Noctua NH-D15 G2 Review & Benchmarks, HBC & LBC Comparison, & Best CPU Coolers
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Date: 2024-07-03
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Comments and reviews: 20
gosuprime
This is an enthusiast cooler, which I think the price reflects. Even if I think Thermalright has better value overall for most use cases. Noctua make fantastic coolers and fans, but it really shows the value of other air coolers when they can come very close to the best Noctua, at a fraction of the price. However, the best option if price is no object is the Noctua. You also get coldplate options that cater to your platform, Intel or AMD. Or both with the third option. This is good though, if anything provides value to consumers: it's competition. Thermalright is basically pushing every company to offer a comparable cooler for a very reasonable price. But still, it's cool to see the different coldplate options catered to specific CPUs. And the consideration for fan RPM to avoid extra sound is a nice touch: I have an AK620 which is good but the acoustics at higher RPM got much better when I used a couple of be quiet silent wings 4 120mm fans, and performed better with a less aggressive fan curve. Noctua fans are the best of the best, these fans would probably make fantastic case fans too, or added to existing coolers as a replacement. I know the NF-F12 Noctua 120mm fans for example were great on my previous cooler.
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This is an enthusiast cooler, which I think the price reflects. Even if I think Thermalright has better value overall for most use cases. Noctua make fantastic coolers and fans, but it really shows the value of other air coolers when they can come very close to the best Noctua, at a fraction of the price. However, the best option if price is no object is the Noctua. You also get coldplate options that cater to your platform, Intel or AMD. Or both with the third option. This is good though, if anything provides value to consumers: it's competition. Thermalright is basically pushing every company to offer a comparable cooler for a very reasonable price. But still, it's cool to see the different coldplate options catered to specific CPUs. And the consideration for fan RPM to avoid extra sound is a nice touch: I have an AK620 which is good but the acoustics at higher RPM got much better when I used a couple of be quiet silent wings 4 120mm fans, and performed better with a less aggressive fan curve. Noctua fans are the best of the best, these fans would probably make fantastic case fans too, or added to existing coolers as a replacement. I know the NF-F12 Noctua 120mm fans for example were great on my previous cooler.
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WafflesASAP
Hey all, thanks for the awesome vid! I have a question about the chart at 24:27 (for anyone who might be knowledgable about audio frequency spectrum stuff):
In the chart, it looks like around the 2,500 - 3,000Hz range, the loudness (or perceptibility Not sure the best term here) somehow goes into the negative. For example, at 4,000Hz, both the blue and red lines are at below zero, so to speak (around -5 to -10 SPL).
This makes me think I straight-up don't understand what SPL (dB re 20uPa) rms means. I get that rms = Root Mean Square, and I get that rms is used to measure averages over time, but I don't understand what the rest of SPL (dB re 20uPa) means.
Is this chart actually showing the actual level of noise (across the frequency spectrum) that the human ear would perceive at 1 meter If so, how can a specific frequency's sound go into the negative decibels I thought once you hit zero decibels, there's literally no sound
I'm definitely missing some critical information here, though I'm not sure what it is, so I'd be grateful if anyone could clarify!
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Hey all, thanks for the awesome vid! I have a question about the chart at 24:27 (for anyone who might be knowledgable about audio frequency spectrum stuff):
In the chart, it looks like around the 2,500 - 3,000Hz range, the loudness (or perceptibility Not sure the best term here) somehow goes into the negative. For example, at 4,000Hz, both the blue and red lines are at below zero, so to speak (around -5 to -10 SPL).
This makes me think I straight-up don't understand what SPL (dB re 20uPa) rms means. I get that rms = Root Mean Square, and I get that rms is used to measure averages over time, but I don't understand what the rest of SPL (dB re 20uPa) means.
Is this chart actually showing the actual level of noise (across the frequency spectrum) that the human ear would perceive at 1 meter If so, how can a specific frequency's sound go into the negative decibels I thought once you hit zero decibels, there's literally no sound
I'm definitely missing some critical information here, though I'm not sure what it is, so I'd be grateful if anyone could clarify!
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C-M-E
Based on your data slides, the AMD-mounted variant looked really disappointing versus cheaper options on the market. The Intel one, on the other hand, is super impressive for an air cooler on that hot box of a processor. Noctua really painted themselves into a corner with the extensive time-to-market investment though, as the competition has soared leaps and bounds in that 10 year period where it'd be difficult to justify a $150 air cooler when you could easily buy several Thermalright models and swap them out rather than clean the fins every few years or as necessary. I run my Phantom Spirit in an arguably brute force scenario triple fan arrangement, with two normal case fans behind a PWM high rpm/static pressure 'first contact' fan, and even when punished under load for 8k rendering duty or physics simulations that run for several hours, I rarely crack 59C on the CPU for an OC'ed 5900X.
Add: That's not 59C over ambient by the by, that's at the sensor.
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Based on your data slides, the AMD-mounted variant looked really disappointing versus cheaper options on the market. The Intel one, on the other hand, is super impressive for an air cooler on that hot box of a processor. Noctua really painted themselves into a corner with the extensive time-to-market investment though, as the competition has soared leaps and bounds in that 10 year period where it'd be difficult to justify a $150 air cooler when you could easily buy several Thermalright models and swap them out rather than clean the fins every few years or as necessary. I run my Phantom Spirit in an arguably brute force scenario triple fan arrangement, with two normal case fans behind a PWM high rpm/static pressure 'first contact' fan, and even when punished under load for 8k rendering duty or physics simulations that run for several hours, I rarely crack 59C on the CPU for an OC'ed 5900X.
Add: That's not 59C over ambient by the by, that's at the sensor.
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QualeQualeson
200W full speed AMD comparison: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 2x120mm (vs 2x140mm) 1500RPM (vs 1475RPM): 42.3dB (vs 43.8dB).
This is the part that caught my eye the most in this entire review. Thermalright spins faster with smaller fans to create less noise (noise being my 1st priority). I can't fully comprehend how this is even possible.
Normalized the 140mm fans seem to be the only difference maker.
So the indication here, if I understand this correctly, is that Thermalright is equal or slightly more effective minus the fan size, than gen2 Noctua that sits at 3 times the price (in my country). So what I _really_ wanted all along was a Thermalright with 2x140mm fans, and not Noctua gen2
I thought I wanted Noctua gen2 engineering, but now I'm not sure I can get around that price difference, even as I'm not really budgeting and like the company. Honestly, judging by this review the product turned out to be a bit of a bummer.
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200W full speed AMD comparison: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 2x120mm (vs 2x140mm) 1500RPM (vs 1475RPM): 42.3dB (vs 43.8dB).
This is the part that caught my eye the most in this entire review. Thermalright spins faster with smaller fans to create less noise (noise being my 1st priority). I can't fully comprehend how this is even possible.
Normalized the 140mm fans seem to be the only difference maker.
So the indication here, if I understand this correctly, is that Thermalright is equal or slightly more effective minus the fan size, than gen2 Noctua that sits at 3 times the price (in my country). So what I _really_ wanted all along was a Thermalright with 2x140mm fans, and not Noctua gen2
I thought I wanted Noctua gen2 engineering, but now I'm not sure I can get around that price difference, even as I'm not really budgeting and like the company. Honestly, judging by this review the product turned out to be a bit of a bummer.
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gamersnexus
My NH-D15 is a bit over 7 years old now and still good as new, fans and all. If a fan fails, relatively cheap and dead simple to replace. Others may have had better luck, but in my experience, AIOs don't last 7 years (sadly, 1 to nearly 2 years in my experience) - and when they fail, well, most AIOs might as well be tossed in the trash - relatively expensive to replace and a PITA compared to replacing a fan. Seriously folks - how many years do AIOs last now, on average
Yes, there are cases where a person has no choice but to cool with water - a well used 14900k or overclocked processor. For now, I have a 12700k and air is still working just perfectly - with my experience (limited admittedly) with water cooling, I am not looking forward to the day when I am forced to use it again. Hopefully AIOs have gotten better (I could have just had a lemon) and manufacturers are standing by warranties, Swiftech didn't honor theirs.
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My NH-D15 is a bit over 7 years old now and still good as new, fans and all. If a fan fails, relatively cheap and dead simple to replace. Others may have had better luck, but in my experience, AIOs don't last 7 years (sadly, 1 to nearly 2 years in my experience) - and when they fail, well, most AIOs might as well be tossed in the trash - relatively expensive to replace and a PITA compared to replacing a fan. Seriously folks - how many years do AIOs last now, on average
Yes, there are cases where a person has no choice but to cool with water - a well used 14900k or overclocked processor. For now, I have a 12700k and air is still working just perfectly - with my experience (limited admittedly) with water cooling, I am not looking forward to the day when I am forced to use it again. Hopefully AIOs have gotten better (I could have just had a lemon) and manufacturers are standing by warranties, Swiftech didn't honor theirs.
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leyterispap6775
Purchased an Arctic esports Duo some years ago , when i still had a 2600x , i moved to 5600x - 12400f and now to a 13600k . Worked flawlessly until the 13600k , but even with that cpu , the problem was my case (NZXT H500 ) . That problem was solved with a power drill ( multiple holes in the front for air access ) and from instant thermal throtling it went to a steady 80c on full load cinebench . With a 35euro air cooler on a decade old case . My point here is if you dont own the big boys (14900k,14700k, 7950x etc ) its not worth it spending this amount of money for air coolers . Second reason for this post was to let everyone know how fockin good it felt that drill thing worked :) .
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Purchased an Arctic esports Duo some years ago , when i still had a 2600x , i moved to 5600x - 12400f and now to a 13600k . Worked flawlessly until the 13600k , but even with that cpu , the problem was my case (NZXT H500 ) . That problem was solved with a power drill ( multiple holes in the front for air access ) and from instant thermal throtling it went to a steady 80c on full load cinebench . With a 35euro air cooler on a decade old case . My point here is if you dont own the big boys (14900k,14700k, 7950x etc ) its not worth it spending this amount of money for air coolers . Second reason for this post was to let everyone know how fockin good it felt that drill thing worked :) .
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Qyngali
A followup with Standard and the Intel variant (yeah I already forgot which model was Intel and which was for AMD), with a frame.
Why Because if the frame gives same results with the frame as the LGA1700 version without it, the standard frame would be a better choice as long as you're comfortable with installing the frame. With the added benefit of reusing the cooler if you switch to AMD.
I am also curious how the next Intel socket will behave, will it have the same problems as 1700 Will it have a better mounting solution that limits the flex If so, the standard cooler would be a better choice. Same point regarding the frame of course.
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A followup with Standard and the Intel variant (yeah I already forgot which model was Intel and which was for AMD), with a frame.
Why Because if the frame gives same results with the frame as the LGA1700 version without it, the standard frame would be a better choice as long as you're comfortable with installing the frame. With the added benefit of reusing the cooler if you switch to AMD.
I am also curious how the next Intel socket will behave, will it have the same problems as 1700 Will it have a better mounting solution that limits the flex If so, the standard cooler would be a better choice. Same point regarding the frame of course.
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dalebob9364
I thing the kids don't grasp is I have the fan off the old d15 that's been running in the top of a case upside down since 2010.
There's no reason to get the regular noctua fans or the industrial ones unless you really really expect to keep them for a long time!
Their redux NF-P12 are amazing against a mesh intake or a radiator.
But vardar, t30, and nf12x25 are the best for pressure.
In the end if you're on a budget just go with those glorious Arctic p12 and all of the derivatives!
I have an EK 360 elite AIO I'm pretty worried about I'm getting any warranty repair at all after the s show EK has been putting on
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I thing the kids don't grasp is I have the fan off the old d15 that's been running in the top of a case upside down since 2010.
There's no reason to get the regular noctua fans or the industrial ones unless you really really expect to keep them for a long time!
Their redux NF-P12 are amazing against a mesh intake or a radiator.
But vardar, t30, and nf12x25 are the best for pressure.
In the end if you're on a budget just go with those glorious Arctic p12 and all of the derivatives!
I have an EK 360 elite AIO I'm pretty worried about I'm getting any warranty repair at all after the s show EK has been putting on
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Bluelagoonstudios
I run a NH 12 on an LGA 1366 CPU, so for a very long time, and still goes like it's new. The mind boggles, only thing I did was repasting the IHS, and the last time with thermal grizzly kryonaut extreme. So that system is good to go for years, I hope, this PC does sound processing for a radio studio in a quiet coolermaster case. I'm not sure from what year the i7-960 is (2009). But it's a long time. It's paired with a ASUS WS Pro motherboard. The case has 5 quiet Noctua fans. And these are also the original fans. I changed the brand because of the ugly beige. Back then, they hadn't the Chromax yet.
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I run a NH 12 on an LGA 1366 CPU, so for a very long time, and still goes like it's new. The mind boggles, only thing I did was repasting the IHS, and the last time with thermal grizzly kryonaut extreme. So that system is good to go for years, I hope, this PC does sound processing for a radio studio in a quiet coolermaster case. I'm not sure from what year the i7-960 is (2009). But it's a long time. It's paired with a ASUS WS Pro motherboard. The case has 5 quiet Noctua fans. And these are also the original fans. I changed the brand because of the ugly beige. Back then, they hadn't the Chromax yet.
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hhhfghhh
So I have a question: I have been out of the loop for a while now with regards to CPUs and coolers, and I hear stuff about the offset mount... Does it realistically much of a difference I see at most a 2 degree difference, but the ideology behind offsetting the coldplate to where the hottest dies are makes sense to me... Are there differences in the boost clocks or anything else that's not visible through an outright temperature comparison I've tried looking into it but most of the information is either biased fanboys or sponsored reviews where the offset is the main selling point of the cooler
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So I have a question: I have been out of the loop for a while now with regards to CPUs and coolers, and I hear stuff about the offset mount... Does it realistically much of a difference I see at most a 2 degree difference, but the ideology behind offsetting the coldplate to where the hottest dies are makes sense to me... Are there differences in the boost clocks or anything else that's not visible through an outright temperature comparison I've tried looking into it but most of the information is either biased fanboys or sponsored reviews where the offset is the main selling point of the cooler
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kyledurning
You should add MSI to your list of companies screwing US customers. Here's my story, 7/23 bought a MSI 4090 suprim to upgrade past the 4070ti. It lasted 3 months. I contact MSI for an RMA, and am basically told that they do not do advanced RMA even for their flagship cards. So they want me to pay $2500 for the card, then ship them the bad card, then wait 2-3 months to receive a rebuilt card. So for $2500 you get 3 months time on a new card before failure then getting someone else's failure. Seriously ASUS is looking better each minute.
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You should add MSI to your list of companies screwing US customers. Here's my story, 7/23 bought a MSI 4090 suprim to upgrade past the 4070ti. It lasted 3 months. I contact MSI for an RMA, and am basically told that they do not do advanced RMA even for their flagship cards. So they want me to pay $2500 for the card, then ship them the bad card, then wait 2-3 months to receive a rebuilt card. So for $2500 you get 3 months time on a new card before failure then getting someone else's failure. Seriously ASUS is looking better each minute.
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00wheelie00
iI'm building a new system when Ryzen 9000 is available to upgrade my Ryzen 5000 system. I've had bad experience with a leaking liquid cooler and will never ever watercool a system again if it can be avoided.
So what you just said to me in your review is 'get this cooler'. When I'm spending a lot of money on a 9950X and later a 9950X3d and I already spent a fortune on a 4090, I'm going to match it with the best air cooler period. Would be silly to settle for less than the best for 40 bucks on the cost of my total system.
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iI'm building a new system when Ryzen 9000 is available to upgrade my Ryzen 5000 system. I've had bad experience with a leaking liquid cooler and will never ever watercool a system again if it can be avoided.
So what you just said to me in your review is 'get this cooler'. When I'm spending a lot of money on a 9950X and later a 9950X3d and I already spent a fortune on a 4090, I'm going to match it with the best air cooler period. Would be silly to settle for less than the best for 40 bucks on the cost of my total system.
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HDBO261
Hey Steve, thanks for the amazingly detailed review! Any thoughts on the fans included Can we safely assume they are still top quality, long lasting, fans Are the ball bearing or hydro, etc I assume they are great considering the prices here but there seemed to be no mention of the fan quality, CFM, etc unless I missed it. I am running an old NH-D15S I got almost 10 years ago with the AM4/5 upgrade bracket to cool my 7800X3D build and it seems to work great! I really do not see a need to upgrade it! :(
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Hey Steve, thanks for the amazingly detailed review! Any thoughts on the fans included Can we safely assume they are still top quality, long lasting, fans Are the ball bearing or hydro, etc I assume they are great considering the prices here but there seemed to be no mention of the fan quality, CFM, etc unless I missed it. I am running an old NH-D15S I got almost 10 years ago with the AM4/5 upgrade bracket to cool my 7800X3D build and it seems to work great! I really do not see a need to upgrade it! :(
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Hybris51129
I really don't know how you can say that is isn't a value purchase. You have a high quality cooler that can be reasonably expected to handle current and future processors and Noctua is known for its willingness to support their coolers to fit them to new platforms as they come. You don't get much better value than that compared to spending an extra $50-100 every time you upgrade your processor platform in a brand new cooler.
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I really don't know how you can say that is isn't a value purchase. You have a high quality cooler that can be reasonably expected to handle current and future processors and Noctua is known for its willingness to support their coolers to fit them to new platforms as they come. You don't get much better value than that compared to spending an extra $50-100 every time you upgrade your processor platform in a brand new cooler.
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vergeofapathy
To be fair, it's not just brand cred, because you can also expect this to get a decade of free support for mounting brackets/hardware fitting new sockets, whichcorrect me if I'm wrong hereno other manufacturer of air-coolers seems to do to this extent.
(Obviously with the price you need to go through three different sockets before it becomes economically more sensible, but it is ecologically more sensible.)
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To be fair, it's not just brand cred, because you can also expect this to get a decade of free support for mounting brackets/hardware fitting new sockets, whichcorrect me if I'm wrong hereno other manufacturer of air-coolers seems to do to this extent.
(Obviously with the price you need to go through three different sockets before it becomes economically more sensible, but it is ecologically more sensible.)
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amineerra8557
IMO The peerless assassin is the reel winner here
- Cheaper like 4/5 times, you can even put that difference in a better CPU !
- Looks better
- Smaller
- Can perform the same aprox with just 120mm fans
- More ram clearance
Not even mentionning The Phantom Spirit and it's variants, plus the upcoming Thermalright are even better
live long the competition
A mighty job steeve .. Thank you
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IMO The peerless assassin is the reel winner here
- Cheaper like 4/5 times, you can even put that difference in a better CPU !
- Looks better
- Smaller
- Can perform the same aprox with just 120mm fans
- More ram clearance
Not even mentionning The Phantom Spirit and it's variants, plus the upcoming Thermalright are even better
live long the competition
A mighty job steeve .. Thank you
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Nick_R_
I recently bought the previous NH-D15. As a to be used one day replacement for the Corsair H80i AIO on my overclocked FX8350. It no longer comes with the AM3 bracket. One email to Noctua, with proof of purchase and that same day they sent me a bracket, for free. That level of customer service is worth an initial premium in my view. That's in addition to the build quality and the performance.
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I recently bought the previous NH-D15. As a to be used one day replacement for the Corsair H80i AIO on my overclocked FX8350. It no longer comes with the AM3 bracket. One email to Noctua, with proof of purchase and that same day they sent me a bracket, for free. That level of customer service is worth an initial premium in my view. That's in addition to the build quality and the performance.
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Slimmeyy
I didn't notice the claimed 3100 Hz spike on the D15 Original at all unless I was specifically focusing on it, it's completely drowned out by the rest of the noise. It sounded like a smooth line, and I preferred it because of the lower overall tone and volume.
As for the G2: it was louder, the higher pitch was more annoying, and the rapid wobbling of the sound was also unpleasant.
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I didn't notice the claimed 3100 Hz spike on the D15 Original at all unless I was specifically focusing on it, it's completely drowned out by the rest of the noise. It sounded like a smooth line, and I preferred it because of the lower overall tone and volume.
As for the G2: it was louder, the higher pitch was more annoying, and the rapid wobbling of the sound was also unpleasant.
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Kiyuja
for my 5800X3D I need a very decent cooler as these 3D chips are just absolute heat traps. My CPU easily goes up to 150W TDP under load. The question for me is: can it beat my current BeQuiet! cooler in terms of silence Under full load this 50 cooler is at its absolute max. Having more cooling capacity would be lovely but I don't wanna sacrifice the almost inaudibility.
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for my 5800X3D I need a very decent cooler as these 3D chips are just absolute heat traps. My CPU easily goes up to 150W TDP under load. The question for me is: can it beat my current BeQuiet! cooler in terms of silence Under full load this 50 cooler is at its absolute max. Having more cooling capacity would be lovely but I don't wanna sacrifice the almost inaudibility.
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holmd90
I'm excited to see the tech they put into this trickle down to their other products. It's pretty obvious that this is a flagship product priced to recoup the costs of R&D on many small design elements that will be used throughout their whole future lineup
Also their engineers probably wanted the excuse to get as nerdy as possible with every small detail of the design
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I'm excited to see the tech they put into this trickle down to their other products. It's pretty obvious that this is a flagship product priced to recoup the costs of R&D on many small design elements that will be used throughout their whole future lineup
Also their engineers probably wanted the excuse to get as nerdy as possible with every small detail of the design
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