- Review -

11.06.2014 OverclockersClub.com

When we put the overclocked power to the Haswell 4770K and it cranks out the heat, the D15 continues to put out some impressive numbers. In fact, the D15 again moves to the head of the pack. When overclocked and with dual fans, it is a full 3 degrees cooler than the AIO (All In One) liquid cooled Nepton 280L and 6 degrees cooler than Noctua's original contender, the D14. As for the acoustics, one thing I have noticed with almost all of the liquid coolers I have tested is that when the fans spool up, you know it. But with the Noctua units, the fans are just so quite even at full speed, you almost wonder if you forgot to start the CPU stress test. [...] For years the NH-D14 was the King of the Hill, but move over D14, there is a new King in town and he comes from the same DNA. At a list price of $99.99 in the U.S., the NH-D15 is indeed toward the upper range of what most people will spend on a cooling solution for their computer, but for that price you get a reliable cooler that delivers high performance and beats everything I have tested. I have to say I was really surprised at how well the D15 performs. Add to that the memory compatibility, ease of installation, and quiet operation and I have a hard time finding any faults. In fact, I couldn't find any. The engineering that went into the D15 sure paid off. After you test coolers for a while, you think you have seen it all. How many more degrees can anyone shave off? You get to where you can look at a cooler and before you ever install it, you have a feel for where the thermal numbers will probably fall, and usually I am fairly close. Well, Noctua has proven that you can still find ways to push the Mercury a little farther down the thermometer.

"I have to admit that I have always been a fan of liquid cooling and I was somewhat in denial that an air cooler could knock my liquid cooler off the throne. There is just something about the "Wow" factor of a liquid-cooled system. But the D15 has me reconsidering my viewpoint. It can truly handle the heat, and it does it quietly. Clearly, Noctua has a real winner with the NH-D15." (Chris Dawalt, OverclockersClub.com)