A Closer Look

The cooler is a twin tower design which utilizes two fans. It is very large, almost two times the size of more typical coolers. Noctua has used a six heat pipe design which looks promising. The fans come pre-mounted along with the upper half of the cooler's mounting hardware. The NH-D14's unique fin design aims for optimum cooling performance while eliminating noise caused by air turbulence.


From the side you can see the six heat pipes are centered in each of the two towers cooling fins. The larger 140 mm fan in the middle of the cooler is slightly larger than the cooler itself on purpose. This keeps adequate airflow around the CPU socket to cool other components such as memory, voltage regulators, and the motherboard's north bridge. The fans can be rearranged for optimal compatibility for any system. Noctua also suggests that you use the 120 mm fan as a rear exhaust fan for your case to aid in cooling even more. If you look closely you can see that the base of the cooler is offset on the heat pipes. This is to allow for maximum compatibility for any setup you may be running.


The base of the NH-D14 is not as reflective as many coolers but Noctua has done an excellent job at making sure the base is near perfectly flat. There is no curve to the cooler's base and no imperfections could be noted. While not a Heat-Pipe Direct Touch (HDT) design, the heat pipes of the NH-D14 are very close to the base of the cooler. This should make for optimal heat transfer.


The included fans have nicely sleeved wires however they are very long, 15 inches (38.1 cm) to be exact. In most systems that amount of length is not needed and most likely you will want to hide the excess wiring underneath the cooler or motherboard. The fans are held onto the cooler by two fan clips which rest in a slot in the side of the coolers fins. Once mounted the fans are very secure.


In the event you need to clean the cooler, the fans can be removed very quickly and easily. The fan in the middle of the cooler slides right out once the clips have been undone. There are rubber vibration isolator inserts in each tower that keep the fan vibration to a minimum. If you choose to rearrange the fan configuration these isolators can be relocated.


The two fans included are both from Noctua's line of silent fans. Their special design allows for optimal performance while remaining near silent. The 120 mm fan included with the cooler is the Noctua NF-P12 which provides 92 CFM at 1300 RPM. The 140 mm fan included provides 110 CFM at 1200 RPM. One unique thing about Noctua's fan designs are the Vortex Control Notches which help to reduce the noise the fan generates a healthy amount. The fan also utilizes a Self Stabilizing Oil pressure bearing (SSO) which ensures longevity and also attributes to the fans quietness. Even though the fans are of different size they both make use of a standard 120 mm mount spacing.