- Review -

15.04.2014 hardCOREware.net

Once we overclock the CPU, the minimum score becomes 80.25 celsius, ranging up to 86. At this point, we know that the NH-D15 is indeed an improvement over the NH-D14, and outperforms almost everything in its price range. The only one that comes close is the Phanteks TC14PE (which seems to perform much better on LGA 1150 CPUs compared to LGA 2011, as it has really leaped up our charts from its previous position), but that cooler isn’t without its issues (this test unit is actually falling apart, and I’m not sure how much longer I can test with it. It performs fine though, as you can see). For our noise level tests, we used a decibel meter placed 7cm from the side of each heatsink, ensuring that scores aren’t affected by windflow directly on the microphone. Our meter only goes down to 50 dB, but anything below that from 7cm can be considered extremely quiet. [...] The numbers are certainly more clear, especially when comparing similar products. For instance, both the ThermoLab BARAM 2010 (review upcoming) and the NH-U12S use the same fans, and thus have the same decibel level. However, the U12S had a delta T about 5% lower, so when noise is taken into consideration, the CoolingMark score is 5% lower as well, and much clearer. Similarly, we can look at the NH-D15 and the Phanteks TC14PE, both of which had the same delta temperature. However, the Phanteks is much louder, so again its score reflects this.

"So there you have it – the NH-D15 is tied for the highest performing air cooler we have ever tested, as it comes out of the box. It is even more impressive when you consider the noise level – other coolers may match it, but you pay for that with added noise." (Carl Nelson, hardCOREware.net)