Noctua NH-D15 Review

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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SilverStone AR06 Review

In recent years computers in general have become more than just machines used for work or gaming, in order to be able to compete with other devices, particularly consoles, hardware manufacturers have been looking for more and more ways to transform these gaming/work machines into home entertainment centers.

Well, no one wants a big, ugly and noisy behemoth sitting in the middle of their living room, because of that, reducing the size of the cases, keeping them quiet and improving their looks in order for them to blend in are the first steps you should consider when building one of these machines.

With this idea in mind, today we will be reviewing an essential component for the "keeping them quiet" step, the AR06 low-profile CPU cooler from SilverStone.

Much like the fan itself, the package for the AR06 has a very distinct white and blue color scheme that really stands out. It's also nice to see all of the components inside well protected with soft foam, this ensures that your cooler will arrive in one piece, even if you ship it from the other side of the world.

Bundled with the AR06 you can expect to find a few important items such as thermal paste, the AMD and Intel brackets, an instruction manual and a few screws and nuts to hold everything in place.

Where looks are concerned, the AR06 is impressive, the different colors such as blue, white and silver work well together and give the AR06 its own unique visual style. I can see this cooler fitting extremely well in a build that shares the same color scheme.

In terms of construction quality, the AR06 is more or less in line with previous offers from SilverStone, well built with loads of attention to all the details, making this a solid and durable cooling solution.

Installation process

Simple and easy to understand and execute, thanks to the detailed instruction manual you shouldn't have any issues installing the AR06.

Simply select and install the correct mounting brackets, apply the thermal paste, secure everything in place with a few screws and nuts and you're good to go.

I would actually recommend the AR06 to beginners since it's a cooler with a very straightforward design that shouldn't really offer any doubts regarding where everything fits, it's basically hassle-free.

Performance and noise levels

For testing purposes, and even though SilverStone recommends using CPUs with a TDP lower than 95W, we decided to push the AR06 just a bit further with our AMD A8-5600K with a TDP of 100W. They actually mention that if the computer case is well ventilated you can demand a bit more of the AR06, that's our plan.

I personally think that the versatility of the A8-5600K is certainly something to bear in mind when building a small form factor computer, making it a realistic choice for this test.

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.

Keep in mind that besides the obvious comparison with AMD's stock cooler, we also added the gigantic Noctua NH-U14S to the test as a reference point to see how the AR06 compares with a cooler designed for high-end CPUs.

Noise levels were surprisingly low, especially when you take into consideration how compact the fan from the AR06 is (92x92x15mm). Even when playing games or using applications that demanded a bit more from the cooler, the AR06 was able to keep everything cool and still be relatively silent.

Final thoughts

Writing the conclusion for this review, I struggle to find any serious problems with the AR06. For what it was designed for, it performs extremely well and it is quite affordable. The construction quality is well above average, the performance is great and most surprisingly, the noise levels are extremely low.

At the end of the day, the AR06 is a great choice for any user looking for a compact cooler.

The Good

+Well constructed

+Compact

+Looks good

+Low noise levels

+Nice performance

+Affordable

 

The Bad

-Visual style not for everyone

Thanks to SilverStone for providing the review sample

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Noctua NH-U12S Review

Noctua is a company from Austria that's been around for almost ten years now, they're mainly known for their computer cooling solutions, particularly very silent and efficient fans.

Noctua is also synonym of quality and cutting-edge technology as their products are constantly being revised and updated to provide the user with the best experience possible.

The product we will be reviewing today, the NH-U12S is the latest version of the popular and award-winning NH-U12 CPU coolers, they first appeared back in 2005 and since then, revision after revision, have been improved and updated with all the new technologies Noctua has been introducing over the years.

Like with most other products from this Austrian company, the packaging is perfectly executed and shows an amazing attention to detail, in the incredibly competitive CPU cooler market every little thing counts to get the upper hand over the competition and Noctua certainly seems to be aware of that.

For starters the actual box is very sturdy and guarantees that your cooler will arrive in perfect condition. Secondly, the amount of accessories Noctua includes with the NH-U12S is astonishing, besides the actual heat-sink and 120mm fan here's what you can expect to find tucked inside the elegant brown and beige box:

• 1x Syringe of NT-H1 thermal compound/paste;
• 1x Low-Noise adapter;
• 1x Screwdriver;
• 1x Installation kit for another 120mm fan (Push Pull config)
• 1x Noctua logo (metal sticker)
• 6 year warranty

As you can see it's an extremely complete package.

Even though the overall contents of the package are great they only mean something if the actual product delivers when it comes to cooling performance, fortunately once again Noctua does not disappoint and delivers one of the best air CPU cooling solutions that you can find on the market today.

Like previous iterations of the NH-U12, Noctua does not rest on the fact that the cooling performance of the NH-U12S is top-notch, they also introduce a few other features that will guarantee that the end-customer will be satisfied.

Probably the most important "extra" is how silent the included PWM fan is, running at super low RPMs even when under heavy load. 

Another great and important feature, especially for high-end machines, is the 100% RAM compatibility, what this means is that even when using RAM modules with tall heatspreaders, the Noctua heat-sink will never obstruct the RAM in any way, I'm using the Kingston HyperX Beast which are pretty tall and there were no issues during the installation.

The final feature I want to mention is the compatibility with past or future CPU sockets, if you have for example an older LGA775 socket you can ask Noctua to send you (free of charge) the NM-I3 mounting kit, Noctua also promises to provide upgrade kits for future sockets if technically possible.

Finally let's talk about how the cooler looks, here's where some people might have a problem, the extremely elegant, original and traditional Noctua brown and beige color scheme is back, while I personally appreciate this low profile design, I also understand that some people like to have flashy cases to go along with their high-end components, that can be a problem with the NH-U12S as there are no LED's, bright colors or extravagant shapes here, everything is primarily designed to be functional and not ostentatious.

Final Thoughts

Noctua is quickly becoming one of my favorite manufacturers when it comes to cooling off your computer, they combine great performance with tons of extras and cutting-edge technology at an affordable price ($66 on Amazon.com). Their products are not only some of the best but also some of the most consistent as well, with each new version they improve on almost every single aspect of their products, always keeping the end-consumer in mind.

Noctua wants to show and prove to everyone that they are among the best when it comes to air cooling solutions, so far I would say they have succeeded as the NH-U12S is highly recommended.

The Good

-Amazing cooling performance

-Very silent

-Packaging

-6 year warranty

-Versatile

The Bad

-Visual design is not for everyone

Thanks to Noctua for providing the review sample

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