- Review -

28.04.2014 Play3r.net

So now that the Noctua NH-D15 has been on the test bench, is it worthy of even being considered in the same league as the old stalwart D14 has been in for the past 4 years? Have Noctua stepped up their game and gone above and beyond? Well in terms of performance, the Noctua NH-D15 is the best overall CPU cooler we have ever tested here at Play3r and not only does it show in the graphs, but it remains one of the quietest also. With its 2 x Noctua Premium NF-A15 fans equipped, it was always going to be an interesting match and whatever Noctua have done with the heat pipes/fins has clearly worked. It surpasses the older D14 by a couple of degrees and even beats the super Phanteks/Thermalright coolers making it the top dog for air cooling; on our i7 4770k of course. Aside from the cooling performance, one of the sublime things about Noctua coolers is the very easy and straight forward mounting kit that comes supplied; I haven’t come across an easier one so far with all the coolers I have tested personally putting Noctua in a good stead for those who like to avoid fiddly parts. The acoustic performance is average but given the sheer size of the cooler (165mm tall) and the fact it comes supplied with 2 monster fans, it could be considered a great thing as the Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E is a damned sight louder in comparison.

"The Noctua NH-D15 not only currently sits top of the pile, but it screams and oozes class while doing so. You will be hard pushed to find any air CPU cooler that can topple this and Noctua really deserve credit for producing a monsterous enthusiast grade cooler worthy of editor’s choice." (Gavin Bonshor, Play3r.net)