Noctua NH-D15 Review: Retaking The Cooling Performance Crown

Avatar image for henri1960
henri1960

2755

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#1 henri1960
Member since 2005 • 2755 Posts

This review has the majority of the premium air coolers tested against the NH-D15. It shows the NH-D15 beating the TC14PE, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme and NH-D14 by 2 Celsius and beating the H100i with 3 Celsius difference. Do you guys think it is worth it to upgrade from the NH-D14?

http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-d15/1

Avatar image for AdamPA1006
AdamPA1006

6422

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#2 AdamPA1006
Member since 2004 • 6422 Posts

Looks pretty damn awesome. But for 100 bux, might as well go water cooling for a cleaner look and more room in the case and around your RAM. I'm rocking the h110 now and like it.

Avatar image for gerygo
GeryGo

12803

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#3 GeryGo  Moderator
Member since 2006 • 12803 Posts
Loading Video...

Avatar image for henri1960
henri1960

2755

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#4  Edited By henri1960
Member since 2005 • 2755 Posts

@AdamPA1006 said:

Looks pretty damn awesome. But for 100 bux, might as well go water cooling for a cleaner look and more room in the case and around your RAM. I'm rocking the h110 now and like it.

Yeah, I'd rather spend that money on an H100i than on this thing which will take up half the case.

Avatar image for napo_sp
napo_sp

649

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#5 napo_sp
Member since 2006 • 649 Posts

nope, not retaking the cooling performance crown but retaking your RAM's right to get an uninterrupted passage in and out of your motherboard.

Avatar image for kraken2109
kraken2109

13271

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#6 kraken2109
Member since 2009 • 13271 Posts

Why are noctua so ugly? :(

Avatar image for gerygo
GeryGo

12803

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#7  Edited By GeryGo  Moderator
Member since 2006 • 12803 Posts

@kraken2109 said:

Why are noctua so ugly? :(

Austria, German quality, industry looking, so you'd know they don't need to cover it with some shinny paint because it's a quality brand.

Avatar image for kraken2109
kraken2109

13271

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#8  Edited By kraken2109
Member since 2009 • 13271 Posts

@PredatorRules said:

@kraken2109 said:

Why are noctua so ugly? :(

Austria, German quality, industry looking, so you'd know they don't need to cover it with some shinny paint because it's a quality brand.

But they do cover it with a paint. And that paint is brown.

Avatar image for gerygo
GeryGo

12803

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 0

#9  Edited By GeryGo  Moderator
Member since 2006 • 12803 Posts

@kraken2109 said:

@PredatorRules said:

@kraken2109 said:

Why are noctua so ugly? :(

Austria, German quality, industry looking, so you'd know they don't need to cover it with some shinny paint because it's a quality brand.

But they do cover it with a paint. And that paint is brown.

Industry looking, that's all what it symbols IMO.

Avatar image for henri1960
henri1960

2755

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#10  Edited By henri1960
Member since 2005 • 2755 Posts

@kraken2109 said:

Why are noctua so ugly? :(

I felt the same way before but their color scheme kinda grew on me overtime and I like it now.

Avatar image for topgunmv
topgunmv

10880

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#11 topgunmv
Member since 2003 • 10880 Posts

@PredatorRules: Looks more like old oxidized plastic on an apple ii or an snes than anything.

Avatar image for henri1960
henri1960

2755

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#12  Edited By henri1960
Member since 2005 • 2755 Posts

@napo_sp said:

nope, not retaking the cooling performance crown but retaking your RAM's right to get an uninterrupted passage in and out of your motherboard.

Pretty much all high end air coolers will block RAM that have tall heatspreaders. Personally, I never understood why people buy RAM with tall heatsinks since they do nothing but cause problems.

Avatar image for battlespectre
BattleSpectre

7989

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#13 BattleSpectre
Member since 2009 • 7989 Posts

Damn that thing is too big, how would you even fit that thing on the motherboard? Or does the camera angle just make it look massive.

Avatar image for mastershake575
mastershake575

8574

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#14 mastershake575
Member since 2007 • 8574 Posts

Good performance but not a great value (H100i for same price or 212 evo with aftermarket paste for less than half the price while offering 70-80% of the overclocking potential)

Avatar image for JigglyWiggly_
JigglyWiggly_

24625

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

#15 JigglyWiggly_
Member since 2009 • 24625 Posts

@mastershake575 said:

Good performance but not a great value (H100i for same price or 212 evo with aftermarket paste for less than half the price while offering 70-80% of the overclocking potential)

The hyper212+ offers nowhere near the performance of the nh d15

I swapped from a hyper 212+ to my old thermalright ultra 120extreme and there is a 20c degree difference on load

Avatar image for Old_Gooseberry
Old_Gooseberry

3958

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 76

User Lists: 0

#16  Edited By Old_Gooseberry
Member since 2002 • 3958 Posts

I always wonder if that huge heavy heatsink could damage the motherboard? I use a H110, but i always thought if it died I may switch to something like this to avoid the possibility of the pump failing (which so far never has happened in 7+ years of using 4 different water coolers.. but it could and will eventually)

Might not work with my ram either cause i think the type i have uses heatspreaders that sit higher then ram without.

Also napo_sp made a really important point about the ram... you probably can't get it out once you have this heatsink in, so if you have some bad ram, you have to take the heatsink off each time, that seems horribly bad to me and puts extra stress on motherboard and cpu each time you have to rip that thing off. I actually think corsairs water cooling is still better then this, just puts you in a corner once you have this installed.

I'd have to check for sure if it would interfere, but I think my rams pretty close to my cpu... but I think it would block maybe the first two RAM slots on my motherboard.

Avatar image for napo_sp
napo_sp

649

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#17  Edited By napo_sp
Member since 2006 • 649 Posts

@Old_Gooseberry said:

I always wonder if that huge heavy heatsink could damage the motherboard? I use a H110, but i always thought if it died I may switch to something like this to avoid the possibility of the pump failing (which so far never has happened in 7+ years of using 4 different water coolers.. but it could and will eventually)

Might not work with my ram either cause i think the type i have uses heatspreaders that sit higher then ram without.

Also napo_sp made a really important point about the ram... you probably can't get it out once you have this heatsink in, so if you have some bad ram, you have to take the heatsink off each time, that seems horribly bad to me and puts extra stress on motherboard and cpu each time you have to rip that thing off. I actually think corsairs water cooling is still better then this, just puts you in a corner once you have this installed.

I'd have to check for sure if it would interfere, but I think my rams pretty close to my cpu... but I think it would block maybe the first two RAM slots on my motherboard.

it's a guarantee that it will block at least 2 RAM slots or worse (3 or all slots), so yeah if you suddenly get a RAM related BSOD, it's a guaranteed PITA to fix your pc lol.

Avatar image for superclocked
superclocked

5864

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#18  Edited By superclocked
Member since 2009 • 5864 Posts

Bykski MTX Waterblock - $24.95

Hayden 402 Transmission Cooler - $27.36

Elemental H2O Inline 291 GPH Water Pump - $26.74

2x 120mm Rosewill 75cfm fans - $11.18 w/ promo code EXLEMCPEPB36

G751 Shin-Etsu Thermal Paste - $6.99

Starbrite Propylene Glycol Non-Toxic Anti-Freeze w/ Anti-Corrosive Additive (Red) - $4.45 or Ultra Concentrated (Blue) - $12.06

7" 3/8" I.D. x 1/2" O.D. Clear Flexible Tubing - $5.40

3-Way Tee for 3/8 in. I.D. Tubing (To create fill spout at the high point) - $1.62

10x 5/16"-7/8" Stainless Steel Hose Clamps - $4.75

100 Pack Black Zip Ties for Fans/Cooler - $1.99

__________________________________________

Total price for a decent, custom water loop - $115.43

Avatar image for henri1960
henri1960

2755

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#19  Edited By henri1960
Member since 2005 • 2755 Posts

^ There's always the chance of the water cooler leaking onto the other components or the pump failing. With an air cooler, you don't have that problem. The computer is still usable if the fans stop working with an air cooler but if the pump fails or it leaks then you are screwed.

Avatar image for superclocked
superclocked

5864

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#20  Edited By superclocked
Member since 2009 • 5864 Posts

@henri1960: Nah, a heatsink with a bad fan will heat up quicker than liquid that's not flowing through the pipes very well. Besides, in the last ten years, I've only had one pump fail. And it was only because the Danner Mag Drive 7 pump was so heavy, and it had been hanging with no support under it for a few years. I've had about 100 fans die over the years.. As for leaks, just keep the hose clamps tight and you're good to go. I've had custom loops cooling my systems for about 10 years. My overclocks are much higher, my parts run much cooler, and everything just looks so very, very pretty :)

Avatar image for deactivated-6127ced9bcba0
deactivated-6127ced9bcba0

31700

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#21 deactivated-6127ced9bcba0
Member since 2006 • 31700 Posts

That is WAY too big.

Avatar image for mastershake575
mastershake575

8574

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#22  Edited By mastershake575
Member since 2007 • 8574 Posts

@JigglyWiggly_ said:

The hyper212+ offers nowhere near the performance of the nh d15

I swapped from a hyper 212+ to my old thermalright ultra 120extreme and there is a 20c degree difference on load

Re-read what I wrote again. The 212 evo with aftermarket paste will offer 70-80 percent of the overclocking potential (you can get an i5 from mid 3ghz range to around 4.4ghz).

20-30% more overclocking potential out of the D15 would mean the i5 could hit like 4.6-4.7ghz...... (that sounds right to me)

Avatar image for JigglyWiggly_
JigglyWiggly_

24625

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 0

#23 JigglyWiggly_
Member since 2009 • 24625 Posts

@mastershake575 said:

@JigglyWiggly_ said:

The hyper212+ offers nowhere near the performance of the nh d15

I swapped from a hyper 212+ to my old thermalright ultra 120extreme and there is a 20c degree difference on load

Re-read what I wrote again. The 212 evo with aftermarket paste will offer 70-80 percent of the overclocking potential (you can get an i5 from mid 3ghz range to around 4.4ghz).

20-30% more overclocking potential out of the D15 would mean the i5 could hit like 4.6-4.7ghz...... (that sounds right to me)

Your example is more around 90-95%, regardless the nh d15 runs substantially cooler. They aren't in the same league.

Avatar image for henri1960
henri1960

2755

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#24  Edited By henri1960
Member since 2005 • 2755 Posts

@airshocker said:

That is WAY too big.

that's what she said. :D

Avatar image for deactivated-6127ced9bcba0
deactivated-6127ced9bcba0

31700

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 0

#25 deactivated-6127ced9bcba0
Member since 2006 • 31700 Posts

@henri1960 said:

@airshocker said:

That is WAY too big.

that's what she said. :D

You mean that's what you wish she had said to you.

Avatar image for battlespectre
BattleSpectre

7989

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#26 BattleSpectre
Member since 2009 • 7989 Posts

@airshocker said:

@henri1960 said:

@airshocker said:

That is WAY too big.

that's what she said. :D

You mean that's what you wish she had said to you.

OH SNAP!

Avatar image for henri1960
henri1960

2755

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#27 henri1960
Member since 2005 • 2755 Posts

@JigglyWiggly_ said:

@mastershake575 said:

@JigglyWiggly_ said:

The hyper212+ offers nowhere near the performance of the nh d15

I swapped from a hyper 212+ to my old thermalright ultra 120extreme and there is a 20c degree difference on load

Re-read what I wrote again. The 212 evo with aftermarket paste will offer 70-80 percent of the overclocking potential (you can get an i5 from mid 3ghz range to around 4.4ghz).

20-30% more overclocking potential out of the D15 would mean the i5 could hit like 4.6-4.7ghz...... (that sounds right to me)

Your example is more around 90-95%, regardless the nh d15 runs substantially cooler. They aren't in the same league.

I don't understand how he can compare the Hyper 212 Evo/plus to the NH-D15. One is a high end dual tower cooler while the other is a budget single tower cooler. One costs $30 while the other costs $100.

Avatar image for deactivated-5a9b3f32ef4e9
deactivated-5a9b3f32ef4e9

7779

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#28 deactivated-5a9b3f32ef4e9
Member since 2009 • 7779 Posts

Looks nice but is a bit expensive.

Avatar image for mastershake575
mastershake575

8574

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#29  Edited By mastershake575
Member since 2007 • 8574 Posts

@JigglyWiggly_ said:

The hyper212+ offers nowhere near the performance of the nh d15

I swapped from a hyper 212+ to my old thermalright ultra 120extreme and there is a 20c degree difference on load

@henri1960 said:

I don't understand how he can compare the Hyper 212 Evo/plus to the NH-D15. One is a high end dual tower cooler while the other is a budget single tower cooler. One costs $30 while the other costs $100.

Jesus, you guys must be NH-D15 owners (I can't freaking make my point clearer).

My original quote was saying that the H100i is same price while being better (it beats it on the performance standpoint) while the 212 evo beats it on the value department (I would rather pay $40 for an i5 at 4.4ghz then pay $100 for an i5 at 4.6ghz).

My point is pretty clear (this isn't a direct comparison, I'm merely stating that better performance for same price and good performance for 60% less money are reasons why this isn't a good value/must have product)

Avatar image for napo_sp
napo_sp

649

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

#30 napo_sp
Member since 2006 • 649 Posts

I'd like to add that aside from the obvious blocking issue, what most people often overlook is that huge air coolers tend to generate additional heat the RAM area itself and the motherboard area nearby and this situation can cause troubles.

think about it, the heat from your RAM potentially (and in most cases it does indeed) trapped behind/near the huge air cooler, not only that but such case can also lead to the heat from the CPU that supposedly cooled with the heatsink and flushed away to the back of the case can instead get merged with heat from RAM and trapped.