Noctua cooler in comparison test: LGA4677 at 500W

Testing the Xeon w9-3495X was a certain challenge, because the 56 cores, if you let them run free, consume 500 watts. We have four coolers for LGA4677 from Noctua, which we also used on this occasion and ran into immediately. We show you the results in this article.

With 56 performance cores, the Xeon w9-3495X delivers blunt performance, but it also consumes a similar amount and the Ryzen Threadripper PRO’s 64 cores can’t always be beat. However, eight DDR5 memory channels and, in the case of the Xeon W 3400 series, up to 112 PCI Express 5.0 lanes clearly demonstrate the platform’s potential. We’ve already looked at the appropriate Zeta R5 DDR5 RDIMM kit from G.Skill.

We have already mentioned the high power consumption and the cooling must be designed accordingly. Since the LGA4677 socket is used for all Sapphire Rapids processors, manufacturers can not only design their own cooling solutions for the Xeon W 3400 and Xeon W 2400 series, but also for server processors.

Before we get to the test results, let’s compare the technical data:

Dimensions are given in height x width x depth.

Dimensions are certainly the most important aspect of using a cooler. In a way, volume also determines how much waste heat a cooler can dissipate. We will see this in the test results.

Noctua NH-U14S DX-4677

Noctua NH-U12S DX-4677

Noctua NH-U9 DX-4677

Noctua NH-D9 DX-4677 4U

We’d like to go into a few aspects of two models, as we noticed them during testing. Depending on the socket orientation and the DIMM slots on the mainboard, there may be issues installing the fan because DDR5 modules are in the way here.

On the Noctua NH-U9 DX-4677, one of the fans is preventing installation in the DIMM slot. With the NH-D9 DX-4677 4U, this can also be the case the other way around – depending on how the slots are aligned next to the socket.

All coolers come with an NA-YC1 4-pin PWM Y cable and an NM-SMT5 Torx T30 assembly tool. NT-H1 thermal paste has already been applied to the underside of the cooler. It is very easy to install this large processor package into the LGA4677 using the SecuFirm2 mounting kit. We had no problems during frequent changes.

measurements

All load measurements were taken during the rendering in Blender. The test scene (Cosmos Laundromat) was counted with 5,000 samples and values ​​were read after 30 minutes.

The NH-U14S DX-4677 and NH-U12S DX-4677 can both maintain the Xeon w9-3495X at around 500W of power consumption in a temperature range of 75 to 76°C. The NH-U9 DX-4677 and NH-D9 DX-4677 4U do not manage this and allow the CPU to run near throttle due to high temperatures.

The coolers just mentioned also score points when it comes to associated size, which will also show in fan speeds, because the 120/140mm fans spin slower during load and therefore also ensure less background noise.

The velocities under load correspond to the noise measurements. At nearly 3,000 rpm, it should come as no surprise that the NF-A9 is much louder than the NF-A15 or NF-A12x25 at 1,500 or 2,200 rpm.

Information on energy consumption is interesting. The cooler the processor, the lower the power consumption, which is consistent with the expected behavior of the chip. Leakage currents are larger with higher temperatures and this must be compensated for, resulting in higher power consumption.

However, in the end, the performance that the processor can achieve is certainly crucial, and the clock clearly shows that we achieve the same performance with all four coolers – the Xeon w9-3495X always runs at 2.9GHz on all 56 cores.

Conclusion

Intel designed the Xeon w9-3495X to have a maximum power limit of 420 watts of turbo power and 350 watts of base. However, these limits are not active on most motherboards, so the processor can use as much performance as the cooling allows. Here we are at the heart of this test.

All four Noctua LGA4677 coolers tested managed to cool the Xeon w9-3495X enough to reach its maximum performance. The power consumption was 500 watts, so they could all handle the 420/350 watt spec.

Choosing the right coolant depends on several factors. Depending on the case, the dimensions of the cooler determine whether or not it will fit. If dimensions don’t matter, it’s certainly about cooling performance and size. The Noctua NH-U14S DX-4677 and NH-U12S DX-4677 deliver the best results here. Temperatures remain within 75°C and volume is still acceptable. With 500 watts of wasted heat, you shouldn’t assume this happens nearly silently.

To be honest, we were surprised at how well the three coolers handled the Xeon w9-3495X’s waste heat. The NH-U14S DX-4677 stays relatively quiet, and the NH-U12S DX-4677 is also a recommendation in terms of volume.

When dimensions matter, compromises must be made. The NH-U9 DX-4677 and NH-D9 DX-4677 4U can still cool the processor enough, but they’re (in part) quite loud. Mechanical compatibility must also be considered.

Noctua’s LGA4677 coolers are available at the following prices:

Tower coolers or flatbed coolers are already available specifically for use in server enclosures from 60 euros available. AiO coolers for LGA4677 or custom water blocks also cost 130 euros and more. When it comes to platform costs for the Xeon W 3400 and Xeon W 2400 series, 130/140 € certainly no longer plays a major role. With the performance offered, LGA4677 coolers are a good recommendation for use with these high consumption processors.