Noctua NH-D15, is it still the King of Coolers?

[superrob]

Out of curiosity I would like to know all your inputs on this, especially if there are some here running these? The rumour goes that they are still capable of beating the H115i/H115i Pro as well as many custom loops whilst running quieter then anything else out there mostly. Are there truths in all the hype and is it worth it's high import price?

FYI I'm purchasing 2x Noctua NH-D14's to fit into another system(yes only one of them in the system lol) so I'm assuming in that system with the Antec H1200 Pro that the Noctua should outdo the Antec on that non-delid 8700k, I am considering selling the 2nd one or dismantling it for it's epic fans.

I am considering importing the higher priced NH-D15 for my main system if the talk of it been the best are somewhat true. What say ye yah or nay

 

[Crowley]

According to every YouTube video I watched they are still king

 

[superrob]

I have seen that BeQuiet have upped their game recently with the Dark Pro 4 which hasn't been released for sale but it's supposed to compete even more with this Noctua, but then again Noctua have upped their game by shortly releasing an updated and improved fan which has taken them 4 years to make, plus they now have colours and mods for their coolers to match your system setup..... although call me a purist in the fact that I'd go for the original colour scheme because everybody knows brown and cream is Noctua performance lol

 

[shadow.clone]

I'm waiting for the Dark Rock 4 (non-pro) to launch. Great looks and cooling performance (based on the Dark Rock 3). I understand the aesthetic appeal of AIOs but they have way too many parts which can break or create annoying noises. Admittedly I don't have first-hand experience with AIOs, but I've always wondered whether there is any real performance difference to air once the loop temperature has had time to stabilize under load.

Disclaimer: I'm biased; my case fans and PSUs are from BeQuiet. They have an unmistakable sense of quality to them (not just the packaging - the actual items).

 

[superrob]

[MENTION=22054]shadow.clone[/MENTION] the main drawback with the Dark Rock 3 series was they were not easy to modify or fit in the first place, they say with the 4th series now they have taken notes from Noctua so are definitely upping their game their, however Noctua have done the same thing and are upping their game with looks modifications lol.

As for AIOs there is nothing at all wrong with them as long as you go for a good quality version like the Corsair range, Cooler master range, NZXT range or even the BeQuiet range they all perform better then MOST air coolers it's just when you get into the whole big boy cooler range then there seem to only be a select few air coolers that hold their own. I for one notice the pump noise and then you also get double the fan noise of most air coolers on a AIO as the fans ramp up to keep temps lower. If you go for a cheap AIO you're playing with fire, same as if you go for a cheap air cooler it's the same story. With AIOs you get good temps even on an open case and you get to admire all the mobo components clearly, as for air coolers they cool the cpu and mobo even more plus many are quiet plus use less psu power but you have the issue of their weight on the mobo as well as space is an issue with gpu and ram for most air coolers that are decent.

I was considering upgrading the NH-D14 fans to whatever the best currently are however Noctua don't verify fans from the larger unit fitting the smaller unit. The tests online do however show that based on heatsinks alone in tests using similar fans on both coolers that the NH-D15 is around 5 degrees cooler then the NH-D14 just with the upgraded heatsink plus it seems the newer fans on the D15 can ramp up to 1600rpm range whilst only one of the D14 fans can achieve that range.

Currently I would think that my Corsair H115i is about the 3rd best AIO you can get performance cooling wise on the market today with two others currently not sold in SA finishing in 1st and 2nd place. South Africa has not had the pleasure of truly getting Noctua properly because overseas Noctua gained fame by been cooler then the competition as well as been cheaper then AIOs etc however in South Africa due to our crudy import setup their prices are more then doubled over here making the competition have a chance to catch Noctua with their pants down.

 

[superrob]

Oh my word, these nh-d14's are massive still :O

 

[JollyJamma]

Out of curiosity I would like to know all your inputs on this, especially if there are some here running these? The rumour goes that they are still capable of beating the H115i/H115i Pro as well as many custom loops whilst running quieter then anything else out there mostly. Are there truths in all the hype and is it worth it's high import price?

FYI I'm purchasing 2x Noctua NH-D14's to fit into another system(yes only one of them in the system lol) so I'm assuming in that system with the Antec H1200 Pro that the Noctua should outdo the Antec on that non-delid 8700k, I am considering selling the 2nd one or dismantling it for it's epic fans.

I am considering importing the higher priced NH-D15 for my main system if the talk of it been the best are somewhat true. What say ye yah or nay

Where in the hell can you buy them from? Import? I looked. They weren't any when I was getting a cooler.

 

[ambroseg1]

Oh my word, these nh-d14's are massive still :O

They are huge. But jeepers they are awesome coolers. I have one in my X99 rig. It is properly quiet, cool and very very high quality.

 

[superrob]

I'll pm you [MENTION=18619]JollyJamma[/MENTION]

 

[shadow.clone]

[MENTION=22054]shadow.clone[/MENTION] the main drawback with the Dark Rock 3 series was they were not easy to modify or fit in the first place, they say with the 4th series now they have taken notes from Noctua so are definitely upping their game their, however Noctua have done the same thing and are upping their game with looks modifications lol.

As for AIOs there is nothing at all wrong with them as long as you go for a good quality version like the Corsair range, Cooler master range, NZXT range or even the BeQuiet range they all perform better then MOST air coolers it's just when you get into the whole big boy cooler range then there seem to only be a select few air coolers that hold their own. I for one notice the pump noise and then you also get double the fan noise of most air coolers on a AIO as the fans ramp up to keep temps lower. If you go for a cheap AIO you're playing with fire, same as if you go for a cheap air cooler it's the same story. With AIOs you get good temps even on an open case and you get to admire all the mobo components clearly, as for air coolers they cool the cpu and mobo even more plus many are quiet plus use less psu power but you have the issue of their weight on the mobo as well as space is an issue with gpu and ram for most air coolers that are decent.

I was considering upgrading the NH-D14 fans to whatever the best currently are however Noctua don't verify fans from the larger unit fitting the smaller unit. The tests online do however show that based on heatsinks alone in tests using similar fans on both coolers that the NH-D15 is around 5 degrees cooler then the NH-D14 just with the upgraded heatsink plus it seems the newer fans on the D15 can ramp up to 1600rpm range whilst only one of the D14 fans can achieve that range.

Currently I would think that my Corsair H115i is about the 3rd best AIO you can get performance cooling wise on the market today with two others currently not sold in SA finishing in 1st and 2nd place. South Africa has not had the pleasure of truly getting Noctua properly because overseas Noctua gained fame by been cooler then the competition as well as been cheaper then AIOs etc however in South Africa due to our crudy import setup their prices are more then doubled over here making the competition have a chance to catch Noctua with their pants down.

Thanks for the info. The DR3's difficult mounting method doesn't worry me too much since I don't tinker much, but the DR4 is going to launch soon so I've decided to wait a bit. Had a quick look at Noctua but they're not gonna tempt me away.

 

[JollyJamma]

R2500 for this cooler as an import? Fuvk no.

I could get a different air cooler that performs close to the Noctua and still have money left over for cheap AIO.

I like the simplicity of an air cooler, but not at that price.

Sent from my ONE A2001 using Tapatalk

 

[superrob]

[MENTION=18619]JollyJamma[/MENTION] Ha ha well the NH-D14 has burst my bubble slightly tonight, I fitted one into my own system and surprise surprise on intel extreme tuner benchmark I got thermal throttled alot of occasions and received a score about 300 points lower then I should have with other mediocre coolers, only benefit so far is it's so close to my GPU that my GPU temps are 10 degrees lower so that's cool but my loud AIO is coming back on

 

[superrob]

Will run it with BF1 tonight but tomorrow I'm swapping it out for the AIO H115i I have again because I think the D14 is a bit behind in performance when it comes to the D15 because I've seen all the D15 reviews I just decided to try the D14 to see. Hmmmmmm let me swap my top exhaust fans around for more feedback quickly never tried that

 

[superrob]

I have returned with my findings, temps still got a bit icky but wasn't thermal throttled once with the two top exhaust fans placed downwards very strange that goes against my better judgement

 

[UnknownSoldier]

I think these are the best you can get locally, if I'm not mistaken, the Phanteks one is equivalent to the NH-D14, which, for R879, ain't bad
https://www.evetech.co.za/msi-core-frozr-xl-cpu-cooler/best-deal/3048.aspx
https://www.wootware.co.za/phanteks-ph-tc14pe-bk-140mm-pwm-cpu-cooler.html

 

[KLEAN_upguy]

Defs a beast of a cooler but ill reconsider since i have a tower I will have 1320 grams hanging from the motherboard.

 

[JollyJamma]

I think these are the best you can get locally, if I'm not mistaken, the Phanteks one is equivalent to the NH-D14, which, for R879, ain't bad
https://www.evetech.co.za/msi-core-frozr-xl-cpu-cooler/best-deal/3048.aspx
https://www.wootware.co.za/phanteks-ph-tc14pe-bk-140mm-pwm-cpu-cooler.html

No contest. The Phanteks takes it in price versus performance. If they were the same price, I'd take the Noctua. But at over 2.5 times, heeeeeeelllls no.

 

[shadow.clone]

BeQuiet DR3 is about R1300 landed. Ticks all the boxes for me.

I do find myself going back to this webpage occasionally: https://www.wootware.co.za/ekwb-ek-kit-p280-performance-diy-open-loop-liquid-cooler-kit.html

No idea if its the best option and diminishing returns are strong (doubt I'll ever fit a GPU waterblock). Seems to only need a drain port and some dye?

 

[Bearman]

But what case can fit these monster coolers?

 

[J2J]

I have the Phanteks TC14PE and it is an absolute dream! I previously had the H115i and the Phanteks is far quieter and performs a bit better. I personally like the fact that I do not need to be concerned when a pump will fail, or spring a leak, or have fluid dry out over time.

The mounting mechanism is pretty good and I don't see any issues with my motherboard having such a large cooler on it. If your PC gets moved around a lot then it would definitely be a concern!

I can share pics if anyone is interested

 

[Ebrahim Ali]

Was actually considering getting the phanteks cooler but it's just too big,like comically big. I think I'll stick with my AIO for now

 

[J2J]

I think most of Phanteks Enthoo line will support the TC14PE

Alternatively this cooler performs well too https://www.wootware.co.za/phanteks...per-dual-fan-premium-high-end-cpu-cooler.html

But what case can fit these monster coolers?

 

[J2J]

Nothing comical about it when your PC is almost silent under full load

Was actually considering getting the phanteks cooler but it's just too big,like comically big. I think I'll stick with my AIO for now

 

[UnknownSoldier]

But what case can fit these monster coolers?

Quite a few actually, look for E-ATX mid-tower cases like the Phanteks Enthoo Pro M, very solid case from what I've heard.

Sent from my Honor 8 using Tapatalk

 

[Ebrahim Ali]

I think most of Phanteks Enthoo line will support the TC14PE

Alternatively this cooler performs well too https://www.wootware.co.za/phanteks...per-dual-fan-premium-high-end-cpu-cooler.html

Yes your case can fit it but will the cooler clear your top PCI-e slot?

 

[JollyJamma]

@JollyJamma Ha ha well the NH-D14 has burst my bubble slightly tonight, I fitted one into my own system and surprise surprise on intel extreme tuner benchmark I got thermal throttled alot of occasions and received a score about 300 points lower then I should have with other mediocre coolers, only benefit so far is it's so close to my GPU that my GPU temps are 10 degrees lower so that's cool but my loud AIO is coming back on

It's not sitting flush then. There's no way that hunk of metal should perform worse than a cheaper cooler. Try placing your PC on it's side so the cooler is pushing down, not sideways, and rerunning the test.

I couldn't understand why my cooler wasn't performing well and then I found one of the clips wasn't properly inserted so it was lifted on the one side.

 

[J2J]

Yes it clears comfortably. The cooler was designed around the ATX Standard. It can be rotated if needs be

View attachment 82167View attachment 82168

Yes your case can fit it but will the cooler clear your top PCI-e slot?

 

[superrob]

[MENTION=18619]JollyJamma[/MENTION] I am literally impressed, your advice worked to an extent by turning the entire case onto it's side. The temps during benchmarking with the NH-D14 came down by 13 degrees so it was only maxing at 84 degrees on 3 occasions during the entire 10 minute stint(Considering I'm doing these tests with the ancient D14 and not the D15 I'm impressed) considering on the same extreme testing that the H115i from Corsair manages to keep temps at highest to just 75 degrees so for an air cooler this old to be just 9 degrees off of that under full 8700k load is good.

 

[JollyJamma]

[MENTION=18619]JollyJamma[/MENTION] I am literally impressed, your advice worked to an extent by turning the entire case onto it's side. The temps during benchmarking with the NH-D14 came down by 13 degrees so it was only maxing at 84 degrees on 3 occasions during the entire 10 minute stint(Considering I'm doing these tests with the ancient D14 and not the D15 I'm impressed) considering on the same extreme testing that the H115i from Corsair manages to keep temps at highest to just 75 degrees so for an air cooler this old to be just 9 degrees off of that under full 8700k load is good.

Called it. You'd also probably benefit from a Delid and some tweaking.

That cooler is just too big for most people. Yes, it does cool well but its just too heavy.

If someone had a flatbed chassis with plenty of room, I'd say go for the Noctua.

Sent from my ONE A2001 using Tapatalk

 

[superrob]

I have the delid on the said system hey. I just think the D14 is a bit too old school for the 8th gen i7..... been having thoughts that perhaps the AIO is better for an open air build and the air cooler would be better for a closed case and there's every chance that I swap to a Cougar Conquer. The only air cooler I was longing for is the D15 but come on two weeks wait for an import.... that'll kill me