Conclusion

To tell the truth, I could have made a much more optimistic conclusion to our today’s review, if it hadn’t been for the recommended pricing of the coolers tested. The thing is that all three cooling solutions discussed today do not belong to the mainstream price segment, because the lowest price starts only at $45, while the most expensive one is priced at $60 and comes even without a fan! With prices that high and with the cooling efficiency they can offer, Noctua NH-U9B, Thermalright Ultima-90I and Zalman CNPS9300 AT will most likely be uncompetitive. In my opinion, they should sell for at least half the price to become more or less successful in the today’s market, because in this case they will be opposing totally different competitors.

You will probably say that they are very compact and that’s their strength. Well, I have to remind you that Thermalright SI-128 SE, which we have also tested today, measures 116.5mm with a fan. Only Noctua NH-U9B is shorter than that, while Thermalright Ultima-90I and Zalman CNPS9300 AT are definitely taller. However, SI-128 SE is far more efficient than they are and costs $50. Anyway, if you are satisfied with the cooling efficiency these solutions have to offer, the choice is yours.