Conclusion
Performance
At stock settings, the Noctua NH-D14's performance was formidable in light of its minimal operating noise. However, the cooler is quickly overwhelmed when the CPU speed and performance increases, as shown during the Ivy Bridge-based overclocking tests. If more powerful fans were combined with the cooler, these issues could be overcome at the cost of increased operating noise.
Pricing
As of October 16, the Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler was available at Newegg.com for $77.99 with free shipping. The cooler was also available from other retailers such as Amazon.com for $77.99 with Prime shipping and Performance-PCs.com for $84.95.
Courtesy of Noctua
Conclusion
Before continuing with our parting sentiments on the NH-D14 cooler, we would like to take this opportunity to give our friends at Noctua a hearty “Thank You” for giving us the opportunity to review their flagship air cooler. On initial unboxing of the cooler, one thing became evident immediately – this is a massive cooler. The cooler is about 7 inches tall and weighs almost 2 pounds, so definitely not something you want to be throwing around. Noctua did an excellent job with the design and construction of the cooler, producing a visually appealing product that performs well without blowing out your ear drums. One of the best features of the cooler Noctua's mounting system – SecuFirm2™. Out of all of the air and water-based coolers I've tested, Noctua's SecureFirm2™ is one of the easiest to use. The mounting system is easy to install to the board with its bottom up-driven design and the mount points for the cooler itself are solidly anchors once the mounting cage is in place. Noctua even provide a Phillips head screwdriver that is long enough to get to the hold down screws without the need to cram your fingers (or entire hand) in between the radiators to fix them in place. Noctua also should be commended on their fan to radiator mounting system. It holds the fan securely in place while engaged and is easy to disengage and adjust as needed.
The NH-D14 cooler's performance is one of its strongest assets and it's Achilles heel. At stock CPU settings (as tested on both an Ivy Bridge and Haswell-based platform), the cooler is unrivaled when you look at its performance and operational audio profile. The cooler performs as well or better than current all-in-one liquid cooling solutions without the associated fan noise inherent in most higher-end air cooling designs. However, the NH-D14's performance profile begins to break down as the processor is pushed to higher performance levels via overclocking. The fan's equipped with the cooler simply cannot push enough air through the radiators to keep the CPU cool enough to remain stable.
Strengths
- Performance under stock conditions
- Operating audio profile
- Build and machining quality of the cooler
- Well written manual
- Easy to use mounting system for cooler and radiator fans
Weaknesses
- Performance under overclocked conditions
- Lack of support for LGA2011 CPU in the box
Agree with pdjblum.
And
Agree with pdjblum.
And remember this cooler came out in 2009 if I’m correct, which makes it even better for a 4-5yr old air cooler still able to amaze people!
*proud owner of a NH-D14*
bad ass hsf
bad ass hsf
“However, the NH-D14’s
“However, the NH-D14’s performance profile begins to break down as the processor is pushed to higher performance levels via overclocking. The fan’s equipped with the cooler simply cannot push enough air through the radiators to keep the CPU cool enough to remain stable.”
Morry, I think that last sentence needs a modifier. The fans will certainly be sufficient to allow the cpu to be overclocked and stable, just maybe not as much as some others in the comparison, though I doubt even that.
More importantly, countless enthusiasts the world over have been using the NH-D14 to successfully oc their rigs for years. In fact, I would argue the NH-D14 has been the air cooler of choice for the vast majority of enthusiasts since it came out years ago.
I currently have an i7 930
I currently have an i7 930 running @ 4ghz (1.2ghz oc) with hyper threading on. I push about 1.38 volts through this thing and the cooler keeps my cpu pretty cool. Even under heavy prime 95 benching it holds around 70 degrees, keep in mind, on everything stock on this cpu with stock cooler prime would push it to 83 degrees. All to say this thing is a champ and very quiet. I have not tested on haswell yet but imagine it can handle most things fine.
In the conclusion I think you
In the conclusion I think you mean 6″ tall though I would love to see what a 12″ tall cooler could do 🙂
I’m concerned that you consider a 2:3 crash rate a stable overclock. In general I think that running your cooler tests so close to the TDP may produce unreliable results. Thermal throttling is not something you want to encounter in a cooler comparison test. If throttling occurs a cooler that trips it more could end up with favourable numbers it doesn’t deserve.
Can you please specify whether you used either of the low noise adapters in testing? I assume not but I’d rather not have to assume.
I didn’t consider the cooler
I didn't consider the cooler to be stable under overclock, as i stated in the results and the conclusion. The overclocking level is a known stable overclock for that CPU, memory, board combination if temps can be kept under control. The Noctua just couldn't for 2 out of 3 runs.
As far as adapters used in testing, the fans were running full speed.
Looks like a torture device.
Looks like a torture device.
Noctua have promised at
Noctua have promised at Computex 2013 an upgraded version of this gem (fan) for Q4 2013.
The updates version sports dual 140mm fans with PWM and more optimized heatpipes.
The enemy of the good is the better one 😀
I am still waitung for this device.
noctua is a pretty good
noctua is a pretty good company, i tend to use thier low profile coolers in some cases.
but i think i would opt for a self contained water cooled option instead of pulling this hunk of metal out- the nh -d14 is way too much …
I completely agree with
I completely agree with pdjblum. The NH-D14 is considered to be one of the best coolers out there.
Here’s two reviews I found on the NH-D14 handling 3770K @ 4.6Ghz.
http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-l9i-nh-d14/6
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/corsair_h110_review,13.html
“However, air flow through
“However, air flow through the radiators can be felt only barely on the exit end of the cooler.”,
Im sorry but if you dont feel any airflow with this cooler either you set it up wrong or this specific unit has something wrong with it.
I have nh-d14 on a 3930k, i
I have nh-d14 on a 3930k, i run all day, at 4.6ghz 1.40v, rock solid stable, and the 3930k is a hot beast.Somethings wrong with your methodology or setup, i have had this 3930k as high as 4.8 with some r4s strapped on to it, but, that creates to much noise.
I have nh-d14 on a 3930k, i
I have nh-d14 on a 3930k, i run all day, at 4.6ghz 1.40v, rock solid stable, and the 3930k is a hot beast.Somethings wrong with your methodology or setup, i have had this 3930k as high as 4.8 with some r4s strapped on to it, but, that creates to much noise.
ATX Cases !! Memory !!
ATX Cases !! Memory !! Ram!!
X58 sabertooth motherboard with Triple-Channel DDR3
Is there a nice list somewhere that fits/works with this awesome cooler