95 °CThrottling risk
Core i7-14700	224 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core i9-13900	219 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core i7-12700KF	190 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core Ultra 9 285	182 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core i5-14600KF	181 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Ryzen 9 7900X3D	162 W	89 °CThrottling risk	89 °CThrottling risk
Core Ultra 5 245K	159 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core i5-13500	154 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk
Core i5-12600KF	150 W	100 °CIncompatible socket	100 °CThrottling risk