Known primarily for large and quiet CPU coolers, Noctua is not shy to attach a pair of 140mm fans to a chunk of metal. The NH-D15, announced today, can cool just about any current, mainstream or enthusiast CPU from AMD or Intel. It attaches to the CPU with a copper plate, which is connected to several copper heatpipes, which leads into two towers of aluminum fins. It is plated with nickel to prevent corrosion (I am not sure about the bottom).
As is common for these types of heat sinks, they are daunting to look at. Of course, that is not a bad thing, unless you have a very small case, but it might make you look at your stock fan differently. Noctua is claiming that their two fans spin at a maximum of 1500 RPM and a minimum of 300 RPM. This leads to a listed maximum noise value of 24.6 dBA, around the background noise of a quiet rural area at night.
The NH-D15 will be available mid-April for just shy of $100 USD.
It’s really too huge. I
It’s really too huge. I bought D14 last year, and it ends up blocking first PCI-E slot of Z87 G1 Sniper 5. So I have to return it and bought an H100i instead.
You probably should go water cooling, or at least closed-loop water cooler as I did if you are looking for this kind of cooling performance. The size and trouble with RAM/PCI-E slot is totally not worth it.
I had a D14 before I upgraded
I had a D14 before I upgraded to custom watercooling, and I loved it.
Closed loop systems are not worth the risk of corrosion, leaks (you can’t be sure of the diligence of the overworked Chinese guy that built it), and failed components (pumps especially – closed loops use the absolute worst, cheapest components imaginable). They also can’t be used for very quiet systems, as the bargain-basement pump needs to spin fairly quickly just to get the water through the system.
Doing a bit of research into clearance and making sure things fit seems like a small price to pay for having a very quiet but effective cooler that will last almost indefinitely, all while costing considerably less than a closed loop system.
I’m glad to see Noctua pushing the limits of air cooling.
could not agree more, i have
could not agree more, i have had a d14 for years now oc’ing my 2600k to 5ghz. hasnt missed a beat and even on hot days here in australia it does an amazing job. i had some initial problems with my ram selection on that rig not really knowing they had a compatibility chart on their site.
it has served me very well for many years. glad to see they are iterating on a winning design and product. totes worth the cash.
I indeed did research, and
I indeed did research, and that’s why my RAM fits. However, when you are buying a MB on almost launch day, and there are not many choices for Z87 3-way SLI, you end up being the one who figure it out yourself. Their return policy is pretty good though.
I did cooling comparison before I returned it. It’s really not as good as H100i. H100i can be really quiet if you get the profile right. Air cooling also depends on ambient temp, which is not your friend when your graphics cards burn hundreds of watts.
I completely agree custom water cooling is the way to go. I should have done that instead, but got lazy…
I love my D-14. Have no
I love my D-14. Have no clearance issues on an Asus Crosshair, Oc’d to 4.6, Nice and quiet.