Expect lower AMD CPU thermals with Noctua’s newly launched offset mounting bars

AMD’s latest Ryzen processors can run up to 3 degrees cooler using Noctua’s new AM5 offset mounts 

Noctua has officially released their new Ryzen-focused heatsink offset mounts for AMD’s AM5 CPU socket, an upgrade option for Noctua heatsink users that can lower CPU thermals by up to three degrees by more optimally mounting their heatsinks over the hottest parts of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series processors. 

With all of Noctua’s new AM5 offset kits costing less than £5, there is little reason for Noctua and Ryzen enthusiasts not to give these new mounts a try, assuming that they are interested in lowering their CPU thermals. 

While these offset mounts do support AMD’s older AM4 CPU socket, Noctua has confirmed that their AM5 offset mounting kit has a smaller impact on the performance of AMD’s AM4-compatible Ryzen processors, with the company noting reduced thermals of around 1 degree. While their offset kits are compatible with AM4, Noctua are not marketing this support due to the minimal impact that it has on CPU thermals. 

Moving forward, Noctua plans to ship these offset mounts with new multi-socket heatsinks designs. These updated heatsink models will start shipping in Q4 2023, which means that future Noctua coolers will have offset mounting options out of the box.

Is offset mounting worth it? 

Whether or not Noctua’s new AM5 offset mounts are worth it will come down to how much you value having a cooler running CPU. Three degrees is not a huge drop when it comes to CPU thermals, but Noctua are not asking for much to give you the opportunity to offset your CPU cooler’s mount.

In some cases, a drop in CPU thermals may allow your processor to maintain boost clock speeds for longer, or enable you to make your PC quieter by allowing you to use a slower fan speed profile. If nothing else, it is a quick and easy project for those of us who enjoy tinkering with our PCs. 

Purchasing Links (Amazon Affiliate Links)

– Noctua NM-AMB12 AMD AM5Offset Mount – £4.90
– Noctua Chromax Black NM-AMB12 AMD AM5 Offset Mount – £4.90
– Noctua NM-AMB14 AMD AM5 Offset Mount – £4.90
– Noctua NM-AMB15 AMD AM5 Offset Mount – £4.90
– Noctua Chromax Black NM-AMB15 AMD AM5 Offset Mount – £4.90

Press Release – Noctua releases offset mounting for improved cooling performance on AMD AM5 processors

Noctua today announced the availability of its new offset mounting bars for installing Noctua CPU coolers on AMD AM5 processors. By offsetting the heatsink 7 mm towards the south side of the socket, more pressure is applied right above the CPU’s CCD(s). This improved contact exactly at the processor’s hotspot can significantly reduce CPU temperatures with typical improvements in the range of 1-3°C.

“We have experimented with offset mountings ever since AMD introduced its first chiplet processors that had the hotspot shifted towards the south side of the socket, but on AM4, we only saw relatively small improvements in the range of 0.5-1°C”, says Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). “With the new AM5 platform and its different heat-spreader design, we managed to achieve typical improvements in the range of 1-3°C, so we think that this will be a very interesting performance upgrade for Ryzen 7000 users!”

AMD’s latest Ryzen processors have their Core Complex Die(s) not at the centre, but slightly towards the south side of the CPU. By shifting the heatsink right above the hotspot created by the CCD(s) and applying optimal contact pressure where it matters the most, thermal performance can often be improved significantly.

While the results can vary due to different heat flux densities, tolerances of both the CPU and heatsink as well as other factors such as thermal paste application, the offset mounting can yield significant improvements with typical reductions in core temperatures ranging between 1 and 3°C on high-end AM5 processors. These gains can be used to let the CPU run cooler, to achieve higher boost clock frequencies or to reduce fan speeds and noise levels.

While primarily designed for AM5, the offset mounting bars can also be used on AM4, where they may yield slight improvements on Ryzen 5000 and 3000 series processors. However, the improvements when using the offset mounting position on these CPUs tend to be much smaller, typically

There are different sets of offset mounting bars for different coolers depending on their mounting pitch (83 mm vs. 78 mm) and basic architecture (e.g. single tower coolers require mounting points east and west of the socket for optimal orientation, dual tower coolers require mounting points north and south of the socket):

– NM-AMB12: for coolers with 83 mm mounting pitch that require mounting points north and south of the socket (e.g. NH-D15(S), NH-D14, NH-D9L, NH-C14S, NH-L9x65)
– NM-AMB13: for coolers with 83 mm mounting pitch that require mounting points east and west of the socket (e.g. NH-U12P series, NH-U9B series)
– NM-AMB14: for coolers with 78 mm mounting pitch that require mounting points north and south of the socket (e.g. NH-D12L, NH-L12S)
– NM-AMB15: for coolers with 78 mm mounting pitch that require mounting points east and west of the socket (e.g. NH-U14S, NH-U12A, NH-U12S, NH-U9S)
– For a full compatibility list, please look at the chart below. For chromax.black CPU coolers, the NM-AMB12 and NM-AMB15 are also available in chromax.black versions.

Pricing and availability

The new offset mounting bars will be available as of today via Noctua’s website or Amazon for a service charge of EUR 3.90 (website form) or EUR/USD 4.90 (Amazon) that helps to cover parts of the shipping and handling costs.

While the NM-AMB12, NM-AMB14 and NM-AMB15 bars for current cooler models are already in stock, NM-AMB13 that are required for legacy models will be ready to order within 1-2 weeks.

Noctua is also currently updating all its multi-socket CPU cooler models to include the new offset mounting bars. While availability will vary between models and countries, the first coolers that already include the offset mounting bars should start to become available by Q4.

You can join the discussion on Noctua’s new offset mounts for AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series processors on the OC3D Forums.