Computer components have a new ally when it comes to their eternal battle against heat, the NH-D15 is the latest dual-tower heatsink from Noctua and it promises even lower temperatures than the ones from Noctua's amazing NH-D14.
If you still don't know Noctua by now, they design and produce some of the best air cooling solutions on the market both in terms of performance and quietness. Not only that but they also have an excellent customer service and extended warranties that go up to 6 years, providing mounting kits for free to customers who might need them.
The NH-D15, much like every other cooler that we received from Noctua, comes extremely well packaged, layers upon layers of protection assure that the product you just bought will arrive in pristine condition and perform its intended function with no problems.
Manuals and mounting kits for both Intel and AMD are included and come in separate boxes to help users in the process of mounting their cooler correctly. Aside from that you also get a few accessories like thermal paste, a screwdriver, low-noise adapters and clips to set-up the (also included) second 150mm PWM fan.
Where looks are concerned, the NH-D15 keeps Noctua's traditional brown and beige color scheme. This visual design is certainly unique, it works almost as a branding of sorts, allowing users to identify components from Noctua almost instantly. On the other hand its color scheme is so unique that it will stand out in almost every build, possibly ruining a carefully color matched build.
Noctua is well-know for the attention they dedicate to the construction quality of their products, thankfully the NH-D15 is no exception. Nothing feels cheap or flimsy here, from the heatsink to the fans everything is solid and very well-built, the SecuFirm2 mounting system in particular is incredibly tough and easy to set-up, but more on that later.
Installation Process
Thanks to the detailed and easy to understand manual, mounting the NH-D15 is a breeze (pun intended). Not only that but the actual process for securing everything into place is super simple and easy to execute, even for someone who may not have much experience in this business the SecuFirm2 system should not present any major problems or complications.
Compatibility issues with memories should not occur thanks to the recessed lower fins, providing clearance for memories with tall heatsinks (up to 64mm in single fan mode or 32mm in dual or triple fan mode).
Performance and noise levels
For testing purposes I've used the NH-D15 with my old but reliable AMD A8-5600K, a cooler this powerful shouldn't really have any issues with the 5600K, especially when you consider how well ventilated my testing rig is and the fact that I'm using the dual fan configuration.
Regarding the test itself, we stressed the CPU with the System Stability Test from AIDA64 for about 30 minutes for each cooler, after this period we recorded the minimum, maximum and average temperatures during that half an hour. While not the most demanding test ever, I find it quite realistic when comparing its temperatures with the ones I get from long playing sessions.
Noise levels were virtually non-existent, even when under load the fans were silent and only when I manually cranked them up to 100% (1500 RPM) was I able to hear them from inside the testing rig's case.
Final Thoughts
Noctua has done it again, the NH-D15 is an improvement over its D14 predecessor in almost every way.
It's actually amazing to see a company such as Noctua keeping their standards high not only when it comes to performance and numbers but also in the construction quality and customer service departments, it shows a level of commitment and dedication to their products that we just don't usually see anymore.
If your wallet and your computer case can handle such a behemoth of a cooler (165mm in height) then I can't recommend the D15 enough.
The Good
+Construction quality
+Multiple fan configurations
+Performance
+Noise level
+Elegant design
+Great price to performance ratio
+6 year warranty
The Bad
-Color scheme is not for everyone
Thanks to Noctua for providing the review sample
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