Noctua Announces $150 Flagship NH-D15 G2 CPU Coolers and NF-A14x25r G2 140mm Fans

[wolar]

I tried their U12A, which according to many was almost the same as liquid cooler, a bunch of lies.
Even with thermalright socket + U12A the temperatures are nowhere near a LF3 360.
Air coolers are a thing of the past, only useful for industrial/server.

Keep in mind, LF3 360 is CHEAPER than U12A, 95 vs 130 EUR...

 

[QuietBob]

I think Noctua have become too complacent with their prices and the performance on offer. The original NH-D15 has long been surpassed by competing brands on both terms. While Noctua never offered good bang for the buck, asking EUR 150 (or close to 200 with tax) for Gen2 is ridiculous.

For reference, I got my Deepcool Assassin III for EUR 55, and it beats the Gen1 Noctua by a few degrees in most reviews. Also the new models from Thermalright have better price/perf.

Still, I'd like to see whether the three new coldplate types live up to the manufacturer's claims when paired with a matching CPU.

 

[R0H1T]

No, I did not pick the most expensive AIO, read what I wrote again.

Yeah I read what you wrote & you're still exaggerating, admittedly I'm too with the most expensive part.

So the latest model is 50-60% more expensive & still good value huh? Not even counting the $40 bargain basement cooler which would obliterate it.

 

[wolar]

I think Noctua have become too complacent with their prices and the performance on offer. The original NH-D15 has long been surpassed by competing brands on both terms. While Noctua never offered good bang for the buck, asking EUR 150 (or close to 200 with tax) for Gen2 is ridiculous.

For reference, I got my Deepcool Assassin III for EUR 55, and it beats the Gen1 Noctua by a few degrees in most reviews. Also the new models from Thermalright have better price/perf.

Still, I'd like to see whether the three new coldplate types live up to the manufacturer's claims when paired with a matching CPU.

Thermalright has long surpassed it with Le Grand Macho RT. Same performance while noticeable quieter and also cheaper, back in 2016!

 

[kapone32]

$180 and $85 for the past two TPU Editors Choice AIOs with six years warranty, 35 - 56 dBA.

Comparing prices of a bargain basement $40 AIO with a top tier air cooler is a bit misleading.

Then compare the Peerless Assassin. Which is basically the exact same thing as this. What I will give Noctua is that they make the quietest fans but you will not get most people to see that vs the Peerless Assassin is also $40. Maybe read the TPU review.

Yeah I read what you wrote & you're still exaggerating, admittedly I'm too with the most expensive part.

So the latest model is 50-60% more expensive & still good value huh? Not even counting the $40 bargain basement cooler which would obliterate it.

The Elephant in the room is the cooler at the top of this chart.

 

[dgianstefani]

Yeah I read what you wrote & you're still exaggerating, admittedly I'm too with the most expensive part.

So the latest model is 50-60% more expensive & still good value huh? Not even counting the $40 bargain basement cooler which would obliterate it.

Directly quoting prices of the two most recently reviewed AIOs with comparable warranties is "exaggerating"?

Explain please.

So the latest model is 50-60% more expensive & still good value huh? Not even counting the $40 bargain basement cooler which would obliterate it.

Don't misquote me.

 

[Hecate91]

Then compare the Peerless Assassin. Which is basically the exact same thing as this. What I will give Noctua is that they make the quietest fans but you will not get most people to see that vs the Peerless Assassin is also $40. Maybe read the TPU review.


The Elephant in the room is the cooler at the top of this chart.

I prefer Noctua for their support and ease of installation, Thermalright can't match them on support or providing updated mounting hardware for free.
Although IMO the new D15 should be closer to $120, $150 is too much for an air cooler even if you don't want to use an AIO.

 

[GerKNG]

Because these two recently reviewed AIOs are extremely expensive and come with RGB Crap and even a Display.

This AIO (reviewed yesterday on GN) costs 55€ shipped.
and the NH-D15 G2 is at best within margin of error with the current gen Thermalright coolers for less than 1/3 of the price.

 

[kapone32]

I prefer Noctua for their support and ease of installation, Thermalright can't match them on support or providing updated mounting hardware for free.
Although IMO the new D15 should be closer to $120, $150 is too much for an air cooler even if you don't want to use an AIO.

I hear you on those things (Frio OCK). I guess I was on AM4 for so long that Mounting hardware was not a thought. As far as ease of installation I am willing to bet that there is not much between this and the Peerless Assassin in terms of installation. I still have my Noctua TR cooler attached to my 2920X. I agree on the price though as they can no longer sit on their fan performance measures and think a premium is justified because of name alone.

 

[Carillon]

IMHO the problem here is that noctua kept its engineers working on this for too long. I get it that they aim for perfection, but in the end these products are meant to cool half assed CPUs that get bugs and vulnerabilities discovered every once in a while. Pearls for pigs.

 

[Rais]

I prefer Noctua for their support and ease of installation, Thermalright can't match them on support or providing updated mounting hardware for free.
Although IMO the new D15 should be closer to $120, $150 is too much for an air cooler even if you don't want to use an AIO.

This is lame. I don't like defend corps but with the price difference you're going to buy 3 phantoms every time a socket changes to be on par with noctua costs.
Ofc for 150 they give you free mounts lmao

 

[#22]

Thermalright crowd, please go somewhere else with your look at CPU coolers being nothing more than noise-normalized results and the price The instant classic arrived!

D15 G2 is a product for ones seeking legendary Noctua's quality to last and not bother. Point that you can buy few cheap coolers/fans for the same price is not serious - it's a hassle and problem, likely costly to solve for non tech-savvy users. Coming back, also product probably refined to larger degree than any competition do. What more detailed tests show with Noctua's past offerings or G2 suggests with versions or fan speed offset. Also product which may seem costly, but is likely to become cheaper than yours when you need to replace it due to not having option to use it with next socket. Not even counting higher resale value thanks to that and all above combined.

People just like to believe, convincing themselves, that there're cheap products offering the same as the best, but it's always kinda in dirty cheap way.

 

[dirtyferret]

Air coolers are a thing of the past, only useful for industrial/server.

The U12A is designed for cases that can't fit an air cooler over 160mm, not to compete with AIO 360 but interesting your one experience (based on false understanding of the product on your part) covers the industry.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Love the shape options. HBC and stock ILM claims look pretty good.

For the people talm bout cheaper AIOs and warranties. Air cooling is forever. AIOs need to be retired eventually.

 

[R0H1T]

Air coolers also "die" just that they can be "resurrected" with new fans.

Don't misquote me.

What part is misquoted?

Comparing prices of a bargain basement $40 AIO with a top tier air cooler is a bit misleading.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Air coolers also "die" just that they can be "resurrected" with new fans.

They have passive air coolers without fans. So yes they are forever. They still work when the fan dies. I can't say I've ever seen an AIO tested without fans but that would be interesting, maybe it could show who has the flat out best pump+rad+block design.

 

[R0H1T]

Please the article is not talking about a "passive" cooler, if you're willing to pay $150 for a passive cooler be my guest

 

[Upgrayedd]

Please the article is not talking about a "passive" cooler, if you're willing to $150 for a passive cooler be my guest

Well you said it dies. It doesn't. It becomes a passive cooler.

 

[R0H1T]

And you're saying that's fine for a 14900k or 13900k or 7950x or 7900x ? We can go round & round all night long! The point about Air coolers being safe, & nearly ever lasting is fine, but that's still nearly.

 

[dgianstefani]

What part is misquoted?

I helpfully highlighted it in bold for your convenience if you want to scroll up.

I never said the D15 G2 was "good value", even if it arguably is, depending on your requirements and how long you keep your hardware.

You're exclusively looking at the "value" argument in a very two dimensional way, then responding to people talking about other angles with more "but value". This is not conducive to good discussion.

 

[R0H1T]

Nice, good performance alternative to AIOs at a similar price, but with reliability of air and quality of Noctua.

You mean this, which is factually incorrect as things stand today? With zero reviews.

 

[Blueberries]

Wheres the Gen II A12x25? The 140mm fan is exciting to see, but shouldn't these improvements carry into their 120mm fans as well? Those are still very common for heating and radiator cooling.

 

[R0H1T]

You're exclusively looking at the "value" argument in a very two dimensional way, then responding to people talking about other angles with more "but value". This is not conducive to good discussion.

I'm exclusively talking about the price $150 which IMO is bad, at $100 it makes much more sense with its "longevity" & to a lesser extent brand value.

 

[fevgatos]

Damn, I need this but I have to find a use case for my u12a first.

I tried their U12A, which according to many was almost the same as liquid cooler, a bunch of lies.
Even with thermalright socket + U12A the temperatures are nowhere near a LF3 360.
Air coolers are a thing of the past, only useful for industrial/server.

Keep in mind, LF3 360 is CHEAPER than U12A, 95 vs 130 EUR...

Haven't tested an aio, but u12a handles 330 watts on a 13900k at 95c, no thermal throttling. Maybe an aio can do better, but does it really matter at that point?

 

[dgianstefani]

You mean this, which is factually incorrect as things stand today? With zero reviews.

Buddy, ease up.

If you want to play the pedantic game, it's quite easy for everyone else too.

Do you really want to pretend the improved version of a 10 year old very well performing air cooler (D15) that can keep a full synthetic load 14900K at under 90 C, despite never even having been designed for the density and platform of modern CPUs, would somehow not perform well?

Bargain basement? What are you even talking about? It has 5 years warranty, just on sale at the time!

XPG Levante 240 AIO Review

XPG looks to break into the all-in-one liquid cooler market with the Levante 240. Sporting ARGB lighting, good performance, and a solid 5-year warranty, it might just be enough to establish XPG in this crowded field.

www.techpowerup.com

And of course you outright ignored the Thermalright AIO, featured on GN last week.

For example, you're talking about a $40 AIO on sale, without initially mentioning that small important detail in your first post. Because you're intentionally trying to maximally contrast prices for shock value. Nevermind the fact that any cooler can go on sale.

What? I got an XPG AIO 240mm for just over $40 couple of years back!