# Noctua NH-D15



## crazyeyesreaper (Jun 10, 2014)

With the NH-D15, Noctua once again takes their place, leading our charts. This cooler offers unprecedented cooling performance that makes all-in-one liquid coolers seem weak, especially considering that it does so while remaining whisper quiet.

*Show full review*


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## TheDeeGee (Jun 16, 2014)

Not sure why the price is a Con...

It competes with closed loops, you don't have leaking issues and it's quieter. Not to mention 6 years warranty.

I think it's well priced for what you get in return.


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## Scrizz (Jun 16, 2014)

Svarog said:


> Not sure why the price is a Con...
> 
> It competes with closed loops, you don't have leaking issues and it's quieter. Not to mention 6 years warranty.
> 
> I think it's well priced for what you get in return.


and you don't have to worry about pump failures.


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## KashunatoR (Jun 16, 2014)

I don't understand why Noctua Nh-D14 has not been tested in this review. Many users like myself would want if it is worth it to replace the old flagship cooler with th new flagship cooler, so this review isn't really helpful as it leaves me in the dark.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jun 16, 2014)

KashunatoR said:


> I don't understand why Noctua Nh-D14 has not been tested in this review. Many users like myself would want if it is worth it to replace the old flagship cooler with th new flagship cooler, so this review isn't really helpful as it leaves me in the dark.



Would you like to provide one? I can only test with what I have on hand. Considering I replaced the reviewer who originally reviewed the NH-D14 I dont have one. Nor am I gonna go buy one just to add to the review charts.

But a simple google search would tell you the Phanteks PH-TC14PE = or BEATS the NH-D14 and the NH-D15 beats the Phanteks PH-TC14PE thus you have your answer granted in a round about way.


As for the price being a con it applies to the MSRP,  R1 Universal is cheaper has better memory compatibility equal build quality similar performance etc.

The fact is its a $99 air cooler that is great regardless the price is steep compared to some of the competition and what they offer for the price. Granted this was at the time of review, Newegg has the NH-D15 listed for less which is great for now. Making it a better buy now compared to when I wrote the review.


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## techy1 (Jun 16, 2014)

damn this one is so huge... that board must be mITX....  I think one can use this cooler as reference in "Yo mama" jokes


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## MakeDeluxe (Jun 16, 2014)

I've been thinking: could you run this beast with 3 fans? Would it even benefit anything?


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## TheDeeGee (Jun 16, 2014)

MakeDeluxe said:


> I've been thinking: could you run this beast with 3 fans? Would it even benefit anything?



You can, but i believe it doesn't make a difference up from 2 Fans.


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## avatar_raq (Jun 16, 2014)

I second what MakeDeluxe said; I would love to see the benchmarks run with 3 fans on this beast. Great review btw.


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## douglatins (Jun 16, 2014)

So the Phanteks is better? This image is weird.


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## Fuzzy112 (Jun 16, 2014)

It does not block the first PCI-e slot on my Gigabyte G1 Sniper M5, using my GPU on it


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jun 17, 2014)

douglatins said:


> So the Phanteks is better? This image is weird.


Graph Error thanks for the heads up


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## alwayssts (Jun 17, 2014)

MakeDeluxe said:


> I've been thinking: could you run this beast with 3 fans? Would it even benefit anything?



While I can't tell you it is 100% the case in this instance, generally (meaning every other one I've seen reviewed) their designs don't benefit much from the second fan on the single finstack units...there is a saturation point of the sink that is more-or-less crossed with one strong fan or two very quiet/slow fans.  I can't imagine it is much different in this case, but I suppose it is possible.

The beast is impressive I suppose, but for the size/cooling ratio, and ability to at least see/get to at least some of the motherboard, I imagine us C14/D14 users aren't exactly envious.  The moral here is once you have one, you're pretty much set...Noctua will (unless something has changed) even send you a mounting bracket every time there is a new socket. 

Overkill for an air cooler, yes.  Expensive, yes.  Quiet, yes.  Worth it?  Debatable.  Premium?  Definitely.

Thanks for the review.


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## TheDeeGee (Jun 17, 2014)

Fuzzy112 said:


> It does not block the first PCI-e slot on my Gigabyte G1 Sniper M5, using my GPU on it



Ye it depends on the Motherboard layout.

I just love that compatibility list on Noctuas Site.


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## Fuzzy112 (Jun 17, 2014)

Svarog said:


> Ye it depends on the Motherboard layout.
> 
> I just love that compatibility list on Noctuas Site.


Haha that list claims it blocks the first slot.


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## animal007uk (Jun 17, 2014)

Thanks for the review, Nice to see how it compares to other coolers and i can get an idea of how well it does vs the NH-D14 i have


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## Kursah (Jun 17, 2014)

Nice review. I am impressed that it's little half-ways brother the U12S is only a few degrees warmer under OC loads. Makes me wonder how close my U14S comes which did compete with the larger D14.

Keep up the nice work!


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## crazyeyesreaper (Jun 17, 2014)

Thanks yea the coolers only tend to really separate themselves when under higher loads aka Sandy-bridge-E / Ivy Bridge-E were better test platforms.

When it comes to these low wattage chips the big heavy weight coolers just make sure to keep things cool AND quiet. Thats the only major factor. Using Ivy-E for a personal system tho i would take the D15 or U14S over the U12S any day.


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## msamelis (Jun 18, 2014)

I purchased the NH-D15 about a month ago. I managed to mount it even with the Corsair Vengeance RAM but I had to install the fans on pull/pull. The fans came extremely close to my motherboard's heatsinks and it barely fit my Silverstone FT02 case as well, but it did fit. It performs well on this volcano-for-a-CPU my 3770k has turned out so far.

I had another problem; one of two male screws which are attached on the brackets which attach on the motherboard, was not threaded correctly and the female screw attached on the heatsink itself would not just firmly attach. I guess I was unlucky but I actually managed to install the cooler after all but it just doesn't feel alright - although the temps and whatnot are fine. Noctua will send me a new mounting system according to what they told me via e-mail - thank God.

P.S. Excuse my English, it's not my native language


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## SmokingCrop (Jun 19, 2014)

I wonder what the performance would be like if you changed the fans to the new industrial noctua ones.


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## msamelis (Jun 19, 2014)

SmokingCrop said:


> I wonder what the performance would be like if you changed the fans to the new industrial noctua ones.


The industrial NF-F12 spins at ~2000 RPM while the "normal" NF-F12 spins at 1500 RPM max, which means the performance would be enhanced but so would the noise too. According to Noctua, they have a ~8db difference, which is significant really.


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## R0H1T (Jun 20, 2014)

msamelis said:


> The industrial NF-F12 spins at ~2000 RPM while the "normal" NF-F12 spins at 1500 RPM max, which means the performance would be enhanced but so would the noise too. According to Noctua, they have a ~8db difference, which is significant really.


Well the industrial f12 also runs @ 3000RPM & is fairly loud with 43.5 dB of noise ~ Specifications

The A15 bundled with the D15 however isn't available as an industrial part ~ industrialPPC


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## redeye (Jun 21, 2014)

"spring loading screws to hold the HSF to the motherboard" 
So, That is how they solved the problem i had with my noctua L12... great heatsink, love the accessories, and it has a "swiss engineering" feel to it.
BUT,  because the HSF bolts were not spring loaded, the HSF felt loose, I had to add 1 mm washers to the top of bolts.
while it was a pain to remove the split ring than holds the bolt to the HSF,  it is a great idea  because i was able to keep the washer in-place (above the HSF hold down bar) and so that you can not lose the bolts.


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## adulaamin (Aug 30, 2014)

Do you guys think this would fit in an ASUS Maximus VII Gene with the first PCIe slot populated by a 780ti? It's the highest end air cooler I can avail of here. I'm currently using an NH-U12S and it just won't cut it temp-wise when overclocking. I'm also trying to avoid using an AIO.


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## RealNeil (Aug 30, 2014)

alwayssts said:


> The moral here is once you have one, you're pretty much set...Noctua will (unless something has changed) even send you a mounting bracket every time there is a new socket.
> 
> Overkill for an air cooler, yes.  Expensive, yes.  Quiet, yes.  Worth it?  Debatable.  Premium?  Definitely.



Agreed, they still do send new mounts when they come out. And I think that it's worth it, unless you already have something that works good.

The review was a good read.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 30, 2014)

whats the distance from the bottom of the holes for the CPU cooler and the PCIe slot?


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## adulaamin (Aug 30, 2014)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> whats the distance from the bottom of the holes for the CPU cooler and the PCIe slot?



Approximately 35mm...


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## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 30, 2014)

from what i can gather no it wont fit I am seeing a distance of around 33 mm on my test system and it over hangs the slot completely as such even at 35 mm it will still block the GPU from full seating into the motherboard.   There might be a possibility for it to be turned however so it can fit but that will block memory slots etc. So overall it seems to be your gonna encounter issues anyway.


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## adulaamin (Aug 30, 2014)

I guess I'm gonna have to buy one of those AIOs then. Thanks for the very helpful info.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Aug 30, 2014)

depending on your case and your location I would HIGHLY recommend the H220-X from Swiftech  sound profile is very similar to the Noctua NH-D15 while being a much better performing option also extremely easy to install on LGA115x sockets. Granted its pricey but if your looking at a $90-100 Noctua cooler price cant be THAT big of a concern.


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## alwayssts (Sep 2, 2014)

adulaamin said:


> Do you guys think this would fit in an ASUS Maximus VII Gene with the first PCIe slot populated by a 780ti? It's the highest end air cooler I can avail of here. I'm currently using an NH-U12S and it just won't cut it temp-wise when overclocking. I'm also trying to avoid using an AIO.



I can understand this plight, and tried to allude to how much of a PITA this cooler would be to use in a lot of situations in my June post...it's just freaking huge to the point of not being practical for many, and for minimal gain.  Noctua says it will work on that board if you turn it 90 degrees though, although that could have it's own set of issues.

While I understand the temptation to go huge (with a 15 model) or an AIO (which can be more expensive and/or have it's own set of noise/practicality/space issues), let me assure you I have built a few systems with the C14 and D14, and while it may seem crappy they are only slightly cheaper, they are not at all bad options for builds using smaller boards (or in my case, case) and/or if you'd actually like to be able to use the rest of the motherboard.  They allow overclocking just fine, are still quiet, and still an upgrade over an S.  The Phantek in this comparison may not be a bad option either (Phantek is a slightly cheaper knock-off of Noctua for all intents and purposes), and should also be compatible...as far as I can tell.

Be (potentially) mindful of the clips if you go that route, but I imagine it shouldn't be an issue to make it work in one orientation or another (especially if you choose a card carefully).  If that doesn't work for you though, and are alright with their own set of interesting realities, AIOs are indeed a decent option.


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