- Review -

14.04.2014 Modders-Inc.com

Although the Phanteks TC-14PE is older, its massive 5x 8mm heatpipes and powerful pair of 140mm fans at 1400 RPM are a force to be reckoned with. The NH-D15 has smaller 6mm heatpipes but has six of them across a wider surface, plus aided by a pair of NF-A15 fans, the performance of the two are very close. Ultimately, the NH-D15 takes the top spot among all the dual-tower air coolers, beating the Phanteks TC-14PE by a narrow margin and even matches the Nepton 140XL with its 2200 RPM fans in 4.4GHz load average. The previous NH-D14 has trailed behind even the slim NH-U14S and could not cope with the overclocked FPU only loads as easily as the NH-D15 did.

"Out of all the top three tested however, the Noctua NH-D15 has an advantage in terms of having a lower sound profile and a far simpler yet effective installation procedure. The NH-D15 also has the advantage of a 6-year warranty, the longest offered by any CPU cooler manufacturer. For this, the Noctua NH-D15 earns the Modders-Inc Must Have Award." (Ron Perillo, Modders-Inc.com)