A Closer Look

Much like the NH-D14 it is based on, Noctua's NH-D15 uses a dual-tower design. However, there have been several serious improvements. First are the fins which have been cut off to offer greater memory compatibility when the heatsink is used in single-fan mode.


The fin design looks familiar because these towers are very similar to that on the NH-U14S, which says a lot about the NH-U14S's design as Noctua used two of those towers with only a few changes to create a massive dual-tower cooler of great promise.


The six Ø6 mm heatpipes have been spaced apart a bit to transfer heat from the base to the dual fin stacks more evenly. The quality of the cooler's base in terms of its connection to the heatpipes is just fantastic; I couldn't find a single gap or issue to speak of.


The heatsink's base is out of nickle-plated copper, and while somewhat reflective, does not have a mirror finish. Although it won't impact performance, It is very easy to see the base's milling marks.


The fans Noctua provided with the NH-D15 have the model number NF-A15 and use an SSO bearing. Their RPM range is 300-1500, with a maximum of 1200 RPM with Noctua's low-noise adaptors. Ridges are used to help streamline airflow, and let us not forget Noctua's very special dark brown and beige color theme Noctua uses to signal that this is in fact one of their products.