Noctua Confirms Cooler Support for AMD’s Next-Generation AM5 Socket and Ryzen 7000 Series Processors

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Image: Noctua

Thinking about saving a bit of cash by moving that poop-colored cooler over to your future socket AM5 build? You’ll probably be able to, according to a new article shared by Noctua, which can confirm that practically all of its AM4 coolers and mounting kits are compatible with AMD’s next-generation socket. This is largely thanks to the backplate threads and their pattern on AM5 being identical to the current design. The only products that currently lack compatibility are the NH-L9a-AM4 (37 mm low-profile CPU cooler) and NM-AM4-L9aL9i mounting kit. A socket compatibility overview table that now includes an AM5 column can be found here.

FAQ: Which Noctua CPU coolers are compatible with AMD AM5? (Noctua)

AM5 (LGA 1718) is AMD’s upcoming socket for its next-generation Ryzen 7000 (Zen 4) series processors. Please refer to our socket compatibility overview in the Noctua Compatibility Centre (NCC) to see which Noctua CPU cooler models support socket AM5 out of the box or via mounting upgrade kits.

In short, all Noctua coolers and mounting kits that support AM4 are upwards compatible with socket AM5, except the NH-L9a-AM4 and the NM-AM4-L9aL9i.

All Noctua AM4 mountings except the ones of the NH-L9a-AM4 and the NM-AM4-L9aL9i attach to the threads of the standard AM4 stock backplate. Since these backplate threads and their pattern are identical on AM4 and AM5, our AM4 mountings that attach to the standard AMD backplate also support AM5.

This means that all SE-AM4 models as well as all Noctua multi-socket coolers purchased since 01/2019 already support socket AM5. Multi-socket coolers purchased before this date that have already been upgraded to AM4 using the NM-AM4 or NM-AM4-UxS kits also require no further upgrades. Older multi-socket coolers that have been purchased before 2019 and have not yet been upgraded to AM4 can be made compatible with AM5 using the NM-AM4 or NM-AM4-UxS upgrade kits.

The NH-L9a-AM4 and the NM-AM4-L9aL9i are not compatible with AM5 because they require replacing the standard AMD backplate with a custom one, which isn’t possible on AM5. A dedicated AM5 upgrade kit for NH-L9a, NH-L9a-AM4 and NH-L9i coolers is in preparation.

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Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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