# Noctua NH-D15 Club



## Capt

*Members:*

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en&hl=en&key=0AnED7x1yTS7qdGpmbnRKZUVjTkRRVWJHT2t3Tk1GOUE&output=html&widget=true

*Signature:*

[OCN] Noctua NH-D15 Club

[OCN] Noctua NH-D15 Club


----------



## Capt

reserved for future stuff.


----------



## mav451

Haha here I am Googling for a update on the price (because of Robilar's post about 50mins ago) and then I stumble on this.


----------



## doyll

ehume started a thread yesterday.. like over 30 hours ago.. for NH-D15.
www.overclock.net/t/1480290/nh-d15/0_20
You even posted on it. What's this one all about?








http://www.overclock.net/t/1480290/nh-d15/0_20#post_22082242
Now you use [Offical]







and start another one. On what authority do you make this one more "official" than ehume's ???
Hopefully a mod will merge this one into ehume's.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> ehume started a thread yesterday.. like over 30 hours ago.. for NH-D15.
> www.overclock.net/t/1480290/nh-d15/0_20
> You even posted on it. What's this one all about?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1480290/nh-d15/0_20#post_22082242
> Now you use [Offical]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and start another one. On what authority do you make this one more "official" than ehume's ???
> Hopefully a mod will merge this one into ehume's.


That thread is more of an announcement of the NH-D15. This thread on the other hand will be the official club of the NH-D15.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> ehume started a thread yesterday.. like over 30 hours ago.. for NH-D15.
> www.overclock.net/t/1480290/nh-d15/0_20
> You even posted on it. What's this one all about?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1480290/nh-d15/0_20#post_22082242
> Now you use [Offical]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and start another one. On what authority do you make this one more "official" than ehume's ???
> Hopefully a mod will merge this one into ehume's.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That thread is more of an announcement of the NH-D15. This thread on the other hand will be the official club of the NH-D15.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I agree with that.


----------



## doyll

I stand corrected.

Capt, please accept my apology for jumping at you the way I did.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Yeah. I agree with that.


Cool!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I stand corrected.
> 
> Capt, please accept my apology for jumping at you the way I did.


It's all cool!


----------



## Devotii

Gosh that thing is a beast!!


----------



## doyll

It definitely is bigger.
Specification differences:
NH-D15(with fans) = 165x150x161mm(H,W,D), 1320g, 2x NF-A15 PWM 1500rpm 140,2 m³/h 24.6dBA
NH-D14(with fans) = 160x140x151mm(), 1070g, NF-P14 / NF-P12 1200/1300rpm 110,3 / 92,3 m³/h 19,6 / 19,8dB(A

NH-D15 is 5x10x10mm bigger; 250g heavier; 200/300rpm faster; 40m³/h more air (guessing) and is almost 5dBA louder at full speed

There are 2 NF-A15 fans;
The 1500rpm version supplied with coolers.
And the 1200rpm one we can buy.
Deepor found this in NH-U14S manual there are two versions of A15
Quote:


> Please note that while the NF-A15 fan included with NH-U14S runs at 1500rpm, Noctua recommends using the standard 1200rpm retal version as a rear fan in push/pull mode as the combination of 1500rpm at front and 1200rpm at the rear will provide the best balance of performance and acoustics.
> 
> If you would like to run both fans at same speed, please use the supplied Low-Noise Adaptor on the front fan to reduce the speed to 1200rpm.


See here, second page, middle column; "Adding a second fan": http://noctua.at/pdf/manuals/noctua_nh_u14s_manual_en.pdf


----------



## Chunky_Chimp

Please note that clubs and threads in general can't be made official unless approved by staff; since this section still has no specific Editor, it falls on mega_option101 to decide.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Chunky_Chimp*
> 
> Please note that clubs and threads in general can't be made official unless approved by staff; since this section still has no specific Editor, it falls on mega_option101 to decide.


Ah, my bad, didn't know.


----------



## doyll

[Official] is really a joke. Fractal Design Case Club thread has over 11,000 post and is not [Official]


----------



## BoredErica

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> [Official] is really a joke. Fractal Design Case Club thread has over 11,000 post and is not [Official]


The [Official] Haswell thread is dead and the original post stopped updating BEFORE Haswell came out. My thread has 12,000+. Go figure.









I want to see D15 reviews and I want to see them now! NOW!!!!


----------



## Micko

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Specification differences:
> NH-D15(with fans) = 165x150x161mm(H,W,D), 1320g, 2x NF-A15 PWM 1500rpm 140,2 m³/h 24.6dBA
> NH-D14(with fans) = 160x140x151mm(), 1070g, NF-P14 / NF-P12 1200/1300rpm 110,3 / 92,3 m³/h 19,6 / 19,8dB(A
> 
> NH-D15 is 5x10x10mm bigger; 250g heavier; 200/300rpm faster; 40m³/h more air (guessing) and is almost 5dBA louder at full speed


Doyll can you give us a rough estimate of delta t we can expect between NH-D14 and NH-D15 ? Thanks.


----------



## mam72

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Micko*
> 
> Doyll can you give us a rough estimate of delta t we can expect between NH-D14 and NH-D15 ? Thanks.


The D15 around 1-5°C cooler, *This Is An Estimate.*


----------



## Capt

In my opinion, maybe 2-3c cooler under load compared to the NH-D14.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Micko*
> 
> Doyll can you give us a rough estimate of delta t we can expect between NH-D14 and NH-D15 ? Thanks.


I would guess it will perform better but really don't want to guess. Hopefully some will be reviewed soon.


----------



## doyll

First review of NH-D15
http://www.modders-inc.com/noctua-nh-d15-dual-tower-cpu-cooler-review/
Very similar performance to PH-TC14PE even though NH-D15 uses 1500rpm 82.52cfm NF-A15 Premium fans compared to first generation PH-TC14PE using 1300rpm 78.1cfm PH-F140TS fans. Current PH-TC14PE coolers come with 1300rpm 88.6cfm PH-F140HP fans. Assuming this review is accurate, with improved PH-F140HP fans now used on PH-TC14PE, it should easily be equal to, maybe even slightly better than NH-D15.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> First review of NH-D15
> http://www.modders-inc.com/noctua-nh-d15-dual-tower-cpu-cooler-review/
> Very similar performance to PH-TC14PE even though NH-D15 uses 1500rpm 82.52cfm NF-A15 Premium fans compared to first generation PH-TC14PE using 1300rpm 78.1cfm PH-F140TS fans. Current PH-TC14PE coolers come with 1300rpm 88.6cfm PH-F140HP fans. Assuming this review is accurate, with improved PH-F140HP fans now used on PH-TC14PE, it should easily be equal to, maybe even slightly better than NH-D15.


I added the review to the list.









Just what I thought, it's only a few Celsius better than the NH-D14 under load. I would still like to see some reviews from more popular websites before deciding if it's worth upgrading.


----------



## doyll

I will be surprised if there is even 2-3c difference between NH-D14 & NH-D15 using same fans.


----------



## Capt

Yeah, the differences in temp between them is very little. I just had high hopes for the D15 and now I'm disappointed to see it's only 2-3c better. Hopefully the D15 will force the D14 to come down on price and I think it'd be cheaper to get a NH-D14 and just buy two NF-A15s instead.


----------



## BoredErica

Why does the Noctua U14s have lower temps than the 14D, lol. (In the review)


----------



## deepor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkwizzie*
> 
> Why does the Noctua U14s have lower temps than the 14D, lol. (In the review)


Its single fan is great and comparing the amount of metal in the two coolers, there's not that big a difference and both have six heat-pipes. They might also have learned about something smart to do for the U14S design or its manufacturing in the years between D14 release and U14S release.


----------



## BoredErica

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *deepor*
> 
> Its single fan is great and comparing the amount of metal in the two coolers, there's not that big a difference and both have six heat-pipes. They might also have learned about something smart to do for the U14S design or its manufacturing in the years between D14 release and U14S release.


Still seems insane that a little cooler like that is beating my huge D14.

My head hurts.


----------



## deepor

It's a bit wider and a bit higher.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkwizzie*
> 
> Still seems insane that a little cooler like that is beating my huge D14.
> 
> My head hurts.


The U14S is much better than the D14 for a variety of reasons. It has more fins and way better fan. You can see the review here that talks about fins and fin thickness etc.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> The U14S is much better than the D14 for a variety of reasons. It has more fins and way better fan. You can see the review here that talks about fins and fin thickness etc.


Physical measurements are fine and good, but when it's all said and done and they fired up their test systgem the D14was 2c better than U14S w/ 2 fans and 6c better than U14S with single fan.


----------



## Capt

@doyll

That's true but in my opinion the U14S is the winner for one major reason. Keep this in mind, the D14 is a dual tower while the U14S is a single tower cooler that has the same performance as the D14 while being significantly smaller and weighing less. It's smarter to buy a second fan for the U14S than buy that monster of D14 that takes up too much space. I'd take the size of the U14S over the size of the D14 just because of the size and weight.


----------



## deepor

There are situations where the D14 will work but U14S won't fit, for example on an mATX board with the graphics card in the closest slot to the CPU socket and on an ITX board with graphics card. It also works alright without front fan (I'm using it like that).


----------



## doyll

NH-U14S = 165x150x52 mm costs abut $65-70.00 with poo brown fan and can't cool as good as NH-D14 SE2011
TS140P = 171x155x53.4mm costs about $55.00 with pretty black and white fan and performs as good as NH-D14 SE2011


No! It's 0.3c warmer.









But it's 2.5dBA quieter!










But back to the NH-D15. Sure would be nice to see more reviews.


----------



## Capt

The discussion started with the U14S vs D14 so out of those two, I'd take the U14S for the reasons I stated above. I know there are better coolers out there than the D14/U14S that are far cheaper but I was specifically comparing the U14S against the D14.


----------



## doyll

Okay. I was specifically comparing them both against the TRUE Spirit 140 Power.









But seriously, the NH-U14S is a very nice cooler.


----------



## Capt

Here's a second review. Updated OP!


----------



## ohhgourami

Anyone know when we can buy one? Looks like NCIX has it posted but says shipping in 1-2 weeks which we already know. Who will be the first to carry?


----------



## rpjkw11

Modders, inc. had a nice review yesterday. I came away with the impression that money spent upgrading from my DH14 and Phanteks TC14 could be better spent elsewhere. I'm NOT knocking the new DH15. Upgrading from just about any other air cooler would be worthwhile. I'm a big Noctua fan (no pun intended) and the only reason I'm using Phanteks is because I decided to go with a color scheme, blue in my case, just to try my hand at sleeving cables. BTW, never again; I'll buy them ready sleeved next time. But the single color idea is a good one as evidenced by so many creative enthusiasts.

I do, however, want to buy one of these coolers anyway.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> Anyone know when we can buy one? Looks like NCIX has it posted but says shipping in 1-2 weeks which we already know. Who will be the first to carry?


I'm waiting for Amazon to start selling it because I have a $200 gift card on it.


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> Anyone know when we can buy one? Looks like NCIX has it posted but says shipping in 1-2 weeks which we already know. Who will be the first to carry?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> I'm waiting for Amazon to start selling it because I have a $200 gift card on it.


You won't have to wait long... they're physically within the Amazon warehouses right now, and should be listed this week (via Fulfillment by Amazon).


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BeAuMaN*
> 
> You won't have to wait long... they're physically within the Amazon warehouses right now, and should be listed this week (via Fulfillment by Amazon).


You just created an account to say that? Damn, that's nice!


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BeAuMaN*
> 
> You won't have to wait long... they're physically within the Amazon warehouses right now, and should be listed this week (via Fulfillment by Amazon).


Very good insight! Rep to you.


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> You just created an account to say that? Damn, that's nice!


Well, I was following the status of this cooler. I'm building my PC this week, and I had ordered a NH-D14 from Amazon originally, though they sent me a NH-U9B SE2 by accident. Instead of simply returning it, I decided to call the Amazon Fulfillment vendor directly... and asked them about the NH-D15, since I had to return my cooler anyway, and they said it was already in the warehouse, just waiting to be listed.

Anyhow, I lurk here plenty, so I thought I'd pass this along to others that have been waiting in anticipation







. Amazon will be upgrading my order for it to 1-day shipping, so I still may be able to finish this computer by the end of the week, depending on when they list it. Else I'll just toss the stock cooler on and install next weekend.


----------



## BoredErica

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BeAuMaN*
> 
> Well, I was following the status of this cooler. I'm building my PC this week, and I had ordered a NH-D14 from Amazon originally, though they sent me a NH-U9B SE2 by accident. Instead of simply returning it, I decided to call the Amazon Fulfillment vendor directly... and asked them about the NH-D15, since I had to return my cooler anyway, and they said it was already in the warehouse, just waiting to be listed.
> 
> Anyhow, I lurk here plenty, so I thought I'd pass this along to others that have been waiting in anticipation
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . Amazon will be upgrading my order for it to 1-day shipping, so I still may be able to finish this computer by the end of the week, depending on when they list it. Else I'll just toss the stock cooler on and install next weekend.


I thought you were like an Amazon insider or something.


----------



## Capt

I found another review. Use Google Translate because it's not in English.

http://www.mod-your-case.de/index.php?forum2-showposts2-508


----------



## doyll

So the NH-D15 isn't any cooler than other top cooler but is quieter.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> So the NH-D15 isn't any cooler than other top cooler but is quieter.


It ought to be quieter -- the A15 is quieter than the P14 while putting out the same airflow (115.5 m³/h for A15, 110.3 for the P14). The blades ought to give it higher static pressure, as well.

Is it worth $10 more? Dunno.

Can you get your D14 to perform like a D15? Yes -- buy two NF-A15's and make sure your RAM is low profile.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> It ought to be quieter -- the A15 is quieter than the P14 while putting out the same airflow (115.5 m³/h for A15, 110.3 for the P14). The blades ought to give it higher static pressure, as well.
> 
> Is it worth $10 more? Dunno.
> 
> Can you get your D14 to perform like a D15? Yes -- buy two NF-A15's and make sure your RAM is low profile.


I guess I'll be the one to do the comparison then. The D15 just has to be released though...


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> I guess I'll be the one to do the comparison then. The D15 just has to be released though...


I can't wait, my $200 Amazon gift card waits patiently by my side.


----------



## doyll

ChipLoco review is out. Again no big deal. 0.6c cooler than 14PE which has PH-F140TS 1200rpm fans.


http://www.chiploco.com/noctua-nh-d15-review-33440/5/

They changed test systems last year. Original 14PE testing 17/05/12 was on i7 [email protected] and NH-D15 is on [email protected] .5GHz. Can't find anything about retesting on new system. No idea how the 14PE.

14PE and NH-D14 are 3c different at 28c ambient in original review while above they are 6.1c different. 
http://www.chiploco.com/phanteks-ph-tc14pe-cpu-cooler-review-12761/6/


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> I guess I'll be the one to do the comparison then. The D15 just has to be released though...


I keep wondering what's taking so long. They put up the basic sales page a couple days ago iirc, yet it's still not in stock:
http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-heatpipe-NF-A15-140mm-NH-D15/dp/B00JJY25NI/ref=gfix-submit-correction-product-detail


Refreshing has yielded no results thus far


----------



## doyll

Maybe they didn't want orders to pile up over Easter break?


----------



## Capt

Added ChipLoco's review to OP. I see that it's only a tiny bit better than the 14PE which is disappointing.

Here's another review. It seems to be 1c cooler than the Cryorig R1 Ultimate under load.


----------



## BeAuMaN

Welp, I inquired again, and I got a different result. Below is the e-mail, removing some comments on the similarities to the NH-D14. I apologize if I might have lead you astray:
Quote:


> Hi (BeAuMaN),
> 
> Regarding the NH-D15 it would not be sold until at least 30 days later.
> 
> The stock has not been released yet in noctua's manufacturer overseas. Top 30 days on top of it for shipping, +1 week going to Amazon's warehouse, the time would be roughly 40 days.
> 
> Until then, no one would be able to sell this unit unfortunately.
> ...
> ...
> 
> Hope this helps..
> 
> (Name Withheld)


Not sure If this is more correct than the previous person I talked to on the phone. I did inform them though what the other person had told me. Anyone else want to ask around to confirm this?


----------



## Neo Zuko

Ah, the days I lusted after heatsinks before I lusted after watercooling parts...


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BeAuMaN*
> 
> Welp, I inquired again, and I got a different result. Below is the e-mail, removing some comments on the similarities to the NH-D14. I apologize if I might have lead you astray:
> Not sure If this is more correct than the previous person I talked to on the phone. I did inform them though what the other person had told me. Anyone else want to ask around to confirm this?


So we have to wait another 30+ days? crap.


----------



## Faithh

All of the reviews we've seen are just bad. I can't really understand how the NH-u14/12s is on par with a nh-d14/15 when there's a 10° difference in this test http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/noctua_nh-u14s_review/5. I couldn't keep the temps below 90° before hitting the thermtrip in small fft's with a [email protected] with 1.35V.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> Anyone know when we can buy one? Looks like NCIX has it posted but says shipping in 1-2 weeks which we already know. Who will be the first to carry?


Now. I can buy one from the netherlands they have it in stock.

This shop has them in stock and ships everywhere in the EU: http://i.imgur.com/Jutg2zK.png & http://i.imgur.com/LvHgJ59.png


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Faithh*
> 
> All of the reviews we've seen are just bad. I can't really understand how the NH-u14/12s is on par with a nh-d14/15 when there's a 10° difference in this test http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/noctua_nh-u14s_review/5. I couldn't keep the temps below 90° before hitting the thermtrip in small fft's with a [email protected] with 1.35V.


If a single-tower heatsink is really well made, it should keep up with the big boys until . . . until it runs out of heat-shedding power. If the U14 is as well made as other Noctua products, we should see exactly that. It is only at the higher OC's that tandem tower heatsinks really come into their own.

The problem comes when you have a CPU that runs up against its limits before the heatsink runs up against its own limit. My Haswell has that problem. I can get it to run stable at 4.7 GHz. But when I crank up AVX2, the core temps skyrocket in seconds, no matter which cooler I use. There is a gap between the cpu's silicon chip and the IHS, and the TIM is not good enough to bridge it.

I have not seen any reviews where the U14 and any of the tandem towers (D14, D15, Phanteks, Silver Arrow, etc etc) have been tested on 2011 cpu's like the Ivy Bridge - E, where there is not TIM but solder. Only there will you see the tandem tower heatsinks really show their stuff.

If the Devils Canyon Haswell refresh has solder instead of TIM, I will get one. Otherwise, we can wait for the Haswell-E that comes out later this year and hope that someone does a heatsink comparison using it.

I am not impressed with the current reviews I have seen. I am willing to look at some more, if they have cpu's that fully tax the heatsinks.


----------



## Faithh

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I have not seen any reviews where the U14 and any of the tandem towers (D14, D15, Phanteks, Silver Arrow, etc etc) have been tested on 2011 cpu's like the Ivy Bridge - E, where there is not TIM but solder. Only there will you see the tandem tower heatsinks really show their stuff.
> I am not impressed with the current reviews I have seen. I am willing to look at some more, if they have cpu's that fully tax the heatsinks.


You won't really expect me to link Haswell/Ivy bridge benchmarks. The oc3d link I posted tested a [email protected] so. Anyone who buys a nh-d14/d15 for Haswell/Ivy is doing it wrong unless you want to fill the empty space in your case up.

Their singletower coolers are impressive, literally the best out and honestly it destroys any 120mm AIO, my enermax 120x (silverstone oem TD02) isn't doing better.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I am not impressed with the current reviews I have seen. I am willing to look at some more, if they have cpu's that fully tax the heatsinks.


Half of them don't even know how to apply thermal paste properly. Spreading it out, doing line method or using way too much. This is how much you really need for S2011: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pC7fdhet5qA/TUOwll2SXUI/AAAAAAAAA_M/PdkYX0EUBsw/s1600/dollop.jpg

They still fail to pick the right cpu out, it's so stupid to use haswell cpu's


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Faithh*
> 
> This shop has them in stock and ships everywhere in the EU: http://i.imgur.com/Jutg2zK.png & http://i.imgur.com/LvHgJ59.png


Well, looking at a list of .nl sites, this one seems to ship abroad (Read: United States), but you'll pay a premium for it: http://www.alternate.nl/html/product/information/page.html?articleId=1136477&channel_code=57&product_code=92580632&utm_source=hardware

Also this place in the UK: http://www.quietpc.com/nh-d15


----------



## Capt

Noctua said the D15 will be available by mid April but I guess not. I think we're looking at early May now.


----------



## doyll

Most reviewers use case systems to test in with room ambient as base temp, but *do not monitor cooler intake air temp*








Room temperature is really worthless. It's the temperature of air going in to cooler that is important, not what the room temperature is.








Their tests results are how well *their system* is cooling in their room.
I don't have *their system* or *their* room.
I could care less how well *their syste*m cools.
I want to know how well the cooler being tested cools.

Just changing coolers in a system usually changes the case airflow and therefor cooler intake air temp... Changing cooler fans does too.


----------



## cpmee

Quote:


> Room temperature is really worthless. It's the temperature of air going in to cooler that is important, not what the room temperature is.


Agreed, delta change of cpu temp over motherboard temp is a better, easier and more consistent measurement IMO. Of course the problem with that is that the mobo thermistor is located in different places on different mobos, so the mobo would have to be the same for comparisons.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpmee*
> 
> Agreed, delta change of cpu temp over motherboard temp is a better, easier and more consistent measurement IMO. Of course the problem with that is that the mobo thermistor is located in different places on different mobos, so the mobo would have to be the same for comparisons.


So motherboard temp cannot be used universally for testing.

So we are back to monitoring the air temp going into cooler.

It's simple.
It's cheap.
It gives an accurate baseline temp for all testers to use to determine a delta temp
All that is needed is a cheapo digital
indoor / outdoor wired remote sensor thermometer. A piece of stiff wire on last 23cm with a clamp to hold it. All insulated so cannot short out to anything.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Faithh*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I have not seen any reviews where the U14 and any of the tandem towers (D14, D15, Phanteks, Silver Arrow, etc etc) have been tested on 2011 cpu's like the Ivy Bridge - E, where there is not TIM but solder. Only there will you see the tandem tower heatsinks really show their stuff.
> I am not impressed with the current reviews I have seen. I am willing to look at some more, if they have cpu's that fully tax the heatsinks.
> 
> 
> 
> You won't really expect me to link Haswell/Ivy bridge benchmarks. The oc3d link I posted tested a [email protected] so. Anyone who buys a nh-d14/d15 for Haswell/Ivy is doing it wrong unless you want to fill the empty space in your case up.
> 
> Their singletower coolers are impressive, literally the best out and honestly it destroys any 120mm AIO, my enermax 120x (silverstone oem TD02) isn't doing better.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I am not impressed with the current reviews I have seen. I am willing to look at some more, if they have cpu's that fully tax the heatsinks.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Half of them don't even know how to apply thermal paste properly. Spreading it out, doing line method or using way too much. This is how much you really need for S2011: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pC7fdhet5qA/TUOwll2SXUI/AAAAAAAAA_M/PdkYX0EUBsw/s1600/dollop.jpg
> 
> They still fail to pick the right cpu out, it's so stupid to use haswell cpu's
Click to expand...

Thank you for pointing out the OC3D again. I had not noticed they are using Ivy-E. That said, their delta temps look suspiciously low. Now, is it my imagination, or on the 4.4GHz test in that last chart, is the D14 running 10c cooler than the U14 (44.33c delta vs 54.1c)?


----------



## cpmee

Quote:


> So we are back to monitoring the air temp going into cooler.
> 
> It's simple.
> It's cheap.
> It gives an accurate baseline temp for all testers to use to determine a delta temp


As long as the same digital thermometer and its placement is used for all tests. Any of the common thermometers have an accuracy of +/- 2F at best or could be much worse.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpmee*
> 
> As long as the same digital thermometer and its placement is used for all tests. Any of the common thermometers have an accuracy of +/- 2F at best or could be much worse.


Accuracy of ±02f is ±1℃, and that is as accurate as room thermometers and motherboards are. I figure at least ±2c for most reviews.


----------



## KipH

Hi all. Just sub'ing and will be joining. I have my NH-D15 sitting here next to me now. What do you want to see? I am going to unbox video then install. Anything else?

Oh ya. It will be the heart of my new build, I got ideas! Or voices in my head, they have ideas, I must obey.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kip69*
> 
> Hi all. Just sub'ing and will be joining. I have my NH-D14 sitting here next to me now. What do you want to see? I am going to unbox video then install. Anything else?
> 
> Oh ya. It will be the heart of my new build, I got ideas! Or voices in my head, they have ideas, I must obey.


Want to run that by me one more time?


----------



## KipH

You are right. Darn typo. 15. I mean D15


----------



## Neo Zuko

Just don't argue with yourself... That's a hard one to win.


----------



## Elohim

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Most reviewers use case systems to test in with room ambient as base temp, but *do not monitor cooler intake air temp*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Room temperature is really worthless. It's the temperature of air going in to cooler that is important, not what the room temperature is.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Their tests results are how well *their system* is cooling in their room.
> I don't have *their system* or *their* room.
> I could care less how well *their syste*m cools.
> I want to know how well the cooler being tested cools.
> 
> Just changing coolers in a system usually changes the case airflow and therefor cooler intake air temp... Changing cooler fans does too.


You are overstating that effect quiet a bit though i would say. It's just one of many factors that makes cooler testing very tricky and vague in general.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Elohim*
> 
> You are overstating that effect quiet a bit though i would say. It's just one of many factors that makes cooler testing very tricky and vague in general.


I don't think I am. Mostly because it is a large variable that can easily be removed from the list of many tricky and vague factors. This one variable would make a big difference, but that's only my opinion.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kip69*
> 
> You are right. Darn typo. 15. I mean D15


If you can do a direct comparison to the D14 using the same fans!


----------



## ehume

I used to measure ambient temps at the heatsink intake. However, I stopped doing that when when I was testing the Noctua NH-L12. I found wildly varying net temps. But when I looked at the results, I was getting consistent top temps. It was the ambient that was all over the map. Since I was comparing it with the NH-D14, I looked at the ambients at the intake for that as well. I was unhappy with the variance. Now I measure ambient temps in true ambient -- hanging down from my workbench. I am much happier with the consistency I get.

No longer do I trust ambient temps measured at the heatsink's input.


----------



## KipH

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> If you can do a direct comparison to the D14 using the same fans!


Oh. That is a good sugestion. Unfortunately, I have only a NH-U12S and NH-U14S (using the NH-U14s right now, its great, but as I have that great Samsung low profile ram, not the best choice









I'll try to trade to get a D14 for, say a NH-U12S?







Good idea.


----------



## Faithh

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kip69*
> 
> Oh. That is a good sugestion. Unfortunately, I have only a NH-U12S and NH-U14S (using the NH-U14s right now, its great, but as I have that great Samsung low profile ram, not the best choice
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll try to trade to get a D14 for, say a NH-U12S?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good idea.


Seeing that you got a 3930K, lovely but could you please compare it with prime95? So take small FFT's, then select custom and use for the min & max FFT 16 and use 20mins for each FFT. Just to have more accurate results


----------



## KipH

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Faithh*
> 
> Seeing that you got a 3930K, lovely but could you please compare it with prime95? So take small FFT's, then select custom and use for the min & max FFT 16 and use 20mins for each FFT. Just to have more accurate results


You got it. That is exactly what I need to know to look for


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I used to measure ambient temps at the heatsink intake. However, I stopped doing that when when I was testing the Noctua NH-L12. I found wildly varying net temps. But when I looked at the results, I was getting consistent top temps. It was the ambient that was all over the map. Since I was comparing it with the NH-D14, I looked at the ambients at the intake for that as well. I was unhappy with the variance. Now I measure ambient temps in true ambient -- hanging down from my workbench. I am much happier with the consistency I get.
> 
> No longer do I trust ambient temps measured at the heatsink's input.


With that logic if the CPU readings were not to our liking we could monitor the temp of something else instead..









The reason the NH-L12 intake temps were varying so much is because the cooler was circulating it's own heated exhaust back into it's intake. Common problem with down flow / pancake coolers. The cooler exhaust is deflected out by motherboard, back up around cooler by RAM, GPU, I/O housings, etc, and is drawn in by cooler intake fan.

Reversing the fan and drawing air away from motherboard with this style cooler usually results in lower CPU and motherboard component temps.


----------



## ladcrooks

I have an old NOCTUA SE1366 NH-U12P on my i7920 - couldn't be any more happier. Great products


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I used to measure ambient temps at the heatsink intake. However, I stopped doing that when when I was testing the Noctua NH-L12. I found wildly varying net temps. But when I looked at the results, I was getting consistent top temps. It was the ambient that was all over the map. Since I was comparing it with the NH-D14, I looked at the ambients at the intake for that as well. I was unhappy with the variance. Now I measure ambient temps in true ambient -- hanging down from my workbench. I am much happier with the consistency I get.
> 
> No longer do I trust ambient temps measured at the heatsink's input.
> 
> 
> 
> With that logic if the CPU readings were not to our liking we could monitor the temp of something else instead..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The reason the NH-L12 intake temps were varying so much is because the cooler was circulating it's own heated exhaust back into it's intake. Common problem with down flow / pancake coolers. The cooler exhaust is deflected out by motherboard, back up around cooler by RAM, GPU, I/O housings, etc, and is drawn in by cooler intake fan.
> 
> Reversing the fan and drawing air away from motherboard with this style cooler usually results in lower CPU and motherboard component temps.
Click to expand...

While I agree with you on that, my further explorations led me to separate my USB thermometer's temp-reading head as far from heatsinks as possible.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> While I agree with you on that, my further explorations led me to separate my USB thermometer's temp-reading head as far from heatsinks as possible.


The NH-L12 intake air temp was changing dependent on exhaust air mixing into intake air. Using a different temp does not change the reality that the intake air temp increased the harder it worked. The cooling ability was the same, but the air temp going into cooler increased thus increasing CPU temp.

As an analogy let us consider the test room as a house with central heating, the computer case as the lounge, the CPU & cooler as the fireplace and the GPU as a space heater.

The house thermostat is set at 23c and all rooms are 23c. We light the fireplace and turn on space heater in lounge and lounge gets heats up; to 28c while rest of house is still 23c.
This means if we are reading temps from a computer in the lounge the CPU is now going to be 5c hotter than if coputer was in any other room in the house. Are we going to say the lounge is 23c instead of the 28c it actually is because the rest of house is 23c?
Than say the CPU cooler does not cool as well as well in the lounge as it does in the rest of the house because it is 5c hotter?
I'm not going to say that.








I'll say the cooler cools the same in lounge as rest of house but is 5c hotter because lounge is 5c hotter.








Same as computer case / cooler intake air temp compared to room temp.
I want to know what the cooler's actual cooling ability is, and if there is a problem with how it circulates air I want to know that too.


----------



## UnknownPlayer

Too bad it isn't priced like the old model, I'm sticking to my NH-U14S


----------



## ladcrooks

that's what i like, a good review and without a doubt it can stand against water cooling. I myself like to keep water and electric separate.

thanks for the post and thread


----------



## kaistledine

heres mine !


----------



## Capt

^ I think you are in the wrong thread. This is for the NH-D15.


----------



## kaistledine

haha my mistake !


----------



## Capt

For people who cannot wait until it's released, the NH-D15 is currently being sold on eBay for a premium price and it ships from Italy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Noctua-NH-D15-Dissipatore-CPU-NH-D15-/121322215400?pt=Ventole_per_PC_e_Server&hash=item1c3f5e17e8


----------



## KipH

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> For people who cannot wait until it's released, the NH-D15 is currently being sold on eBay for a premium price and it ships from Italy.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Noctua-NH-D15-Dissipatore-CPU-NH-D15-/121322215400?pt=Ventole_per_PC_e_Server&hash=item1c3f5e17e8


$150? That sounds like the regular price in EU, they are always + 50% on the US price









I am loving mine. Its like a D14 improved with all the good things of the U14s + better ram room. Brilliant cooler.
Video soon.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kip69*
> 
> $150? That sounds like the regular price in EU, they are always + 50% on the US price
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am loving mine. Its like a D14 improved with all the good things of the U14s + better ram room. Brilliant cooler.
> 
> Video soon.


Sorry, but you are mistaken.

NH-D15 price
in Great Britain is £74.60, is $125.45 (inc. 20% VAT)
in Germany € 99,38, that is $137.49 (inc. 19% VAT)
in France is € 70,63, which is $97.72(inc. 20% VAT)
in Spain is € 89,28, which is $123.52(inc. 21% VAT)

All prices are each country's Amazon website. Italian Amazon does not have NH-D15 available.

Edit:
I have heard from people that Alternate.de will sell outside of EU and are reputable.
http://www.alternate.de/Noctua/NH-D15-CPU-K%C3%BChler/html/product/1136477?


----------



## KipH

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Sorry, but you are mistaken.
> 
> NH-D15 price
> in Great Britain is £74.60, is $125.45 (inc. 20% VAT)
> in Germany € 99,38, that is $137.49 (inc. 19% VAT)
> in France is € 70,63, which is $97.72(inc. 20% VAT)
> in Spain is € 89,28, which is $123.52(inc. 21% VAT)
> 
> All prices are each country's Amazon website. Italian Amazon does not have NH-D15 available.
> 
> Edit:
> I have heard from people that Alternate.de will sell outside of EU and are reputable.
> http://www.alternate.de/Noctua/NH-D15-CPU-K%C3%BChler/html/product/1136477?


And 113 is a tiny bit more than those. If you need pay vat on top, not so tiny. 14 Euro premium is not bad at. This time.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kip69*
> 
> And 113 is a tiny bit more than those. If you need pay vat on top, not so tiny. 14 Euro premium is not bad at. This time.


No idea what 113 is all about.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by Kip69 View Post
> 
> $150? That sounds like the regular price in EU, they are *always + 50% on the US price*


Europe is not *always + 50% on the US price*.









EU prices are $104.54, $115.53, $81.43 and $102.08 which averages out to $100.90..
In fact they are usually similar. Considering MSRP is € 89.90 and $99.90.. € 89.90 is $124.38 and if we subtract the 20% VAT we end up with $103.96.. Which is *only + 3.75% more than US price*... Far different than your U]*always + 50% on the US price*[/U] statement.


----------



## KipH

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> No idea what 113 is all about.


Did you click the Ebay link? I think you are off on a tangent.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Europe is not *always + 50% on the US price*.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EU prices are $104.54, $115.53, $81.43 and $102.08 ...


Thats called hyperbole, and you are being pedantic. Good day sir.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kip69*
> 
> Thats called hyperbole, and you are being pedantic. Good day sir.


No, that is at the very least a gross exaggeration of the actual prices.. or simply total ignorance of what actual prices are.
Either way it is false information that some viewers of our fine forum may believe is truth and should not be posted by you or anyone else.

Considering your avatar you should go out of your way to post truth, not false information.

Edit:
Pedantic or not, my opinion is you just can't admit you mistakenly thought prices in Europe were 150% of USA prices.


----------



## crowTrobot

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Faithh*
> 
> All of the reviews we've seen are just bad. I can't really understand how the NH-u14/12s is on par with a nh-d14/15 when there's a 10° difference in this test http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/noctua_nh-u14s_review/5. I couldn't keep the temps below 90° before hitting the thermtrip in small fft's with a [email protected] with 1.35V.


You are not factoring in gravity and heatsink mounting.

The NH-D15 review was on open air test bench horizontally, making all heatsinks perform on par since gravity is not a factor with the heatpipes.

Same site review of Nepton 140XL with a U14S and D14: http://www.modders-inc.com/cooler-master-nepton-140xl-cooler-review/4/

Notice how the temp differences in their 3960X are closer to the Overclock3d.net result? Both were done inside tower cases, Switch 810 and Overclock3d.net's CM Trooper

Methodology, CPU used, internal ambient with fans, etc. is different between the Modders-Inc Nepton 140XL review and the NH-D15 review as well, but you can still see how temp is affected by the orientation of the cooler.


----------



## doyll

Gravity has no affect. Cooler intake air temperature versus room ambient / case intake air temp does have a significant difference. Room ambient / case intake temperature versus the actual temp of air going into cooler varies dramatically. even on open bench testing... and much more when testing is in a case.

Nepton 140XL has a huge advantage when tested in a case against air coolers compared to open bench testing because it expels it's heated exhaust outside of the case.. meaning it 's heated exhaust does not heat up the case air like air cooler do in most cases.. no pun. Cases can be setup so air coolers do not increase case air temp. But reviewers / testers don't even monitor case air temp and even more importantly the temperature of air going into the cooler.


----------



## deepor

I also never heard of gravity having an effect on the heat-pipes of tower style coolers. I only heard that gravity can break the top-down coolers with the C-shaped heat-pipes. But even for those it only means that they have to be installed in a certain orientation to work right.


----------



## doyll

Pretty sure that was with the NH-C14 with the ends of heatpipes pointing down with the 'U' shape of the pipes upside down. All other positions work fine.


----------



## specopsFI

Hi,

Vortez has posted a review using 3930k @4.6GHz:

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/noctua_nh_d15_review,9.html

However for me, the most interesting part is the passive testing of the heatsinks with the CPU at stock:



The difference between the NH-D14 and NH-D15 heatsink seems to be 1.7 degrees. Also shows why the twin tower models are still the best for SB-E/IV-E: the NH-U14S failed that test while both the Noctua twin tower models still had headroom to spare.


----------



## doyll

i notice David is monitoring the intake fan temp instead of room ambient... but the case intake fans, not cooler intakes.







Quote:


> *Testing methodology*
> Testing will be based on temperatures recorded by Real Temp after 20 passes of LinX stress test. The maximum absolute temperatures will be recorded after the test and averaged over the 6 cores. The delta is then calculated by subtracting the *temperature recorded near the intake fans* from the average temperature calculated. Tests are conducted with the Intel i7 3930K at its default 3.6GHz stock speed and overclocked to 4.6GHz @ 1.42V. The tests are done inside the Corsair Carbide 500R chassis to simulate real world conditions. To keep the tests standardised we are using Noctua's NT-H1 thermal paste on all coolers.


Also wonder about the 'average temperature'. Is it from start of test or after temps stabilize? Case air temp can take 5-10 minutes to stabilize, sometime even longer. Using temperature readings before temps stabilize will result in lower intake temperature average than it really is.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> i notice David is monitoring the intake fan temp instead of room ambient... but the case intake fans, not cooler intakes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also wonder about the 'average temperature'. Is it from start of test or after temps stabilize? Case air temp can take 5-10 minutes to stabilize, sometime even longer. Using temperature readings before temps stabilize will result in lower intake temperature average than it really is.


I completely agree with this. I never liked Vortez's testing methodology anyway. When I have done my own testing in the past, I have noticed that it takes a very long time for case temps to stabilize after a heavy overlock (4.5Ghz+ with 3960X).


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> i notice David is monitoring the intake fan temp instead of room ambient... but the case intake fans, not cooler intakes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also wonder about the 'average temperature'. Is it from start of test or after temps stabilize? Case air temp can take 5-10 minutes to stabilize, sometime even longer. Using temperature readings before temps stabilize will result in lower intake temperature average than it really is.
> 
> 
> 
> I completely agree with this. I never liked Vortez's testing methodology anyway. When I have done my own testing in the past, I have noticed that it takes a very long time for case temps to stabilize after a heavy overlock (4.5Ghz+ with 3960X).
Click to expand...

I agree with Capt. My own thermometer logger keeps track of the temp every five seconds. At the end of each session, I sum it and average it. I do the same for my core temps. The delta-T is reliable -- I can reproduce the temps over and over.

Just eye-balling ambients just gets you within a few degrees. I trust the results to be accurate only within 2-3 degrees or so.


----------



## doyll

Indeed. He's also using case intake air temp not cooler intake. How do I know this? Because all the H100 coolers score better than top air. SA SB-E E is 3-8c cooler than H100 series coolers









Here is top air up to 8c better than H100i


----------



## blahblah5577

I just got mine a few days ago, and I love it so far. Makes a huge difference, this is my first build, and a buddy of mine helped me to pick out all the parts.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blahblah5577*
> 
> I just got mine a few days ago, and I love it so far. Makes a huge difference, this is my first build, and a buddy of mine helped me to pick out all the parts.


You better read the thread title again...


----------



## blahblah5577

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> You better read the thread title again...


Oops, you are right, I am off by a number. Thanks.


----------



## rpjkw11

ARGH!!!!! I have a blue Phanteks TC-14PE and a Noctua DH-14. But I want the -D15, too. I received the new white EP last week, so I'm planning to build a second rig to make use of my black EP. I might as well buy the new -D15 for it. I'm deliberately dragging my feet waiting for the Z97 mobos and Haswell refresh to hit the streets. I'll use the new build primarily for designing and building flight simulator aircraft.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rpjkw11*
> 
> ARGH!!!!! I have a blue Phanteks TC-14PE and a Noctua DH-14. But I want the -D15, too. I received the new white EP last week, so I'm planning to build a second rig to make use of my black EP. I might as well buy the new -D15 for it. I'm deliberately dragging my feet waiting for the Z97 mobos and Haswell refresh to hit the streets. I'll use the new build primarily for designing and building flight simulator aircraft.


Why not a Cryorig R1 Ultimate?


----------



## The Wizard

You can add TTL's review on the first post:

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/noctua_nh-d15_review/1


----------



## rpjkw11

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Why not a Cryorig R1 Ultimate?


Actually, Doyll, I didn't even think about the Cryorig which, on one review, nicely kept up with the NH-D15. For performance, both are virtually the same. So, it's back to the think tank since I have plenty of time before Devil's Canyon comes out. One thing I DO want to check is the total weight, with fans, of both coolers. I'm a tad concerned about Noctua's "heavy weight", though probably needlessly.

Thanks, Doyll. There's gotta be one in every crowd.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rpjkw11*
> 
> Thanks, Doyll. There's gotta be one in every crowd.


No problem. Anything to help out a mate.








For a little more to sweeten the pot, you have PM.


----------



## Capt

What the hell is going on with Noctua, April is almost over and we can't even buy the NH-D15 yet.


----------



## Capt

This review has the majority of the premium coolers tested against the NH-D15. It shows the NH-D15 beating the TC14PE, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme and NH-D14 by 2 Celsius and beating the H100i with 3 Celsius difference.

http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-d15/1


----------



## Ice009

You can't use a video card in the first PCI-express slot with this cooler, can you?


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ice009*
> 
> You can't use a video card in the first PCI-express slot with this cooler, can you?


Nope, better buy mobo with a 1x slot first (and not use it).

I'm actually running my GPU on the lower slot anyway.


----------



## Ice009

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> Nope, better buy mobo with a 1x slot first (and not use it).
> 
> I'm actually running my GPU on the lower slot anyway.


Hmm, not a great move from Noctua then. I don't know what they were going for with this cooler. PCI-express slot compatibility is just as important as RAM compatibility IMO.

I've got a Rampage 4 Formula and am running SLI. It wouldn't work for me as the first GPU is in slot 1, sound card is in the middle and GPU 2 is just under the sound card.


----------



## deepor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ice009*
> 
> Hmm, not a great move from Noctua then. I don't know what they were going for with this cooler. PCI-express slot compatibility is just as important as RAM compatibility IMO.
> 
> I've got a Rampage 4 Formula and am running SLI. It wouldn't work for me as the first GPU is in slot 1, sound card is in the middle and GPU 2 is just under the sound card.


Yeah, I've seen a neat idea used on the new Silver Arrow IB-E with regards to that. The cooler isn't symmetrical when looking at it from the front. The heat-sink area is offset a little to one side. It leaves the very first slot on ATX free. They did this through varying the length of the heat pipes and playing with the way they are bent. That cooler's heat-sink area is still simarly sized to what's on the NH-D15, is also built for a 150mm wide fan.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> This review has the majority of the premium coolers tested against the NH-D15. It shows the NH-D15 beating the TC14PE, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme and NH-D14 by 2 Celsius and beating the H100i with 3 Celsius difference.
> 
> http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-d15/1


There are only PH-TC14PE, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme, NH-D14, Dark Rock Pro 3 and NH-U14S for comparison..
I have to question the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme showing 2c hotter than NH-D15. . With 2 more 6mm pipes and 1000rpm/42cfm more airflow it seems very strange it ends up 2c warmer. My guess is their Antec 900 was not exhausting the 130cfm of heated air coming out of cooler and as a result cooler intake air temp / case air temp was higher.

Here again we see how most tests are grossly flawed but using room ambient instead of actual temperature of air going into cooler for their baseline air temperature.









Let us look at accurate testing data based on 117-345watts of heat. Notice H100 & H100i compared to others.. and Silver Arrow SBi-E doesn't even have the Extreme TY-143 2500rpm 130cfm fans on it. Also please notice at 175w H100i is 0.4c warmer than Siolver Arrow SB-E while at 345w H100i is 3.1c cooler.

Code:



Code:


CPU Cooler Temperature Database

        Cooler                  Fans    Fan Model       RPM/CFM         345.1W  289.9W  232.1W  175.4W  117.1W   dBA*
                                                                          Temperatures    in       Celcius 
Corsair H100i                   2x SP120L               2700 / 73       23.8    20.5    17.0    13.0    9.9     54.3
Corsair H100                    2x      ?               2500 / 92       24.4    20.6    16.7    12.9    9.0     51.2
Thermalright SilverArrow SB-E   1x TY-150               1100 / 84       26.9    22.8    18.7    14.1    9.5     37.4
                                1x TY-141               1300 / 74
Noctua  NH-U14S                 1x NF-A15               1500 / 82.5     27.0    22.9    19.4    14.9    10.6    35.8
Phanteks PH-TC14PE Black        2x PH-F140              1300 / 88.6     27.4    23.5    19.2    14.1    9.9     41.3
Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro         1x T12025-MF-PWM        1500 / 67.8     28.2    25.9    20.2    16.4    11.2    38.2
                                1x T13525-MF-PWM        1700 / 57.2

* Measured at 0.5m distance
** Measured with old db meter (not accurate)

http://www.thelab.gr/heatsinks-coolers-watercooling-reviews/cpu-cooler-review-database-89014.html


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ice009*
> 
> You can't use a video card in the first PCI-express slot with this cooler, can you?


Depends on what motherboard you have. Center of CPU to top PCI-E slot distances are not all the same. PCI-E slots have standardized placements, but CPU socket does not.

Most of the top are 70mm center of CPU to top PCI-E slot, but a few are more and a few are less.
NH-D15 = 75mm
NH-D14 = 70mm
HR-22 = 70mm with 5mm offset
Silver Arrow IB-E = 67.8mm with 9.5mm offset
Dark Rock Pro 3 = 68.6mm


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> There are only PH-TC14PE, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme, NH-D14, Dark Rock Pro 3 and NH-U14S for comparison..
> I have to question the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme showing 2c hotter than NH-D15. . With 2 more 6mm pipes and 1000rpm/42cfm more airflow it seems very strange it ends up 2c warmer. My guess is their Antec 900 was not exhausting the 130cfm of heated air coming out of cooler and as a result cooler intake air temp / case air temp was higher.
> 
> Here again we see how most tests are grossly flawed but using room ambient instead of actual temperature of air going into cooler for their baseline air temperature.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Let us look at accurate testing data based on 117-345watts of heat. Notice H100 & H100i compared to others.. and Silver Arrow SBi-E doesn't even have the Extreme TY-143 2500rpm 130cfm fans on it. Also please notice at 175w H100i is 0.4c warmer than Siolver Arrow SB-E while at 345w H100i is 3.1c cooler.
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> CPU Cooler Temperature Database
> 
> Cooler                  Fans    Fan Model       RPM/CFM         345.1W  289.9W  232.1W  175.4W  117.1W   dBA*
> Temperatures    in       Celcius
> Corsair H100i                   2x SP120L               2700 / 73       23.8    20.5    17.0    13.0    9.9     54.3
> Corsair H100                    2x      ?               2500 / 92       24.4    20.6    16.7    12.9    9.0     51.2
> Thermalright SilverArrow SB-E   1x TY-150               1100 / 84       26.9    22.8    18.7    14.1    9.5     37.4
> 1x TY-141               1300 / 74
> Noctua  NH-U14S                 1x NF-A15               1500 / 82.5     27.0    22.9    19.4    14.9    10.6    35.8
> Phanteks PH-TC14PE Black        2x PH-F140              1300 / 88.6     27.4    23.5    19.2    14.1    9.9     41.3
> Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro         1x T12025-MF-PWM        1500 / 67.8     28.2    25.9    20.2    16.4    11.2    38.2
> 1x T13525-MF-PWM        1700 / 57.2
> 
> * Measured at 0.5m distance
> ** Measured with old db meter (not accurate)
> 
> http://www.thelab.gr/heatsinks-coolers-watercooling-reviews/cpu-cooler-review-database-89014.html


More heatpipes doesn't necessarily mean better cooling. Statistics have shown that having more than six heatpipes does not lead to better cooling. For example, the Dark Rock Pro 3 has seven heatpipes and in some cases it performs worse than the NH-D14/NH-U14S/TC14PE. Also, according to this review, the NH-D15 has much thicker fins than the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme (0.42mm vs 0.30mm) which could explain why it performs slightly better.

http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-d15/6

Here are some reviews showing the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme performing worse than the coolers I mentioned above.

http://www.kitguru.net/components/cooling/henry-butt/thermalright-silver-arrow-sb-e-special-edition-review/6/
http://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.php/artikel/hardware/kuehlung/27422-thermalright-silver-arrow-sb-e-extreme-im-test.html?start=9
http://www.maximumpc.com/thermalright_silver_arrow_sb-e_review
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/thermalright_silver_arrow_vs_noctua_nh-d14/2
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ice009*
> 
> You can't use a video card in the first PCI-express slot with this cooler, can you?


Use Noctua's mainboard compatibility page to see if it blocks the first PCI-E slot of your mobo.

http://noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> More heatpipes doesn't necessarily mean better cooling. Statistics have shown that having more than six heatpipes does not lead to better cooling. For example, the Dark Rock Pro 3 has seven heatpipes and in some cases it performs worse than the NH-D14/NH-U14S/TC14PE. Also, according to this review, the NH-D15 has much thicker fins than the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme (0.42mm vs 0.30mm) which could explain why it performs slightly better.
> 
> http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-d15/6
> 
> Here are some reviews showing the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme performing worse than the coolers I mentioned above.
> 
> http://www.kitguru.net/components/cooling/henry-butt/thermalright-silver-arrow-sb-e-special-edition-review/6/
> http://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.php/artikel/hardware/kuehlung/27422-thermalright-silver-arrow-sb-e-extreme-im-test.html?start=9
> http://www.maximumpc.com/thermalright_silver_arrow_sb-e_review
> http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/thermalright_silver_arrow_vs_noctua_nh-d14/2


It's not so much the number of heat pipes but their suface area and volume that improve cooling.

More surface area is more area on base to draw heat into pipe and more cooling area for fins to contact.
More volume is more area for vapor to move from base to fins.
I don't think thick vs thin fins is near as important as spacing; more surface area.

One very critical bit of data is missing from most reviews.

There is no baseline intake temperature. Without knowing what the cooling intake air temperature is we have nothing to baseline to calculate CPU delta temperatures with.
Think of the test room as a house with all rooms the same temperature.
Think of computer case as the lounge in this house.
Think of CPU and GPU as fireplace ans space heater.
Turning on the computer in the case is like lighting the fireplace and turning on the heate in the lounger.
The lounge temperature rises but the other rooms in the house stay the same. Do we say the house is the same temperature as lounge? No.. well at least I don't
The inside of computer case gets hotter the air going into CPU and GPU cooler intakes too But the test room remains the same temperature it was before.
Now, if we use the temperature of the cooler intakes instead of room ambient to calculate what the actual temperature increase is of the CPU and GPU we have accurate test data... but if the ambient room temperature is used instead, it is not the actual temperature of the air going into coolers.
Which is the way most coolers are tested... no accurate baseline temperature... Because every time you change coolers the cooler intake temperature will change.
CLCs radiator mounts to case.. which separates it's heated exhaust air from it's cool intake air.
Air coolers to not have this separation of heated exhaust from cool intake air.. meaning their intake air is generally warmer than room ambient.
Coolers like Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme, Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme and HE-01 with high cfm fans move way more air then the back exhaust can remove from case.. causing case air to get warmer and warmer
The warmer the air going into coolers the hotter the CPU and GPU temps will be..

Very few reviewer / testers monitor cooler intake temp.
RelaxedTech us an Antec 900 case and room ambient temperature\
KitGuru use open test bench but and is not Silver Arrow SB-E *Extreme*. Is Silver Arrow SB-E SE which uses 2x TY-145 fan (1300rpm 74cfm, not 2500rpm 130cfm
HardwareLuxx use a Phantom 820
MaximumPC used Level 10 GT and is not Silver Arrow SB-E *Extreme*
Overclock3D does not say and is not Silver Arrow SB-E *Extreme*


----------



## robertparker

I know some reviewers use a case because they feel it is a more realistic test. Perhaps I'm missing something, but to me this seems just like a bad idea as it can produce more variables like you point out, doyll. I would think that an open bench would be the best option to keep the playing field level.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> It's not so much the number of heat pipes but their suface area and volume that improve cooling.
> 
> More surface area is more area on base to draw heat into pipe and more cooling area for fins to contact.
> More volume is more area for vapor to move from base to fins.
> I don't think thick vs thin fins is near as important as spacing; more surface area.
> 
> One very critical bit of data is missing from most reviews.
> 
> There is no baseline intake temperature. Without knowing what the cooling intake air temperature is we have nothing to baseline to calculate CPU delta temperatures with.
> Think of the test room as a house with all rooms the same temperature.
> Think of computer case as the lounge in this house.
> Think of CPU and GPU as fireplace ans space heater.
> Turning on the computer in the case is like lighting the fireplace and turning on the heate in the lounger.
> The lounge temperature rises but the other rooms in the house stay the same. Do we say the house is the same temperature as lounge? No.. well at least I don't
> The inside of computer case gets hotter the air going into CPU and GPU cooler intakes too But the test room remains the same temperature it was before.
> Now, if we use the temperature of the cooler intakes instead of room ambient to calculate what the actual temperature increase is of the CPU and GPU we have accurate test data... but if the ambient room temperature is used instead, it is not the actual temperature of the air going into coolers.
> Which is the way most coolers are tested... no accurate baseline temperature... Because every time you change coolers the cooler intake temperature will change.
> CLCs radiator mounts to case.. which separates it's heated exhaust air from it's cool intake air.
> Air coolers to not have this separation of heated exhaust from cool intake air.. meaning their intake air is generally warmer than room ambient.
> Coolers like Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme, Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme and HE-01 with high cfm fans move way more air then the back exhaust can remove from case.. causing case air to get warmer and warmer
> The warmer the air going into coolers the hotter the CPU and GPU temps will be..
> 
> Very few reviewer / testers monitor cooler intake temp.
> RelaxedTech us an Antec 900 case and room ambient temperature\
> KitGuru use open test bench but and is not Silver Arrow SB-E *Extreme*. Is Silver Arrow SB-E SE which uses 2x TY-145 fan (1300rpm 74cfm, not 2500rpm 130cfm
> HardwareLuxx use a Phantom 820
> MaximumPC used Level 10 GT and is not Silver Arrow SB-E *Extreme*
> Overclock3D does not say and is not Silver Arrow SB-E *Extreme*


As I have said before, I agree with you 100% about the room ambient temperature not being an accurate testing methodology that these reviewers are using for their testing. If I had the NH-D15 myself, I wouldn't test it with the room ambient temperature like these reviewers are doing but I would test it with the cooler intake temperature like you already mentioned above but since I don't have the NH-D15, I can only speculate at this moment. I'm waiting for the NH-D15 to become available on Amazon so I can purchase one and do my own testing so I can share the results with you guys here but it still hasn't become available for some reason. I still think the NH-D15 performs exactly the same as the NH-D14, H100i, PH-TC14PE, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme, DRP3 etc even though some of those coolers have more than six heatpipes and some of them I believe have 8mm heatpipes.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> As I have said before, I agree with you 100% about the room ambient temperature not being an accurate testing methodology that these reviewers are using for their testing. If I had the NH-D15 myself, I wouldn't test it with the room ambient temperature like these reviewers are doing but I would test it with the cooler intake temperature like you already mentioned above but since I don't have the NH-D15, I can only speculate at this moment. I'm waiting for the NH-D15 to become available on Amazon so I can purchase one and do my own testing so I can share the results with you guys here but it still hasn't become available for some reason. I still think the NH-D15 performs exactly the same as the NH-D14, H100i, PH-TC14PE, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme, DRP3 etc even though some of those coolers have more than six heatpipes and some of them I believe have 8mm heatpipes.


I know you know and you know I know.









But when you put up reviews as evidence of performance when they are flawed i respond showing the flaws.

As your list stands, the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme will outperform the others because it has much higher performance fans.
All will perform similar with similar fans except H100i. With air coolers of same build quiality its all about surface area.. more pipe surface area and volume will dissipate more heat into fins and more fins will dissipate more heat into the air. The denser the fin pack the higher pressure the fans need to be to push air though the fins... if more heat is supplied. the limiting factor for pipes is the area of CPU and cooler base. Only so many pipes will fit.









Of coolers above only the PH-TC14PE has 8mm pipes; 5 of them. others have 6 - 8x 6mm pipes.
6mm pipes have 18.84mm circumference and 28.26sq mm of area.
8mm pipes have 25,12mm circumference and 50.24sq mm of area.
8mm pipes have 1.33% more surface area and 1.78/% more area than 6mm pipes.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> But when you put up reviews as evidence of performance when they are flawed i respond showing the flaws.


Who said I put up the reviews as evidence of performance? You need to go back and re-read what I said because I was just stating what the reviewers had concluded about the D15. I posted the links to the reviews to get some discussion going on in this thread, that's all.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> More heatpipes doesn't necessarily mean better cooling. Statistics have shown that having more than six heatpipes does not lead to better cooling. For example, the Dark Rock Pro 3 has seven heatpipes and in some cases it performs worse than the NH-D14/NH-U14S/TC14PE. Also, according to this review, the NH-D15 has much thicker fins than the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme (0.42mm vs 0.30mm) which could explain why it performs slightly better.
> 
> http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-d15/6
> 
> _Here are some *reviews showing* the Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme *performing worse* than the coolers I mentioned above._
> 
> http://www.kitguru.net/components/cooling/henry-butt/thermalright-silver-arrow-sb-e-special-edition-review/6/
> http://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.php/artikel/hardware/kuehlung/27422-thermalright-silver-arrow-sb-e-extreme-im-test.html?start=9
> http://www.maximumpc.com/thermalright_silver_arrow_sb-e_review
> http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/thermalright_silver_arrow_vs_noctua_nh-d14/2


*" Reviews showing"* and *"performing worse"* lead me to believe you did put them up as evidence of performance.







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> Who said I put up the reviews as evidence of performance? You need to go back and re-read what I said because I was just stating what the reviewers had concluded about the D15. I posted the links to the reviews to get some discussion going on in this thread, that's all.


I replied as I did because you were trying to support a hypothesis about heat pipes with data you admit is unsound and because 3 of the 4 are not even Silver Arrow Extreme as you said the were.. and because 130cfm cooler exhaust from Silver Arrow Extreme is not being removed from case and therefore heating up the case and making the CPU temps disproportionately higher based on room ambient than the should be.


----------



## Wezzor

Do you think this cooler will fit in an Antec Twelve Hundred (http://store.antec.com/Product/enclosure-gear_for_gamers/twelve-hundred/0-761345-15120-7.aspx). I'm a bit worried with not being able to close the side panel. Anyone maybe sitting with the same case with an Noctua NH-D14 or atleast having similar dimensions and say if you had any problems back then since this one is a bit bigger.

I really appreciate any help you guys can provide.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wezzor*
> 
> Do you think this cooler will fit in an Antec Twelve Hundred (http://store.antec.com/Product/enclosure-gear_for_gamers/twelve-hundred/0-761345-15120-7.aspx). I'm a bit worried with not being able to close the side panel. Anyone maybe sitting with the same case with an Noctua NH-D14 or atleast having similar dimensions and say if you had any problems back then since this one is a bit bigger.
> 
> I really appreciate any help you guys can provide.


It will fit without a problem.


----------



## giygas

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ice009*
> 
> You can't use a video card in the first PCI-express slot with this cooler, can you?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> Nope, better buy mobo with a 1x slot first (and not use it).
> 
> I'm actually running my GPU on the lower slot anyway.


Is that so







could be a deal breaker for more than a few people...


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> It will fit without a problem.


Alright.







Because I was watching some google pictures and some youtube clips with the same case only that it had an Noctua NH-D14 instead and it looked pretty tight. But I guess that you're right, otherwise I'll come back and blame you.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wezzor*
> 
> Alright.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Because I was watching some google pictures and some youtube clips with the same case only that it had an Noctua NH-D14 instead and it looked pretty tight. But I guess that you're right, otherwise I'll come back and blame you.


You don't have to take my word for it.

*Antec Twelve Hundred Dimensions:*
582mm (H) x 213mm (W) x 513mm (D)

*NH-D15 Dimensions*
165mm (H) x 150mm (W) x 161mm (D)

*NH-D14 Dimensions*
160mm (H) x 140mm (W) x 158mm (D)


----------



## doyll

Case width does not necessarily mean cooler will fit.
Much depends on how much room there is between motherboard mounting plate and side panel behind motherboard.. and other things.

213mm case width may or may not mean there is 165mm cooler clearance.
FD Define R2 is 207.4mm wide with 165mm cooler clearance while Arc Midi is 230mm wide and with 180mm coolers, so 213mm wide would be 213mm - 20-30mm space - 8mm motherboard standoff mounts - 2mm motherboard thickness - 8mm from face of motherboard to face of CPU - another couple of mm for side covers & mounting plate thickness = cooler clearance between 163-173mm..
Just guessing at some of theses, but do know 8mm cpu to mobo, 8mm mobo standoff screws, 2mm mobo thickness, and 2mm for metal thicknesses if if not spot on, are very close the actual measurements.


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Case width does not necessarily mean cooler will fit.
> Much depends on how much room there is between motherboard mounting plate and side panel behind motherboard.. and other things.
> 
> 213mm case width may or may not mean there is 165mm cooler clearance.
> FD Define R2 is 207.4mm wide with 165mm cooler clearance while Arc Midi is 230mm wide and with 180mm coolers, so 213mm wide would be 213mm - 20-30mm space - 8mm motherboard standoff mounts - 2mm motherboard thickness - 8mm from face of motherboard to face of CPU - another couple of mm for side covers & mounting plate thickness = cooler clearance between 163-173mm..
> Just guessing at some of theses, but do know 8mm cpu to mobo, 8mm mobo standoff screws, 2mm mobo thickness, and 2mm for metal thicknesses if if not spot on, are very close the actual measurements.


I'll give it a try. In case it don't fit do you think I can go back to the store with it?


----------



## giygas

Where is this available from rn? It's mid-May now and I still don't see it anywhere.


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *giygas*
> 
> Where is this available from rn? It's mid-May now and I still don't see it anywhere.


Well, here in Sweden it's already been out for 2 weeks soon.


----------



## doyll

Available here in UK too.


----------



## annaheim

I'm so stoked for this. I can't wait.


----------



## ohhgourami

Some of us are tired of waiting. It's still not in stores! RIDICULOUS!!!


----------



## rpjkw11

I'm really surprised Noctua is taking so long to supply North America. Since I'm quite happy with my Phanteks TC14PE and my old Noctua DH14 I'm not in a hurry. But the new Z97 mobos and Haswell refresh will be out soon and I'd like to have an NH-D15 in my mitts when they hit the street.


----------



## doyll

I don't think Noctua is to blame. I'm sseing lots of coolers and cases being delayed.. and look at how many stores don't have any stock of common coolers and fans? And it seems all the hard to find ones are made in China.


----------



## ehume

New review, at Tweaktown, here.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> New review, at Tweaktown, here.


Thanks, added it to the list.

What I don't understand is how can the NH-U12S cool as good as the Dark Rock Pro 3 in that review. The DRP3 should be way better than the NH-U12S.


----------



## ehume

Dark Rock Pro was never much good, at least in its early reviews.

When I saw various reviews showing how well the NH-U12S was doing in lots of reviews, I came to the conclusion that Noctua was doing something special.

Most heatsinks have their fins press fir on the heatpipes. According to Tweaktown's review, the D15's fins are soldered onto the heatpipes. Something similar might explain the reason for the NH-U12S's superior performance.


----------



## Capt

Well, if you look at the technical specs of each cooler, something just doesn't make sense here. The Dark Rock Pro 3 has seven heatpipes while the NH-U12S has only five. Not only that but the DRP3 comes with two fans that spin at 1700 RPM (114 cfm) / 1400 RPM (68 cfm) while the NH-U12S comes with a single 120mm 1500 RPM (55 cfm) fan. I mean unless the build quality of the DRP3 is complete garbage then it shouldn't do that poorly. Also, the NH-U12S is a single tower cooler while the DRP3 is a dual tower cooler. Something just can't be right with TweakTown's review.


----------



## deepor

On the first Dark Rock Pro (or the second Dark Rock Pro 2?), there was some build quality issue mentioned in a review. They showed a picture of how the paste looked like on the base plate after taking the cooler off. There was an obvious issue of the base plate not making good contact with the CPU. It wasn't machined right.

This was fixed and is not an issue in the Dark Rock Pro 3. From what I've seen its performance is great in reviews, exactly what you'd expect when looking at the specs it has.

I'd assume the numbers in this particular review are just some random variation from paste application or something.


----------



## doyll

Definitely something out of whack. Might be case airflow... case is not removing heated exhaust from coolers with higher cfm fans causing increases in cooler intake temperature.
No way of knowing as they don't monitor cooler intake air temp.


----------



## BenJaminJr

Any results on how well single fan mode works?


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> Some of us are tired of waiting. It's still not in stores! RIDICULOUS!!!


Quote:


> Hi (BeAuMaN),
> 
> Regarding the NH-D15 it would not be sold until at least 30 days later.
> 
> The stock has not been released yet in noctua's manufacturer overseas. Top 30 days on top of it for shipping, +1 week going to Amazon's warehouse, the time would be roughly 40 days.
> 
> Until then, no one would be able to sell this unit unfortunately.
> ...
> ...
> 
> Hope this helps..
> 
> (Name Withheld)


I posted that about ~22 days ago, so in theory there's still roughly 18 days until it's sold on American shores. At least, assuming this guy knew what he was talking about moreso than the first guy who thought I was asking him about the NH-D14







. My PC is finished and I still have the stock cooler on it... though in about 18 days I'll have a lot more time to do stuff, so I suppose that will work out.


----------



## giygas

Still nowhere to be found at Newegg


----------



## DaFaRsHeR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *giygas*
> 
> Still nowhere to be found at Newegg


How's this (31 in stock)? http://www.quietpc.com/nh-d15?gclid=CJjXo7ufuL4CFYXItAodu2sAow


----------



## BeAuMaN

Yes yes, we already know Europe has their hands on these wonderful coolers.


----------



## DaFaRsHeR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BeAuMaN*
> 
> Yes yes, we already know Europe has their hands on these wonderful coolers.


What's the matter afraid of a little shipping charge?


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DaFaRsHeR*
> 
> What's the matter afraid of a little shipping charge?


Yeah, when it's ~$50 minimum to ship to the states.


----------



## robertparker

QuietPC USA is showing that they have it in stock http://www.quietpcusa.com/Noctua-NH-D15-Ultra-Quiet-CPU-Cooler-P1024.aspx


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *robertparker*
> 
> QuietPC USA is showing that they have it in stock http://www.quietpcusa.com/Noctua-NH-D15-Ultra-Quiet-CPU-Cooler-P1024.aspx


Now that's a better deal







.


----------



## Neo Zuko

For me it seems to be down to the NH-D15 or H220X. With the H220X giving me more to play with - I could hardline with it.


----------



## BeAuMaN

It's in-stock at NCIX:

http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=96233


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BeAuMaN*
> 
> It's in-stock at NCIX:
> 
> http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=96233


Thanks! Got another friend to get one too so we get free shipping!

I hate NCIX but that is quite a good deal.


----------



## steven88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BeAuMaN*
> 
> It's in-stock at NCIX:
> 
> http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=96233


Wait...$69.99, already $30 off? This thing just came out!?!


----------



## doyll

NICXUS regular price is $84.74, on special for $69.99 until 5/28 so hurry!
MSRP usually doesn't mean much more than a maximum something might sell for.


----------



## vuldin

Unfortunately I jumped the gun and purchased from Quiet PC for way over what NCIX is currently charging. I'm going to call them up and see what options I have (matching price, discount, or order cancellation). The NCIX deal is great in comparison.


----------



## vuldin

NCIX must have made a mistake on the 69.99... it is now 89.99. Before they corrected their mistake and bumped their price to what would make sense I called up Quiet PC to ask about price matching of discounting based on all this. They were very nice about it but said it would be impossible to match a price as low as 69.99 on this product.

Now that NCIX is selling for 89.99 it's basically the same as Quiet PC, I'm keeping my order in place.


----------



## steven88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *vuldin*
> 
> NCIX must have made a mistake on the 69.99... it is now 89.99. Before they corrected their mistake and bumped their price to what would make sense I called up Quiet PC to ask about price matching of discounting based on all this. They were very nice about it but said it would be impossible to match a price as low as 69.99 on this product.
> 
> Now that NCIX is selling for 89.99 it's basically the same as Quiet PC, I'm keeping my order in place.


Yeah it must have been a mistake....I mean MSRP $99 and selling for $69 already. The part JUST came out....lol

Glad I jumped on the deal before it hiked up


----------



## Capt

It's taking forever for Amazon to have it in stock.


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *steven88*
> 
> Yeah it must have been a mistake....I mean MSRP $99 and selling for $69 already. The part JUST came out....lol
> 
> Glad I jumped on the deal before it hiked up


Same. I actually put it in my cart earlier in the day, but didn't pull the trigger... but I guess NCIXUS has a policy of honoring the prince of any item placed in your cart for 24 hours, so I was able to buy it when I got home! Such a deal. With my savings, I bought 2 NF-A15s to round out the order for free shipping.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> It's taking forever for Amazon to have it in stock.


Yep.... I've actually been emailing them about that. Ends up their shipping container got delayed a week due to a strike at the Los Angeles port they received their shipment from. As of May 19th, the guy said about 2 weeks out for Amazon (One week to ship to themselves, another week to ship out to Amazon). Though uh... I asked him about that price on NCIXUS, and he said I should definitely jump on that since they won't be launching at that price


----------



## robertparker

Well at least as of right now, NCIX still has it at a very good price of $75 http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=96233&vpn=NH-D15&manufacture=Noctua&promoid=1069 I was able to snag it at the cheaper price as I had it in my cart as well.


----------



## rpjkw11

Thanks for the heads-up, robertparker! I was slow on the uptake (normal for me) so I missed the really low price, but managed to grab one at $75.00!







I'm looking forward to seeing how well the NH-D15 works. I don't benchmark or get into the nitty-gritty of things, so it'll have to be great for me to notice. No matter, though, as I know I'll have excellent temps. I've been thinking about water cooling when Broadwell comes out, but there is, to me at least, something comforting about using a reliable CPU cooler with no moving parts (save the fans) and no fear at all of leaks.


----------



## Neo Zuko

I finally decided on the NH-D15 and now I can't find it at my normal online stores I frequent. Quiet PC has it but I might as well wait for Amazon and get my Prime shipping.


----------



## steven88

Anybody get a shipping notification from NCIX? It's been awhile for me


----------



## vuldin

I ended up ordering from QuietPC, and UPS says it should arrive on Wednesday.


----------



## Neo Zuko

NCIX has 40ish in stock for the USA website now. I ordered one up.


----------



## vuldin

I posted earlier not even realizing that today was Wednesday.... the NH-D15 was just dropped off. I'll need to wait to test it out while I switch out motherboards though, I'm going from the Asus Z97-WS to the ASRock Z97 Extreme6 and it should arrive in time for the weekend. I will have a hard time waiting until then







.


----------



## ohhgourami

Apparently NCIXUS is still trying to process the payment I put in last week for $70.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> Apparently NCIXUS is still trying to process the payment I put in last week for $70.


Or hoping you will cancel order because of delays so they don't have to honor their pricing error.


----------



## BeAuMaN

Ordered Mine from NCIX as well. They were slow because 23rd is a Friday and they aren't fast on shipping like Newegg or Amazon. Monday was a holiday, so that further delayed things. Mine finally updated with the UPS tracking number that they're delivering today though... apparently they shipped out Monday but couldn't be arsed to put up the tracking information until last night?


----------



## Neo Zuko

That free NH-1 TIM in the box, is that a full tube like retail or half filled say? I have GC extreme too if that's a better TIM.


----------



## robertparker

I noticed mine has shipped as well from NCIX. Just as BeAuMaN experienced, they haven't yet notified me yet- I had to look at my order on their website.

I don't know if they still have their credit card processing in Canada for their US branch, but for what ever reason after I put in my order there was a hold put on my credit card ( I tried purchasing something else later and it didn't go through). I called the bank to find out what what was going on, and they asked me if I have been traveling so I knew the NCIX purchase put up a red flag on my account. ohhgourami, your payment processing problems may be related to that.

I have been looking at the NCIX US web site and have noticed a lot of their items have a several day delay due to "inventory transfer". While they have some great prices, if you are in a hurry that is something to consider.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BeAuMaN*
> 
> Ordered Mine from NCIX as well. They were slow because 23rd is a Friday and they aren't fast on shipping like Newegg or Amazon. Monday was a holiday, so that further delayed things. Mine finally updated with the UPS tracking number that they're delivering today though... apparently they shipped out Monday but couldn't be arsed to put up the tracking information until last night?


Apparently, mine got delivered today as well.

I won't have time to install it today as I have much more fun toys to play with







Audio gear!

I might prep my D14 a comparison with the D15 using the same fans at 500, 900, 1200, and 1500 rpm. Expect a full post by the end of the weekend!


----------



## Neo Zuko

Same here, Canada processed payment for USA purchase. Not fast on shipping.


----------



## Onyxian

I'll have to wait for Amazon regardless, even if I did want one now from NCIXUS the shipping to me is something like $45 at minimum. Such is life in Hawaii, no Microcenters or Frys either.


----------



## fateswarm

The availability of this even in Europe is abysmal. I hope it comes out more available before DC's release. I may have to buy that chip if its good enough.

I have derived this fan is probably the best for my needs. I don't want to spend more than $150-180 on cooling and the alternatives are mediocre.

Mainly loud or potentially leaky or questionable or high maintenance. I think if space isn't an issue that price range demands a Noctua.


----------



## UncleIvan

Just received my D15 yesterday from ncixus. It's replacing the ol' TRUE-120:


----------



## Neo Zuko

Can't even see the mobo!


----------



## ohhgourami

Here is my comparison test of D14 vs D15: http://www.overclock.net/t/1493091/ohhgouramis-noctua-nh-d14-vs-nh-d15-comparison#post_22349588

Data is all there but haven't had the time to type out my methology.


----------



## fateswarm

You have to add the cpu data, freq and possibly also voltage since it's often considered that after a point some heatsinks can't do it. e.g. a common test on a site is an -E processor on 4.6Ghz. It doesn't let D14 cool properly after that point but water coolers keep going.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> You have to add the cpu data, freq and possibly also voltage since it's often considered that after a point some heatsinks can't do it. e.g. a common test on a site is an -E processor on 4.6Ghz. It doesn't let D14 cool properly after that point but water coolers keep going.


Updated.

No -E processor for testing unless you buy me one


----------



## vuldin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *UncleIvan*
> 
> Just received my D15 yesterday from ncixus. It's replacing the ol' TRUE-120:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: images


That is funny man







I hope everything besides the cooler fits.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> Here is my comparison test of D14 vs D15: http://www.overclock.net/t/1493091/ohhgouramis-noctua-nh-d14-vs-nh-d15-comparison#post_22349588
> 
> Data is all there but haven't had the time to type out my methology.


Thanks for taking the time to write this. Will read it when I come home from work.


----------



## fateswarm

The availability in europe is so bad, the area around the country of origin. Only some uk shops have it and usually overpriced. I'll write them for explanations.


----------



## robertparker

While I doubt it has a large impact on their supply, I have noticed Noctua sends out an impressive amount of review units. They have a page on their site that is updated everyday with reviews from around the world http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=reviews&lng=en


----------



## doyll

675 pages with 5 on each page is 3375 units!


----------



## fateswarm

I got a response. I was told our local main distributor placed an order and within 2-3 weeks the product will be available in the country.

I wonder if that's all that takes, retailers/local distributors *actually ordering it*.


----------



## doyll

Might not be all it takes, but retailer definitely has to order product from supplier if they want to sell any.









Other issues I can think of are manufacturing & shipping timelines / delays, funding, etc.


----------



## fateswarm

The initial issue is that they are listed but listed as not available in many shops. I guess the main supplier lists them, they auto-copy all the products, but the main supplier hasn't got the unit yet.

I wondered if Noctua didn't have enough units since it's a very popular unit. Though I suspect that might be an illusion in OC cycles, since outside those cycles those coolers are useless.


----------



## doyll

One has to wonder how many suppliers like Noctua, Phanteks, Thermalright, Cryorig, etc. may be having problems with their manufacturing suppliers. All have had excessive delays with products reaching the market.. much more so this year than in previous years.


----------



## robertparker

In the US, AFAIK, there have only been to two retailers who have had it in stock so it has not exactly been easy to get so far.


----------



## Onyxian

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JJY25NI/
Vendor through Amazon.

Still no free shipping for me.


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Onyxian*
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JJY25NI/
> Vendor through Amazon.
> 
> Still no free shipping for me.


Huh. Welp, the guy was right. About two weeks out until it got on Amazon.


----------



## fateswarm

I start becoming confident there is a eu-wide shortage of supply. I checked an eu-wide price-comparison site and pretty much everything but 2-3 shops in uk, that are usually overpriced, have it. All those german sites can't possibly not have placed orders to Noctua.

Hopefully, the "Blacksmiths" are having a new big batch ready for Noctua soon.


----------



## rpjkw11

My Noctua NH-D15 arrived yeaterday. A casual comparison with my Noctua D14 and Phanteks TC-14PE (I sure wish they'd dream up some name for these so I don't have to remember numbers). I'm not into technical minutia like I once was, so my impressions are: (a) All three are of very good quality, but I especially like how Noctua solders the heat pipes to the cooling fins rather than relying on a "tight" fit. (b) The D15 seems quieter, but that could change after installation. (c) I own G.Skill Ripjaws and Ares and it _appears_ I will have little problem using the larger Ripjaws with the D15. (d) I _believe_ the D15 will equal or surpass the other two coolers I own (though perhaps not by much) so I'll likely have no regrets with the purchase.

I hope to have a 4790K in my hot little mitts by early next month. I'll see then how everything works together, but I'm really excited about the new build.


----------



## pun3D

I just ordered my D 15 shipping is estimated from the 11 to the 16th this is gonna kill me but the shipping was free. Can't wait to see how much better it will be then my Megahalem.


----------



## Neo Zuko

Got my NH-D15. A couple of ultra slightly bent corners that I just rebent back into place with a piece of plastic for correct spacing, very pleased no lasting effects visually. It looks the part, can't wait to install.


----------



## ehume

Noctua will want to hear about those bent corners -- for their QC


----------



## Neo Zuko

I noticed that with Noctua's NH-D14 sometimes the corners on the top or bottom fins (as it was on my NH-D15) were slightly bent upon delivery, but it's not like a huge deal because they're so correctable with say the tip of a screwdriver. My Megahalems, Megahalems Black Nickel, and the Super Mega by comparison were all perfect upon delivery, but they don't perform as well as the new Noctua.

I don't think it is caused during manufacture. It's the packing or shipping process that must be the cause. I corrected it within 5 minutes. Now you can't see any imperfections. So not ideal but hardly a deal breaker. Like an unsightly spaced rad fin, you can move it back into position. It didn't bother me and I'm super picky about PC product looks. I returned an AX1200i once due to a crooked logo sticker.

In this case it's passible and not worth shipping back. I'd just get one really bent in return as punishment from the universe.


----------



## ehume

But still, Noctua will want to know for their own quality control.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> But still, Noctua will want to know for their own quality control.


This. I think Noctua takes these things very seriously so I would try and contact them to let them know.


----------



## OneTreeHill

My NH-D15


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *OneTreeHill*
> 
> My NH-D15
> 
> 
> 
> http://abload.de/img/82q8sba.jpg


Very nice. Let us know if you will be doing any testing and such.


----------



## OneTreeHill

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> Very nice. Let us know if you will be doing any testing and such.


Actually I've done quite a detailed test.Review language Turkish

http://forum.donanimhaber.com/m_92691599/tm.htm

https://translate.google.com.tr/translate?sl=tr&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=tr&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.donanimhaber.com%2Fm_92691599%2Ftm.htm&edit-text=&act=url


----------



## doyll

@ OneTreeHill
Was wondering what happened to you. Like your work. Will check it out a little later.


----------



## OneTreeHill

Hi,doyll.Actually I've been here but I didn't have time to write.

I think you might be interested.

Reviews will look like this:

https://translate.google.com.tr/translate?sl=tr&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=tr&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.donanimhaber.com%2Fm_91451252%2Ff_%2F%2Ftm.htm&edit-text=&act=url

I am currently dealing with fan reviews..I've added a new test phases updating my equipment.Most fans of the revivews over.A total of 52 fans.In a short time, i publish reviews


----------



## dakarv

does anyone else feel they should have spent a bit longer brainstorming on the fan colors?

I mean unless you made it like purple and yellow, I can't really think of any matching colors that would do much worse
especially as its designed for high end system which tend to use a lot of red/blue/yellow etc, it would look good as an extractor fan in a really old bathroom though


----------



## fateswarm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *dakarv*
> 
> does anyone else [..] colors?


Oh be sure about that. Elses do talk of Noctua colors.


----------



## Neo Zuko

If they ever do the A-15 fan in a normal neutral color I'll totally replace those two fans on my NH-D15. In a heartbeat.

I have GC-Extreme as well as the Noctua TIM, which should I use?


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Neo Zuko*
> 
> If they ever do the A-15 fan in a normal neutral color I'll totally replace those two fans on my NH-D15. In a heartbeat.
> 
> I have GC-Extreme as well as the Noctua TIM, which should I use?


GC-Extreme


----------



## fateswarm

Interesting story, my main local distributor is one in the very long list of shops listed on the noctua site. They said they were happy to reserve one for me for dispatch later in the week/next few days they expect a delivery. So, if you are unsure what's going on, better find your main country's distributor : P


----------



## pun3D

I wonder how much better this cooler would be with thermalright fans or similar.


----------



## fateswarm

I was thinking of getting a 9,000 RPM fan for it for the lols. Not for everyday use, maybe for testing.


----------



## Elohim

The not
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pun3D*
> 
> I wonder how much better this cooler would be with thermalright fans or similar.


A15 fans are already (amongst) the best 140mm fans for radiators/heatsinks.


----------



## deepor

In the NH-D14 club thread, I remember a guy saying that he tried those orange TY-143 that do 2500 RPM, and it was disappointing. They didn't do more than normal speed fans. It seems the NH-D14 was built to make the job for slow fans easy, fins spaced far apart etc., while you'd want the opposite for very fast fans, a design where you need a lot of force to push air through it. It might be similar on the NH-D15.

I also might be remembering wrong, and the guy simply didn't think the noise was worth it.


----------



## Elohim

it's similar with pretty much every high end air cooler. they have a sweet spot somewhere between 1000 and 1500 rpm


----------



## fateswarm

It's noctua's flagship. It can't be made better on those overall specifications. I believe it could only be made better with extremely high noise and extremely high speed fans, apart from dropping LN2 steam on it.


----------



## doyll

Difference between TY--143 fans at 1200rpm and 2500rpm increased NH-D14 SE2011 cooling ability by 8.25c on i7 920.








Of course there is a significant increase in noise level.


----------



## fateswarm

i.e. better it ---> make it noisier.


----------



## pun3D

Hmmm I may have to do that one of these days then noise doesn't bother me.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> i.e. better it ---> make it noisier.


If you run at belown 1200-1300rpm the TY-143 is not loud at all.

I'm running them on PH-TC14PE on open bench and can just hear them at 1050rpm. Below 950-1000rpm I can't hear them at all from a 1-2 meters.


----------



## fateswarm

You keep entering noctua threads talking about your cooler


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> You keep entering noctua threads talking about your cooler


And your point is?








I was talking about the TY-143 noise level if not pushed to high rpm / cfm levels.

Post before was about TY-143 performance on NH-D14 SE2011.

I've also used them on Silver Arrow SB-E and about to put them on my Cryorig R1 Ultimate.


----------



## fateswarm

So, apparently, my local distributor just got the pieces. It comes with a 10 euros premium above other appearances but I guess that's normal because of shipping costs because I'm in the middle of the Mediterranean. From what I gather most people revert to D14 when they hear the price.

Not me.


----------



## Elohim

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Difference between TY--143 fans at 1200rpm and 2500rpm increased NH-D14 SE2011 cooling ability by 8.25c on i7 920.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Of course there is a significant increase in noise level.




this is more a reflection of my experience with higher rpms fans (TY143) (on an open testbench on different coolers)

Obviously it depends A LOT on the setup etc, but what's your personal experience?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Elohim*
> 
> this is more a reflection of my experience with higher rpms fans (TY143) (on an open testbench on different coolers)
> 
> Obviously it depends A LOT on the setup etc, but what's your personal experience?


2-4c better than the graphs you posted. Most of the higher rpm improvement is from stock fan maximum rpm / cfm up to about 2200rpm Above that the temp curve flattens out. Similar to 1600rom, but at higher rpm 2-4c cooler


----------



## NKrader

Holy hell this thing comes in a huge box

on a side note I may be selling this soon as i dont think its going to fit inside the case.. seriously..


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NKrader*
> 
> Holy hell this thing comes in a huge box
> 
> on a side note I may be selling this soon as i dont think its going to fit inside the case.. seriously..


It's obvious what to do: buy a new case.


----------



## NKrader

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> It's obvious what to do: buy a new case.


sadly thats not an option.. it doesnt fit..

if anyone is waiting ncix is about to have one in stock.


----------



## fateswarm

The device needs around 170mm cpu cooler support to be very safe. The official spec is 165mm but one of the fans may go slightly higher in some setups.

PS. You do not need to fit the box, you need to fit the cooler


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NKrader*
> 
> Holy hell this thing comes in a huge box
> 
> on a side note I may be selling this soon as i dont think its going to fit inside the case.. seriously..
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


What case do you have? If the S5 in your sig you have 190mm 'cooling tower' clearance. NH-D15 is 160mm w/o fans, 165mm w/ fans, fan can most likely be lowered to 160mm if RAM is short enough, clearance should not be a problem at all.

Could someone with the NH-D15 please give me the measurements for:

Bottom fin to base of cooler (is it 64mm??)
Bottom fin of cut-out to bottom fin
Will let me finish with added measurements on edited Noctua drawing.


----------



## NKrader

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> What case do you have? If the S5 in your sig you have 190mm 'cooling tower' clearance. NH-D15 is 160mm w/o fans, 165mm w/ fans, fan can most likely be lowered to 160mm if RAM is short enough, clearance should not be a problem at all.
> 
> Could someone with the NH-D15 please give me the measurements for:
> 
> Bottom fin to base of cooler (is it 64mm??)
> Bottom fin of cut-out to bottom fin
> Will let me finish with added measurements on edited Noctua drawing.


It's already boxed..
Also it's a combination of 1366 being so close to the top of the motherboard and the case panel being right above the mobo.. it contacted the top of the case and wouldn't even get close to mounting on the board..

EVGA X58 SLI LE
Lian Li PC-6


----------



## kpo6969

Newegg $87.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608045


----------



## fateswarm

Wow. That's a low price. I'm living nearer the company and it's higher priced.

(they're not made in Austria are they?)


----------



## Vaux

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Wow. That's a low price. I'm living nearer the company and it's higher priced.
> 
> (they're not made in Austria are they?)


Maybe cause of the 20% VAT


----------



## ozlay

anyone know how much space is between the 2 towers? i wonder if a 38mm fan would fit


----------



## doyll

VAT does add it up Here they are £75.02 - £77.99, £62.52 - £64.99 ex VAT. That is $104.97 before VAT is added.


----------



## fateswarm

Mine came today. I have no way of testing it. My i7-4790K is inbound for the end of June at least.


----------



## fateswarm

bottom fin to base (die contact) appears to be approximately 4.6cm.

bottom fin to the cut out near above it is ~1.6cm.

total fins area height is around 10.3cm and the protruding condenser part around 0.9cm making the total of condenser to base around 15.8cm.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Mine came today. I have no way of testing it. My i7-4790K is inbound for the end of June at least.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ]


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> bottom fin to base (die contact) appears to be approximately 4.6cm.
> 
> bottom fin to the cut out near above it is ~1.6cm.
> 
> total fins area height is around 10.3cm and the protruding condenser part around 0.9cm making the total of condenser to base around 15.8cm.


Thanks!
Totals up to be 2mm short of Noctua specs. Which measurements should a add 1mm to?

Edit: Found 2mm! Noctua specs the base to top of notch as 62mm. So it's either 1 or both of those measurements being off 1 or 2mm.. and 1mm is not much.. 0.03937"


----------



## kpo6969

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/noctua_nhd15/


----------



## doyll

Here's finished drawing with measurements added. Thanks fateswarm for the missing measurements.


----------



## fateswarm

Hrm. See if it's more accurate if the protruding heatpipes are ~1cm since not all of the middle four appear exactly at the same height and I was measuring one random one. The view is side so I guess it should cover the tallest possible.


----------



## fateswarm

Hrm. I've no idea why there's so much talk about ram clearance when one could make the flow facing out the case with the 2nd fan at the rear. I guess it's only about boards having ram both sides or because people copy each others setups without thinking or when there's another motherboard blockade.


----------



## boredgunner

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kpo6969*
> 
> http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/noctua_nhd15/


Shame on them for not comparing it to the Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E, the only heat sink I expect to outperform the D15.


----------



## fateswarm

I have an urge to test the cooler on an i7 laptop for the lols, but I'll probably avoid it in case I break the laptop in the process of dismantling it.


----------



## pun3D

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *boredgunner*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *kpo6969*
> 
> http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/noctua_nhd15/
> 
> 
> 
> Shame on them for not comparing it to the Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E, the only heat sink I expect to outperform the D15.
Click to expand...

Yea I would like to see the comparison but I saw one review that the silver arrow beat it by 1 degree on the 1155 socket but the D15 was 5-6 degrees better in the 2011 socket.


----------



## fateswarm

These rubber dampeners appear in the accessories packages. Where do they fit at exactly?


----------



## doyll

Those look like rubber screws.. for mounting fans to case vents.
Quote:


>


http://www.bioslevel.com/v/review/noctua-nf-p12


----------



## fateswarm

Hrm. Possibly an option in case one wants the second fan to be used as a case fan. Though I tried to see if one fits in one of a fan's holes but it was hard, but it may need more force.

Oh, it's a *fan* review. Yeah, obviously they fit. Thanks.


----------



## ehume

Those vibration isolators allow you to use one of the cpu fans as a case fan. Awfully polite of them.


----------



## pun3D

I just installed mine into my antec 1200 and it barely fits with my boards CPU placement. The fan clips on the side of the case hit the heatsink itself but is able to kinda slip underneath it. I'm using coollaboratory liquid pro and not sure how long cure time is but I right away turned on IBT and I was hitting 100 c granted my room is hot. But that's what my megahalem with 130cfm panflo were getting.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pun3D*
> 
> I just installed mine into my antec 1200 and it barely fits with my boards CPU placement. The fan clips on the side of the case hit the heatsink itself but is able to kinda slip underneath it. I'm using coollaboratory liquid pro and not sure how long cure time is but I right away turned on IBT and I was hitting 100 c granted my room is hot. But that's what my megahalem with 130cfm panflo were getting.


Using Liquid Ultra here; it has no cure time. Make sure you applied enough and keep the heatsink from tittering when screwing down. D15 requires more force to push the screw down than D14.


----------



## pun3D

I applied a pea sized drop on it. And the cooler is on pretty right but ill double check.


----------



## pun3D




----------



## pun3D




----------



## pun3D

Maybe the extra case fans to the right are affecting it.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pun3D*
> 
> I applied a pea sized drop on it. And the cooler is on pretty right but ill double check.


You did spread it around with the brush, right? A pea sized drop is A LOT of Liquid Pro. The screw down and evenly screwing both screws is a bit hard. If you don't hold down the heatsink tightly enough, screwing down the first screw would tip the screwed end over. That would introduce air bubbles increaseing your temps.


----------



## deepor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *pun3D*
> 
> I applied a pea sized drop on it. And the cooler is on pretty right but ill double check.
> 
> 
> 
> You did spread it around with the brush, right? A pea sized drop is A LOT of Liquid Pro. The screw down and evenly screwing both screws is a bit hard. If you don't hold down the heatsink tightly enough, screwing down the first screw would tip the screwed end over. That would introduce air bubbles increaseing your temps.
Click to expand...

To add to that... here's the official video showing an example about how to spread CLP and also showing that it's a much smaller drop than pea sized:


----------



## pun3D

Ok I'll reseat it then.


----------



## pun3D

Thanks guys and yea the one screw was a pita to get started.


----------



## pun3D

And yea that's way less then what I used. Oh well live and learn.


----------



## fateswarm

It's a weird substance that paste. But I may get it if I ever delid.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pun3D*
> 
> I applied a pea sized drop on it. And the cooler is on pretty right but ill double check.


----------



## pun3D

Well maybe not pea sized but to much regardless lol.


----------



## pun3D

I reapplied the coolabratory the right way this time across the 3 cores i am seeing a 10 degree difference from the Meghalem the core 0 is about the same though. Ambient is around 75F


----------



## NFSxperts

The box is huge, its the same size as my m-itx system.


----------



## fateswarm

I enjoy that. I've been on laptops for years. Now I take my revenge on size.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> I enjoy that. I've been on laptops for years. Now I take my revenge on size.


How do you like your NH-D15 so far fateswarm?


----------



## fateswarm

I've no idea. I'm still waiting for the rest hardware. I like the looks of it.


----------



## Jaimelmiel

Roooaaaarrr!!! I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## fateswarm

Best stock picture yet



It's watching you.


----------



## fateswarm

Is liquid pro an advantage on this contraption?


----------



## BeAuMaN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Is liquid pro an advantage on this contraption?


According to ohhgourami, yes: http://www.overclock.net/t/1493091/ohhgouramis-noctua-nh-d14-vs-nh-d15-comparison#post_22349588

Liquid Ultra, anyway.


----------



## doyll

CPU at 100c in a room at 30c in a case that's probably 40c would be a CPU at about 75c if room and cooling intake temp was in low 20's.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Is liquid pro an advantage on this contraption?


It's worth the expense and hassle for me to possibly get at most a couple of degree difference. That couple of degrees isn't going to make any difference in my day-to-day use. Having optimized case cooling is more important.
But that's just my opinion.


----------



## Ponteral

Hi guys,

Finally I got it.







also with four of NF-A14 PWM fans, on the picture are my NF-P12 PWM, fans. In Nanoxia DS 1 will fit it with no problem. So, Can I be added? Thank you..


----------



## fateswarm

Nobody adds us in this world.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Nobody adds us in this world.


I will add everyone as soon as I come home tonight. Been super busy lately.


----------



## doyll

Important thing is you are here. Being on a list is no big deal.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Being on a list is no big deal.


Apparently it is to some people.


----------



## fateswarm

It was in jest. Don't add me if you can't.


----------



## Capt

Added everyone who posted a pic of their nh-d15. Let me know if I'm missing anybody.


----------



## pun3D

So I just delidded my cpu. Will post pictures when i can at 1.35 VCore im at 74 on Core 0 under IBT which is close to a 30 degree difference, much better temps and I put 2 x Thermalright TY-143 on yesterday will put a third on when I get more clips. in an 80 degree room my idle is around 35 degrees.


----------



## pun3D




----------



## ohhgourami

Pictures!


----------



## Capt

Very nice ohhgourami.


----------



## Ponteral

Hey guys,

guestion,

Can you tell me if your D15 in dual fan mode is vibrant? I mean on full RPM. I have my mobo on the desk for now, because I'm testing and I wanna know if its normal, because these vibration make noise... it's like rapping, I'll make some video later.. thanks..


----------



## fateswarm

I wish I could help you. I'm still waiting for components.


----------



## rpjkw11

I've not installed my DH15 yet, but I would think perhaps the mounting bracket could be a bit loose or, perhaps, the cooler mounting itself? Perhaps even the mounting bracket could be slightly off (a manufacturing "defect" as it were). I've never heard or felt vibrations for any air cooling system I've used. One thing I would do, though, is send Noctua an email about the problem. I've never contacted them with a problem, but read they fall all over themselves to help their customers. I'm really curious about what you discover or do to the issue.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ponteral*
> 
> Hey guys,
> 
> guestion,
> 
> Can you tell me if your D15 in dual fan mode is vibrant? I mean on full RPM. I have my mobo on the desk for now, because I'm testing and I wanna know if its normal, because these vibration make noise... it's like rapping, I'll make some video later.. thanks..


I'll let you know as soon as I get my NH-D15 sometime next week.


----------



## Ponteral

Okey, thanks.







I think it will be okey, when I hold my MB in the air, it does not make vibration sounds.. so I think in my case will be okey, but anyway let me know..


----------



## pun3D

I don't hear any vibrations with mine


----------



## NFSxperts

Anyone know if the D14 fan clips will allow me to mount 120mm fan on the D15?
I have tall ram so the front 140mm wouldn't fit into the case.


----------



## Vaux

D15 clip work on 120mm fans


----------



## Trampzo

Will the Corsair Vengeance Pro fit under the Noctua NH-D15? I'll be using an Asus Z97-a as mobo.


----------



## Wezzor

I actually wonder the same thing.


----------



## deepor

Noctua explain how this works at the top of the compatibility page on their website:

http://noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en

There you can also look up your board if you have something special like mATX or ITX or LGA2011 etc.


----------



## pun3D

After reading that dual channel isn't that much of a boost I stuck both my trident xs under the heat sink.


----------



## fateswarm

I'm very happy with my nh-d15 on a 4790k. Well, it doesn't manage to compete with the "only-cpu mode" of prime95 ("Small FFTs") but it's fine on blend-mode which represents almost all realistic scenarios. I could delid but I suspect I won't get anything practical since I appear to get a big jump of voltage requirements at 4.7gigs and I'd like to keep it below 1.3v for a year for longevity.


----------



## pun3D

What are your temps I got close to 40 degrees cooler when I delidded.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> I'm very happy with my nh-d15 on a 4790k. Well, it doesn't manage to compete with the "only-cpu mode" of prime95 ("Small FFTs") but it's fine on blend-mode which represents almost all realistic scenarios. I could delid but I suspect I won't get anything practical since I appear to get a big jump of voltage requirements at 4.7gigs and I'd like to keep it below 1.3v for a year for longevity.


You would expect a drop in temps. My 4670k got a 17C at max load. Not sure how much a 4790k would improve as there's supposedly better TIM and/or they improved contact.


----------



## GAMERIG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> It definitely is bigger.
> Specification differences:
> NH-D15(with fans) = 165x150x161mm(H,W,D), 1320g, 2x NF-A15 PWM 1500rpm 140,2 m³/h 24.6dBA
> NH-D14(with fans) = 160x140x151mm(), 1070g, NF-P14 / NF-P12 1200/1300rpm 110,3 / 92,3 m³/h 19,6 / 19,8dB(A


Seriously? I would be choice NH-D14 over NH-D15. I'm a previous NH-D14 owner.


----------



## Vaux

D15 is quieter than the d14 (an more efficient), never look at official specs for anything else than dimension.


----------



## fateswarm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> You would expect a drop in temps. My 4670k got a 17C at max load. Not sure how much a 4790k would improve as there's supposedly better TIM and/or they improved contact.


Of course I would get a temps drop. I said I don't see a benefit that warrants the risk. The voltage requirements appear to be above what I require them to be and at that point all my realistic scenarios of load are non temperature-limited.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vaux*
> 
> D15 is quieter than the d14 (an more efficient), never look at official specs for anything else than dimension.


On what are you basing this statement?
I seriously doubt the NH-D15 is quieter than NH-D14 when both have fans running full speed.
In fact the NH-D15 fans are 2-300rpm faster than NH-D14 fans
Noctua rate them both at 24.6dBA, but running full speed in open space testing I can easily hear them at 2 meters in a room with a noise floor of 30-31dBA. I guess Noctua's sound meter is much better.


----------



## fateswarm

I'm sure the official specs of their decibels is a more reliable measure than rounds per minute specs. They are after all both specs of the same specs author. So it would be ironic to take his rpm specs and ignore his other spec.


----------



## Vaux

I recheck all the test, and yes, it's exactly as loud as the d14 at full speed but you have better temps with it (betwen 2 and 5° improvement depending on the test)


----------



## doyll

The faster a fan runs the more noise it makes.

It is hard to find anywhere that is below 20dBA. Typical quiet bedroom is about 30dBA, a library is about 40dBA.









What are you measuring the noise level with?


----------



## Vaux

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> The faster a fan runs the more noise it makes.


That's only valid with the same fan









PS: and i didn't make the test, i read those were on the internet


----------



## fateswarm

Let me make it more blunt. You are effectively accusing Noctua of lying, while you believe Noctua on their rpm claim at the same time. I hope you understand how humorously wrong that is.

I'm willing to bet they are not lying and your assumption is wrong.

Aerodynamics are more than just rounds per minute.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> On what are you basing this statement?
> I seriously doubt the NH-D15 is quieter than NH-D14 when both have fans running full speed.
> In fact the NH-D15 fans are 2-300rpm faster than NH-D14 fans
> Noctua rate them both at 24.6dBA, but running full speed in open space testing I can easily hear them at 2 meters in a room with a noise floor of 30-31dBA. I guess Noctua's sound meter is much better.


I can tell you the D15's fans are more annoying at max speed since it's a higher pitched noise.

I like the retail version that only reaches 1200rpm and I still limit them to 900rpm.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> I can tell you the D15's fans are more annoying at max speed since it's a higher pitched noise.
> 
> I like the retail version that only reaches 1200rpm and I still limit them to 900rpm.


Yeah, I have noticed the same thing with the stock fans on my NH-D15. I'm actually thinking about swapping them with the retail models.


----------



## Neo Zuko

I'm thinking of just using GT 14s. Yeah they are small but I like the sound profile they have. Or I can get another bigger fan.


----------



## doyll

I agree wtih Capt and ohhgourami, at full speed the D15's fans are not as pleasant on the ears as other coolers I've used. But in reality my coolers only run at full speed when testing.. which is rarely. In everyday use they run in the 600-1000rpm range where their sound is definitely acceptable.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Let me make it more blunt. You are effectively accusing Noctua of lying, while you believe Noctua on their rpm claim at the same time. I hope you understand how humorously wrong that is.
> 
> I'm willing to bet they are not lying and your assumption is wrong.
> 
> Aerodynamics are more than just rounds per minute.


Based on what you are saying above, you are effectively accusing me of lying!

Let me be just as blunt.

First and formost; *publish fan specifications are taken in an environment not even remotely similar to the ones they are used in* .. We never use fans in open space. We use them with at least a grill on one side, a grill and filter, a cooler fin pack, or a radiator.

Based on what you are saying above, you are effectively accusing me of lying!








Verifying fan rpm is very easy to do on most any computer system Rpm readings match Noctua's specifications.
Verifying sound level with a sound meter is not rocket science either. dBA readings are 50% higher than Noctua specifications.
Sound meter reading match known sound levels from other sources, but fan sound level is higher than any noise level in my environment.. Even in the basement where meter registers my breathing a meter away by fluctuating slightly.
My ears are no where near as accurate as sound meter, but I can easily hear fans running at what is supposed to be about 25dBA in spaces where base sound level is at or above 30dBA.
Since you know so much, please explain how sound meter readings of everything else are as they should be but fan readings are significantly higher?

I suggest you look at some graphs of similar fans, like PH-F140HP, NF-A15, NF-A14, TY-147 and F140XF. What you will see is they all runs 1200=1500rpm, all have sound level specifications within a few dBA of each other..

Here are a couple to get you started. They are real world use tests on radiators, meaning sound level readings will be higher than in open space / unrestricted use. But rpm to sound level correlation and dramatically dbA readings still show that 24-25dbA is lower than what fan sound levels really are.
http://www.hardware.fr/articles/886-26/recapitulatif-db-a-vs-cfm.html

http://martinsliquidlab.org/2013/04/24/fan-testing-round-11/


----------



## fateswarm

I don't think you are lying. I think you are wrong. Noctua gave you both an rpm spec and a noise spec and you ignore one of their specs and you get one of their other specs in isolation to satisfy your personal beliefs.

Also the arguments of the type "open space" are void since both fans have same testing methodology.

I know not "so much". You ignore their specs selectively. I just read them.


----------



## Vaux

For noctua spec keep in mind their release the d14 5 years ago and the d15 this year
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Capt*
> 
> Yeah, I have noticed the same thing with the stock fans on my NH-D15. I'm actually thinking about swapping them with the retail models.


Just use LNA cable


----------



## mam72

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I would guess it will perform better but really don't want to guess. Hopefully some will be reviewed soon.


Lets place bets







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> I don't think you are lying. I think you are wrong. Noctua gave you both an rpm spec and a noise spec and you ignore one of their specs and you get one of their other specs in isolation to satisfy your personal beliefs.
> 
> Also the arguments of the type "open space" are void since both fans have same testing methodology.
> 
> I know not "so much". You ignore their specs selectively. I just read them.


Actually doyll is right, Noctua fans have always been a bit questionable. Their marketing claimed that the S12 as optomised for airflow while the P12 was for radiators, yet martins liquid labs testing showed that the S12 performed better. Later on the NF-F12 was the 2nd worst performing fan in his radiator tests when it came to sound per CFM and sound per RPM.

Another example is with SPCR, they updated their testing procedure for there fans and the Noctua S12s did not perform all that well compared to the others. Source

Later on SPCR updated there recommended fans, there is only one Noctua fan in the list for 140mm and ZERO in the 120mm list. Source. SPCR's more recent 140mm+ fan reviews show that the Noctua fans do cool well, but there are better cheaper alternatives.

My point is that if all that marketing about the blade and frame designs actually worked they would be stomping all over the competition. Yet that is not what we see. Yes they make quiet fans, yes they make reliable fans but so do other companies and in some cases they do it better. The problem is that most people test the fans wrong, if you want to know how good a fan is you will need to get a P/Q Curve of that fan.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> I don't think you are lying. I think you are wrong. Noctua gave you both an rpm spec and a noise spec and you ignore one of their specs and you get one of their other specs in isolation to satisfy your personal beliefs.
> 
> Also the arguments of the type "open space" are void since both fans have same testing methodology.
> 
> I know not "so much". You ignore their specs selectively. I just read them.


No, I am not ignoring anything. I am simply stating the fact that fan dbA specs are not of much use in relationship to how the fans sound in real world use, but rpm specs are as we use them in real world. 1000rpm in their test chamber is still 1000rpm when we use it. The only difference is the possible power differences required to run fan at 1000rpm based on amount of resistance, air density, etc. the fan is working against. But still, a 1000rpm reading is still 1000rpm.

The dbA of a fan running in the room I am setting or in a computer in same room is very different from the dbA on spec sheet. We are not using fans in a totally silent chamber built to only register dbA. And if fan is audible above a room ambient of 30-32dbA, it has to be louder than 30-32dbA or we would not be able to hear it.

Same applies to static pressure and airflow specifications. Specs are maximum airflow with no resistance / restriction at all and static pressure spec is pressure level when fan stops moving air. Our use of fans is in neither of these environments. We have resistance to the airflow and will never use a fan at it's static pressure rating since at that point there is no airflow and fan is only a noise maker.


----------



## Capt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Vaux*
> 
> Just use LNA cable


If I can find one. I don't know where I have put them.


----------



## fateswarm

Results after a delid.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> 
> 
> I've done a relatively thorough application of Liquid Pro on the die of 4790K (after a delid) and at the back of the IHS, as well as on the top of the IHS (I didn't on the noctua cooler, though that's most probably not important since it's a mirror-like surface it will probably take what it needs out of liquid pro from the top of the IHS.
> 
> Since my iGPU is practically shut down, it would be expected for core 0 to be the lowest temped. The rightmost would be low but still higher since it's next to stuff that do some work, and the core2 will be the higher since it works next to cores that don't include the coolest core.


It was on prime95 blend latest. Ambient summer. Not run too long.

Voltage 1.24v, 1.74v vrin, 1.12 ring x43.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Results after a delid.
> It was on prime95 blend latest. Ambient summer. Not run too long.
> 
> Voltage 1.24v, 1.74v vrin, 1.12 ring x43.


What's the max temp?

Those are similar temps that I get out of my 4670k at the same vcore with my fans spinning at 1000rpm.

How much your temps drop after delid? I think you should expect 10-12C drop with devils canyon.


----------



## fateswarm

Those were going slightly above 90 there, still didn't throttle. SmallFFTs throttled immediately. Now it goes slightly above 90 itself.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Those were going slightly above 90 there, still didn't throttle. SmallFFTs throttled immediately. Now it goes slightly above 90 itself.


That's hot. My chip only hits 71c max with 28C ambient.


----------



## fateswarm

You get 71C on SmallFFTs?

PS. I'm in a hotter summer.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> You get 71C on SmallFFTs?
> 
> PS. I'm in a hotter summer.


Yup, small FFTs for ~30 mins gets me 71c max with fans at 1000rpm with the same 1.24vcore.

I also use a test bench so I have perfect airflow.

Sounds like your temps are at least 10c too high.


----------



## fateswarm

version of prime?


----------



## deepor

There's also the i5 vs. i7 difference because of HT and more threads + performance, which perhaps ends up being 10 °C more or so?


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> version of prime?


Looks like I'm hitting slightly higher temps with the newest version (28.5). Max temp is now 77C but ambient is higher at 31C. HT should make your chip hotter than mine, but I don't think by 15C though.


----------



## fateswarm

Oh I just noticed you are i5 as well. My application of CLP is not bad. You were fast to judge.


----------



## ohhgourami

i5 or i7, your temps seem a bit high for the voltage.

Maybe your ambient is 40c but I wouldn't know since you didn't mention.


----------



## Abula

10C is what i saw between similar cooling on 4770K and the 4670K on prime95, so should be similar on the devils canon.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Abula*
> 
> 10C is what i saw between similar cooling on 4770K and the 4670K on prime95, so should be similar on the devils canon.


Didn't know the difference would be that much with HT.


----------



## fateswarm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> i5 or i7, your temps seem a bit high for the voltage.
> 
> Maybe your ambient is 40c but I wouldn't know since you didn't mention.


I don't know why you don't believe others. The temps have nearly dropped 20-22C and on DC at that. It is not a bad delid.


----------



## Onyxian

Newegg plz.



Make it Shoprunner eligible! You're my only hope for free shipping! I even signed up for that Premier whatever trial and I still have to pay for shipping. Unless Amazon actually makes theirs Prime eligible.


----------



## PowerSlide

is D15 the best air cooler money can buy now? i didn't follow air cooling much









need a new cooler my my 4790K


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> is D15 the best air cooler money can buy now? i didn't follow air cooling much
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> need a new cooler my my 4790K


Maybe not the best, but definitely one of the best. The shootout for best seems to be between Cryorig R1 Ultimate, Silver Arrow IB-E, Phanteks PH-TC14PE and NH-D15. Of course Dark Rock Pro 3, Alpenfohn K2, HR-22, NH-U14S, TRUE Spirit 140 Power, NH-D14, etc. are all withing a few degrees too. If you can stand the noise at full speed the Silver Arrow SB-E or IB-E Extreme and HE01cool better .. and at same rpm as others sound the same. It's as much about which one looks best to you as it is about absolute cooling. How well your case airflow supplies cool air and removes heated air is as or more important than which cooler cools best.








Second link in sig is about case cooling. Below link to cooler sizes.
www.overclock.net/t/1487022/help-finding-a-capable-cpu-cooler/0_20#post_22205553


----------



## doyll

Keep in mind that 3mm (RAM socket), RAM and fan must be less than the CPU clearance plus 8mm.
Or:
RAM + fan is less than CPU clearance + 5mm.










If you need anything else, just ask.


----------



## YoungGun88

Just got and installed this the other day. This thing is amazing. Soooo quiet and keeps my cpu so cool! Never go above 55C on my i5.


----------



## PowerSlide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Keep in mind that 3mm (RAM socket), RAM and fan must be less than the CPU clearance plus 8mm.
> Or:
> RAM + fan is less than CPU clearance + 5mm.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you need anything else, just ask.


not quite get it in my brain









but a check on noctua webby shows my board giga Z97x gaming 7 have no issue and my ram not having high heat spreader everything is good to go


----------



## Onyxian

Ordered mine, should get here by Friday hopefully. As well as the rest of my stuff, then the building begins!


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> but a check on noctua webby shows my board giga Z97x gaming 7 have no issue and my ram not having high heat spreader everything is good to go


Here is sideview of cooler and fan with measurements.


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## PowerSlide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Here is sideview of cooler and fan with measurements.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


look into it only need to raise the fan to clear the ram, the rest all look good

i'm thinkingas well U14S with dual fan, cost about the same as D15 after adding 2nd fan and performance a few degree off but less bulky


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> look into it only need to raise the fan to clear the ram, the rest all look good
> 
> i'm thinkingas well U14S with dual fan, cost about the same as D15 after adding 2nd fan and performance a few degree off but less bulky


Most of us don't notice a couple of degrees difference in top level coolers. We rarely use them at or near their cooling limits in everyday life .. even with CPU intensive applications.


----------



## Onyxian

Seems like Amazon is being awesome and sending the parts FedEx 2day, even with Prime living in Hawaii they just give me free standard shipping so I get stuff in 5-7 days. Surprised they did it with my case too, that would likely cost $60-70 otherwise.

I actually bought a "Used - Like New" NH-D15 from Amazon and while Amazon says the manufacturer's warranty is void with used products I contacted Noctua and they said it's still covered. Guess I jumped the gun a little bit as Newegg is out of stock and Amazon didn't have any that qualified from Prime minus that used one. Looks like today they added NH-D15s that qualify for Prime but won't be available until the 16th which is the day I will get my used, still covered by warranty, cheaper one!









Also, sucks I decided to buy an anti-static wristband in the same order and they decided to ship that through Parcel Pool so it'll get to me next monday.. yeah I'm not waiting 5 days for it. I just wanted to be safe as it'll be my first build, I've done lots of work on my computer without one before so I know to touch the case etc often but damn, ah well. Too lazy to send it back so I'll just keep it for later.


----------



## shampoo911

im considering to buy one of this bad boys for a future rig that will contain this specs:

i7 4930k
asus rampage iv black edition
gskill ripjaws z 16gb 2133 c9

im wondering what temps should i expect for a 24/7 overclock of 4.6ghz on this 4930k...

and also, considering to upgrade from a NH-D14 with NF-F12 and NF-A15 on a FX8350... im @4.8ghz with 1.4628v (vcore) and 1.30v on CPU/NB without power saving features, it idles on 20ºC and tops on 55ºC... if i upgrade the cooler, will i get better temps, or should i stick with my D14...?


----------



## Joeteck

I have the D14, but never installed it.. I even have the H100i that I never re-installed after the pump failed and I got a new one. I'm currently running my 3770k bone stock with speedstep turned on..and running 6 monitors..

The D14 is huge, and the D15 is even bigger.. The H100i is smaller @ the CPU but bigger with the radiator..

They have to try make a smaller cooler with the same characteristics...

somehow..









Nice thread..

I have to modify my info below.. its been some time...







Done.


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shampoo911*
> 
> im considering to buy one of this bad boys for a future rig that will contain this specs:
> 
> i7 4930k
> asus rampage iv black edition
> gskill ripjaws z 16gb 2133 c9
> 
> im wondering what temps should i expect for a 24/7 overclock of 4.6ghz on this 4930k...
> 
> and also, considering to upgrade from a NH-D14 with NF-F12 and NF-A15 on a FX8350... im @4.8ghz with 1.4628v (vcore) and 1.30v on CPU/NB without power saving features, it idles on 20ºC and tops on 55ºC... if i upgrade the cooler, will i get better temps, or should i stick with my D14...?


Expect a 3-4C drop with D15 even using the same fans.

Posted a comparison awhile back: http://www.overclock.net/t/1493091/ohhgouramis-noctua-nh-d14-vs-nh-d15-comparison/20#post_22450520

And yes I highly recommend using CLU for the D15.


----------



## fateswarm

I noticed something cool. If I turn off the fans completely it can go up to like 50C or some realistic loads. Too bad I can't do it that easily without a software server but no biggy, they are already almost silent.

And it helps a bit with case ventilation the way it's aligned.


----------



## PowerSlide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Most of us don't notice a couple of degrees difference in top level coolers. We rarely use them at or near their cooling limits in everyday life .. even with CPU intensive applications.


can say i will never push my 4790k to its absolute limit and giving hell to a D15, U14S dual fan looks the better option for me

will decide when i make up my mind on which case


----------



## gavros777

Hello guys, i want to put a third fan on the noctua nh d15 i recently purchased and need a third steel clip. I was told to email noctua my invoice and they will send me a third clip for free. I did and they replied with a faq link that says they don't sell or offer any more clips because there's not much improvement to put a third fan. Which equals noctua telling me "we don't want more money from you" lol.

What would you guys do?


----------



## PCPanamaCrew

i just order the mine today to replace my 3 y/o Corsair H50, very hard decision

my budged was: Corsair H105 vs Noctua NH-D15

reading all reviews the h105 won.. but for -2c

but whit all conspiracy about radiator leaks and my new expensive build, i do not want to take risks,and is more hard clean the dust of them

the bad is that they block my first pci, and likely cant add 2 stick more of Corsair Dominator GT and his 54mm of height

i just hope make the good decision


----------



## Lukas026

hello there

may I ask you if there will be some problem when building this RIG (I mean if it will fit):

Intel i7 4790k
Z97I-Plus
Noctua NH-D15 (obviously







)
Kingston HyperX 1600 Mhz
Corsair AX860
Nvidia 780Ti Reference
Samsung 840 Pro 512GB

in the Bitfenix Prodigy case ?

I already checked that MB+CPU cooler will do fine, but I am more concerned about the case.

Thanks


----------



## nick779

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCPanamaCrew*
> 
> i just order the mine today to replace my 3 y/o Corsair H50, very hard decision
> 
> my budged was: Corsair H105 vs Noctua NH-D15
> 
> reading all reviews the h105 won.. but for -2c
> 
> but whit all conspiracy about radiator leaks and my new expensive build, i do not want to take risks,and is more hard clean the dust of them
> 
> the bad is that they block my first pci, and likely cant add 2 stick more of Corsair Dominator GT and his 54mm of height
> 
> i just hope make the good decision


to be totally honest with you, I have an H105 and kinda wish I went the Air route. Im overly paranoid though


----------



## rpjkw11

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nick779*
> 
> to be totally honest with you, I have an H105 and kinda with I went the Air route. Im overly paranoid though


I'm not paranoid (much) but I am a firm believer in Murphy's Law: What CAN happen WILL happen. So, I cool with air and will likely do so until I can no longer operate a mouse.


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rpjkw11*
> 
> I'm not paranoid (much) but I am a firm believer in Murphy's Law: What CAN happen WILL happen. So, I cool with air and will likely do so until I can no longer operate a mouse.


that was some deep thinking dude... hahaha... but i agree with you... i've been tempted A LOT to build a custom loop, or use a CLC solution... but they have a lot of cons...


----------



## fateswarm

That's not murphy's law but it is real. It's supported by probability theory. If something e.g. has a chance to happen of 0.1% only, if you try it for 200 times, it will have a chance to happen of 1-(1-0.001)^200 = 18%+!

Darn, that painful probability and statistics module left its mark. I still remembered how to do that.


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> That's not murphy's law but it is real. It's supported by probability theory. If something e.g. has a chance to happen of 0.1% only, if you try it for 200 times, it will have a chance to happen of 1-(1-0.001)^200 = 18%+!
> 
> Darn, that painful probability and statistics module left its mark. I still remembered how to do that.


isn't murphy: if something bad is prone to happen, it WILL happen?

it's ok, statistics are a PITA, but as a systems engineer, i refuse your reality and replace it with SYSTEMS APPROACH... where nothing is true, and everything is permitted (assassins creed quote intended)


----------



## Neo Zuko

LoL I never got my D15 on. Went with the H220X instead in the end. D15 went back. I think i'm pretty much done with big heatsinks.


----------



## Onyxian

Seriously, most of the difficulties I had while building my system was due to the size of the NH-D15.


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Onyxian*
> 
> Seriously, most of the difficulties I had while building my system was due to the size of the NH-D15.


Same. I did the mistake that I mounted it in my case then I realized that I needed to take it off since I wasn't able to put the ATX cable into place. Maybe it was only me but I had a really hard time mounting the cooler on the CPU.

Anyway how do I join the club? Do I need to take a picture of the cooler and put my name that I've on OC next to it?


----------



## Onyxian

I also had a bit of difficulty mounting the actual heatsink, the screws weren't catching thread. I'm sure I got a couple air bubbles in there which annoys me but it'll probably be even worse if I try to remount it in the case.


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Onyxian*
> 
> I also had a bit of difficulty mounting the actual heatsink, the screws weren't catching thread. I'm sure I got a couple air bubbles in there which annoys me but it'll probably be even worse if I try to remount it in the case.


Exactly! If it wasn't for my girlfriend helping me, I would probably not even have mounted it.


----------



## Onyxian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wezzor*
> 
> Exactly! If it wasn't for my girlfriend helping me, I would probably not even have mounted it.


Yup, my brother helped push the heatsink down while I turned the screws. Heard it was really easy to install, wonder how hard other heatsinks are to install when this one was supposed to be easy.


----------



## fateswarm

This isn't the nh-d15 hate club.







I personally enjoyed my big sized components since I haven't had a big real proper PC since the dawn of time.


----------



## doyll

I probably do 100 or more installs a year.









When installing a new cooler I always do a "practice" / trial install to make sure everything is as it should be and to be sure I know how to get the screws started without screwing up the TIM print. Than apply TIM and do actual install.









Usually the first time or two a cooler is installed are the only times the springs holding screws need to be compressed to get screws started. After that they have been compressed enough the are not a problem.


----------



## fluxlite

I just swapped coolers, but it probably took me 10 minutes to swap my older cooler for the D15.

The one tiny issue I had was the sprung screws not catching straight away, but it's hardly a problem.

I'd rather have a big lump of a cooler than have one of these silly AIO things


----------



## ohhgourami

Yup also had a hard time getting the screws to catch the thread my first try. Caught me by surprise.


----------



## fateswarm

It's slightly easier than it looks at first. It looks very unfitting to each other but a slight touch at the right position seems to get it going. And it's very high quality anyway, e.g. the phanteks fans my case came with had a way more unfitting bearings with the screws (but not a big problem either).


----------



## pun3D

My first install with the provided screwdriver was hard just like people see saying. The second install with a ratcheting screwdriver was so much easier.


----------



## doyll

It really is worthwhile to do a dry / practice install of cooler before doing the actual install with TIM.








When I get fan clips I'm not familiar with I always R&R fans several times to get the feel of the clips. So much easier than fighting them inside of csse.


----------



## fateswarm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pun3D*
> 
> My first install with the provided screwdriver was hard just like people see saying. The second install with a ratcheting screwdriver was so much easier.


Oh yeah the "IKEA" screwdriver isn't great.


----------



## Gomi

NH-D15 inside a Silverstone SG10 case - Motherboard is an IV Gene with a 4960X in it.

Yes, the D15 blocks the first PCIe - I went around it the following way:


PCIe16_1 <-- Blocked by NH-D15
PCIe4 <-- Single slot Asus Raidr SSD
PCIe16_2 <-- Asus GTX 760 Mars.
PCIe8 <-- Covered by GPU


----------



## fateswarm

Daily reminder than on a mainstream board you don't have to block the ram slots at all. The 2nd fan can be put on the other side of the heatsink, pulling air out istead of pushing it in (there is no disadvantage, in fact, there may be an advantage if you build a route box for the air to come out at the back as doyll had demonstrated, but I don't find that necessary personally).


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gomi*
> 
> NH-D15 inside a Silverstone SG10 case - Motherboard is an IV Gene with a 4960X in it.
> 
> Yes, the D15 blocks the first PCIe - I went around it the following way:
> 
> 
> PCIe16_1 <-- Blocked by NH-D15
> PCIe4 <-- Single slot Asus Raidr SSD
> PCIe16_2 <-- Asus GTX 760 Mars.
> PCIe8 <-- Covered by GPU


whoa dude... you will get massive temps on that rig... IMHO, you should change the nhd15 for a CLC solution...


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gomi*
> 
> NH-D15 inside a Silverstone SG10 case - Motherboard is an IV Gene with a 4960X in it.
> 
> Yes, the D15 blocks the first PCIe - I went around it the following way:
> 
> 
> PCIe16_1 <-- Blocked by NH-D15
> PCIe4 <-- Single slot Asus Raidr SSD
> PCIe16_2 <-- Asus GTX 760 Mars.
> PCIe8 <-- Covered by GPU


Damn, that system must be hot.


----------



## Gomi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shampoo911*
> 
> whoa dude... you will get massive temps on that rig... IMHO, you should change the nhd15 for a CLC solution...


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wezzor*
> 
> Damn, that system must be hot.


Ha ha









CPU is overclocked at 4.2Ghz and GPU running stock, CPU is well within temperature limits and the GPU aswell, so no worries. Silverstone actually thought this case (SG10) through, everything seems so thought through. The case got a massive amount of positive pressure, heck, even VRM temperatures are not breaking a sweat thanks to the AP181 at the top (Which also feeds the NH-D15)

At the bottom you have 2x92mm and a 120mm, right next to the GPU, feeding it fresh air.

Exhaust is done by a 120mm at the read.


----------



## doyll

Just because case is full doesn't make it hot.

@ shampoo911
What case is that?


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gomi*
> 
> Ha ha
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CPU is overclocked at 4.2Ghz and GPU running stock, CPU is well within temperature limits and the GPU aswell, so no worries. Silverstone actually thought this case (SG10) through, everything seems so thought through. The case got a massive amount of positive pressure, heck, even VRM temperatures are not breaking a sweat thanks to the AP181 at the top (Which also feeds the NH-D15)
> 
> At the bottom you have 2x92mm and a 120mm, right next to the GPU, feeding it fresh air.
> 
> Exhaust is done by a 120mm at the read.


the moment i saw your post, i thought of this:


----------



## Gomi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shampoo911*
> 
> the moment i saw your post, i thought of this:


Lol









Guess I will have to run a 4 hour Prime95 or whatever tomorrow with HWinfo open and screenshot the temps.

Like doyll said, as long as there is a sufficient amount of FRESH air in the case and the fan-setup is right you can get away stuffing a case full of stuff.


----------



## PCPanamaCrew

first: the best product packaging i ever see in my life....









but i push my 4790k to a lite "auto" 4.5ghz oc and tested whit aida64... and 91c....wth.. seems like a airbubble, i tighten a screw more than another.. to reinstall all again


----------



## fateswarm

It might be best to remove that outake fan from there and let the cooler be sort-of the outake (the out of the noctua could be boxed to be routed only outside too). Maybe it's best to be placed intake, if there's such a position elsewhere. Most people create possitive pressure inside and the cooler alone may create negative.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCPanamaCrew*
> 
> [IMG
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> ALT=""]http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/2111967/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> first: the best product packaging i ever see in my life....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> but i push my 4790k to a lite "auto" 4.5ghz oc and tested whit aida64... and 91c....wth.. seems like a airbubble, i tighten a screw more than another.. to reinstall all again


Nice!









If I may be so bold, you have both fans on back tower and none on front tower.








Is there a reason you do not have the fans in push / push like most are installed? Just curious.

I assume both fans are moving air toward back vent. Based on that I've found removing back exhaust fan and grill with a duct from cooler fan to back of case works very well. Hanging file folders make great material for ducts .. and with tape, glue stick, straightedge and knife can make a nice duct. Spray paint when done to match colors and strengthen it more. I also remove the I / O plate to allow air to flow better over the motherboard components behind CPU. Something like this: Sorry, but I'm no artist.
 

Here is an example of how mine now looks:


----------



## PCPanamaCrew

i dont know wth happens whit the temps.... great ilde 30c, but whit prime go to a imposible 90 and *100c*!!! i reinstalled it 3 times.. 3 times tim... only 1 time whit pea size method and the temps whit stock settings go to 77 max(whit 33 outdoor wheater) i reinstall again whit 4.5 oc to all cores.. and go to 100c.... third time whit stock settngs and "spread method " tim and go to 89,90c....

i waste a lot of mx4... what i do wrong??? this thing is designed to never go 80c.... whit oc included... i guess they are not making contact whit the cpu correctly in 90c i feels the aluminum totaly cold... like not dissipating the heat

any suggestions in my 4 try???









p.s: i use prime 95 to test temp in every try.

p.s2: i remove the exhaust fan, but this not affect the d15

to *doyll :*because the 290x is blowing hot air ouside so is crazy put the fans to intake that, the entire system got hot imediatly so i prefer to took fresh air in front and blower all back, i have a 140mm coolermaster fan attached in the cd rom area so the first aluminium tower is fresh.


----------



## deepor

I bet this is your first Haswell CPU, right? You need to go to the Intel CPU sub-forum and take a look at the "haswell overclocking [with statistics]" thread. You can't use the same programs as in the past to test the CPU. Performance is much higher for certain new instructions on Haswell, but this increased performance is not free and at the same time the temperature goes through the roof. Take a look at what the other Haswell owners are doing to overclock their CPU. I think they pretty much ignore stuff like IBT and prime95, instead look at temperatures for normal stuff like video encoding with x264?


----------



## Onyxian

I was pretty concerned as well. Thought I mounted it wrong as I was getting up to 100c stock in prime. Blend it would get to maybe 75 max, and any other program it wouldn't even reach 70. But it sounds like that's... Just how it is. I wanted to overclock this thing but if it hit 100c stock I didn't want to touch it because lots of others still use it to test stability.


----------



## fateswarm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *deepor*
> 
> I bet this is your first Haswell CPU, right? You need to go to the Intel CPU sub-forum and take a look at the "haswell overclocking [with statistics]" thread.


He has a gigabyte. Sin0822's guide is way better.


----------



## deepor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> He has a gigabyte. Sin0822's guide is way better.


I was thinking that thread would be best because of what programs to use or not use, to read what other Haswell owners are thinking about what he's currently doing with his prime95 testing. I remember Sin was just talking about how the hardware and board works, not really about how to stress test, except he mentioned Aida was written with input from Intel's engineers?


----------



## fateswarm

It's not like they are experts in stress testing there either. They mainly figure it out as they go along.


----------



## deepor

I meant looking at that thread might be the best to convince PCPanamaCrew that everything about his work and his NH-D15 is fine, that those 105 C he sees is normal. If he doesn't believe he should ignore IBT or prime95 small-FFT, this will mean he will stop overclocking at 4.0 GHz or so. That's just a depressing thought. Or he'll go and give his NH-D15 back and get a H220-X or something.









If he takes a look at that thread and reads what the other people are doing to their CPUs, he'll hopefully get some nice, high overclock out of his CPU by ignoring small-FFT stuff and only looking at the temperature when using that x264 video encoder or something. That's what the dudes in that thread are doing, from what I've seen, completely ignoring the crazy temperature readings and using 1.3+ Vcore anyway.


----------



## Menta

will start testing soon.....super silent build...

fans are ok until 1000 rmp without l.n.a.s but more then that will make a buzzing noise like hell.

500 or 600 rmp is the sweet spot i think for idle

15m prime


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Menta*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> will start testing soon.....super silent build...
> 
> fans are ok until 1000 rmp without l.n.a.s but more then that will make a buzzing noise like hell.
> 
> 500 or 600 rmp is the sweet spot i think


You don't need that rear fan. It doesn't lower temps and adds more noise.


----------



## Menta

i know but i like that fan.







its running at 450rpm, silent anyway

vrm is kind of hot with noctua,hmmm needs cold air running below


----------



## ohhgourami

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Menta*
> 
> i know but i like that fan.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> its running at 450rpm, silent anyway
> 
> vrm is kind of hot with noctua,hmmm needs cold air running below


In that case, it might be impeding airflow.


----------



## Menta

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ohhgourami*
> 
> In that case, it might be impeding airflow.


later or tomorrow i will test that without the rear fan


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Menta*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> will start testing soon.....super silent build...
> 
> fans are ok until 1000 rmp without l.n.a.s but more then that will make a buzzing noise like hell.
> 
> 500 or 600 rmp is the sweet spot i think for idle
> 
> 15m prime


dude, you got a SERIOUS vacuum on your rig... AFAIK, you can remove the trident x's heatsink... do it and fix that cooling


----------



## Menta

have tested that way allmost the same resultes...i,m waiting on a third fan though


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Menta*
> 
> have tested that way allmost the same resultes...i,m waiting on a third fan though


a third fan won't make a big difference... it will be more of an unnecessary purchase... try using it the right way... the results will be seen more on load than on idle...


----------



## Menta

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shampoo911*
> 
> a third fan won't make a big difference... it will be more of an unnecessary purchase... try using it the right way... the results will be seen more on load than on idle...


i will test and see for my self, "right way" or the way it is now has a change in one or two degrees even at load 4970k....MAX.

unnecessary purchase... why? a good fan is allways usefull someday


----------



## doyll

Third fan on NH-D15? Waste of time and money.








The fans supplied with NH-D15 are 1500rpm 140,2 m³/h. The ones being sold are 1200rpm 115,5 m³/h.


----------



## fateswarm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Third fan on NH-D15? Waste of time and money.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The fans supplied with NH-D15 are 1500rpm 140,2 m³/h. The ones being sold are 1200rpm 115,5 m³/h.


wat. That's not what the page of the product says. I guess you have a source though to say that.


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> wat. That's not what the page of the product says. I guess you have a source though to say that.


this is the source

NH-D15 specs

and just to add some info

NF-A15 specs


----------



## deepor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> wat. That's not what the page of the product says. I guess you have a source though to say that.


It's not a typo on Noctua's product pages. It's real as far as I know, NH-U14S and NH-D15 get a special 1500 RPM version of the fan that you can't buy separately.


----------



## doyll

Noticed the difference when NH-D15 came out and contacted Noctua is verify specs. Specs are correct.

Do you have a 3rd set of fan clips? Noctua doesn't like supplying them .. because adding 3rd fan does not increase cooling but does increase noise.


----------



## fateswarm

Interetesting. They have to update the nh-d15 page. If you click the main page's fans' link and then its specs you get the 1200 number.


----------



## doyll

Both Shampoo and Deepor are correct.


----------



## fateswarm

As I said. You click the main page of the cooler's page fan link and you get the fan. You then click the fan's spec and you get the 1200 number.

This is not accurate. It's probably because it would need a new fan's webpage.

At this point it might be best to not link it at all /pedantic


----------



## deepor

A page like that could also confuse people that want to buy the fan, though I guess you could plaster it with a lot of warnings that this isn't the normal fan.

The best would have been to use two different names for these two different fans.


----------



## fateswarm

Interetesting. The low noise adaptor lowers the fans from 1500 to 1200. Imagine the hilarity if it's discovered all the other fans have another noise adaptor integrated.


----------



## Menta

at 500 or 600 rmp added noise should not be an issue, like i said no harm trying, dont trust all the reviews, the reviews i read did not mention how bad the dba noise is at 1500 rmp.....some of them dont mention that pci slots( first one) could be blocked on some mATX boards...and so on.

they dont test everything on the reviews sometimes just personal judgement and not facts. third fan might not do much idle but on load could drop temps a bit. lets see how my wind tunnel will perform tomorrow.

dont get me wrong its a great cooler never the less. good temps and silent, even the color scheme worked on my rig i think









its also very hot now where i live so......sorry for the poor english









no third fan clip....dam

will they send me a clip? fu**

this will work just fine i think


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> As I said. You click the main page of the cooler's page fan link and you get the fan. You then click the fan's spec and you get the 1200 number.
> 
> This is not accurate. It's probably because it would need a new fan's webpage.
> 
> At this point it might be best to not link it at all /pedantic


Here is what I get on Noctua website:



Noctua says these specs are correct.


----------



## deepor

You can click on where it say "Noctua NF-A15 PWM" in the spec sheet of the NH-D15. That's a link. There's another link in the paragraph of text at the top of that page. Those links then go to the max. 1200 RPM fan page, and that's where fateswarm got confused.


----------



## fateswarm

Yes. That's it. The nh-d15 lists a URL to the fan spec you linked 2nd (the URL is lower on nh-d15's main page) so they either have to remove the URL or make another page etc.

PS. I still wonder if all other fans are really 1500rpm with an integrated silencer since the nh-d15's silencer drops them to 1200 exactly.


----------



## deepor

Anyway! I still want to add that this is definitely not just a mistake in the text on those pages and not just a weird idea that there's a difference. I did actually buy a separate NF-A15 for my NH-D14 and it really is a 1200 RPM fan and not a 1500 RPM fan like the one you get with the coolers.


----------



## Onyxian

Hmm, kind of unrelated but I didn't notice the NF-A14 PWM has a higher RPM than the FLX. And the NF-A14 FLX has the same specs as the NF-A15 (1200). And the NF-A14 PWM has the same specs as the NF-A15 (1500). Makes me a bit more relieved I returned the FLXs.


----------



## fateswarm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *deepor*
> 
> Anyway! I still want to add that this is definitely not just a mistake in the text on those pages and not just a weird idea that there's a difference. I did actually buy a separate NF-A15 for my NH-D14 and it really is a 1200 RPM fan and not a 1500 RPM fan like the one you get with the coolers.


Oh yeah. It's definitely confirmed. Besides, they explicitly say if you use their silencer it goes from 1500 to 1200.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Oh yeah. It's definitely confirmed. Besides, they explicitly say if you use their silencer it goes from 1500 to 1200.


That is also what they told me.


----------



## Menta

test setup "2" had a temp drop about 7- 8 °C under load with case open. idle was about 1or 2°C less (time20m)







case closed 20m test load max



will bench with half speed fan rotation later on


----------



## doyll

Liking what you are doing.









Would be nice if you could monitor the cooler intake temp with something like I show in 2nd link in sig.

Also, OHM (Open Hardware Monitor) is free and has graph to show temps, loads, rpm, etc. Very handy for seeing what is going on and making graphs like below.


----------



## Menta

Thanks, i was using aida64 just now for a few more tests ..... everything seems ok. temps ar solid not much left do to









prime is a bit to much like it stresses until 94w on the 4970k


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Menta*
> 
> Thanks, i was using aida64 just now for a few more tests ..... everything seems ok. temps ar solid not much left do to
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> prime is a bit to much like it stresses until 94w on the 4970k


that's more like it... now your rig aesthethically looks badass, and you will enjoy some great temps... rep+!!! cheers!


----------



## Menta

kind of looks nice....also and super silent .

will be adding a graphics card soon, was hoping that Nvidia would launch the 800 series soon, but i hear november so maybe just get a cheap card to play around til then


----------



## Gomi

A little tip on a stability-testing program would be "x264: The Cool Stresser".

I been using it ever since I built my first Haswell system, and it is my absolute go-to program for any overclock testing.

Some of the benefits:


being a real operation (doing actual video editing / processing); it's not artificial / synthetic,

it is highly stressful; it is clearly worse (causes more instability) than, e.g., Prime95 for me and others,

while at the same time being a very cool stressor; it causes more instability, but at lower temps, which makes it more relevant to real-world work (many want to know the temps to which real work would push their CPU, not artificially high temps)

it only needs a few EXEs from a zip; it is highly portable and doesn't install anything. You can easily run it on HDD instead of SSD (to prevent SSD "wear")

finally, it has its own little built-in benchmark for immediate feedback
Thanks to @angelotti for cooking it down to an easy to use program!

LINK:

https://mega.co.nz/#!3tAGnAqZ!QbCz2r1fG0WjM8DgGYeExngGypaHftAzPUgTSn2kAdk


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Menta*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> kind of looks nice....also and super silent .
> 
> will be adding a graphics card soon, was hoping that Nvidia would launch the 800 series soon, but i hear november so maybe just get a cheap card to play around til then


update your sig... talking on behalf on the bunch of ocers on this thread, we would like to know what parts are included on your rig


----------



## Onyxian

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gomi*
> 
> A little tip on a stability-testing program would be "x264: The Cool Stresser".
> 
> I been using it ever since I built my first Haswell system, and it is my absolute go-to program for any overclock testing.
> 
> Some of the benefits:
> 
> 
> being a real operation (doing actual video editing / processing); it's not artificial / synthetic,
> 
> it is highly stressful; it is clearly worse (causes more instability) than, e.g., Prime95 for me and others,
> 
> while at the same time being a very cool stressor; it causes more instability, but at lower temps, which makes it more relevant to real-world work (many want to know the temps to which real work would push their CPU, not artificially high temps)
> 
> it only needs a few EXEs from a zip; it is highly portable and doesn't install anything. You can easily run it on HDD instead of SSD (to prevent SSD "wear")
> 
> finally, it has its own little built-in benchmark for immediate feedback
> Thanks to @angelotti for cooking it down to an easy to use program!


I don't know about any of the other things but I love that it's way cooler. At stock voltages and settings Prime will get up to 100c in a few seconds. x264 is at least 20c cooler for me.


----------



## PunkX 1

As far as the (aftermarket) NF-A15 fans running at 1200 RPM are concerned:



I have the U14S with 2 NF-A15 fans. Both are running off a (supplied) Y-splitter from the motherboard CPU header and seem to be running at 1200-ish? No change even when I set them to run at maximum speed from the BIOS.


----------



## deepor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PunkX 1*
> 
> As far as the (aftermarket) NF-A15 fans running at 1200 RPM are concerned:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have the U14S with 2 NF-A15 fans. Both are running off a (supplied) Y-splitter from the motherboard CPU header and seem to be running at 1200-ish? No change even when I set them to run at maximum speed from the BIOS.


What happens is this:

The Y-splitter connects the speed signal of one of your two fans to the motherboard fan header. The speed you see is the speed of that fan. The speed of the other fan, you can't know. You connected the side that transmits the speed signal to your 1200 RPM NF-A15 that you bought separately. The other fan is probably the 1500 RPM NF-A15 that came with the cooler, but you don't see its speed.


----------



## PunkX 1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *deepor*
> 
> What happens is this:
> 
> The Y-splitter connects the speed signal of one of your two fans to the motherboard fan header. The speed you see is the speed of that fan. The speed of the other fan, you can't know. You connected the side that transmits the speed signal to your 1200 RPM NF-A15 that you bought separately. The other fan is probably the 1500 RPM NF-A15 that came with the cooler, but you don't see its speed.


Good to know that









Also, does that mean that the other one is probably spinning at 1500 RPM, even though the speed signal of the aftermarket fan is the one being transmitted?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PunkX 1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *deepor*
> 
> What happens is this:
> 
> The Y-splitter connects the speed signal of one of your two fans to the motherboard fan header. The speed you see is the speed of that fan. The speed of the other fan, you can't know. You connected the side that transmits the speed signal to your 1200 RPM NF-A15 that you bought separately. The other fan is probably the 1500 RPM NF-A15 that came with the cooler, but you don't see its speed.
> 
> 
> 
> Good to know that
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, does that mean that the other one is probably spinning at 1500 RPM, even though the speed signal of the aftermarket fan is the one being transmitted?
Click to expand...

Most motherboards use a percent of PWM signal to control the fans based on heat, but does not use the rpm signal from the fans. The rpm sensor is more for us to see how fast the fans are running. The motherboard just increases the PWM percentage with no knowledge of what the rpm is


----------



## Menta

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gomi*
> 
> A little tip on a stability-testing program would be "x264: The Cool Stresser".
> 
> I been using it ever since I built my first Haswell system, and it is my absolute go-to program for any overclock testing.
> 
> Some of the benefits:
> 
> 
> being a real operation (doing actual video editing / processing); it's not artificial / synthetic,
> 
> it is highly stressful; it is clearly worse (causes more instability) than, e.g., Prime95 for me and others,
> 
> while at the same time being a very cool stressor; it causes more instability, but at lower temps, which makes it more relevant to real-world work (many want to know the temps to which real work would push their CPU, not artificially high temps)
> 
> it only needs a few EXEs from a zip; it is highly portable and doesn't install anything. You can easily run it on HDD instead of SSD (to prevent SSD "wear")
> 
> finally, it has its own little built-in benchmark for immediate feedback
> Thanks to @angelotti for cooking it down to an easy to use program!
> 
> LINK:
> 
> https://mega.co.nz/#!3tAGnAqZ!QbCz2r1fG0WjM8DgGYeExngGypaHftAzPUgTSn2kAdk


seems good will give it a try and update specs on sig later on


----------



## PunkX 1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gomi*
> 
> A little tip on a stability-testing program would be "x264: The Cool Stresser".
> 
> I been using it ever since I built my first Haswell system, and it is my absolute go-to program for any overclock testing.
> 
> Some of the benefits:
> 
> 
> being a real operation (doing actual video editing / processing); it's not artificial / synthetic,
> 
> it is highly stressful; it is clearly worse (causes more instability) than, e.g., Prime95 for me and others,
> 
> while at the same time being a very cool stressor; it causes more instability, but at lower temps, which makes it more relevant to real-world work (many want to know the temps to which real work would push their CPU, not artificially high temps)
> 
> it only needs a few EXEs from a zip; it is highly portable and doesn't install anything. You can easily run it on HDD instead of SSD (to prevent SSD "wear")
> 
> finally, it has its own little built-in benchmark for immediate feedback
> Thanks to @angelotti for cooking it down to an easy to use program!
> 
> LINK:
> 
> https://mega.co.nz/#!3tAGnAqZ!QbCz2r1fG0WjM8DgGYeExngGypaHftAzPUgTSn2kAdk


Loved the program!

Managed to stay under 52c after 5 loops @ 4.1Ghz


----------



## Zorton

Hi all,

Does anyone know whether the NH-D15 will fit into a HAF 932 Advanced Case ?
My understanding is that it does (checked pcpartpicker) but my real question relates to the 230mm fan on the Haf 932 advanced Side Panel. Will it have to be removed or is there enough space ??

I have a HAF 932 bought last December which I never got around to moving my PC into and I am going to do it next week.
Trying to decide on the D15 or D14. If I have to remove the side fan, will go for the D14..

Any help appreciated.
Regards,
Emilio


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zorton*
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Does anyone know whether the NH-D15 will fit into a HAF 932 Advanced Case ?
> My understanding is that it does (checked pcpartpicker) but my real question relates to the 230mm fan on the Haf 932 advanced Side Panel. Will it have to be removed or is there enough space ??
> 
> I have a HAF 932 bought last December which I never got around to moving my PC into and I am going to do it next week.
> Trying to decide on the D15 or D14. If I have to remove the side fan, will go for the D14..
> 
> Any help appreciated.
> Regards,
> Emilio


According to CM website the HAF 932 has 172.1mm CPU clearance.
NH-D15 is only 160mm tall, but depending on what RAM you have will determine if you have enough room between RAM and cover for the 140mm fan. Add 1433mm to RAM height. If that total is less than 180mm the fan will fit.

BUT
The problem with the NH-D15 is it's width. It is 150mm wide which means it is 75mm from center of CPU to side of cooler. If you are using top PCIe slot, it need to be more than 75mm from center of CPU.


----------



## Zorton

Hi doyll,
Thanks for that informative response.
The RAM I use is "Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866 Mhz (CML8GX3M2A1866C9R)" - which according to Noctua.at is fine.
I also have an Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 Motherboard which is also on the compatible list.

Regarding slots, I only use one for my GTX 660ti and that is being upgraded to an 8** series card at the end of the year thus no sli will be in the case.

Based on that info, I think I should be safe ???

Emilio


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zorton*
> 
> Hi doyll,
> Thanks for that informative response.
> The RAM I use is "Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866 Mhz (CML8GX3M2A1866C9R)" - which according to Noctua.at is fine.
> I also have an Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 Motherboard which is also on the compatible list.
> 
> Regarding slots, I only use one for my GTX 660ti and that is being upgraded to an 8** series card at the end of the year thus no sli will be in the case.
> 
> Based on that info, I think I should be safe ???
> 
> Emilio


I would measure to be sure but you should be okay.


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zorton*
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Does anyone know whether the NH-D15 will fit into a HAF 932 Advanced Case ?
> My understanding is that it does (checked pcpartpicker) but my real question relates to the 230mm fan on the Haf 932 advanced Side Panel. Will it have to be removed or is there enough space ??
> 
> I have a HAF 932 bought last December which I never got around to moving my PC into and I am going to do it next week.
> Trying to decide on the D15 or D14. If I have to remove the side fan, will go for the D14..
> 
> Any help appreciated.
> Regards,
> Emilio


i have a d14 and a haf 932... it fits like a charm... the d15 should fit like a latex glove on a hand... perrfectly


----------



## digitally

Looks like noctua have listened to the crowd and paint their new fans black. No more excuses from folks complaining with their chocolate colour.

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/NF_P14s_redux_1500.htm


----------



## PCPanamaCrew

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zorton*
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Does anyone know whether the NH-D15 will fit into a HAF 932 Advanced Case ?
> My understanding is that it does (checked pcpartpicker) but my real question relates to the 230mm fan on the Haf 932 advanced Side Panel. Will it have to be removed or is there enough space ??
> 
> I have a HAF 932 bought last December which I never got around to moving my PC into and I am going to do it next week.
> Trying to decide on the D15 or D14. If I have to remove the side fan, will go for the D14..
> 
> Any help appreciated.
> Regards,
> Emilio


i have the d15 and the 932 and no problem whit the side fan


----------



## Zorton

Thank you PcPanamaCrew.
That was my main concern and glad it doesn't interfere with the side panel fan.
Thanks to all that replied.

Edit - Just ordered my Noctua NH-D15 from komplett.ie. Should be with me on Friday.


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Zorton*
> 
> Thank you PcPanamaCrew.
> That was my main concern and glad it doesn't interfere with the side panel fan.
> Thanks to all that replied.
> 
> Edit - Just ordered my Noctua NH-D15 from komplett.ie. Should be with me on Friday.


This is just a tip. Install the Noctua NH-D15 once without thermal paste so you get the feeling how to get the screws started


----------



## Zorton

Wezzor -
Ok, will try that. But from looking at several Youtube reviews, for various Air Coolers, the same point seems to be reiterated extensively and that is that Noctua's install system is easy ?
One of the reasons I was attracted to the Noctua range to be honest and the fact that they have super cutomer service.

Only have a CM 212 EVO on my FX8350 at the moment and it was a pain to put on.
Wull def follow your instructions all the same and thanks for the tip!!


----------



## doyll

Most all systems are easy to install once we do it a few times.









I probably do a 100 install a year and I still do a practice install if I'm not absolutely sure. It only takes a minute or two and sames so much hassle!

I usually forget to mention it because it's so much a part of an install. Kinda like knowing how to use a screwdriver.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wezzor*
> 
> This is just a tip. Install the Noctua NH-D15 once without thermal paste so you get the feeling how to get the screws started











A good practice on any install we are not familiar with.. and sometimes even the ones we are. Only takes a minute and haves so much hassle.

Practice mounting the fans so to bea miliar with how they clip onto fan / cooler can also avoid lots grief too.


----------



## Conditioned

Anyone have a clue as to why, if I place the fans on a diametrical opposite from the default the outer fan, closest to the outgoing fan at the end of the case, starts making a rather louder whirring sound? I have even tried to put some sort of insulation between the fan and the cooler itself in order to make sure to prevent the fans from touching the fins, but still the noise is there. Its rather loud and whirring as to when I put it on the opposite side, where the sticker is, Its barely audible.


----------



## fateswarm

Probably something with aerodynamics being not optimal without at least one being in the middle. Unless it stops if you move it a bit.


----------



## Conditioned

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> Probably something with aerodynamics being not optimal without at least one being in the middle. Unless it stops if you move it a bit.


I have one in the middle too. That one is with the non-sticker side towards the fins too without the added whirring noise. Im trying another 140mm, does it just fine.

Edit: Just retested it and the fan in the middle also creates the loud whirring sound when the nonsticker side is toward the fins. I´m guessing this is the reason that the fan seating recommendations are the way they are instead of the way Im testing now. Ie move the inner fan towards the front of the case and the second fan to the side where the exhaust fan is. This would make a lot more sense due to ram clearance issues. The reason this might be the case is because I get identical temperatures with the fans in both the default and this configuration I just mentioned. I have reseated the sink and fans twice and my results are fairly consistent, its rather hot here now though so the temp goes up and down a bit more than a few degrees ofc affecting these results. With that said the ambient temps were fairly similar at both reseatings/tests.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Conditioned*
> 
> Anyone have a clue as to why, if I place the fans on a diametrical opposite from the default the outer fan, closest to the outgoing fan at the end of the case, starts making a rather louder whirring sound? I have even tried to put some sort of insulation between the fan and the cooler itself in order to make sure to prevent the fans from touching the fins, but still the noise is there. Its rather loud and whirring as to when I put it on the opposite side, where the sticker is, Its barely audible.


Please explain what you mean by " diametrical opposite"
Fans on each end pushing in, fans on each end pulling out, fans on each end one in and one out, fan middle and back instead of front and middle?


----------



## Conditioned

*=fan
_=space
#=Fins (not the nordic kind)
-->=airdirection

(Frontofcase)-->#*_#*-->*(Rearoutgoingfan)

Thats because the second fan, ie the 'not-middle' fan is too high to close the case if I place it on top of the ram.

So the recommended, or at least the one in the install manual would be:

(Frontofcase)-->*#_*#-->*(Rearoutgoingfan)


----------



## doyll

This is normal push / push setup: This is normal pull / pull setup and what you have?
 . . 

How close is the rear exhaust fan to the rear cooler fan?


----------



## Conditioned

Pull pull.. ~3-4cm. But Im fairly sure thats not it. Its whenever I put the fans so that the non-logo side of the fans are attached to the cooler it produces the high whirring sound. Its fine while being at low rpm but still discernible.


----------



## deepor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Conditioned*
> 
> Pull pull.. ~3-4cm. But Im fairly sure thats not it. Its whenever I put the fans so that the non-logo side of the fans are attached to the cooler it produces the high whirring sound. Its fine while being at low rpm but still discernible.


How does it sound like when you put both fans onto the same (rear) tower?

I mean like this (using that scheme you described):

(Frontofcase)-->#_*#*-->*(Rearoutgoingfan)


----------



## Conditioned

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *deepor*
> 
> How does it sound like when you put both fans onto the same (rear) tower?
> 
> I mean like this (using that scheme you described):
> 
> (Frontofcase)-->#_*#*-->*(Rearoutgoingfan)


Yea like I said as soon as the non-logo part is towards the cooler (where its seated) it gets a 'loud' whirring sound.


----------



## deepor

I guess there's always the possibility to only use a single fan on the cooler instead of both of them. That's how I use my NH-D14, with just a single fan installed in the middle position.

I mean like this:

(Frontofcase)-->#_*#-->*(Rearoutgoingfan)


----------



## Conditioned

Yea Im going to try temps with that in a bit. Its so hot and going up and down all time so its hard to measure with any reliability. Its either that, go with a case that can take the added ~5 cm in width or get a swiftech h220x. I dont like watercooling much though would much rather stay with air.


----------



## Zorton

Hey All,
Just finished my new upgrade and have my Noctua NH-D15 sitting nicely in my new HAF 932 Advanced case.
Have to say, it's all unbelievably silent compared to what I was running in my Zalman Z11.
Have yet to do any tests or overclocks but will revert with details when I get around to overclocking and testing (most likely at the weekend)...
Regards,
Emilio


----------



## Conditioned

I was just in contact with noctua. Sent the email on sunday got reply at around lunch on monday. They offer to send me thicker mounting pads for 2 fans free of charge. Gotta love that service.


----------



## Fuzzysham

So I got this yesterday (love Amazon same-day delivery) and it is fantastic. I got this to pretty much diagnose an issue with my H100i. My 3770k temps were skyrocketing lately, my idle temps were around 45-50c and would top out near 100c under load. When I first delidded it and used my H100i it would max out at 75c overclocked up to 4.7. Pissed off and curious about the issue I ordered the Noctua since I have the NH-D14 on another system and works great. Well, I think my H100i is dead because all temps are back to normal now that I have the Noctua installed. Also, my rig is silent! I forgot what it was like to have a silent rig.

Anyways, I do have one question. These fans can apparently go up to 1500 RPM but I cannot get it past 750-800. Did I do something wrong? I plugged the fan(s) into the CPU header on the motherboard. My motherboard is the Maximus V Extreme. Any idea? Thanks!


----------



## Conditioned

Im not familiar with that motherboard but you can probably change fan profile in the bios. If not maybe a newer bios.


----------



## fateswarm

By the way. Something I was reminded from on another thread: You might want to use the splitter on the CPU fan header and then connect the two fans since nowadays various motherboards have a PWM function only on the CPU header (and not the OPT header) while the current capacity of the one header is plenty for the two fans.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> By the way. Something I was reminded from on another thread: You might want to use the splitter on the CPU fan header and then connect the two fans since nowadays various motherboards have a PWM function only on the CPU header (and not the OPT header) while the current capacity of the one header is plenty for the two fans.


Very true!








Some don't even have a PWM signal to pin-4 on CPU_fan header.








The use PWM power on pin-2 .. which means motherboard will not support PWM fans even though their advertising and specs has "PWM" all over the place.


----------



## Onyxian

Reseated my NH-D15 and still hit 100c and throttle with small FFTs in Prime but temps otherwise went down 3-4 load (x264), 1-2 idle.


----------



## Gomi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Onyxian*
> 
> Reseated my NH-D15 and still hit 100c and throttle with small FFTs in Prime but temps otherwise went down 3-4 load (x264), 1-2 idle.


I just tested my 4960X - HT enabled etc. @ 4.5Ghz - Temperature never exceeded 65C (Granted, I use CL Ultra between the IHS and D-15).

I might have missed a post from you, but something is definitely wrong if you are hitting 100C and start to throttle. Have you checked if the CPU / Heatsink is concave or not - Easiest way to check this is to use something completely flat, a piece of glass for example - Make the room as dark as possible and then put the glass on top of the CPU / Heatsink and hold it in front of a lamp shining directly at it.


----------



## Onyxian

I believe the heatsink is convex as when I was cleaning the old thermal paste off the stuff I was putting on it kept going to the edges, not sure about the CPU seemed flat enough. Would it be possible that I just have a really crappy CPU with bad TIM/spacing?


----------



## Gomi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Onyxian*
> 
> I believe the heatsink is convex as when I was cleaning the old thermal paste off the stuff I was putting on it kept going to the edges, not sure about the CPU seemed flat enough. Would it be possible that I just have a really crappy CPU with bad TIM/spacing?


I would de-lid it mate - I done it to more CPUs than I can even count and never had an accident. And yes, it lowers temperatures by ALOT.

Still - 100C on Prime, with a "normal" OC and using a NH-D15 sounds like there is something terrible wrong somewhere - You are saying the TIM spread looks OK ?

Try taking a picture of the Heatsink and CPU after you mounted and removed it - Best way to see if contact is good - I ALWAYS do it 2-3 times when mounting a heatsink - Saves you from a gigantic headache in the long run.


----------



## deepor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Onyxian*
> 
> I believe the heatsink is convex as when I was cleaning the old thermal paste off the stuff I was putting on it kept going to the edges, not sure about the CPU seemed flat enough. Would it be possible that I just have a really crappy CPU with bad TIM/spacing?


It's the AVX2 instruction set introduced with Haswell being used. That's the case with prime95 v28.5. Download prime95 v27.9 and look at the temperatures for that one. It should behave a bit more like on Ivy Bridge CPUs and you can then try to compare with people that don't have Haswell and tell you something about their temperatures.

What AVX2 can do, you can see in Linpack. That's the benchmark used by IntelBurnTest and LinX in the background. If you put an older version of Intel's linpack into the correct sub-folder of IBT, you will get benchmark numbers like 120 GFlops and similar. That's using AVX instructions. Now if you get the newest version of linpack from Intel and make IBT use that, you will get something like 200 GFlops! That's with using AVX2 instructions. The CPU accomplishes a lot more work per instruction when it's used, but this isn't free... you have to pay for this with higher temperatures. You can't avoid it throttling and this isn't strange when you keep in mind that it goes from 120 to 200 GFlops... a massive performance increase.

Linpack is an ancient test to compare supercomputers. It's trying to squeeze the most possible GFlops out of the CPU to have something nice to compare with other supercomputers. It's not a realistic use of AVX2. If you look at the temperatures of the x264 video encoder, that one's also using as much AVX2 as it can possible do, and its temperatures are fine.


----------



## Gomi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *deepor*
> 
> It's the AVX2 instruction set introduced with Haswell being used. That's the case with prime95 v28.5. Download prime95 v27.9 and look at the temperatures for that one. It should behave a bit more like on Ivy Bridge CPUs and you can then try to compare with people that don't have Haswell and tell you something about their temperatures.
> 
> What AVX2 can do, you can see in Linpack. That's the benchmark used by IntelBurnTest and LinX in the background. If you put an older version of Intel's linpack into the correct sub-folder of IBT, you will get benchmark numbers like 120 GFlops and similar. That's using AVX instructions. Now if you get the newest version of linpack from Intel and make IBT use that, you will get something like 200 GFlops! That's with using AVX2 instructions. The CPU accomplishes a lot more work per instruction when it's used, but this isn't free... you have to pay for this with higher temperatures. You can't avoid it throttling.
> 
> Linpack is an ancient test to compare supercomputers. It's trying to squeeze the most possible GFlops out of the CPU to have something nice to compare with other supercomputers. It's not a realistic use of AVX2. If you look at the temperatures of the x264 video encoder, that one's also using as much AVX2 as it can possible do, and its temperatures are fine.


+1

Excellent post - I actually forgot about AVX2.

And as already mentioned, the X264 encoder is all you really need - Running Prime and IBT is fine, but it does not show any realistic temperature in any way - Unless you use your PC for some serious crunching of course, but I am yet to actually find a program myself that reaches the heights of Prime and IBT.


----------



## Onyxian

Here is a quick 5 min run with prime95 v27.9. Using x264 my temps are 70-76.


----------



## Zorton

Hi All,
Well my Noctua NH-D15 arrived last Friday and I have successfully installed it.
Very happy with the purchase and I love how it looks.

Easy to fit and did NOT cover the 1st PCi Slot on my Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 - actually quite a bit of space left between it and the Heatsink so no probs getting my GTX660ti back in.
Just working on Overclocking at the moment and up to 4.6GHz at 1.4v and tweaking as issue with RAM.

Attached some photos of the installed Noctua NH-D14 and latest Temps via HWMonitor on 4.6GHz at 1.4v after running PRIME95 on Blend for 20+ minutes -->


----------



## Conditioned

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> By the way. Something I was reminded from on another thread: You might want to use the splitter on the CPU fan header and then connect the two fans since nowadays various motherboards have a PWM function only on the CPU header (and not the OPT header) while the current capacity of the one header is plenty for the two fans.


On the splitter only one of the outputs is pwm, the other is 3 pins.


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Conditioned*
> 
> On the splitter only one of the outputs is pwm, the other is 3 pins.


This might be right actually I think this was the reason why I didn't go with it.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Conditioned*
> 
> On the splitter only one of the outputs is pwm, the other is 3 pins.


Only one of the fan sockets has RPM lead / pin because motherboard can only read one RPM signal. Two RPM signals cannot be monitored by a single RPM pin / header.
Look at the splitter closely. both sockets on the "Y" are 4-pin sockets, but one is missing the 3rd pin. 3rd pin is rpm pin. 4th pin is PWM signal


----------



## Conditioned

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Only one of the fan sockets has RPM lead / pin because motherboard can only read one RPM signal. Two RPM signals cannot be monitored by a single RPM pin / header.
> Look at the splitter closely. both sockets on the "Y" are 4-pin sockets, but one is missing the 3rd pin. 3rd pin is rpm pin. 4th pin is PWM signal


That was informative thanks.


----------



## fateswarm

tl;dr the splitter gives PWM to both, it's just that the rounds per minute signal is only read by one of them.

which is obvious.


----------



## wolfwalker

I replaced my d14 pwm 120 setup with a 15 the other week.
It was a waste of money, but a happy one.

The 14 cools as well within the bounds of my half-assed enthusiast use on an 8350.
I had to trim my case side panel fans that cleared the 14, didn't clear the 15.
The 140mm had to ride so far up to clear my not especially tall ram, that it too
is practically touching the side window(antec 1100)

All in all it's a bit less elegant in my application, but the 140's are a big quieter than the
pwm 120's I had on there for the same airflow.

sabertooth 990fx r2, antec 1100


----------



## PowerSlide

picked up one..such a huge box

not my 1st noctua heatsink..years ago having used their U12P and since then really like their product and now the packaging the presentation is even better


----------



## maxp779

Looks like this might block the first PCIE slot on most of the X99 mobos ive seen


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *maxp779*
> 
> Looks like this might block the first PCIE slot on most of the X99 mobos ive seen


It is a wide beastie.


----------



## PowerSlide

installing it is sooo easy, the last part attaching it to the mounting is not hard just need to align it turn two times with screw driver on one side and then another side turn by turn..i get it right on my first try

and now here comes the problem, my gskill ripjaws x heat spreader is too tall raises the fan and i can't close side panel









ok it's a old cm stacker from 10 years ago, and i need to change a new case anyway but with this problem with the fan raised so high up i wonder what case can fit it


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> installing it is sooo easy, the last part attaching it to the mounting is not hard just need to align it turn two times with screw driver on one side and then another side turn by turn..i get it right on my first try
> 
> and now here comes the problem, my gskill ripjaws x heat spreader is too tall raises the fan and i can't close side panel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ok it's a old cm stacker from 10 years ago, and i need to change a new case anyway but with this problem with the fan raised so high up i wonder what case can fit it


Maybe put fan on the back so they are pull / pull instead of the usual push / push? Or just use the middle fan. Only a degree or two difference.


----------



## fateswarm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *maxp779*
> 
> Looks like this might block the first PCIE slot on most of the X99 mobos ive seen


The operating theory must be that X99 are big spenders and usually go for quality water cooling. /shrug. I personally find the X99 cost ineffective anyway.


----------



## PowerSlide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Maybe put fan on the back so they are pull / pull instead of the usual push / push? Or just use the middle fan. Only a degree or two difference.


pull/pull or single middle fan will definitely work









if my measurement is right by adding the raised fan the height is 180mm now


----------



## PCPanamaCrew

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> installing it is sooo easy, the last part attaching it to the mounting is not hard just need to align it turn two times with screw driver on one side and then another side turn by turn..i get it right on my first try
> 
> and now here comes the problem, my gskill ripjaws x heat spreader is too tall raises the fan and i can't close side panel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ok it's a old cm stacker from 10 years ago, and i need to change a new case anyway but with this problem with the fan raised so high up i wonder what case can fit it


i have the same problem whit the Dominator GT, but after buy it i just see this review and i install exactly like this:http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/noctua-nh-d15-review,1.html

for a case of course you need a full tower or a wide mid tower, i love my haf 932 series... a dust magnet









off topic: ahh im just finally deal with the temps of the 4790k.... i oc it to 4.7 and just deal with it..... normally i never pass 60c with my phenom 965 c3.... but of course cant compare the power and temps of a 2010 cpu whit a 2014.... now 88c in very heavy load is the normal....


----------



## wolfwalker

Same problem fitting over the ram in my Antec 1100, it fits but the fan over the ram is touching the side window just slightly.
I didn't want them on the back side since my rear exhaust fan would be barely an inch away from the back 140mm, didn't look good for airflow.


----------



## PowerSlide

to run push/push with tall ram need a very wide case or case with clearance at least 180mm up

any case with such requirement?

i removed my exhaust fan too as it's very very close to each other


----------



## ozlay

I see there is a little bit of space between the center fan and the tower does anyone know exactly how much space is between the 2 towers?


----------



## fateswarm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> to run push/push with tall ram need a very wide case or case with clearance at least 180mm up


I just put the fan on the other side playing an exhaust role. Same flow. Then again my case is big.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCPanamaCrew*
> 
> i have the same problem whit the Dominator GT, but after buy it i just see this review and i install exactly like this:http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/noctua-nh-d15-review,1.html
> 
> for a case of course you need a full tower or a wide mid tower, i love my haf 932 series... a dust magnet
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> off topic: ahh im just finally deal with the temps of the 4790k.... i oc it to 4.7 and just deal with it..... normally i never pass 60c with my phenom 965 c3.... but of course cant compare the power and temps of a 2010 cpu whit a 2014.... now 88c in very heavy load is the normal....


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wolfwalker*
> 
> Same problem fitting over the ram in my Antec 1100, it fits but the fan over the ram is touching the side window just slightly.
> I didn't want them on the back side since my rear exhaust fan would be barely an inch away from the back 140mm, didn't look good for airflow.


Could use the second NF-A15 as exhaust fan or even remove the rear vent grill and pull fan on D15 with a duct to rear vent.
 
Sorry, it's not my Noctua, but you get the idea.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> to run push/push with tall ram need a very wide case or case with clearance at least 180mm up
> 
> any case with such requirement?
> 
> i removed my exhaust fan too as it's very very close to each other


Phanteks Enthoo series cases; Enthoo Primo has 207mm CPU clearance, Enthoo Luxe and Enthoo Pro have 193mm
http://phanteks.com/products.html
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ozlay*
> 
> I see there is a little bit of space between the center fan and the tower does anyone know exactly how much space is between the 2 towers?


Just measured it at 35.4mm


----------



## wolfwalker

What I'd like, and actually had with the D14, is matching fans in a line straight out the back of the case.
But the 200mm up top and my pretty awesome temps seem to think I'm doing ok, so screw it.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wolfwalker*
> 
> What I'd like, and actually had with the D14, is matching fans in a line straight out the back of the case.
> But the 200mm up top and my pretty awesome temps seem to think I'm doing ok, so screw it.


Indeed.

I use the PWM fans and control for case intake fans > cooler cooler s > case exhaust fans with CPU fan PWM signal and power from PSU. Case fans change speed at same time CPU fans do..

On some I also use PWM fan and control some case intake fans > GPU cooler fans > some case exhaust fans using GPU fan PWM signal and power from PSU. Case fans supplying / exhausting GPU air change speed at same time GPU fans do.


----------



## PowerSlide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fateswarm*
> 
> I just put the fan on the other side playing an exhaust role. Same flow. Then again my case is big.


so the enthoo pro will work with its huge 193mm clearance

and the problem this case very limited availability here









will nzxt H440 work if i wana use push/push configuration? spec says up to 180mm


----------



## wolfwalker

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Indeed.
> 
> I use the PWM fans and control for case intake fans > cooler cooler s > case exhaust fans with CPU fan PWM signal and power from PSU. Case fans change speed at same time CPU fans do..
> 
> On some I also use PWM fan and control some case intake fans > GPU cooler fans > some case exhaust fans using GPU fan PWM signal and power from PSU. Case fans supplying / exhausting GPU air change speed at same time GPU fans do.


I have the two 140mm's and the 120mm rear exhaust on the same channel so they variate likewise, I just with the 120mm exhaust was a 140mm.
But there is a 200mm above it aiding in gentle extraction, so it work out I guess.


----------



## doyll

Looks fine to me.


----------



## ozlay

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Just measured it at 35.4mm


dang was hoping it was 38mm









3 deltas would have been nice


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ozlay*
> 
> dang was hoping it was 38mm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 3 deltas would have been nice


Have you considered using 3x Thermalright TY-143 fans? I use them often. They idle at 600-650rpm with similar noise level as stock fans into low teens, will keep on going to2500rpm /130cfm. Here I can buy them for £6.99.
Here is independent testing of TY-141, TY-143, NF-A15 1200rpm & NF-A15 1500rpm.
Noctua says A15 is same fan just not as much speed. TY-141 and TY-143 are basically the same except for speed too. I've included both because the A15 1500rpm and TY-143 testing did not include lower rpm data on them .. and as we usually run them below 1200-1300rpm I think the data is needed.


----------



## Bear Man

I rang ASUS techs and they said my D15 will cover the first pci-e x16 slot, I said then why did they put it that close and why do we have to place the GFX card in the 1st slot, the tech just left the phone there in silence so I could not give feed back after the call









I like my D15 pointing up & that cost me the 1st pci-e x1 slot in my P8Z68 mobo, it looks like it will have to last a bit longer

http://i.imgur.com/bE19VBE.jpg

cheers


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bear Man*
> 
> I rang ASUS techs and they said my D15 will cover the first pci-e x16 slot, I said then why did they put it that close and why do we have to place the GFX card in the 1st slot, the tech just left the phone there in silence so I could not give feed back after the call
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I like my D15 pointing up & that cost me the 1st pci-e x1 slot in my P8Z68 mobo, it looks like it will have to last a bit longer
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/bE19VBE.jpg
> 
> cheers


Mounted that way, mounting the fans pull / pull instead of push will give better airflow to front of cooler.








Or go with a cooler with offset base.
I know this is a Noctua thread, but for information's sake there are a few coolers that have offset bases for better PCI-e clearance. Silver Arrow IB-E is 68mm, HR-22 is 70mm, just released Archon IB-E is 69mm, and soon to be released TRUE Spirit 140 BW Rev. A is 69mm with slightly less performance .. and price. There are also smaller coolers with offsets for compact builds.







.


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

Guys im joining the Noctua D15 club in a few days! Gunna buy me one of these big boys. It fits with alotta space on my sabertooth 990fx and it will clear my tall blue vengeance ram for me its a win







..


----------



## Bear Man

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> mounting the fans pull / pull instead of push will give better airflow to front of cooler.


mounting the fans in the pull/pull setup would see the top fan sit on the northbridge I thought & thus sit too high to have an effective pull

I know mounting all 3 fans has a minimal effect over two fans, I read somewhere, but on Noctua's site they suggest moving the GFX card as their main advice

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en#LGA2011-3

if the GFX card can't hold the PCI-e x16 first slot, the other slots won't be as good as the first slot, or am I wrong?

cheers


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bear Man*
> 
> mounting the fans in the pull/pull setup would see the top fan sit on the northbridge I thought & thus sit too high to have an effective pull
> 
> I know mounting all 3 fans has a minimal effect over two fans, I read somewhere, but on Noctua's site they suggest moving the GFX card as their main advice
> 
> http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en#LGA2011-3
> 
> if the GFX card can't hold the PCI-e x16 first slot, the other slots won't be as good as the first slot, or am I wrong?
> 
> cheers


Have you tried it with just the middle fan? It might work better and it's easy enough to try. Same with trying the fronf fan on back. .. and if you do try it, please let me know what the results are.









As for PCI-e x16, It all depends on motherboard specs on the different sockets. Yes, traditionally the top one is best, but some of the new mobos often have good lower sockets now too.


----------



## Bear Man

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Have you tried it with just the middle fan? It might work better and it's easy enough to try. Same with trying the fronf fan on back. .. and if you do try it, please let me know what the results are.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As for PCI-e x16, It all depends on motherboard specs on the different sockets. Yes, traditionally the top one is best, but some of the new mobos often have good lower sockets now too.


I run my i5-3570K @ 4.4, so she runs very warm with 1.35v so I have to use 2 fans. I checked in my case and the top fan will sit too high on top of the northbridge if I put it there.

in the new Rampage V Extreme the first PCI-e x16 slot is where there GFX card goes & the ASUS tech said so. I think the makers think that if you can afford one of our boards and want one, you can then afford a water cooling system. I prefer to have my D15, especially with better thermal properties of the new CPU's

http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011-3/55941-RAMPAGE_V_EXTREME

cheers


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bear Man*
> 
> I run my i5-3570K @ 4.4, so she runs very warm with 1.35v so I have to use 2 fans. I checked in my case and the top fan will sit too high on top of the northbridge if I put it there.
> 
> in the new Rampage V Extreme the first PCI-e x16 slot is where there GFX card goes & the ASUS tech said so. I think the makers think that if you can afford one of our boards and want one, you can then afford a water cooling system. I prefer to have my D15, especially with better thermal properties of the new CPU's
> 
> http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011-3/55941-RAMPAGE_V_EXTREME
> 
> cheers


NH-D15 will be very close if it even clears. I scaled 72.5mm from center CPU to edge of PCI-e socket .. maybe 3mm more to slot minus anything sticking out of GPU PCB. NH-D15 is 75mm.

That's the bad news. Good news is there are a couple other coolers just as good that will clear.


----------



## Bear Man

I have better news, I make my own beer









cheers


----------



## ozlay

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bear Man*
> 
> I have better news, I make my own beer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> cheers


you should label it as NH-D15 and sell it heck id buy 10 cases of a beer called NH-D15 make the cans heatsinks so it keeps your beer cold


----------



## Bear Man

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ozlay*
> 
> you should label it as NH-D15 and sell it heck id buy 10 cases of a beer called NH-D15 make the cans heatsinks so it keeps your beer cold


ROTFL

I don't sell my beer, it does not travel (the sediment stirs), I just have people drink it when they visit









cheers


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

HEY guys id like to be part of the club...!! MY COOLER CAME TODAY..


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KRAY-SLiCK*
> 
> HEY guys id like to be part of the club...!! MY COOLER CAME TODAY..


Congratz!








You'll be impressed by the performance


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

I got this in the box its new... the amd box


----------



## CrazyElf

Quick question, is it safe to have a CPU dual tower physically touch a GPU backplate? There's no danger of shorting is there? The motherboard is a Gigabyte Z77X-UP7. Slots 1 and 5 would have a GPU in this configuration (slot 2 is for single GPU configuration only as it bypasses the PLX chip).

Thinking about getting this as the R1 Ultimate still not for sale in Canada







, so that leaves me with little alternative (R1 does seem like a smaller cooler and more able to fit, plus comparable performance). I will wait a few months before making a decision, hoping that the R1 might come here.



The CPU cooler will likely touch the backplate of my GPU if I run 2 GPUs. I will probably have to watch out on the clips though for the fans. May end up just using zip ties on it.

If the R1 Ultimate comes, I guess I will have to make a decision on whether to get this or the R1.

Edit: Typo


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CrazyElf*
> 
> Quick question, is it safe to have a CPU dual tower physically touch a GPU backplate? There's no danger of shorting is there? The motherboard is a Gigabyte Z77X-UP7. Slots 1 and 4 would have a GPU in this configuration (slot 2 is for single GPU configuration only as it bypasses the PLX chip).
> 
> Thinking about getting this as the R1 Ultimate still not for sale in Canada
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , so that leaves me with little alternative (R1 does seem like a smaller cooler and more able to fit, plus comparable performance). I will wait a few months before making a decision, hoping that the R1 might come here.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The CPU cooler will likely touch the backplate of my GPU if I run 2 GPUs. I will probably have to watch out on the clips though for the fans. May end up just using zip ties on it.
> 
> If the R1 Ultimate comes, I guess I will have to make a decision on whether to get this or the R1.


I like your overlay.








Where did you find it?

Looks like it will work. A piece of stiff plastic like milk cartons use but flat between cooler and GPU is an easy fix .. Or just a piece of cardboard if no sharp points on back of GPU.


----------



## CrazyElf

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I like your overlay.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Where did you find it?
> 
> Looks like it will work. A piece of stiff plastic like milk cartons use but flat between cooler and GPU is an easy fix .. Or just a piece of cardboard if no sharp points on back of GPU.


Thanks for that. +Rep. Will look at something like that when the time comes.

Noctua gave me that overlay. I think they have overlays of all the boards that the D15 can use. I bet that all of the makers, Noctua, Phanteks, Thermalright, Cryorig, etc all have diagrams or pictures of some sort. They'd have to in order to ensure compatibility I would guess.

You may want to ask them about it. I wonder if they would be willing to release them for the public, seeing that it might help them lead to more sales.

This current computer that I am using will probably remain on air. For a 4 core, there's very little point in watercooling unless you are running more than 2 GPUs, or the GPUs are running very hot (which can happen with the 290s and 780Ti). With 8 core Haswell-E, it's a whole different story.


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

Guysss umm is it an issue if the heat sinks fins on this cooler slides up and down.. just the first top3 fins the below 3 on bothe towers


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KRAY-SLiCK*
> 
> Guysss umm is it an issue if the heat sinks fins on this cooler slides up and down.. just the first top3 fins the below 3 on bothe towers


RMA right away dude


----------



## doyll

What shampoo said. Fins should not move on the heat pipe. They are an interference fit and are pressed on when cooler is made.


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

i Live so far away.. it would cost me close to 1000 to rma the cooler.. i live in the Caribbean.. i bought the cooler from a place in L.A but my courier service is located in Miami FL. i dont know if i send noctua an email/video of the fins... n see if its possible i give them an address to my courier service.. n they ship me one free.? or thats a faill... but its not moving like its gunna come out .


----------



## DjTony90

Hello guys! i am on Noctua D15 2 hours now! i was coming from Corsair H100.. wih Corsair max O.C that i can go with my i7 2700K was 4.6 ghz with temps at high load 90 degrees... now witn Noctua i can go 4.8ghz stable O.C with 80-82 max degrees...

Noctua D15 ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! very good choice....

i have 1 question if anyone knows.... i run 4.8ghz with 1.45v Stable.... Intel Burn test complete at VERY HIGH 10 passes easy!

Is it safe ?

temps are 35-38 at idle and full load 80-82


----------



## shampoo911

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KRAY-SLiCK*
> 
> i Live so far away.. it would cost me close to 1000 to rma the cooler.. i live in the Caribbean.. i bought the cooler from a place in L.A but my courier service is located in Miami FL. i dont know if i send noctua an email/video of the fins... n see if its possible i give them an address to my courier service.. n they ship me one free.? or thats a faill... but its not moving like its gunna come out .


their customer support is amazing... maybe they can even send you one for free... try emailing them explaining everything...


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

I will bro ... thanks for the info


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

I installed mine... every thing went all well..


----------



## Wezzor

Looks good mate!


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

i dont know how true it is.. but o n my cores idle im getting 17 c


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KRAY-SLiCK*
> 
> i dont know how true it is.. but o n my cores idle im getting 17 c


What CPU do you have and what software are you using for monitoring your temps? If you've an AMD CPU I am not suprised at all.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KRAY-SLiCK*
> 
> i dont know how true it is.. but o n my cores idle im getting 17 c


Idle temps are rarely accurate. The sensors are calibrated for accuracy at high temps. Temps near the limits of operating temp. I'm assuming your room is 20-23c and CPU can't be lower than the intake air temp on cooler. But what we do know is your CPU is running nice and cool at idle.


----------



## shampoo911

Will i have enough clearance on a Rampage IV Black Edition?


----------



## deepor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shampoo911*
> 
> Will i have enough clearance on a Rampage IV Black Edition?


No, you will not if you want to use the first slot.


----------



## mrmorph

hi guys,

anybody here have experience mounting the NH-D15 in a ZALMAN z11 plus case?

does it fit?

thanks for your help!


----------



## wolfwalker

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KRAY-SLiCK*
> 
> i dont know how true it is.. but o n my cores idle im getting 17 c


AMD's report temp based on some sort of algorithm that allows them to be more accurate in the important range and less so way below.
The socket/board temp is a better indicator when core reads below moderate load temps.

Anyone had the D15 fans be noisy at mid-high RPM when mounted horizontally? Both mine are in the new case, they rarely see high RPM but it'd be
annoying if they did.


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

How do you mount the NH D15 in a different direction for amd??


----------



## wolfwalker

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KRAY-SLiCK*
> 
> How do you mount the NH D15 in a different direction for amd??


Spend too much money on a Silverstone FT02.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KRAY-SLiCK*
> 
> How do you mount the NH D15 in a different direction for amd??


The new SecuFirm2™ mounting system for AM2, AM2+ and AM3 uses the same standardised hole spacing as the Intel system and thus allows for a much easier installation, but the cooler cannot be installed turned by 90°.

May I ask you would need to?


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

Naw bro i was looking at noctua should of made something like that for amd. where we could of had the option to rotate it..


----------



## edruns69

Does anyone have a NH-D15 with a ASUS X99-E WS? Wondering if its possible to install a couple of Graphic Cards (SLI) in slots 3 & 5, leaving the top slot empty? I think the owners manual recommends using the top slots but that makes it pretty crowded up there with the Noctua. Looking at a pair of GiGabyte GTX970's in SLI. Thanks.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edruns69*
> 
> Does anyone have a NH-D15 with a ASUS X99-E WS? Wondering if its possible to install a couple of Graphic Cards (SLI) in slots 3 & 5, leaving the top slot empty? I think the owners manual recommends using the top slots but that makes it pretty crowded up there with the Noctua. Looking at a pair of GiGabyte GTX970's in SLI. Thanks.


I don't think you could use the top slot with the NH-D15.
Center CPU to 1st PCIe socket is 73mm.
Center NH-D15 to side of fin pack is 75mm plus fan clips.

I like my NH-D15, but there are others as good. One of the reasons the NH-D15 usually scores slightly better than other top coolers is it's NF-A15 fans are 1500rpm while others are only 1200-1300rpm.

Cryorig R1 Ultimate is 70mm with flush fan clips
Silver Arrow IB-E has offset base; 68mm + fan clips
Archon IB-E X2 has offset base; 69mm + fan clips
PH-TC14PE is 70mm + fan clips

I am using all five of them now .. and a few others like Dark Rock Pro 3 and TRUE Spirit 140 Power. With same fans they all perform very similarly. Making sure your case flows air so the CPU & GPU heated exhaust leaves case without mixing and raising the temp of air going into them makes more difference in their temps than which of the top coolers you are using.







There is a link in my below explaining how to optimize case cooling. Also one about setting up case fans for automatic speed control like CPU and GPU cooler fans.


----------



## Judelexan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edruns69*
> 
> Does anyone have a NH-D15 with a ASUS X99-E WS? Wondering if its possible to install a couple of Graphic Cards (SLI) in slots 3 & 5, leaving the top slot empty? I think the owners manual recommends using the top slots but that makes it pretty crowded up there with the Noctua. Looking at a pair of GiGabyte GTX970's in SLI. Thanks.


There could be theoretical performance hits for not using the highest priority PCI Express slot on the bus but you will probably never notice.

That being said, that board's product site claims to be able to handle 72 PCI Express lanes, which if true, means that it uses some sort of switch (like a PLX bridge) to divvy up the lanes. Unless you fill up most of this board's silly amount of X16 lanes, again, you probably will never notice the difference. I would post in the Asus forums just in case (make sure it's the forum for their commercial products as you will get better responses).


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

HEY BRO why not try using a usb 3.0 riser card for the GPU?


----------



## leoxtxt

I'll probably ditch my H110 for this metal beast (performance will be the same right ?), just for the sake of sleeping good at night (leaks paranoid







).


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *leoxtxt*
> 
> I'll probably ditch my H110 for this metal beast (performance will be the same right ?), just for the sake of sleeping good at night (leaks paranoid
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ).


Yeh they perform pretty much the same. But the Noctua NH-D15 is quieter and won't leak.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *leoxtxt*
> 
> I'll probably ditch my H110 for this metal beast (performance will be the same right ?), just for the sake of sleeping good at night (leaks paranoid
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ).


I have never understood the stampede of buyers for the CLC systems. They are not not as good as air coolers. They cost more, don't cool any better, make many times as much noise, are not near as dependable long term, will not last near as long, take up as much space against case instead of on CPU but have big hoses instead, if pump fails (most common problem) there is no cooling while if fan on air goes bad system still works .. I call it WBWC (wanna be watter cooled).

A well setup air cooling system is near silent even under load and only need to have good intake air filters that are cleaned regularly to last a long long time.

* gets off soapbox *
air cooled soapbox


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I have never understood the stampede of buyers for the CLC systems. They are not not as good as air coolers. They cost more, don't cool any better, make many times as much noise, are not near as dependable long term, will not last near as long, take up as much space against case instead of on CPU but have big hoses instead, if pump fails (most common problem) there is no cooling while if fan on air goes bad system still works .. I call it WBWC (wanna be watter cooled).
> 
> A well setup air cooling system is near silent even under load and only need to have good intake air filters that are cleaned regularly to last a long long time.
> 
> * gets off soapbox *
> air cooled soapbox











That's pretty much why I went for air cooling.


----------



## leoxtxt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I have never understood the stampede of buyers for the CLC systems. They are not not as good as air coolers. They cost more, don't cool any better, make many times as much noise, are not near as dependable long term, will not last near as long, take up as much space against case instead of on CPU but have big hoses instead, if pump fails (most common problem) there is no cooling while if fan on air goes bad system still works .. I call it WBWC (wanna be watter cooled).
> 
> A well setup air cooling system is near silent even under load and only need to have good intake air filters that are cleaned regularly to last a long long time.
> 
> * gets off soapbox *
> air cooled soapbox


Thats a valid point but i do not agree with the phrase "they are not as good as air coolers", i've my H110 paired with 2 x NF-A40 PWM and it performs better than my Swiftech H220 (great kit) which totally outperformed my old NH-D14 but as i said before, i tend to leave my computer on 24/7 and as much as i would like to, i don't feel comfortable with this AIO kit, especially now that i have 2 x GTX 980.

I just hope it won't block my 1st PCIe slot...according to the Noctua database it should be fine (asus x79-deluxe) but we'll see...

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en#LGA2011_Asus


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *leoxtxt*
> 
> Thats a valid point but i do not agree with the phrase "they are not as good as air coolers", i've my H110 paired with 2 x NF-A40 PWM and it performs better than my Swiftech H220 (great kit) which totally outperformed my old NH-D14 but as i said before, i tend to leave my computer on 24/7 and as much as i would like to, i don't feel comfortable with this AIO kit, especially now that i have 2 x GTX 980.
> 
> I just hope it won't block my 1st PCIe slot...according to the Noctua database it should be fine (asus x79-deluxe) but we'll see...
> 
> http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en#LGA2011_Asus


When I say "better" it's not just cooling ability. It's also cost, dependability and noise.

Honestly, if you are getting lower temps on CLC the air in your case is most likely much warmer then the room it is in. This belief is back up by the use of 2x GTX 290 GPUs you are using. They are not the hottest, but two of them can easily push out 300w of heat under load.

I agree the Swiftech H220 is good. Their new H220-X and H240-X are looking even better.

You X79 deluxe doesn't have ta first / top PCIe socket putting the first PCIe socket at just over 80mm from centerline of CPU.


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

BUY ONE you wont regret it .. i have not regretted the 900 i payed for mine. its awesome and clears my tall ass vengence sinks.


----------



## Judelexan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I have never understood the stampede of buyers for the CLC systems. They are not not as good as air coolers. They cost more, don't cool any better, make many times as much noise, are not near as dependable long term, will not last near as long, take up as much space against case instead of on CPU but have big hoses instead, if pump fails (most common problem) there is no cooling while if fan on air goes bad system still works .. I call it WBWC (wanna be watter cooled).
> 
> A well setup air cooling system is near silent even under load and only need to have good intake air filters that are cleaned regularly to last a long long time.
> 
> * gets off soapbox *
> air cooled soapbox


Agreed.

Outside of the rare situation where a CLC is warranted, air cooling is far superior for 95% of overclocking. If you NEED that extreme extra 5%, you invest in building a full custom loop. The only reason I went liquid with my main computer was because of the third graphics card (and the challenge), but had no choice (axial blowers).


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Judelexan*
> 
> Agreed.
> 
> Outside of the rare situation where a CLC is warranted, air cooling is far superior for 95% of overclocking. If you NEED that extreme extra 5%, you invest in building a full custom loop. The only reason I went liquid with my main computer was because of the third graphics card (and the challenge), but had no choice (axial blowers).


Graphics card cooling is atrocious !!
They are worse than pancake coolers !!
It's becoming a bigger and bigger problem with their higher and higher TDP ratings.
Nearly impossible to keep their heated exhaust from mixing with their cool intake air as well as CPU intake air. .. even with a single card. With two cards is virtually impossible .. and with three is is a total nightmare.


----------



## Judelexan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Graphics card cooling is atrocious !!
> They are worse than pancake coolers !!
> It's becoming a bigger and bigger problem with their higher and higher TDP ratings.
> Nearly impossible to keep their heated exhaust from mixing with their cool intake air as well as CPU intake air. .. even with a single card. With two cards is virtually impossible .. and with three is is a total nightmare.


Ugh, so true. And the aftermarket options are either 4 expansion slots thick, or terrible. Even the "upgraded" coolers on Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte boards are pretty shoddy.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Judelexan*
> 
> Ugh, so true. And the aftermarket options are either 4 expansion slots thick, or terrible. Even the "upgraded" coolers on Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte boards are pretty shoddy.


Sorry for the hi-jack guys.









Would be wonderful if someone (hint, hint Noctua) would make a good rear exhausting 3 slot GPU cooler. Maybe draw air in from the top instead of side of cooler.


----------



## CrazyElf

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *leoxtxt*
> 
> Thats a valid point but i do not agree with the phrase "they are not as good as air coolers", i've my H110 paired with 2 x NF-A40 PWM and it performs better than my Swiftech H220 (great kit) which totally outperformed my old NH-D14 but as i said before, i tend to leave my computer on 24/7 and as much as i would like to, i don't feel comfortable with this AIO kit, especially now that i have 2 x GTX 980.
> 
> I just hope it won't block my 1st PCIe slot...according to the Noctua database it should be fine (asus x79-deluxe) but we'll see...
> 
> http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en#LGA2011_Asus


After adjusting for the noise, they are not as good as air coolers. In fact, they are VASTLY inferior.

Temperatures:


But after you adjust for noise:


They are not as good. Only reason why they seem to be cooler is because of higher speed fans. If you were to put high speed fans on a D15, it would dominate the AIO.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Graphics card cooling is atrocious !!
> They are worse than pancake coolers !!
> It's becoming a bigger and bigger problem with their higher and higher TDP ratings.
> Nearly impossible to keep their heated exhaust from mixing with their cool intake air as well as CPU intake air. .. even with a single card. With two cards is virtually impossible .. and with three is is a total nightmare.


Well, the 480 GTX pretty much established what the upper limit for graphics card cooling was going to be.

Three cards means water cooling is mandatory, although with the 980 or 680, both were relatively cool running cards, so perhaps it was possible.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Judelexan*
> 
> Ugh, so true. And the aftermarket options are either 4 expansion slots thick, or terrible. Even the "upgraded" coolers on Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte boards are pretty shoddy.


There's relatively few alternatives save water cooling. I wish they were made in a manner similar to CPU coolers, exhausting air out, but that would mean redesigning the entire ATX format of motherboards.

The principals are the same for axial coolers as they are for CPU coolers. They take air in, it touches the fins, then bounces off the PCB. I agree though that it's bad that it circulates hot air into the case. The question is, what can you do about it? The only real solution is to put exhaust side fans.

Explain in the confines of ATX, how would you redesign them and take up only 2-4 slots? Top end coolers like the MSI TriFrozr are actually pretty well designed for the job (water cooling doesn't result in a much higher OC). Only area of improvement is perhaps the VRM cooling and I'd like to see higher fin densities.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Sorry for the hi-jack guys.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Would be wonderful if someone (hint, hint Noctua) would make a good rear exhausting 3 slot GPU cooler. Maybe draw air in from the top instead of side of cooler.


That's not practical. The reason is because you'd have to make a different cooler for every PCB. There's no standard PCB form. To be sure, there are universal GPU coolers (Raijintek and Prolimatech make them), but they are often inferior to coolers like the MSI TriFrozr. To be honest, I'm not sure a large blower would outperform a large axial based cooler either.

The issue with blowers is although they do exhaust air out and have a high static pressure, they don't have the CFM needed. Would a bigger thicker blower be able to compete? That's an interesting question.

Maybe with a 12V version of something like this:
http://partner.delta-corp.com/Products/FANUploads/Specification/KFB1248EHS-F00%28Rev01%29%20Model%20%281%29.pdf

But you'd have to design a separate cooler for every PCB as the die and VRM layouts vary.


----------



## Judelexan

We are just whinging, no need to deconstruct our comments.

Have a nice day


----------



## doyll

I'll start a thread for this discussion. This is the NH-D15 cooler forum, not GPU cooling. :


----------



## leoxtxt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *leoxtxt*
> 
> I'll probably ditch my H110 for this metal beast (performance will be the same right ?), just for the sake of sleeping good at night (leaks paranoid
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ).


I finally got it, for those who are interested you might want to take a look at my mini-review, H110 vs NH-D15 (amazing performance) :

http://www.overclock.net/t/1519715/mini-review-noctua-nh-d15-vs-corsair-h110


----------



## wolfwalker

The 14 and 15 really are pretty wicked. It's almost boring looking at cooler reviews now, I know nothing is going to be significantly better than what I got short of a full on water setup.


----------



## nadir

What is this?


http://i.imgur.com/r09Aibd.jpg

Photoshop edit?

Please don't kill me but what's the best way to hide that horrible fan color? Using strong red lights?


----------



## FRD1

...


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FRD1*
> 
> Guys, could anyone with NH-D15 please confirm what's max clearance over the RAM slots in *dual* fan mode?
> 
> I'm having hard time choose RAM, because i don't know who's correct - Noctua site says it's *32mm max* (with front fan pushed upwards bringing it up to *37mm max)*, but people keep recommending me something like GSkill Trident line, which even with heat-spreader removed measures up to *39mm*.
> 
> My motherboard. Ideally, i'd like to get fastest 16GB (2x8GB or 4x4GB ) RAM with lowest voltage and max available profile compantability with NH-D15. The only 2 kits i could find are:
> 
> 1) HyperX Savage 16GB (2x 8GB) 2400MHz 11-13-14 1.65V
> 2) GSkill Ares 16GB (2x 8GB) 2400MHz 11-13-13-31-2N 1.65V
> 
> Both have max speed i could find in 32-33mm profile range (yeah, timing and voltage kinda sucks).
> 
> Any thoughts?


Your case CPU clearance is an important part of how tall RAM can be. The 32mm spec seems to be from motherboard, not the actual RAM measurement .. and RAM socket raises RAM approximately 3mm.

The good news is fan can be set higher as long as it clears you case. The case CPU clearance specification is from top of CPU. Add 5mm to that6 specification and we have the combined RAM and fan specification for the case.

If your case specification says 168mm CPU clearance plus 5mm is 173mm minus 140mm for fan gives us 33mm RAM measurement.

If case says 173mm CPU clearance you can use RAM up to 38mm tall.


----------



## FRD1

...


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FRD1*
> 
> It's gonna be open case, T60. With the top middle handle not installed (like this), i shouldn't have any problems at all as i understand? Did i got that correct? Sorry, i'm having hard time thinking straight today.


You should be fine. Always wanted a T60.








Just make sure your motherboard has enough clearance between CPU and PCIe socket for the NHD-15's width.


----------



## Perfect_Chaos

Anyone know how i can get my fans to run at a constant 1200rpm? every time i stress my cpu they won't go any higher than about 969rpm's. I have them on the low noise adapter and it says the max speed on that should be 1200, not less than 1000..


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Perfect_Chaos*
> 
> Anyone know how i can get my fans to run at a constant 1200rpm? every time i stress my cpu they won't go any higher than about 969rpm's. I have them on the low noise adapter and it says the max speed on that should be 1200, not less than 1000..


What motherboard do you have?
I would emove the low noise adapter and use your motherboard fan control software to set fan speed curve.
Usually PWM mode is default in bios, but if fans are still not cycling their speed to CPU temp, check bios to be sure it's set to PWM mode.


----------



## DeadSkull

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> It definitely is bigger.
> Specification differences:
> NH-D15(with fans) = 165x150x161mm(H,W,D), 1320g, 2x NF-A15 PWM 1500rpm 140,2 m³/h 24.6dBA
> NH-D14(with fans) = 160x140x151mm(), 1070g, NF-P14 / NF-P12 1200/1300rpm 110,3 / 92,3 m³/h 19,6 / 19,8dB(A
> 
> NH-D15 is 5x10x10mm bigger; 250g heavier; 200/300rpm faster; 40m³/h more air (guessing) and is almost 5dBA louder at full speed
> 
> There are 2 NF-A15 fans;
> The 1500rpm version supplied with coolers.
> And the 1200rpm one we can buy.
> Deepor found this in NH-U14S manual there are two versions of A15
> See here, second page, middle column; "Adding a second fan": http://noctua.at/pdf/manuals/noctua_nh_u14s_manual_en.pdf


1 kg of pure aluminum and copper weight without fans? Oh baby, strap some Deltas on this thing and it will blast everything away


----------



## Jaimelmiel

How will the NH-D15 fit a Sabertooth 990FX R 2.0 and the Asrock Extreme 9 990FX with low profile ram in slot 2 and 4. The reason is I have the Asrock in my computer now. I may not keep it long. I will then go back to the Sabertooth.


----------



## Alvinchm

Hi guys, anyone know if nhd15 will fit in a Corsair 450D case? Thanks.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jaimelmiel*
> 
> How will the NH-D15 fit a Sabertooth 990FX R 2.0 and the Asrock Extreme 9 990FX with low profile ram in slot 2 and 4. The reason is I have the Asrock in my computer now. I may not keep it long. I will then go back to the Sabertooth.


As neither has the 1st PCIe socket I see no problem.

quote name="Alvinchm" url="/t/1480717/noctua-nh-d15-club/560_20#post_23170914"]Hi guys, anyone know if nhd15 will fit in a Corsair 450D case? Thanks.[/quote]
450D has 165mm CPU clearance so it will fit .. *depending oh RAM height.*

Sure, very tall RAM will fit under cooler, but *front 140mm fan can only be used if RAM is less than 30mm tall.*

Case CPU clearance = 165mm
CPU to motherboard is + 8mm
motherboard clearance 173mm
Socket raises RAM up by -3mm
NF-A15 140mm frt fan - 140mm
*Total RAM clearance is 30mm*


----------



## Thrilhouse

I'm looking to put a D15 in a rig I'm planning. The case I'd like to get (Fractal Define R4) will not fit both fans with high profile ram (I think it's a little too close for comfort with low profile dims, too actually). While I'm considering getting a smaller noctua 120 mm fan as the second. I'd like to know my worst case scenario; is the d15 worth getting to use in a single fan setup compared to smaller coolers? I'd like to stay with air cooling; I have no experience with Water cooling.

My primary question is whether or not it's worth using with just one fan compared to other coolers. But if anyone here also has experience with an r4, I'd appreciate your insight on using a 120 mm fan as the second.

Thank you, great people of Overclock.net.


----------



## Konkistadori

Just ordered this tiny cooler, any charts where much faster fans were used with this?


----------



## doyll

[
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Thrilhouse*
> 
> I'm looking to put a D15 in a rig I'm planning. The case I'd like to get (Fractal Define R4) will not fit both fans with high profile ram (I think it's a little too close for comfort with low profile dims, too actually). While I'm considering getting a smaller noctua 120 mm fan as the second. I'd like to know my worst case scenario; is the d15 worth getting to use in a single fan setup compared to smaller coolers? I'd like to stay with air cooling; I have no experience with Water cooling.
> 
> My primary question is whether or not it's worth using with just one fan compared to other coolers. But if anyone here also has experience with an r4, I'd appreciate your insight on using a 120 mm fan as the second.
> 
> Thank you, great people of Overclock.net.


NH-D15 performance with 1 fan is only 1c, maybe 2c less than with 2 fans.

But really, as long as fan fits even if it's touching the top of RAM, there should be no problem. Define R4 has 170mm CPU clearance .. which translates to 175mm for fan and RAM .. or 35mm maximum RAM height.


----------



## Thrilhouse

false
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> [
> NH-D15 performance with 1 fan is only 1c, maybe 2c less than with 2 fans.
> 
> But really, as long as fan fits even if it's touching the top of RAM, there should be no problem. Define R4 has 170mm CPU clearance .. which translates to 175mm for fan and RAM .. or 35mm maximum RAM height.


That is great to know. Thank you very much.


----------



## KRAY-SLiCK

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jaimelmiel*
> 
> How will the NH-D15 fit a Sabertooth 990FX R 2.0 and the Asrock Extreme 9 990FX with low profile ram in slot 2 and 4. The reason is I have the Asrock in my computer now. I may not keep it long. I will then go back to the Sabertooth.


hey bro.. yess IT WILL


----------



## Konkistadori

Took it out of the box, waiting NM-i3 kit here


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Konkistadori*
> 
> Took it out of the box, waiting NM-i3 kit here
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Am I missing something? The NH-D15 mounting kit is for Intel LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3 (Square ILM), LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150 & AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required).

What do you need the NM-I3 mounting kit for?


----------



## Konkistadori

For LGA1366 6Core powerr..


----------



## doyll

Silly me. I'm using one myself .. but I had an old base laying around that I used.


----------



## Konkistadori

It sure was tight fit with that Noctua cooler... Might need to get new case for this one..
Ill post pics of installation later









If i calculated right, max avg temperature dropped 24c degrees...









Noctua NH-D15 with 2x stock fans 1500rpm


Akasa Venom with 2xTy140 1300rpm


----------



## Merranza

Hi!

Got a few questions here









I'm really hesitating between the u14s and d15... The price difference is really small (like 10$). I'm looking at all those reviews/performance chart and I'm getting a bit lost... If someone wants to help me out, that would be very appreciated.

-Is there a big difference in terms of performance and size if you use a d15 one fan vs a u14s? Logic behind this question is if they perform pretty much the same and are pretty much the same size, I see no reason not to pull the trigger on a d15 which is 10$ more expensive and have the choice to use one or two fans on the d15... Unless I forgot something here...

-I have a Corsair 780t case, Corsair vengeance pro series RAM and an Asus Z97 pro wifi motherboard. First, no problem fitting it in the case right? Second, I will probably have to raise the second fan a bit to clear the vengeance pro RAM right (Slot 2 and 4)? And finally, would it interfere with the first PCIe slot and create problems with that behemoth Gigabyte GTX 980?









Asking a lot of questions here I know but since I will have to order this online and you guys rock with these type of concerns, just want to make sure before being stuck with RMA process and other problems.

A HUGE thank you in advance.


----------



## Konkistadori

I think if you want better performance with low speed fans, NH-D15 would be the choice.

It might interfere with 1st pci-e slot, on my mobo it didint block it.

Can you measure how far that pci-e slot is from your cpu socket? So i can compare it on mine then.

There is test with fans running under 700rpm







still stays nicely under 70c.


----------



## doyll

What Konkistadori said. I think the NH-D15 is a dud selling on Noctua's great reputations and customer service. Not that is not an excellent cooler (I own one), but it is not much if any better than NH-D14 or others with same 1500rpm NF-A15 fans on them. NH-D15's added width interferes with PCIe socket, fins cut-out does give better RAM clearance, but 140mm fan cannot be set above tall RAM and clear case. There are other coolers on the market .. most released before NH-D15 .. that cool as well or better without the compatibility issues of NH-D15.


----------



## Merranza

Is there a huge difference between U14S heatpipe desing compared to the D15?

Also, could I have your opinion and recommandation on those other market coolers?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Merranza*
> 
> Is there a huge difference between U14S heatpipe desing compared to the D15?
> 
> Also, could I have your opinion and recommandation on those other market coolers?


As this is the NH-D15 thread, start a tread and we can discuss other coolers.


----------



## Bear Man

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Merranza*
> 
> Hi!
> 
> Corsair vengeance pro series RAM and an Asus Z97 pro wifi motherboard. First, no problem fitting it in the case right? Second, I will probably have to raise the second fan a bit to clear the vengeance pro RAM right (Slot 2 and 4)? And finally, would it interfere with the first PCIe slot and create problems with that behemoth Gigabyte GTX 980?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en


----------



## doyll

Basically the NH-D15 cooler will clear RAM up to 69mm tall, but the NF-A15 will only clear 37mm RAM in a case with 165mm CPU clearance.


----------



## Konkistadori

As seen in this pic, i had to rise front fan about 1-2cm so RIpjaws-X could fit there nicely







.. And i had to order new case, couldnt fit side panel on.. But i needed new case anyways


----------



## PowerSlide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Konkistadori*
> 
> As seen in this pic, i had to rise front fan about 1-2cm so RIpjaws-X could fit there nicely
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .. And i had to order new case, couldnt fit side panel on.. But i needed new case anyways
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


i have the same ram and the same problem, what case you ordered that could fit in this configuration?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> [/SPOILER]
> 
> i have the same ram and the same problem, what case you ordered that could fit in this configuration?


What RAM is it and how tall is it?


----------



## Shaolin7

I'm also concerned about case and RAM clearances with this cooler. I'm looking at getting these components:

Phanteks Enthoo Luxe
ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition
G.SKILL RipjawsZ 32 GB DDR3 F3-19200CL10Q-32GBZHD

Would there be proper clearance? I suspect not -- if the second fan is adjusted upwards, like Konkistadori has done with his build, what is the impact on cooling performance if any?

Thank you!


----------



## PowerSlide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> What RAM is it and how tall is it?


ripjaws x

push the fan too high up like shown by Konkistadori

run the fan pull/pull eliminate the problem

nzxt H440 and fractal arc midi r2, define r5 these 3 should not have any issue even with the fan push high up


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shaolin7*
> 
> I'm also concerned about case and RAM clearances with this cooler. I'm looking at getting these components:
> 
> Phanteks Enthoo Luxe
> ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition
> G.SKILL RipjawsZ 32 GB DDR3 F3-19200CL10Q-32GBZHD
> 
> Would there be proper clearance? I suspect not -- if the second fan is adjusted upwards, like Konkistadori has done with his build, what is the impact on cooling performance if any?
> 
> Thank you!


Enthoo Luxe is 193mm CPU clearance.
Almost 10mm to spare.

I think Rampage IV Black Edition is only 71-72mm center CPU to PCIe socket.
I wouldn't plan on using top PCIe socket.

I believe the RipjawsZ are 40.29mm
140mm fan + 40.3mm RAM + 3mm socket = 183.3 = 8mm mobo to top CPU = 175.3mm CPU clearance

I would have to test it but think using fans in pull / pull will give better performance than push / push with front fan setting to high.

Here's a link to cooler size and clearances
http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/0_20#post_22319255


----------



## Shaolin7

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Enthoo Luxe is 193mm CPU clearance.
> Almost 10mm to spare.
> 
> I think Rampage IV Black Edition is only 71-72mm center CPU to PCIe socket.
> I wouldn't plan on using top PCIe socket.
> 
> I believe the RipjawsZ are 40.29mm
> 140mm fan + 40.3mm RAM + 3mm socket = 183.3 = 8mm mobo to top CPU = 175.3mm CPU clearance
> 
> I would have to test it but think using fans in pull / pull will give better performance than push / push with front fan setting to high.
> 
> Here's a link to cooler size and clearances
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/0_20#post_22319255


doyll, thank you so much! That's very helpful to know, I appreciate you taking the time. Out of curiosity, may I please ask why a pull / pull setup would be more ideal in your opinion?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shaolin7*
> 
> doyll, thank you so much! That's very helpful to know, I appreciate you taking the time. Out of curiosity, may I please ask why a pull / pull setup would be more ideal in your opinion?


with such tall ram the bottom part front fin pack is not getting little air from a push fan, but a pull fan on the front fin pack will draw air through all of the fins.

The back fin pack will be flowing almost identically with pull as with push. .. maybe a little better becuse is has fns on both sides.

The best thing you can do is make sure the heated exhaust air from GPU and CPU coolers is exhausted out of case without mixing with the cool intake air going to these coolers. Every degree warmer the air going into coolers is means at least the same degree warmer they will be.


----------



## PowerSlide

doyll,

Does running D15 single fan on the middle impact temp much? i'm thinking getting nzxt S340, from post i read thru D14 fits so should D15 but i don't think can fit in 2 fan pull/pull config. The vrm heatsink on my mobo near the I/O ports pushes the fan up high.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> doyll,
> 
> Does running D15 single fan on the middle impact temp much? i'm thinking getting nzxt S340, from post i read thru D14 fits so should D15 but i don't think can fit in 2 fan pull/pull config. The vrm heatsink on my mobo near the I/O ports pushes the fan up high.


At full speed 1-2c difference. At low speed 2-4c.

2 fans move more air at low speed, but at high speed it doesn't make much difference. What this means is instead of running 2x fans at 800rpm, 1x fan will furn at 850-900rpm to get the same CPU temps.


----------



## doyll

I just read ehume's NH-D15 review. He does some of the best reviews. His reviews are among the best being done.









He is one of the few using intake air temp rather than room temp, which gives us an accurate reference temperature.









2.6c warmer with single fan versus 2x fans.

Notice the temps of both coolers with same fans.










http://www.overclockers.com/noctua-nh-d15-heatsink-review


----------



## Konkistadori

Yes, quite minimal difference.
I would like too see results when using 600rpm speed of fans







.. So with ULNA adapter i guess?


----------



## doyll

I'm not sure what the rpm would be. Never use the ULNA as I always use PWM to control the speed.


----------



## Rtoodtu

So my Swiftech H320 pump failed after 11 months of use. It was still under warranty but I am totally turned off from water cooling for the time being. So I went out and got the NH-D15 and *I was amazed!!*

1) The install was crazy ******* easy. Way easier then the H320.

2) The temps, while are warmer then the H320, are only 3-7C from water cooling so I am VERY pleased with the results.

Really looking forward to see how cool I can keep my CPU after a little OC (4770k OC to 4Ghz) but for the time being I am going to keep everything at stock.


----------



## doyll

]
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rtoodtu*
> 
> So my Swiftech H320 pump failed after 11 months of use. It was still under warranty but I am totally turned off from water cooling for the time being. So I went out and got the NH-D15 and *I was amazed!!*
> 
> 1) The install was crazy ******* easy. Way easier then the H320.
> 
> 2) The temps, while are warmer then the H320, are only 3-7C from water cooling so I am VERY pleased with the results.
> 
> Really looking forward to see how cool I can keep my CPU after a little OC (4770k OC to 4Ghz) but for the time being I am going to keep everything at stock.


Try checking your cooler intake air temp. If it more than a couple degrees above the room there are ways get it there. You might find the case airflow link in my sig helpful.


----------



## Merranza

Alright,

Got done installing my NH-D15 yesterday and holly molly this thing DOES COOL.

I'm on a i7-4790k and I was getting 35C-40C on idle and was skyrocketing at 85C on load when playing with the stock fan.

Now, I'm getting 25C on idle and 45-50C (!!!) on load. That's like an average cooling performance gain of 45%! Without overclocking, I've even increased a bit my Firestrike scores probably because my cpu was throttling down a bit on stock cooler.

Got a quick question. I notice Core #2 is about 2-3C hotter than the other cores. Might be the way I screwed the cooler after applying the paste (I screwed one side all the way down then the other side... I should have screwed both of them equally...). If you guys think 2-3C is nothing to sweat about, I'll leave it there. I'd prefer to avoid removing the cooler, cleaning the paste and reapplying new paste and take a chance to have even worse temperature results afterward. But if those extra degrees are unacceptable, I'll do it.

Special thanks to doyll for answering most of my questions and helping me in making my cooler choice


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Konkistadori*
> 
> Got a quick question. I notice Core #2 is about 2-3C hotter than the other cores.


Yepp, that's completly normal.


----------



## Merranza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wezzor*
> 
> Yepp, that's completly normal.


Amazing thanks


----------



## doyll

What Wezzer said.

All it takes is for one core to be warmer is for it to be doing a little more work .. and that's assuming they would all read the same. It's not at all uncommon to have 5c differnce. My old i7 920 had one core that was always about 7c low .. at idle it would show well below room ambient.


----------



## Merranza

Thank you doyll,

I realize I'm a bit warmer overall than what your graph you posted a couple posts before shows. The tester is slightly overclocking and is getting cooler temperature than I am getting with my D15 on my stock 4790k. Would you consider my average temperature within normal range even if warmer?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Merranza*
> 
> Thank you doyll,
> 
> I realize I'm a bit warmer overall than what your graph you posted a couple posts before shows. The tester is slightly overclocking and is getting cooler temperature than I am getting with my D15 on my stock 4790k. Would you consider my average temperature within normal range even if warmer?


Your temps are quite good. Without knowing what the air temp going into cooler actually is makes it hard to compare different cooler tests.

Case air temp and cooler intake air temp vary dramatically from system to system. Even from one cooler to another int the same system .. even just changing the cooler fan and/or case fans (or their speed) will change the cooler intake air temperature.

Using room ambient gives the system performance with whatever components are in the system, not just the cooler performance.

Using cooler intake air temp gives us a much better way to compare the coolers performance to other coolers in other systems.


----------



## Merranza

Thank you


----------



## 24Valvole

Here's my NH-D15 installed. Please note this is a WIP picture so the cables weren't tucked yet (they still aren't, at least not very well...). The two DDR sticks are hidden under the tower closest to the rear, and the fan clip for that tower touches the video card. I can't give any concrete cooling numbers since I'm still dialing my system in, but so far the numbers look encouraging.


----------



## Merranza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> What Wezzer said.
> 
> All it takes is for one core to be warmer is for it to be doing a little more work .. and that's assuming they would all read the same. It's not at all uncommon to have 5c differnce. My old i7 920 had one core that was always about 7c low .. at idle it would show well below room ambient.


Did some tests again with Prime95 and XTU and they are all coherent. Core #0-#1 are identical while Core #2 is 5 degrees hotter and Core #3 is 2 degrees cooler. All in all, it's a 7 degrees difference between the coolest and hottest core.

You stated your old i7. Is your new setup acting the same?


----------



## doyll

I can't remember a system that didn't have at least 3-6c variance in core temps.








6x cores now and temps between 23c and 29c right now. Under load they are 35-42c.


----------



## Merranza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I can't remember a system that didn't have at least 3-6c variance in core temps.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 6x cores now and temps between 23c and 29c right now. Under load they are 35-42c.


Sorry for asking all those questions, I've built a couple of systems before but always pretty much left everything at stock except playing some with the GPU. First time I'm really digging into CPU temperatures/overclocking and I like to understand the information I have in front of my eyes







I'm benefiting of all your knowledge, thanks!

Those are amazing load temperatures! I'm closer to 45-52c. I don't have intake temperature exactly but ambient room temperature is 22c.


----------



## doyll

Asking questions is how we learn .. that and analyzing our mistakes.









If it run a stress test with all cores & threads at 100% temps go up about 5c higher .. and that's with cooler fans at 950-1050rom and case 750-900rpm. Took a little case airflow tuning, but not much. If interested, links in sig give the basics.


----------



## shampoo911

i really hate the fact that this cooler is not so recommended for a rampage v extreme... it kisses part of the first pcie device... and it could cause some troubles in there..


----------



## Merranza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Asking questions is how we learn .. that and analyzing our mistakes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If it run a stress test with all cores & threads at 100% temps go up about 5c higher .. and that's with cooler fans at 950-1050rom and case 750-900rpm. Took a little case airflow tuning, but not much. If interested, links in sig give the basics.


Reading it right now


----------



## Darkhaze

Do we have different revisions of the HAF 932?? My original 932 side fan pressed again the D15, i figured no big deal. Wrong. Temps went up 5c and I scratched my chip lid. That's after 24 hrs. So not even considering removing the side fan, i put the D15 in a pull pull config, now not only does everything fit, but my ram is unhindered and my cpu cooler, and the cpu is is a few degrees cooler! If I turn my fan to turbo (totally unnecessary) it actually helps cool my GPU (it's that close i guess lol). In fact my GPU won't hit 75c and so the fans won't increase to keep it at 75c.

If only i didn't have a sucky i7 4790k I could make use of that cooler. I'm pullin 1.3v (1.296v) at stock, but that's on auto. Still, way too high tho, bad sign. At the very least I got a near silent system out of it.

More silent if i can figure out whether or not the triple 230mm fans pulling 12v/0.40A each will blow my mobo if I plug them in chassis fan headers. The other 140mm fan only pulls 0.14A. And I've heard of ROG boards blowing due to chassis fans being plugged in, and I'm guessing it didn't take three 230s to fry it.


----------



## NYSEE

Building a computer for the first time. For my cpu cooler it’s between the nzxt kraken x61 and the Noctua NH-D15. I want to go with the Noctua NH-D15 but I’m concern with its size. I won’t have a problem with the Noctua NH-D15 fitting in a Fractal define R5 case with a asus x99-a MB, Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB ddr4 and a Asus GeForce GTX 970? Everything will fit, right? Not gonna have a problem with the cooler blocking ram slots, or my graphic card slot?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NYSEE*
> 
> Building a computer for the first time. For my cpu cooler it's between the nzxt kraken x61 and the Noctua NH-D15. I want to go with the Noctua NH-D15 but I'm concern with its size. I won't have a problem with the Noctua NH-D15 fitting in a Fractal define R5 case with a asus x99-a MB, Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB ddr4 and a Asus GeForce GTX 970? Everything will fit, right? Not gonna have a problem with the cooler blocking ram slots, or my graphic card slot?


Have you even looked at specifications of your components to see if they are comparable with each other?
Noctua compatibility list give you answers to motherboard
Google Crucial Ballistic Sport t find RAM height.
Fractal Design gives CPU clearance specificaton.

To be blunt, I don't mind helping, but some people seem too lazy to even look at component specifications and comparability data.









If that's not true, I apologize.


----------



## NYSEE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Have you even looked at specifications of your components to see if they are comparable with each other?
> Noctua compatibility list give you answers to motherboard
> Google Crucial Ballistic Sport t find RAM height.
> Fractal Design gives CPU clearance specificaton.
> 
> To be blunt, I don't mind helping, but some people seem too lazy to even look at component specifications and comparability data.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If that's not true, I apologize.


All this time I've been preparing myself for my build with water cooling. I just heard about the nhd-15 from watching YouTube videos. Until Christmas I'm at the mercy of a Logitech revue for Internet (or a friends house and it was late at night when I did this) and the official site isn't working on my device for some reason. Maybe because the domain is .at? I don't know this thing is old. So I just googled nhd-15 forum and this post was in the search. From different YouTube videos the main knock on this cooler was clearance issues. I figured People who actually owned the cooler would Know the answer for sure. I'm sorry.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NYSEE*
> 
> All this time I've been preparing myself for my build with water cooling. I just heard about the nhd-15 from watching YouTube videos. Until Christmas I'm at the mercy of a Logitech revue for Internet (or a friends house and it was late at night when I did this) and the official site isn't working on my device for some reason. Maybe because the domain is .at? I don't know this thing is old. So I just googled nhd-15 forum and this post was in the search. From different YouTube videos the main knock on this cooler was clearance issues. I figured People who actually owned the cooler would Know the answer for sure. I'm sorry.


Lots of excuses. Time to watch YouTube videos but not to go to product website and look at specs or charts for comparability doesn't bode well.
RAM is 30mm
Compatibility chart says yes
Fractal Design says enough room.

I read your post, looked those all up, wrote it here and posted all in less than 5 minutes


----------



## NYSEE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Lots of excuses. Time to watch YouTube videos but not to go to product website and look at specs or charts for comparability doesn't bode well.
> RAM is 30mm
> Compatibility chart says yeskoolance 120mm to 140mm Bracket Adapter.
> Fractal Design says enough room.
> 
> I read your post, looked those all up, wrote it here and posted all in less than 5 minutes


Wasn't trying to make excuse, the site didn't work on my Logitech revue. This streaming device has a youtube app that works fine. The web browser not every site works on it. I could have waited until the next day when I had access to a computer but didn't see the harm in asking here. If it's such an inconvenience or annoyance you could have just ignored me. Truly not seeing the problem. Don't worry I'll figure it out.


----------



## Darkhaze

I'm SOOO mad, i checked chasis/mobo compatibility for u on pcpartpicker.com ("says" they're fine) and wrote a post, but didn't sign in, and when I did all but the first line was gone.

Grr anyway, your ram looks low profile enough, 30mm vs the d15's 32mm clearance, but the front fan will likely sit squarely on the slot 2 module. I recommend using the fans in pull pull config, works for RAM and cools better (including my GPU!), and no fans sitting on RAM : check this post:

Noctua D15 RAM clearance SOLVE http://www.overclock.net/t/1528993/noctua-d15-ram-clearance-solve#post_23246894 the 3rd post has the pics of pull pull config.

OH ****, nm, I just looked at your board cuz i had a funny x99 feeling that your ram is on both side of the cooler. That is no bueno, you might have to use the one middle fan config, I don't know how x99 ram slots work, but then again, according to specs you DO have the clearance... so good luck bud.

If it's the case (and it sensibly should be) that either side is a RAM bank, I reco using the right side bank so you're not blowing presumably hot air at them the RAM


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NYSEE*
> 
> Wasn't trying to make excuse, the site didn't work on my Logitech revue. This streaming device has a youtube app that works fine. The web browser not every site works on it. I could have waited until the next day when I had access to a computer but didn't see the harm in asking here. If it's such an inconvenience or annoyance you could have just ignored me. Truly not seeing the problem. Don't worry I'll figure it out.


If the data I gave didn't answer your questions, you probably won't be able to figure it out.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> I'm SOOO mad, i checked chasis/mobo compatibility for u on pcpartpicker.com ("says" they're fine) and wrote a post, but didn't sign in, and when I did all but the first line was gone.
> 
> Grr anyway, your ram looks low profile enough, 30mm vs the d15's 32mm clearance, but the front fan will likely sit squarely on the slot 2 module. I recommend using the fans in pull pull config, works for RAM and cools better (including my GPU!), and no fans sitting on RAM : check this post:
> 
> Noctua D15 RAM clearance SOLVE http://www.overclock.net/t/1528993/noctua-d15-ram-clearance-solve#post_23246894 the 3rd post has the pics of pull pull config.
> 
> OH ****, nm, I just looked at your board cuz i had a funny x99 feeling that your ram is on both side of the cooler. That is no bueno, you might have to use the one middle fan config, I don't know how x99 ram slots work, but then again, according to specs you DO have the clearance... so good luck bud.
> 
> If it's the case (and it sensibly should be) that either side is a RAM bank, I reco using the right side bank so you're not blowing presumably hot air at them the RAM


30mm ram with a 140mm fan over it will fit in a case with with 166mm CPU clearance.

CPU clearance plus 5mm is the maximum clearance of fan and RAM measurements combined.
30 mm RAM + 140 mm fan = 170mm
165mm CPUclearance+5mm = 170mm


----------



## itomic

Stupid Intel and their bad TIM. I switched from Venomus X to NH-D15 and i get NO improvments at all with my i7 3770K. I tested it at 1.2V 4.5Ghz and 1.3V 4.6Ghz and i get about the same temperatures with Venomus X and one single 12cm fan as i get with NH-D15 !!! Temps go as high as 90C but towers arnt warm at all !!! Stupid Intel, im just so mad but i dont wonna risk my chip by delidding it.


----------



## Darkhaze

I wanna delid my cpu and replace the TIM with that liquid pro stuff, but my cpu pulls in 1.3v at stock (1.298). Intel said it's my mobofactory settings but there are millions of ppl with 4790k and hero vii. They gave me a long list of **** to look into/fix:

https://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-23517

But they did say they would replace it if the CPU was to blame, even with the scratch on the lid. I'm gonna take it back to the store and just have them check it and then hopefully intel has some kinda advanced replacement plan...

Then I'll delid it


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> 30mm ram with a 140mm fan over it will fit in a case with with 166mm CPU clearance.
> 
> CPU clearance plus 5mm is the maximum clearance of fan and RAM measurements combined.
> 30 mm RAM + 140 mm fan = 170mm
> 165mm CPUclearance+5mm = 170mm


I literally have no idea what ur talking about.

I don't know what his case clearance is above the motherboard plate that holds it's socket screws. I don't know exactly how tall the cooler is when you factor in the copper pipes protruding out the top, I've got about 2-3mm clearance between one of them and my side fan guard.

32mm is the number from the noctua site. Does ram sit flat to the motherboard, or does the socket raise it a bit? I had fairly short ram on there at first, probably about 32mm cuz the fan sat snugly on top of them. I could have raised it (I might have had to a bit. i can't find the height listed anywhere on the net), you can put it at any height you want. I went pull pull cuza my side fan, my ram slots are on the right, so no problems with my higher ram.

Whichever bank he uses I would wager the length of the noctua would cause a clearance problem on at least one side for higher profile ram. He has 30mm ram, he can hopefully configure it however suits him.

You said the case has 166mm clearance and then that the ram + fan is 170mm (that doesn't include the pipe tips). Huh? I don't understand what CPU clearance refers to.


----------



## Merranza

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *itomic*
> 
> Stupid Intel and their bad TIM. I switched from Venomus X to NH-D15 and i get NO improvments at all with my i7 3770K. I tested it at 1.2V 4.5Ghz and 1.3V 4.6Ghz and i get about the same temperatures with Venomus X and one single 12cm fan as i get with NH-D15 !!! Temps go as high as 90C but towers arnt warm at all !!! Stupid Intel, im just so mad but i dont wonna risk my chip by delidding it.


Your NH-D15 should come with a small tube of Noctua's thermal grease (NT-H1). Pure alcohol, rub gently with something like a coffee filter on the top of your cpu to remove your old grease and it should do the trick.

How long ago did you apply Intel's paste? It's probably time for a change anyway but Noctua's TIM is a much better product then what Intel provide with their processors. If it's old paste, it's probably preventing the heat to be dissipated adequately to your NH-D15 neglecting any difference.


----------



## Darkhaze

Technically you're supposed to use minimum 90% isopropyl alcohol - not ethyl as in rubbing alcohol, and a lint free cloth (the only one's I have aren't getting used to remove thermal paste! well except the the crappiest one i designated for the final cleaning pass in TIM removal)

I use 99% isopropyl (isopropanol) and a whole bunch of q-tips soaked in it (one tip at a time dipped in the cap full of alcohol each time before I clean with it). Works great, they turn mad grey cuz they pick up the TIM well, I save the lint free cloth until the q-tips are coming up white from everywhere on the whole cpu, then i use the old lint free screen cleaner... still ends up with some grey TIM on it, but not much, and everything is hunky dory.

That noctua NT-H1 is very good, but they don't give you much, 3 applications worth I believe i read somewhere. I was thinking of getting more, but I want that coollaboratory liquid pro for when I delid (-20c!), but apparently it's stupid hard to apply as a heatsink TIM, especially properly and more importantly, safely. They're talking about roughening the lid surface or something? I really hope it's not as complicated when using it on the CPU die, I don't believe it is, but if it is I may rethink.

P.S. Don't forget the TIM that may have squeezed over onto CPU's the sides! I've even seen some in the space between the lid and the board (of the cpu). It's ugly when old TIM that's been there for a while leaves traces no matter how hard u clean it in the future. I doubt it affects cooling significantly.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> I literally have no idea what ur talking about.
> 
> I don't know what his case clearance is above the motherboard plate that holds it's socket screws. I don't know exactly how tall the cooler is when you factor in the copper pipes protruding out the top, I've got about 2-3mm clearance between one of them and my side fan guard.
> 
> 32mm is the number from the noctua site. Does ram sit flat to the motherboard, or does the socket raise it a bit? I had fairly short ram on there at first, probably about 32mm cuz the fan sat snugly on top of them. I could have raised it (I might have had to a bit. i can't find the height listed anywhere on the net), you can put it at any height you want. I went pull pull cuza my side fan, my ram slots are on the right, so no problems with my higher ram.
> 
> Whichever bank he uses I would wager the length of the noctua would cause a clearance problem on at least one side for higher profile ram. He has 30mm ram, he can hopefully configure it however suits him.
> 
> You said the case has 166mm clearance and then that the ram + fan is 170mm (that doesn't include the pipe tips). Huh? I don't understand what CPU clearance refers to.


CPU clearance is distance from top of CPU to inside of case. CPU clearance is the maximum height cooler that will fit.
Top of CPU is 8mm above surface of motherboard.
Bottom of RAM is 3mm above top of motherboard


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> Technically you're supposed to use minimum 90% isopropyl alcohol - not ethyl as in rubbing alcohol, and a lint free cloth (the only one's I have aren't getting used to remove thermal paste! well except the the crappiest one i designated for the final cleaning pass in TIM removal)
> 
> I use 99% isopropyl (isopropanol) and a whole bunch of q-tips soaked in it (one tip at a time dipped in the cap full of alcohol each time before I clean with it). Works great, they turn mad grey cuz they pick up the TIM well, I save the lint free cloth until the q-tips are coming up white from everywhere on the whole cpu, then i use the old lint free screen cleaner... still ends up with some grey TIM on it, but not much, and everything is hunky dory.
> 
> That noctua NT-H1 is very good, but they don't give you much, 3 applications worth I believe i read somewhere. I was thinking of getting more, but I want that coollaboratory liquid pro for when I delid (-20c!), but apparently it's stupid hard to apply as a heatsink TIM, especially properly and more importantly, safely. They're talking about roughening the lid surface or something? I really hope it's not as complicated when using it on the CPU die, I don't believe it is, but if it is I may rethink.
> 
> P.S. Don't forget the TIM that may have squeezed over onto CPU's the sides! I've even seen some in the space between the lid and the board (of the cpu). It's ugly when old TIM that's been there for a while leaves traces no matter how hard u clean it in the future. I doubt it affects cooling significantly.


There is no "technically" correct CPU cleaner .. unless you think the TIM company stuff is the "Technical" cleaner.. I use pure alcohol, but fingernail polish remover works too. Rubbing alcohol is same alcohol as pure alcohol with additives.

When remounting with same TIM I just wipe off all that I can with clean paper towel, make sure there is no lint, an apply new TIM. This is known as "timming" and has the same effect as tinning surfaces before soldering them together.

If TIM is over the side of CPU, too much TIM was used.


----------



## itomic

I did remove old TIM ofcourse. This isnt first time i changed CPU cooler. I was referring to Intel TIM under IHS, not that i put some Intel paste on IHS. I retested both coolers several time with clean TIM (ofcourse did clean both IHS and CPU cooler base) and same TIM and got pretty much the same temps !! So, i know that Intel did rubbish job with TIM under IHS but didnt know how much of a rubbish job it is on my chip. Had Corsair H110 before this two air coolers and temps wasnt much better also. Man am i disappointed.


----------



## Darkhaze

Too much TIM happens lol.

My memory of cleaning TIM dates back to learning how to remove arctic silver 5. Paper towel might leave lint you can't see but will get in thermal paste, minor matter I would think.


----------



## Darkhaze

You delidded the CPU and replaced them internal TIM to no effect? What did you use? I was told coollaboratory liquid pro would basically do magic in there. And I just looked up prices cuz I need some more NT-H1 (noctua TIM) and it like $18 and the liquid pro is $34. If it wasn't a ***** to apply with on the lid for heatsink, and I wasn't probably gonna exchange my CPU... maybe the paste that came with my fan will have enough left, and I do have some old ass AS5 around. CPU lottery doesn't like me


----------



## Darkhaze

Thanks, I thought that's what you meant. But you said his case clearance was 166mm which is way to short for a D15 i think, plus if the RAM is 3mm+it's own 30mm height and noctua has 32mm ram clearnace.. well


----------



## doyll

Cotton buds will leave more lint than paper towel.







You can trust me on that. I used to use coffee filters for final wipes, but after some very close examinations of cooler bases after cleaning with paper towel only compared to final wipes with lint free media under magnification I could find no difference .. this was also verified in cooling tests.

Also found no difference between super-cleaning with alcohol versus just wiping off the TIM. Keep in mind these cleanup and re-apply tests were done on recently installed coolers .. in use less than a month max.


----------



## JiminyBillyBob

You guys think it will fit on a Maximus IV Gene in a Fortress FT05?

Silverstone specify 162mm as cooler height limitation, but hardocp in their review state that "_As far as air coolers go, we installed some of the tallest coolers we could find in the Fortress without a single issue. Even gigantic coolers like the Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E and the NZXT Havik 140 fit without a problem_."


----------



## Darkhaze

Paper towel does seem like a good idea...


----------



## doyll

I cut paper towel into pieces about 10cm square. Wipe and into bin before sneaking TIM jumps onto something else.


----------



## Bear Man

I use a cotton ball with metho


----------



## GrimDoctor

@doyll I commend you in this thread man. You have more patience than me.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GrimDoctor*
> 
> @doyll I commend you in this thread man. You have more patience than me.


Thanks.








Sometimes yes, sometimes no.


----------



## Darkhaze

I'm gonna try, that. I'm getting a replacement 4790k delivered today and need to scrub some TIM







I was worried about the size, cut it... duh lol. Altho I'm almost out of alcohol (EEK not that kind!), I think the old q-tip method might have to do, paste is 2 week old noctua nt-h1, let's hope it comes off easy... Old AS5 is all I've dealt with til today, I'm interested to see how my first nt-h1 application worked out.


----------



## doyll

NT-H1 should wipe off with no problems. Try just using squares of paper towel without alcohol. I think you will be surprised at how easily it wipes off.


----------



## Darkhaze

I actually just used a quarter folded paper towel with alcohol on the intel stock fan i used for 5 minutes. It did a great job with the parts that were wet, not so much with the dry.. but that's intel stock TIM... so... I'll test wet/dry on the NT-H1. Anyway, to get into the nooks and crannies (wow crannies is a recognized word, go figure) to get the elusive TIM, the good old wet Q-tip was waay easier. Maybe the wetness holds the cotton from shedding on smooth surfaces, it's awful slick (as in no traction on cleaned metal, but huge grab on TIM).

I think the future holds a 3 step process, 1) alc'd paper towel for majority of TIM 2)alc'd q-tips for bits left in nooks/crannies(hehe), and 3) dry lint free cloth for anything I can't see.
First time ever, no TIM period got on the cloth! And I cleaned it in under a minute, Still waiting for stupid UPS to get here so I can do the noctua job (still using the computer til then


----------



## attackcenter

Questions about using the Noctua NH-D15 with 3 fans.

I have two Noctua NH-D15 kits that I am trying to get going for a 3 fan setup. I blame Noctua for being so conceited and not selling people the 3rd fan + the clips.

1. I am setting this up in a Corsair 780t case with all industrial noctua 120mm fans, even the the back exhaust fan is noctua. I am wondering, i should be able to just clip the 3rd fan to the other side of the heatsink that has no clips right?

2. With the 3rd fan attached, will you get turbulence if the 3rd fan is too close to the exhaust fan?

3. With the 3rd fan attached and it being too close, could this possibly cause an decrease in performance?

4. What is the optimal distance that the 3rd fan should be from the back exhaust fan?

Thanks.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> Questions about using the Noctua NH-D15 with 3 fans.
> 
> I have two Noctua NH-D15 kits that I am trying to get going for a 3 fan setup. I blame Noctua for being so conceited and not selling people the 3rd fan + the clips.
> 
> 1. I am setting this up in a Corsair 780t case with all industrial noctua 120mm fans, even the the back exhaust fan is noctua. I am wondering, i should be able to just clip the 3rd fan to the other side of the heatsink that has no clips right?
> 
> 2. With the 3rd fan attached, will you get turbulence if the 3rd fan is too close to the exhaust fan?
> 
> 3. With the 3rd fan attached and it being too close, could this possibly cause an decrease in performance?
> 
> 4. What is the optimal distance that the 3rd fan should be from the back exhaust fan?
> 
> Thanks.


Man are you going to be happy. The fans clip to either side of either tower, there's no difference in the four faces of tower structure.

My D15 didn't fit the front fan because of the side fan in my case. I changed the config to pull pull:





If you look hard at the first pic, you can see behind the rear fan there the edge the black 140mm exhaust fan just behind it (no turbulence I'm aware of, but I can check at stress test load lol). I dropped 3 degrees idle and load from what I was getting standard push push. I have a hard time imagining the need for a 3rd fan, but hey, if u wanna









My 4790k at stock settings (which are NOT the best thermally or otherwise) idles under 30, game (hardcore) under 55, stress test under 75, usually stays under 70.

You only hear the thing stress testing and the fans don't get close to 100%, no way I could hear it over my gfx card, which by the way also dropped a couple degrees in that config, altho the proximity helped im sure.

That is my info, the calculations for optimal would depend entirely on the dimensions and aero and thermodynamic flow of your case cooling.

...Now I want a 3rd fan.. I don't need it maybe one day..
OH! and if have it in pull pull (not 3rd on front) there is no ram clearance issue, I'm using high profile. That biggass fan presents a problem or at least sits squarely(If ur lucky) on the RAM


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> Questions about using the Noctua NH-D15 with 3 fans.
> 
> I have two Noctua NH-D15 kits that I am trying to get going for a 3 fan setup. I blame Noctua for being so conceited and not selling people the 3rd fan + the clips.
> 
> 1. I am setting this up in a Corsair 780t case with all industrial noctua 120mm fans, even the the back exhaust fan is noctua. I am wondering, i should be able to just clip the 3rd fan to the other side of the heatsink that has no clips right?
> 
> 2. With the 3rd fan attached, will you get turbulence if the 3rd fan is too close to the exhaust fan?
> 
> 3. With the 3rd fan attached and it being too close, could this possibly cause an decrease in performance?
> 
> 4. What is the optimal distance that the 3rd fan should be from the back exhaust fan?
> 
> Thanks.


They didn't include a third fan because it would cost more and wouldn't improve enough cost to performance ratio. You can even get away with just on fan with very good temps for those with ram clearance issues.

Just a tip @Darkhaze the fans work a little better placed at the front as they can force cooler air straight onto the towers.


----------



## attackcenter

But that's the conceited part, its our choice.... It really does not cost that much to buy and extra fan + a clip. To the really frugal ones, for them its like pulling Jona out of a whale. Lol. For the hard core perfectionists its a must have. For some of us, it just makes the build complete... Just a hobby I guess......


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> But that's the conceited part, its our choice.... It really does not cost that much to buy and extra fan + a clip. To the really frugal ones, for them its like pulling Jona out of a whale. Lol. For the hard core perfectionists its a must have. For some of us, it just makes the build complete... Just a hobby I guess......


It wouldn't really add much performance and then some people might have clearance issues with rear fans.

If it cost more people would complain and some complain already.

If you want extra clips, email them and they will send it for free, that's what I did.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> But that's the conceited part, its our choice.... It really does not cost that much to buy and extra fan + a clip. To the really frugal ones, for them its like pulling Jona out of a whale. Lol. For the hard core perfectionists its a must have. For some of us, it just makes the build complete... Just a hobby I guess......


Your "conceited part" needs to realize you cannot buy a 3rd fan that is the same as the fans that come on the NH-D15 cooler. The included fans are 1500rpm NF-A15 fans. The one you can buy is a 1200rpm NF-A15 fan.


----------



## attackcenter

That's not what Noctua are telling other people. According to others: Noctua is not selling the additional clips (or kit) to get an additional fan setup going.

It's just how many computer builders are: case building involves some perfectionism and it's just a hobby. Even a small amount of cooling performance gain adds up. Its just a piece of the pie. In particular I want all the hot air to basically go in a funnel straight out of my case, no spacing. There is a certain amount of satisfaction in getting your build just the way you like it. I am one of many people that feel this way that is willing to spend the money. This is just fans, clips, and a little bit of experimenting on Noctuas part that could help those that want this. Cyrorig understands this fully thats why they make this setup easliy modifiable as default with there R1 Ultimate and R1 Universal. Noctua are too busy being conceited, trying to show the world they are right, and not giving us the option.

I mean my goodness:

I purchased two Noctua nh-d15 kits at full 200 usd plus tax, 6 120mm industrial case fans at 210 usd plus tax. All this was bought in full swoop. I should be a lifetime member of the noctua family or a stock holder with them. Lol. Really, if there is any Noctua employees on this forum they should be helping me......


----------



## attackcenter

If you read my post above you will see I bought two kits. Definitely conceited for not including the right fan and forcing me to buy two kits.


----------



## Darkhaze

I'm gonna delid my i7 DC long before I get a 3rd fan. Even if it made some significant performance boost, which I doubt very much, I can't use the gains toward anything , mine blows cold air at my legs gaming, I have to wear pants dammit! Later I'll move the tower but I'm still dealing with other components, very slowly and lazily.

I'll overclock one day, when a game can use it. Maybe that second fan will be necessary. But in BF4 (Ultra 1080p 64 players), the 7970 is pushing 100% load and the CPU is lounging at 70% max (stock 60% OC'd to 4.6), at a balmy 52c, I could easily drop a fan, but I don't wanna cuz it looks kewl.

If you're planning one hell of an OC ok, but otherwise, the only good reason to do it is cuz it'll look really kewl. And that is a perfectly valid reason. I often use it myself lol.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> That's not what Noctua are telling other people. According to others: Noctua is not selling the additional clips (or kit) to get an additional fan setup going.
> 
> It's just how many computer builders are: case building involves some perfectionism and it's just a hobby. Even a small amount of cooling performance gain adds up. Its just a piece of the pie. In particular I want all the hot air to basically go in a funnel straight out of my case, no spacing. There is a certain amount of satisfaction in getting your build just the way you like it. I am one of many people that feel this way that is willing to spend the money. This is just fans, clips, and a little bit of experimenting on Noctuas part that could help those that want this. Cyrorig understands this fully thats why they make this setup easliy modifiable as default with there R1 Ultimate and R1 Universal. Noctua are too busy being conceited, trying to show the world they are right, and not giving us the option.


Maybe this "perfectionism" is really an addiction.








Believe me, Noctua does way more "experimentation" to improve and refine their products than you or anyone you know does.








If you think Noctua is "too busy being conceited" why don't you buy Cryorig or some other brand you think is so great? Cryorig R1 Ultimate performs as well as NH-D15 does out of the box .. and it's fans are 200rpm slower.


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> That's not what Noctua are telling other people. According to others: Noctua is not selling the additional clips (or kit) to get an additional fan setup going.
> 
> It's just how many computer builders are: case building involves some perfectionism and it's just a hobby. Even a small amount of cooling performance gain adds up. Its just a piece of the pie. In particular I want all the hot air to basically go in a funnel straight out of my case, no spacing. There is a certain amount of satisfaction in getting your build just the way you like it. I am one of many people that feel this way that is willing to spend the money. This is just fans, clips, and a little bit of experimenting on Noctuas part that could help those that want this. Cyrorig understands this fully thats why they make this setup easliy modifiable as default with there R1 Ultimate and R1 Universal. Noctua are too busy being conceited, trying to show the world they are right, and not giving us the option.
> 
> I mean my goodness:
> 
> I purchased two Noctua nh-d15 kits at full 200 usd plus tax, 6 120mm industrial case fans at 210 usd plus tax. All this was bought in full swoop. I should be a lifetime member of the noctua family or a stock holder with them. Lol. Really, if there is any Noctua employees on this forum they should be helping me......


I'm sorry but you're acting far too entitled now. Calling Noctua conceited and your general attitude here is really helping your cause for assistance.

I don't know who these "other people" are but asking nicely can have amazing results in the world we live in.

I am a pc builder. I have bought thousands of dollars of Noctua gear in my time but that doesn't mean I have a right to dictate their business practises because I want a specific setup.

Noctua make quality, performance equipment and I trust that they design things the way they do for a reason.


----------



## attackcenter

Lol. Two reasons: It will look really cool and it will decrease the temperature. Good enough for me. Lol. As I said, its just a piece of the pie. The more small tweaks you make like this, the more they add up.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> If you read my post above you will see I bought two kits. Definitely conceited for not including the right fan and forcing me to buy two kits.


Sounds more like you are addict to Noctua.


----------



## attackcenter

I'm not demanding anything. I am just talking about whats right. I am not the only person that wants a three fan setup. I mean jeaz its just a fan and some clips. Further, I don't want to be kissing somebodies ass either. They take and make money from me, their not doing me any favors. It's a business.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> If you read my post above you will see I bought two kits. Definitely conceited for not including the right fan and forcing me to buy two kits.


I don't think you have a firm grasp on what conceited means, but who cares. YOU WANT A TURBO JET GOING STR8 UP?? That is freaking awesome.

One wonders if the RAM will fit, not to mention the cooler! that sonofa***** is long. especially with 3 fans. But if you can do it, i would be impressed. I assume you have no need of your top slots..which means you have... no mobo PCI-E config I've ever heard of, unless you're using one maybe two cards in the bottom slots on a minimum 4 slot board...
You know come to think of it, the rig I was using before I built this one a month ago could do it. the GPU was in slot 4. Stupid new intel build... Anywayz. It would be sucking heat str8 off the GPUs tho.. Hell you might actually *need* 3 fans for "the vertical turbo heat exhaust system" (I named it, my copyright!)

I still don't get why you needed two kits for an extra fan... a little ingenuity would have been more ideal.


----------



## attackcenter

yeah. Love the quality of Noctua. I'll keep the case fans, but if this setup for the nh-d15 of the 3rd fan continues to be such a pain in the butt with no support from Noctua or others, im going to return it for the Cryorig r1 ultimate or universal + use the 3rd fan option with ty-143 fans.


----------



## Darkhaze

all you need is a third 140mm fan and clip, i'm sure you can order a replacement part, say you're fat and fell on yours if you have to. And of course the internal space.


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> yeah. Love the quality of Noctua. I'll keep the case fans, but if this setup for the nh-d15 of the 3rd fan continues to be such a pain in the butt with no support from Noctua or others, im going to return it for the Cryorig r1 ultimate or universal + use the 3rd fan option with ty-143 fans.


lol


----------



## attackcenter

Conceited means: excessively proud of oneself . That's pretty much the story. So what if it doesn't make that big of a difference. Sell us the fans and clips. I guess it would hurt the head honchos pride too much to think that this will be executed by someone without his authorization, because he gave the "stop sign". Lol. So what.... Get over it. Just let us decide and make it available. Lol.

Yeah. Lol. I want a turbo jet.

Im using the low profile/low voltage Crucial Tactical 32gb Ram.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *attackcenter*
> 
> Yeah. Lol. I want a turbo jet.
> 
> Im using the low profile/low voltage Crucial Tactical 32gb Ram.


That wouldn't necessarily be the problem, there are RAM cutouts under the towers, but they only work facing front and back for sure, I'm wondering about the width. I think you'd be ok, use your finger in the pic, next time I'm in there I'll try to remember to check, here's the pic again


OK i have to measure, but I've been tryin to smoke somethin for a couple hours, I'll try to remember to do it after lol.


----------



## ERPPC

Hi guys I'm building an air-cooled rig with the D15 on a 5820k on the Asus X99 Pro motherboard. Has anyone had issues with the cooler blocking the first PCIE slot? Noctua's site says that it is compatible but there are photos online of it basically touching the GPU PCB. I don't want to risk a short circuit. I want to use 2x MSI GTX 970 Gold's in SLI. I might have to use PCIE 3rd and 4th slots in that case. (2nd slot is PCIE 2.0 only). Any issues with that? Asus manual just assumes the first GPU card always goes into the first PCIE slot. Cheers guys.


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Hi guys I'm building an air-cooled rig with the D15 on a 5820k on the Asus X99 Pro motherboard. Has anyone had issues with the cooler blocking the first PCIE slot? Noctua's site says that it is compatible but there are photos online of it basically touching the GPU PCB. I don't want to risk a short circuit. I want to use 2x MSI GTX 970 Gold's in SLI. I might have to use PCIE 3rd and 4th slots in that case. (2nd slot is PCIE 2.0 only). Any issues with that? Asus manual just assumes the first GPU card always goes into the first PCIE slot. Cheers guys.


I have heard of that on some X99 boards, mainly GB, MSI. I wish I could offer more help but I haven't built one of those just yet though I have a friend building something similar so I'll ask him asap.


----------



## 24Valvole

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Hi guys I'm building an air-cooled rig with the D15 on a 5820k on the Asus X99 Pro motherboard. Has anyone had issues with the cooler blocking the first PCIE slot? Noctua's site says that it is compatible but there are photos online of it basically touching the GPU PCB. I don't want to risk a short circuit. I want to use 2x MSI GTX 970 Gold's in SLI. I might have to use PCIE 3rd and 4th slots in that case. (2nd slot is PCIE 2.0 only). Any issues with that? Asus manual just assumes the first GPU card always goes into the first PCIE slot. Cheers guys.


I have the 5820K/NH-D15 combo and a Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 on an ASRock Extreme4 mobo. One of the fan clips touches the back plate of the video card, but other than that, no interference issues. It doesn't look like one is pushing on the other, nor have I run into any cooling or short-circuiting problems.


----------



## ERPPC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GrimDoctor*
> 
> I have heard of that on some X99 boards, mainly GB, MSI. I wish I could offer more help but I haven't built one of those just yet though I have a friend building something similar so I'll ask him asap.


Thanks.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *24Valvole*
> 
> I have the 5820K/NH-D15 combo and a Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 on an ASRock Extreme4 mobo. One of the fan clips touches the back plate of the video card, but other than that, no interference issues. It doesn't look like one is pushing on the other, nor have I run into any cooling or short-circuiting problems.


I don't know much about this, but I'm pretty sure the backplate on the G1 is metal, and contacting the metal components on the PCB. Wouldn't this be at risk of shorting?


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Thanks.
> I don't know much about this, but I'm pretty sure the backplate on the G1 is metal, and contacting the metal components on the PCB. Wouldn't this be at risk of shorting?


My mate got back to me. He has the deluxe and he commented it was pretty tight. He's ended up running his 970 triple SLI from slot 2 down just to be safe. Seeing as there isn't much difference between 16x and 8x in SLI it will be fine and he says gives more room for maintenance.

A thought I had, seeing as the backplate is black some black electrical on the areas that might possibly touch in the first pcie position could be other way to go?

Oh he's running GB G1s.


----------



## ERPPC

Thanks Grim, much appreciated. I suspect he has a 40 lane CPU : 5930 or 5960. I have a 28 lane one 5820, which may or may not be an issue for SLI if not using top PCIE slot. I'll see. I may be able to just duct tape as you say.


----------



## 24Valvole

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Thanks.
> I don't know much about this, but I'm pretty sure the backplate on the G1 is metal, and contacting the metal components on the PCB. Wouldn't this be at risk of shorting?


The G1's backplate is metal. I'll slip a thin piece of cardboard between the two as an insulator.


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Thanks Grim, much appreciated. I suspect he has a 40 lane CPU : 5930 or 5960. I have a 28 lane one 5820, which may or may not be an issue for SLI if not using top PCIE slot. I'll see. I may be able to just duct tape as you say.


He has the same 5820k, forgot to mention above. The rest, I can't 100% comment on and I'd rather not guess. Sorry bud.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Hi guys I'm building an air-cooled rig with the D15 on a 5820k on the Asus X99 Pro motherboard. Has anyone had issues with the cooler blocking the first PCIE slot? Noctua's site says that it is compatible but there are photos online of it basically touching the GPU PCB. I don't want to risk a short circuit. I want to use 2x MSI GTX 970 Gold's in SLI. I might have to use PCIE 3rd and 4th slots in that case. (2nd slot is PCIE 2.0 only). Any issues with that? Asus manual just assumes the first GPU card always goes into the first PCIE slot. Cheers guys.




Lowers GPU temps below 75c so fans don't kick into high(er) gear. Like pcie 3 x16 slot. 7970 won't even saturate a pci-e 3 x4 slot, don't know of any cards that would, _maybe_ a dual GPU extreme performance card. But that's what pcie3 x8 would be for, assuming it's necessary.

I base this on the fact that in my AMD system the 7970 was running at pcie2 x8 at 100%load and the slot (which is the same speed as pcie3 x4) wasn't bottlenecking anything, no difference from pcie2 x16 (=pcie3 x8).

There are other posts a page and 2 back


----------



## itomic

If one has Cooler Master 690 II Advanced case, u have to have RAM up to 3.2 cm high to instal NH-D15. It fits just about perfect. It is tight fit but no contact with the side case panel or RAM, just about enough room there.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Hi guys I'm building an air-cooled rig with the D15 on a 5820k on the Asus X99 Pro motherboard. Has anyone had issues with the cooler blocking the first PCIE slot? Noctua's site says that it is compatible but there are photos online of it basically touching the GPU PCB. I don't want to risk a short circuit. I want to use 2x MSI GTX 970 Gold's in SLI. I might have to use PCIE 3rd and 4th slots in that case. (2nd slot is PCIE 2.0 only). Any issues with that? Asus manual just assumes the first GPU card always goes into the first PCIE slot. Cheers guys.



Quote:


> With the NH-D15 oriented to blow air towards the back of the case, the cooler does not conflict with any of the board's heat sinks or components. The video card seated in the primary PCI-Express x16 slot comes close to contacting the cooler's radiator, but there is sufficient space between the two.


http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Motherboards/ASUS-X99-Deluxe-Motherboard-Review/CPU-Cooler-Fit

That pretty well sums it up for you.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *itomic*
> 
> If one has Cooler Master 690 II Advanced case, u have to have RAM up to 3.2 cm high to instal NH-D15. It fits just about perfect. It is tight fit but no contact with the side case panel or RAM, just about enough room there.


You have to add 3mm for the RAM socket and deduct a bit because the fan extends lower than the RAM cut out. Although the RAM cut out isn't giving my highish profile RAM a problem, there's no fan on that side, when there was it had t0 be raised to sit on the RAM


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> You have to add 3mm for the RAM socket and deduct a bit because the fan extends lower than the RAM cut out. Although the RAM cut out isn't giving my highish profile RAM a problem, there's no fan on that side, when there was it had t0 be raised to sit on the RAM


Please quite spouting half truths.

On motherboard the top of RAM in socket is 3mm more than RAM measures
But surface of motherboard is 8mm below top of CPU.

This means if we add 5mm to the CPU clearance spec we have the space limit for fan and RAM from motherboard to case cover.


----------



## Darkhaze

Hey man, I was just quoting what someone told me recently, it's probably in this thread lol! And not far back, look. Something about cpu clearance, his case etc, might not be this thread, but there was a diagram and everything, I'll find it if it's important to you.

I did also say that the cutout cleared my high RAM, so that kinda negates all the numbers cuz it's actual I saw it with my own eyes and can show u guys a pic of the clearance it u want.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> Hey man, I was just quoting what someone told me recently, it's probably in this thread lol! And not far back, look. Something about cpu clearance, his case etc, might not be this thread, but there was a diagram and everything, I'll find it if it's important to you.
> 
> I did also say that the cutout cleared my high RAM, so that kinda negates all the numbers cuz it's actual I saw it with my own eyes and can show u guys a pic of the clearance it u want.


I don't need to look.
I'm not the one spouting rubbish.
You are.
You shouldn't be spewing forth things you don't understand or know are true.

Saying what someone else said is only spreading rumors.


----------



## Darkhaze

I also said it cleared my high RAM. Not rumor.


----------



## doyll

You are trying to sound smartm but are only showing how
you are not.
No weaseling out of it.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by Darkhaze
> 
> Hey man, I was just quoting what someone told me recently, it's probably in this thread lol! And not far back, look. Something about cpu clearance, his case etc, might not be this thread, but there was a diagram and everything, I'll find it if it's important to you.


Nothing there about clearing RAM.


----------



## ERPPC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> 
> 
> Lowers GPU temps below 75c so fans don't kick into high(er) gear. Like pcie 3 x16 slot. 7970 won't even saturate a pci-e 3 x4 slot, don't know of any cards that would, _maybe_ a dual GPU extreme performance card. But that's what pcie3 x8 would be for, assuming it's necessary.
> 
> I base this on the fact that in my AMD system the 7970 was running at pcie2 x8 at 100%load and the slot (which is the same speed as pcie3 x4) wasn't bottlenecking anything, no difference from pcie2 x16 (=pcie3 x8).
> 
> There are other posts a page and 2 back


Thanks. I'll probably use 2nd PCIE (2.0x16) slot and 3rd PCIE (3.0x16) slot if not enough clearance on 1st. Just realised I can't use the 4th PCIE lane either as the dual slot GTX 970 means that some headers at the base of the mobo will probably be blocked. On a 28lane 5820k CPU, I assume SLI will be running at PCIE 2.0 16x and PCIE 3.0 8x?? Or will it throttle to PCIE 2.0 8x and PCIE 3.0 8x.


----------



## ERPPC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> 
> http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Motherboards/ASUS-X99-Deluxe-Motherboard-Review/CPU-Cooler-Fit
> 
> That pretty well sums it up for you.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> 
> http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Motherboards/ASUS-X99-Deluxe-Motherboard-Review/CPU-Cooler-Fit
> 
> That pretty well sums it up for you.


Thanks, yeah that was the pic I was talking about. That is way to close for my comfort, especially with an extra metal backplate on the GPU (comes with it) of a few mm thickness, which I am sure will contact the metal D15 heatsink.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Thanks, yeah that was the pic I was talking about. That is way to close for my comfort, especially with an extra metal backplate on the GPU (comes with it) of a few mm thickness, which I am sure will contact the metal D15 heatsink.


The cooler looks closer than it is. Look at the fins at the back of the step for RAM clearance. Notice the distance their edge is from the video card.

That said there is no reason not to use a cooler that is not as wide / close to video card as NH-D15. Especially when there are others just as good with better clearance.


----------



## Bear Man

I will turn mine 90 degrees so it points to the top & my 2 x 8" top fans can exhaust the heat out; also I won't have to worry about metal on metal

this is my current set up wth P8Z68-V pro/gen 3 b4 I get a X99-deluxe

http://i.imgur.com/bE19VBE.jpg


----------



## PowerSlide

S340 with D15, just in there but can only fit one fan..temp is still great

those finger print


----------



## ERPPC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> The cooler looks closer than it is. Look at the fins at the back of the step for RAM clearance. Notice the distance their edge is from the video card.
> 
> That said there is no reason not to use a cooler that is not as wide / close to video card as NH-D15. Especially when there are others just as good with better clearance.


Really? Which air coolers? I am genuinely curious. I thought I did enough research on this, but maybe not. Every review I have read puts the D15 at the top of the performance ladder for air coolers, especially when taking into account noise. I was also looking at Phanteks TC14PE but that is way louder for virtually the same cooling. There was one review where they replaced the TC14PE's fans with Corsair AF140's and somehow managed unbelievably good results, but no one else has confirmed this, and I doubt the Corsair fans are THAT much better than the decent phanteks ones on their own cooler. The Bequiet Dark Rock Pro is quieter than the D15 but doesn't cool as well.


----------



## ERPPC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bear Man*
> 
> I will turn mine 90 degrees so it points to the top & my 2 x 8" top fans can exhaust the heat out; also I won't have to worry about metal on metal
> 
> this is my current set up wth P8Z68-V pro/gen 3 b4 I get a X99-deluxe
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/bE19VBE.jpg


I never considered that because I assume it would be less effective at cooling, since the hot GPU air is being directly fed into the intake fan of the CPU cooler.

Have you noticed any diff in temps going vertically vs horizontally? Also would it be louder given the high airflow between the tiny gap of the fan and GPU backplate/PCB?


----------



## Bear Man

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> I never considered that because I assume it would be less effective at cooling, since the hot GPU air is being directly fed into the intake fan of the CPU cooler.
> 
> Have you noticed any diff in temps going vertically vs horizontally? Also would it be louder given the high airflow between the tiny gap of the fan and GPU backplate/PCB?


I mounted it that way from the start, I never tried the other way, so I don't know the temp difference; but it does not overheat, I reckon it runs cooler than the H100 I had b4. I always though 2 x 8" fans would move more air than 1 x 6" fan; also heat rises I thought

with loudness, I have to check to make sure the fans are spinning, they are very quiet, my GFX card makes more noise


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Really? Which air coolers? I am genuinely curious. I thought I did enough research on this, but maybe not. Every review I have read puts the D15 at the top of the performance ladder for air coolers, especially when taking into account noise. I was also looking at Phanteks TC14PE but that is way louder for virtually the same cooling. There was one review where they replaced the TC14PE's fans with Corsair AF140's and somehow managed unbelievably good results, but no one else has confirmed this, and I doubt the Corsair fans are THAT much better than the decent phanteks ones on their own cooler. The Bequiet Dark Rock Pro is quieter than the D15 but doesn't cool as well.


My use of NH-D15, TC14-PE, R1 Ultimate, Silver Arrow IB-E Dark Rock Pro 3 etc. show them all to have similar noise levels and similar cooling. Less than 3dBA and/or less than 3c difference. In real world use that isn't enough to make a difference. Usually the air going into cooler can be lowered more than 3c with a little adjustment and tuning of case airflow.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> You are trying to sound smartm but are only showing how
> you are not.
> No weaseling out of it.
> Nothing there about clearing RAM.


Is this what you're whining about ? Post #672 in this thread:

"You have to add 3mm for the RAM socket and deduct a bit because the fan extends lower than the RAM cut out. *Although the RAM cut out isn't giving my highish profile RAM a problem,* there's no fan on that side, when there was it had t0 be raised to sit on the RAM"

I got one set of info, seemed detailed and reliable, it was wrong. How the F am I supposed to truly know if either he OR YOU are giving me accurate info? For all I know you're wrong. Shall I thoroughly investigate every post so you don't brown your pants and start rage typing?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> Is this what you're whining about ? Post #672 in this thread:
> 
> "You have to add 3mm for the RAM socket and deduct a bit because the fan extends lower than the RAM cut out. *Although the RAM cut out isn't giving my highish profile RAM a problem,* there's no fan on that side, when there was it had t0 be raised to sit on the RAM"
> 
> I got one set of info, seemed detailed and reliable, it was wrong. How the F am I supposed to truly know if either he OR YOU are giving me accurate info? For all I know you're wrong. Shall I thoroughly investigate every post so you don't brown your pants and start rage typing?


I was referring to this part of your post
Quote:


> You have to add 3mm for the RAM socket and deduct a bit because the fan extends lower than the RAM cut out.


So now instead of apologizing for posting only part of the info needed, you throw a hissy-fit and try ridiculing me?
Wow!
How about you post the link to where you got that info from? At least then we could see how you got the wrong info. That does not excuse posting it without verifying it's truth, but would at least we could see who did start this rumor/gossip in the first place.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I was referring to this part of your post
> So now instead of apologizing for posting only part of the info needed, you throw a hissy-fit and try ridiculing me?
> Wow!
> How about you post the link to where you got that info from? At least then we could see how you got the wrong info. That does not excuse posting it without verifying it's truth, but would at least we could see who did start this rumor/gossip in the first place.


LOL DOYLL, it was YOU! This thread post #625, and I quote (you):

"CPU clearance is distance from top of CPU to inside of case. CPU clearance is the maximum height cooler that will fit.
Top of CPU is 8mm above surface of motherboard.
*Bottom of RAM is 3mm above top of motherboard*"


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> CPU clearance is distance from top of CPU to inside of case. CPU clearance is the maximum height cooler that will fit.
> Top of CPU is 8mm above surface of motherboard.
> Bottom of RAM is 3mm above top of motherboard


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*


There's the diagram I was talking about.

After closer study I see the the RAM vs Socket diff, but that's not what the original issue was, I just didn't have the math/understanding right on something had I just learned. See, not spouting half truths, honest mistake, came from me not understanding you properly, You hissed first lol.

*I wonder of noctua takes these figueres into account when they quote 32mm?


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ERPPC*
> 
> Thanks. I'll probably use 2nd PCIE (2.0x16) slot and 3rd PCIE (3.0x16) slot if not enough clearance on 1st. Just realised I can't use the 4th PCIE lane either as the dual slot GTX 970 means that some headers at the base of the mobo will probably be blocked. On a 28lane 5820k CPU, I assume SLI will be running at PCIE 2.0 16x and PCIE 3.0 8x?? Or will it throttle to PCIE 2.0 8x and PCIE 3.0 8x.


Ya I forgot the bottom slot would have that problem. PCI-E 2.0 is not something I would imagine your board has. My best *guess* you'll get both at PCI_E 3.0 x8, which is way more than enough. Your motherboard manual/(online manual) would have the specs.

Also, PCI-E 2.0 x16 = PCI-E 3.0 x8 (essentially - pcie2 has more overhead),


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> There's the diagram I was talking about.
> 
> After closer study I see the the RAM vs Socket diff, but that's not what the original issue was, I just didn't have the math/understanding right on something had I just learned. See, not spouting half truths, honest mistake, came from me not understanding you properly, You hissed first lol.
> 
> *I wonder of noctua takes these figueres into account when they quote 32mm?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> LOL DOYLL, it was YOU! This thread post #625, and I quote (you):
> 
> "CPU clearance is distance from top of CPU to inside of case. CPU clearance is the maximum height cooler that will fit.
> Top of CPU is 8mm above surface of motherboard.
> *Bottom of RAM is 3mm above top of motherboard*"


That is correct.

But just saying what is in bold text (which is what you did) is not the complete statement and give a totally wrong impression.

And we go full circle back to my original statement.
Quote:


> Please quite spouting half truths.
> 
> On motherboard the top of RAM in socket is 3mm more than RAM measures
> But surface of motherboard is 8mm below top of CPU.
> 
> This means if we add 5mm to the CPU clearance spec we have the space limit for fan and RAM from motherboard to case cover.


That is what you did, and why I asked you not to do it.








But instead of acknowledging your mistake you keep arguing, giving excuses and even throwing a hissy-fit trying to ridicule me.


----------



## Darkhaze

nah, I'm over that. It was my fault for not getting it. Took me another look, but you could have easily corrected me as you did/do possess the knowledge. You did throw the right numbers at me, but I still hadn't understood it yet. The diagram again would have done it








Shall we leave it be?


----------



## doyll

Good.








I know how good it fels to help others with their computer problems. But we need to be careful not to miss-lead them too. Sometimes it takes lots of explaining to make everything understood.


----------



## ERPPC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> Ya I forgot the bottom slot would have that problem. PCI-E 2.0 is not something I would imagine your board has. My best *guess* you'll get both at PCI_E 3.0 x8, which is way more than enough. Your motherboard manual/(online manual) would have the specs.
> 
> Also, PCI-E 2.0 x16 = PCI-E 3.0 x8 (essentially - pcie2 has more overhead),


It's the Asus X99 Pro. I noob copy and pasted the relevant pages of the manual.
Bizarrely, 2nd PCIE_16 slot says it defaults to 1x, and can only be changed to 4x. Looks like 2nd PCIE slot is out of bounds for any GPU. Can't fit dual slot GPUs in 3rd and 4th either as there is only a single slot between the slots, as well as blocking headers. If you want to SLI this mobo with dual slot thickness cards, looks like you must have GPUs in 1st and 3rd slots, which means that the aircooler must NOT block the 1st PCIE slot.


----------



## GrimDoctor

Damn I didn't realise there was such a difference between the Pro and Deluxe at first glance


----------



## Darkhaze

Are you sure your card will saturate PCI-E 3.0 x4? that's the same as 2.0 x8, that's how all AMD boards use cf/sli, no I'm lying, the higher end ones can pull x16 and x16, but I've never seen better than x16,x16,x8 in a tri config.. What GPUs are u using?

Anyway even if you use slot 1, that pull pull config I use pulls an impressive amount of heat from my GPU, actually made it a bit quieter. But it still drowns out the noctua fans, you won't hear them over one gpu much less 2.


----------



## Bear Man

false
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GrimDoctor*
> 
> Damn I didn't realise there was such a difference between the Pro and Deluxe at first glance


the NH-D15 will not hamper the PCIEX16_1 in the Deluxe or Pro mobo; I had the link to this a few pages back


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bear Man*
> 
> false
> the NH-D15 will not hamper the PCIEX16_1 in the Deluxe or Pro mobo; I had the link to this a few pages back


We are talking about the issues some people are have with metal on metal contact for graphics cards with metal backplates. It unfortunately has been an actual problem for some.

My friend has built a system with the Deluxe and a G1 and due to the lack of space has opted not to use the first slot. I can't say that something good will or won't happen but with the gap - there's a pick up a few posts of how close it is without the plate - it's an understandable concern.

The picture you posted is basically sucking heat straight off our graphics card and into the towers - it may do more harm than good to be honest. Also we are talking about a different graphics card to yours and with most of the newest gear I would hazard a guess that most people will run into this issue.

My comment was highlighting the fact that the PCIe configurations are actually different between the Pro and Deluxe according to the user manuals.

We've been discussing all of this with examples in the last few posts.


----------



## Bear Man

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GrimDoctor*
> 
> The picture you posted is basically sucking heat straight off our graphics card and into the towers - it may do more harm than good to be honest. Also we are talking about a different graphics card to yours and with most of the newest gear I would hazard a guess that most people will run into this issue.


no it's not, do you have the same set up as me? no you don't, so don't tell me about my temps
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GrimDoctor*
> 
> We've been discussing all of this with examples in the last few posts


and.....?


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bear Man*
> 
> no it's not, do you have the same set up as me? no you don't, so don't tell me about my temps
> and.....?


And how is what you are saying actually helping the OP needing help?

I said that setup isn't ideal and I would guess most people wouldn't want to run it that way and more to the point you don't have the same setup as the OP either so it's irrelevant.


----------



## doyll

I would suggest using a cooler that is not 75mm from center of base toward PCIe socket. Most are 70mm and some only 68mm and cool just as well.


----------



## Bear Man

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GrimDoctor*
> 
> And how is what you are saying actually helping the OP needing help?
> 
> I said that setup isn't ideal and I would guess most people wouldn't want to run it that way and more to the point you don't have the same setup as the OP either so it's irrelevant.


you don't have the same set up as the OP either.


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bear Man*
> 
> you don't have the same set up as the OP either.


Anyway my friend has a more similar setup (Deluxe and GB G1 - as mentioned previously). I've seen the build in person now and was trying to offer educated assistance.


----------



## doyll

Generally where the cooler draws air affects intake air temp .. and drawing air from the back of GPU means airlfow is only from side and front of case. Motherboard blocks bottom and back has little or no airflow. As GPUs generaly push their heated exhaust out their sides and front it is logical to assume CPU intake when drawing from back of GPU will generally be warmer than when drawing air from front of case over the RAM.

Is this always true? As a general rule, yes. The exception would be passive cooling GPUs .. which very few people have or use except for HTPCs.


----------



## Wezzor

+1 doyll as always.


----------



## mcg75

Guys, please refrain from making personal comments. It does nothing to further the discussion in the thread.


----------



## Attomsk

Hey guys, My wife got me a D-15 for Christmas. It replaced a Hyper 212 which did a pretty good job for its price, but was just not enough for me.

The cool thing is that the D-15 fit in my 922 HAF *without having to remove my 200mm side fan*.

This was largely due to the fact that my ram is only about 30mm tall. Currently the D-15 is cooling a 4790k @ 4.7GHz (1.277v)

Temps max out at 70c during x264 looping or prime 95 stressing (v26.6). The most amazing part of the D-15 is the fact that I pretty much can't hear the thing, even when the fans are at 100%. Here are some pics.


----------



## GrimDoctor

@Attomsk welcome to the club! You won't be disappointed, such a great cooler!








Nice looking build, some quality choices there


----------



## doyll

@ Attomsk
Nice system!








Huge jump from 212 to D15 in performance and noise levels. I've used several smaller cooler, but prefer the bigger ones. So much better cooling, but the best part is how much quieter they are.


----------



## Darkhaze

My original 932 side fan (230mm) pressed against the D15 front fan at the top right, i figured no big deal.
Wrong.
Temps went up 5c and I scratched my chip lid (and a little of the D15 plate). That's after 24 hrs. So not even considering removing the side fan, i put the D15 in a pull pull config, now not only does everything fit, but my ram is unhindered by my cpu cooler, and the cpu is is a few degrees cooler! If I turn my fan to turbo - totally unnecessary except it actually helps cool my GPU (it's that close i guess lol). In fact my GPU won't hit 75c anymore and so the fans won't increase to keep it at 75c. That's a considerable heat draw!


----------



## Attomsk

How hard was your fan pressing against your D-15 to scratch the chip heat spreader? I don't even see how it is possible for light pressure to scratch the plate unless your D-15 wasn't tightened down hard enough and had the ability to wiggle around.


----------



## Darkhaze

Let's just say I had to use my right hand to squeeze the panel and the chassis together and hold it tightly while I put in the top screw.

There was nothing else that could have caused it.

I got a overnight RMA replacement chip from intel anyway cuz the one i scratched had a 1.3v default. They don't care about the superficial scratch.

Gonna test their top clocks when my NT-H1 is delivered. Everyone raised their prices for the holidays... bastards - and they still sold out of the local stores.

The new one does 4.8 @1.31 stable and I've done 4.9, but i'm lazy to put the time in to get it running stable. That D15 ain't no joke. I'm still waiting to be concerned about my temps.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Attomsk*
> 
> Hey guys, My wife got me a D-15 for Christmas. It replaced a Hyper 212 which did a pretty good job for its price, but was just not enough for me.
> 
> The cool thing is that the D-15 fit in my 922 HAF *without having to remove my 200mm side fan*.
> 
> This was largely due to the fact that my ram is only about 30mm tall. Currently the D-15 is cooling a 4790k @ 4.7GHz (1.277v)
> 
> Temps max out at 70c during x264 looping or prime 95 stressing (v26.6). The most amazing part of the D-15 is the fact that I pretty much can't hear the thing, even when the fans are at 100%. Here are some pics.


How can you not hear a thing? I understand they're respectably unpainful, but pretty much can't hear a thing at 100%? I don't think you're running actually them at 100% lol


----------



## Attomsk

My tower is under my desk and about 4-5 feet from where I sit, would probably be a different story if I kept it on my desk.


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Attomsk*
> 
> My tower is under my desk and about 4-5 feet from where I sit, would probably be a different story if I kept it on my desk.


Mine is only the desk 35ish cm away, D15 so quiet but the rest a little louder but that's for high constant airflow. I'll be interested to see how much noisier ot gets with two more fans soon, but I'm going 140s and they'll pretty quiet









I am starting to gain too many projects at the moment, but it's holidays I guess.


----------



## Darkhaze

I can't hear the D15 over my GPU fans gaming, but stress testing with fans set at 100%, you'd have to be deaf not to hear them.


----------



## itomic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Darkhaze*
> 
> You have to add 3mm for the RAM socket and deduct a bit because the fan extends lower than the RAM cut out. Although the RAM cut out isn't giving my highish profile RAM a problem, there's no fan on that side, when there was it had t0 be raised to sit on the RAM


Yea, Noctua fans arnt loud up until 1200 rpm or so. Under about 900 - 1000 rpm they are quiet, up to 1100 - 1200 u can hier them but its not bad and at full load on 1500 rpm they are loud for sure. My tower is next to desk on flor at about 1m from my position. I know that other cooling solutions can get even worse but this 14 cm fans for sure arnt quiet at full speed. Good thing is that they never get to 1000 rpm in whatever scenario i use my PC.


----------



## Tyler Dalton

Just installed my new Noctua NH-D15 and to be honest, I'm a tad underwhelmed. Went from a Megahalems with push/pull NF-A15 fans to the NH-D15 and it's only roughly 2-3 degrees cooler. I expected a little more out of this cooler given it's size vs the Megahalems and I have to believe one of the main reasons for the drop in temps is the NF-A15's that come with the cooler run at 1500rpm vs the 1200rpm on the old fans. The main reason I ditched the Mega was due to the audible whining when using push/pull fans and this cooler is definitely much quieter.

I might try to remount it and redo the TIM and see if I can get any better results. I used the line method and used some Gelid GC-Extreme TIM I had instead of the supplied TIM as most of the benches I've seen show the Gelid paste as superior. Might try the Noctua paste and see if there is a difference. I also might just let this GC-Extreme cure for a couple days and see if the temps improve.

EDIT: Remounted with the Noctua paste, used a dot in the center instead of the line, ended up with temps almost exactly the same, one core was actually 1 degree higher. When I took the cooler off, my first TIM application looked almost perfect, but I noticed there was better contact on one side of the cooler than the other. On my Megahalems, you could tell it had better contact in the dead center, but on the NH-D15 it seems like it is off to the side a tad if that makes sense.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tyler Dalton*
> 
> Just installed my new Noctua NH-D15 and to be honest, I'm a tad underwhelmed. Went from a Megahalems with push/pull NF-A15 fans to the NH-D15 and it's only roughly 2-3 degrees cooler. I expected a little more out of this cooler given it's size vs the Megahalems and I have to believe one of the main reasons for the drop in temps is the NF-A15's that come with the cooler run at 1500rpm vs the 1200rpm on the old fans. The main reason I ditched the Mega was due to the audible whining when using push/pull fans and this cooler is definitely much quieter.
> 
> I might try to remount it and redo the TIM and see if I can get any better results. I used the line method and used some Gelid GC-Extreme TIM I had instead of the supplied TIM as most of the benches I've seen show the Gelid paste as superior. Might try the Noctua paste and see if there is a difference. I also might just let this GC-Extreme cure for a couple days and see if the temps improve.
> 
> EDIT: Remounted with the Noctua paste, used a dot in the center instead of the line, ended up with temps almost exactly the same, one core was actually 1 degree higher. When I took the cooler off, my first TIM application looked almost perfect, but I noticed there was better contact on one side of the cooler than the other. On my Megahalems, you could tell it had better contact in the dead center, but on the NH-D15 it seems like it is off to the side a tad if that makes sense.


2-5c is what I would expect, depending on what fan/s were on the the Megahalems. Megahalems may be old, but is still one of the top coolers. NH-D15 is no better than R1 or TC14PE with may others only 2-3c warmer. Often optimizing case cooling / airflow does more good than changing coolers. Links in sig explain how I do it.


----------



## Tyler Dalton

Also, in relation to the noise, at first I thought it was pretty noisy under load at 1500rpm. I was surprised when I set the fans to 95% max (1450rpm) and the noise became a lot more quieter. Usually you don't see that big of a drop in noise from only 50rpm but it seems maybe 1450rpm is a "sweet spot" per say, for these fans.


----------



## sugalumps

Where will I plug the fans for this in to? The phanteks hub plugs into the cpu header as instructed, and the other fan sys fan headers donw have pwm control.

Also the fans would not stretch to the pwm hub.


----------



## pdalover

Friends does anyone know if D15 fits in nicely with X99 deluxe in Define R5 casing?


----------



## itomic

It has to fit. If it fits into my case then it will fit in Define R5 wich can accommodate taller cooler.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pdalover*
> 
> Friends does anyone know if D15 fits in nicely with X99 deluxe in Define R5 casing?


It will fit in the Define R5, but not convinced it's 150mm width (75mm center CPU to PCIe socket will clear the X99 PCIe socket.
Maybe consider a different cooler? Like R1 or TC14PE.


----------



## Tyler Dalton

I'm seriously considering swapping the fans that came with the NH-D15 with my older two NF-A15 fans. My old fans run at 1200rpm vs the new ones 1500rpm but I've noticed the new fans even at the same rpm seem to be a good deal louder. I've yet to see where I really need to run these fans at 1500rpm, they never get much above 1200rpm in gaming anyway so I figure I might as well just use the fans that are quieter at 1200rpm.

EDIT: Now this is quite interesting. I did what I said I was going to, and put the 1200rpm NF-A15 fans on the cooler. To my surprise, the temps with the 1200rpm fans were identical to the 1500rpm fans at 1500rpm. I figured the 200rpm extra fan speed would make a difference, but oddly enough, in my case it didn't.


----------



## doyll

1300-1500rpm normally is only a degree or two. And if the added cooler airflow is not matched by case airflow the case temp can easily rise the same or more .. meaning CPU temps could actually increase because cooler is ingesting hotter air.


----------



## Tyler Dalton

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> 1300-1500rpm normally is only a degree or two. And if the added cooler airflow is not matched by case airflow the case temp can easily rise the same or more .. meaning CPU temps could actually increase because cooler is ingesting hotter air.


Good point, the door on my P280 probably restricts my intake airflow quite a bit, but it's worth it for the reduction in noise. Currently I've got 2 Gentle Typhoons AP-15s as my front intake (running at 1430rpm). For exhaust I have a Noctua NF-P12 (at ~1000rpm) on the rearward top mount and a Noctua NF-S12A (~1000rpm) on the rear. Do you think I would be better off with having the two top fan slots as intake? If I did that, I would only be able to run them around 800-900rpm or else have a VERY balanced set of fans, as the P280's roof likes to resonate. My main concern would be only having the one exhaust fan in the back.


----------



## doyll

Case airflow is a combination of venting and fans .. like coolers, we often don't need both push and pull fans. Some of my coolest (literally) build had no exhaust fans .. but they do have more exhaust vent area than intake vent area with intake fans.


----------



## GrimDoctor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Case airflow is a combination of venting and fans .. like coolers, we often don't need both push and pull fans. Some of my coolest (literally) build had no exhaust fans .. but they do have more exhaust vent area than intake vent area with intake fans.


Haha, I knew my 5 to 1 setup wasn't just crazy talk


----------



## Jd007

hey guys, about to join the d15 club, but have a question about gpu clearance. im building on the asus x99 deluxe, which according to this review (http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Motherboards/ASUS-X99-Deluxe-Motherboard-Review/CPU-Cooler-Fit) fits the d15, but very tight clearance with the gpu. i see a lot of pics here of people running with simiarly tight space to the gpu without backplate (mine doesn't have a backplate either). is there a danger for shorting, and if so what do you guys do to protect it? i was thinking of putting a layer of 3m electrical tape between the d15 and the gpu. thanks!

oh btw moving the gpu down to the second pciex16 slot isnt an option since i am running SLI


----------



## doyll

I have used tape or heat shrink on fan clips, a thin stiff piece of plastic between GPU and cooler, even cardboard will work.

Or get a cooler with same / similar performance that have better GPU clearance. At 75mm from center CPU to GPU side of cooler D15 is one of the widest there is. There are many that are 70mm and some with offset base are even less.


----------



## Jd007

Thank doyll. I have ordered a phanteks ph-tc14pe instead, and will be returning the d15 once it arrives. like you said the phanteks is similar in performance while being 10mm narrower so it should fit fine. i'll probably tape over the fan clips just in case anyway, as they do seem to protrude a bit over the heatsink tower itself from images.


----------



## sugalumps

Nzxt 410 - will the nh-d15 fit in it with the side panel on?


----------



## KaiserPhantasma

fitted a NH-D15 in a corsair carbide 300R (though had to put the second fan as a pull in the rear as my corsair vengeance ram where just too high and if I elevate the fan further I wouldn't be able to use the windowed side panel









will provide pictures when I get back


----------



## deskiller

switch from a xigmatek darknight cooler.

this thing is way easier to install then the xigmatek.

the xigmatek had to be screwed down just right. or the temp would be way high.

anyway.

I was in a hurry when I took the pic. so no pics with cover off.



I also have a 120mm intake fan in the front blowing air right at the cooler.


----------



## Op1ate

Hello everyone.

Im posting as a last resort to get the information i need.

I have a Rosewill Blackhawk Mid Tower case, M5A99fx R2.0 motherboard, fx8350 cpu, gtx 980 reference GPU, and a Coolermaster Evo 212 that I REALLY want to replace with this cooler. Does anyone have experience with this cooler and my case?

I've measured my case and all but don't want to pull the trigger until I have talked with someone with this case and cooler.

It's either this or an h80i which i know fits but really don't want. An h100i is out of the question as it won't fit in my case.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Op1ate*
> 
> Hello everyone.
> 
> Im posting as a last resort to get the information i need.
> 
> I have a Rosewill Blackhawk Mid Tower case, M5A99fx R2.0 motherboard, fx8350 cpu, gtx 980 reference GPU, and a Coolermaster Evo 212 that I REALLY want to replace with this cooler. Does anyone have experience with this cooler and my case?
> 
> I've measured my case and all but don't want to pull the trigger until I have talked with someone with this case and cooler.
> 
> It's either this or an h80i which i know fits but really don't want. An h100i is out of the question as it won't fit in my case.


Please don't get the H80i. Good air coolers are much better.

Can you tell me what your case and motherboard measurements are?
CPU clearance or motherboard to side cover clearance
RAM height above motherboard.
Back of GPU to centerline of CPU. Center of your 212 to back of GPU works too.
With those measurements I can tell you if D15 will fit, and if not what coolers will fit.


----------



## Op1ate

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Please don't get the H80i. Good air coolers are much better.
> 
> Can you tell me what your case and motherboard measurements are?
> CPU clearance or motherboard to side cover clearance
> RAM height above motherboard.
> Back of GPU to centerline of CPU. Center of your 212 to back of GPU works too.
> With those measurements I can tell you if D15 will fit, and if not what coolers will fit.


It's about 3 1/2" from the center of my 212 to the back plate of my gpu. Probably 3 3/4 but im being on the safe side.

DO you know how much taller the d15 is than my 212? the reason im asking is a cant pull the cooler out to check right now.

Also I have crucial ballistix ram which is pretty low profile so Im not worried about it.

I know the d14 will fit but I really want something with more umph. I really want to raise the voltage of my 8350 past stock cause I already have 4.5ghz at stock voltage but the 212 cant handle the heat when running prime 95 for more than a minute and a half.

pcpartpicker says it'll fit but I dont really trust they know what they are talking about 100% of the time.


----------



## Attomsk

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Op1ate*
> 
> It's about 3 1/2" from the center of my 212 to the back plate of my gpu. Probably 3 3/4 but im being on the safe side.
> 
> DO you know how much taller the d15 is than my 212? the reason im asking is a cant pull the cooler out to check right now.
> 
> Also I have crucial ballistix ram which is pretty low profile so Im not worried about it.
> 
> I know the d14 will fit but I really want something with more umph. I really want to raise the voltage of my 8350 past stock cause I already have 4.5ghz at stock voltage but the 212 cant handle the heat when running prime 95 for more than a minute and a half.
> 
> pcpartpicker says it'll fit but I dont really trust they know what they are talking about 100% of the time.


D-15 and 212 are almost exactly the same height. Here is a picture of my 212 next to my D-15


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Op1ate*
> 
> It's about 3 1/2" from the center of my 212 to the back plate of my gpu. Probably 3 3/4 but im being on the safe side.
> 
> DO you know how much taller the d15 is than my 212? the reason im asking is a cant pull the cooler out to check right now.
> 
> Also I have crucial ballistix ram which is pretty low profile so Im not worried about it.
> 
> I know the d14 will fit but I really want something with more umph. I really want to raise the voltage of my 8350 past stock cause I already have 4.5ghz at stock voltage but the 212 cant handle the heat when running prime 95 for more than a minute and a half.
> 
> pcpartpicker says it'll fit but I dont really trust they know what they are talking about 100% of the time.


Approx 89-95mm

Attomsk's pics show both coolers









Crucial Ballistix is about 30mm tall.

NH-D14 is about as good as it gets .. especially if stock fans are replaced with high performance fans like TY-143.


----------



## Op1ate

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Attomsk*
> 
> D-15 and 212 are almost exactly the same height. Here is a picture of my 212 next to my D-15


Well damn, should of got the d15. I ordered the d14 of amazon today and it already shipped. Guess I can test it out and if I don't like it return it for the d15.


----------



## doyll

There is almost no difference between the two except their fans.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Tyler Dalton*
> 
> I'm seriously considering swapping the fans that came with the NH-D15 with my older two NF-A15 fans. My old fans run at 1200rpm vs the new ones 1500rpm but I've noticed the new fans even at the same rpm seem to be a good deal louder. I've yet to see where I really need to run these fans at 1500rpm, they never get much above 1200rpm in gaming anyway so I figure I might as well just use the fans that are quieter at 1200rpm.
> 
> EDIT: Now this is quite interesting. I did what I said I was going to, and put the 1200rpm NF-A15 fans on the cooler. To my surprise, the temps with the 1200rpm fans were identical to the 1500rpm fans at 1500rpm. I figured the 200rpm extra fan speed would make a difference, but oddly enough, in my case it didn't.


I'm confused, I only hear my fans when stress testing. Gaming the GPU fans cover any noise they might make, oh wait, I think i do hear them a bit sometimes when loading bf4 levels.

What are you doing that's so intensive you hear that thing?


----------



## kckyle

i wanna push 5ghz on my xeon, i know it's temp thats holding me back since during stress i keep hitting 90c under 4.7ghz. will a d14/15 offer significant cooling than my mega? i'm not gonna bother if its only 2-3c difference.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kckyle*
> 
> i wanna push 5ghz on my xeon, i know it's temp thats holding me back since during stress i keep hitting 90c under 4.7ghz. will a d14/15 offer significant cooling than my mega? i'm not gonna bother if its only 2-3c difference.


I'm not familiar with the thermal limitations of your chip, but when I stress test my 4790k @4.8 i get real twitchy around 70c, what you're doing at 90...

There are cpu cooler benchmark comparisons, check the net dude. I'm guessing since when I clicked in your cooler in your specs it compared it to a 212.. this cooler will make one helluva difference. I've done 4.9, only stopped cuz it was new and I didn't like the voltage hikes getting huge per 100mhz, I don't recall being more concerned with the temp, and I've never hit 90c, pretty sure things would fry.

Check the posted benchmarks.


----------



## doyll

You might find the thread in first link in my sig Helpful. It has charts showing cooling comparison and cooler size / clearances to GPU and RAM.


----------



## kckyle

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> You might find the thread in first link in my sig Helpful. It has charts showing cooling comparison and cooler size / clearances to GPU and RAM.


hmm ur testing shows there isnt much improvement at all. but at the same time it shows the h100i did significantly better than the d14. but the d15 is 6c lower?

i thought the difference between d14 and d15 is 2-3c at best.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kckyle*
> 
> hmm ur testing shows there isnt much improvement at all. but at the same time it shows the h100i did significantly better than the d14. but the d15 is 6c lower?
> 
> i thought the difference between d14 and d15 is 2-3c at best.


No idea what you are talking about. What test? Unless all of the temps you are talking about are done on same system, they cannot be compared to each other.


----------



## xaeryan

Been running this guy for a while now, forgot to join...

Sign me up!


----------



## rocketJeff

I am joining the club too!

The D15 replaced my Scythe Yasya. I did run into a little problem though. My nzxt H2 did not quite fit. The cooler was too close to the top of the case for me to reach in and clip the fans. So I had to remove the top 140mm fan and fan mesh in order to access it through the fan hole.

One interesting thing that I found is that pull/pull configuration created a very loud turbulence whirring noise compared to the push/push configuration. At first I thought my fans were broken!


----------



## dpoverlord

Hey guys,

So I have a cooling page for my old school Lian Li PC-70, I got an NZXT X41 which we all know is not going to cool my 5930k once I overclock. Prior I had a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. I was keen to use this but did not buy the bracket to make it work in my system.

My Main concern is the height, Those fans that come with the cooler look like they are too big and would hamper me from closing my case:


How big is the Noctua in height. I have 2 90mm fans on the side of my case as intakes to cool my Tri SLI titans and my concern is the cooler won't allow me to close the case. I really want to be able to close my case again... One of the reasons I like the AIO design.

Do you guys have any ideas of what my options are to get this to work? Or am I more SOL?

Here are other photos of my cooling (not updated for my X99 Mobo)


Spoiler: Case Photos of cooling Transition





*If you see the Side on the left it wont close due to the cooler hitting the 2 side 90mm fans*





In the photo you will see that on the side of the case it wont close fully since the Ultra 120 extreme hits the 2 90mm fans. I figure I could put 2 SilenX Ixtrema 120mm fans on the side of the heatsink to save space over the fans that are round and seem to come come above the heatsink.

Do guys think this is the best solution for me? Or should I get something like the Thermalright Macho?


----------



## wolfwalker

http://img.neoseeker.com/a/noctua_nh_d15/19A.jpg

165mm fwiw. You can fudge the fan position some.


----------



## dpoverlord

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wolfwalker*
> 
> http://img.neoseeker.com/a/noctua_nh_d15/19A.jpg
> 
> 165mm fwiw. You can fudge the fan position some.


Do you think this is the best option for me? Will go ahead and wait on psy in my thread to make sure I can make the clearance


----------



## fisher6

Thinking of joining the club here. Do you guys think upgrading from a Noctua u12s with single fan is worth it? Thanks.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fisher6*
> 
> Thinking of joining the club here. Do you guys think upgrading from a Noctua u12s with single fan is worth it? Thanks.


Depends on what your system is and how much heat your CPU is making. NH-D15 will dissipate more heat than NH-U12S, but U12S is a good cooler too. What are your temps now?


----------



## levalencia

Red Fans! Or Black?

I want to buy a Noctua NH D15, however my board is an ASUZ Z97 which has RED leds, the brown color would look ugly,

Can I replace the fans with black or red ones? What specifications do I need to look?

thanks


----------



## fisher6

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Depends on what your system is and how much heat your CPU is making. NH-D15 will dissipate more heat than NH-U12S, but U12S is a good cooler too. What are your temps now?


My 4790k CPU is around 30-40C when idle but reaches the mid 80s when stress testing and 55ish while gaming. It's overclocked to 4.8Ghz.


----------



## iceman595

4790/nhd15/350d


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *levalencia*
> 
> Red Fans! Or Black?
> 
> I want to buy a Noctua NH D15, however my board is an ASUZ Z97 which has RED leds, the brown color would look ugly,
> 
> Can I replace the fans with black or red ones? What specifications do I need to look?
> 
> thanks


Why not just get a cooler with fans that match? Would save a bunch of money and run just as cool.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fisher6*
> 
> My 4790k CPU is around 30-40C when idle but reaches the mid 80s when stress testing and 55ish while gaming. It's overclocked to 4.8Ghz.


Yeah, with those temps I would be thinking of getting a better cooler .. but is 55-60c is the max you get in normal use you are cool .. no pun.


----------



## Wezzor

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *levalencia*
> 
> Red Fans! Or Black?
> 
> I want to buy a Noctua NH D15, however my board is an ASUZ Z97 which has RED leds, the brown color would look ugly,
> 
> Can I replace the fans with black or red ones? What specifications do I need to look?
> 
> thanks


Go with the Phanteks- PH-TC14PE then that has red fans?
I'm having the Asus Z97-A and the Noctua NH-D15. The only time the my red leds lights up is during POST.


----------



## fisher6

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Why not just get a cooler with fans that match? Would save a bunch of money and run just as cool.
> Yeah, with those temps I would be thinking of getting a better cooler .. but is 55-60c is the max you get in normal use you are cool .. no pun.


Fair enough, that's what i was thinking







Would the D15 be enough or should I get the h110i GT?


----------



## doyll

NH-D15, R1, PH-TC14PE, Silver Arrow, NH-D14 and many others all cool very close to the same .. especially if using same fans.

At this time I wouldn't consider any AIO except Swiftech. Corsair are all CLC selling on marketing hype .. factory sealed with no provision for adding components and no way to change coolant or top it up. There has been a lot of advertising touting how great CLCs are, but the reality is they are usually not any cooler than top air coolers which cost less, last much longer, are quieter, only have a fan that can go bad (system still works and cheap / easy to replace). If CLC pump fails (most common problem) there is no CPU cooling at all and system is dead until entire cooling system is replace .. not cheap or easy. The review testing comparisons give no reference to air temp going into cooler / radiator, but only the room temp. The cases used are usually running fans at low speed, meaning not supplying as much air as air cooler needs which means case air heats up .. and so does CPU. CLC is mounted to case vents so heated exhaust is not able to mix with cool air going into radiator .. and Corsair even suggests mounting radiator as case intake! .. meaning CPU runs cooler, but everything else in the system runs hotter because of the radiator's heated air. Stupid! Sorry, I'll take a deep breath and cool down .. no pun.









Keep in mind if you are a gamer, your GPU probably make much more heat than CPU does.


----------



## fisher6

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> NH-D15, R1, PH-TC14PE, Silver Arrow, NH-D14 and many others all cool very close to the same .. especially if using same fans.
> 
> At this time I wouldn't consider any AIO except Swiftech. Corsair are all CLC selling on marketing hype .. factory sealed with no provision for adding components and no way to change coolant or top it up. There has been a lot of advertising touting how great CLCs are, but the reality is they are usually not any cooler than top air coolers which cost less, last much longer, are quieter, only have a fan that can go bad (system still works and cheap / easy to replace). If CLC pump fails (most common problem) there is no CPU cooling at all and system is dead until entire cooling system is replace .. not cheap or easy. The review testing comparisons give no reference to air temp going into cooler / radiator, but only the room temp. The cases used are usually running fans at low speed, meaning not supplying as much air as air cooler needs which means case air heats up .. and so does CPU. CLC is mounted to case vents so heated exhaust is not able to mix with cool air going into radiator .. and Corsair even suggests mounting radiator as case intake! .. meaning CPU runs cooler, but everything else in the system runs hotter because of the radiator's heated air. Stupid! Sorry, I'll take a deep breath and cool down .. no pun.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Keep in mind if you are a gamer, your GPU probably make much more heat than CPU does.


Very well written! Thanks for the clearup, tbh the only reason I considered AIO was because they look cleaner but I heard they can be noisy and that's a big no no for me. I checked out the other fans but still prefer Noctua for some reason. Ordered the D15, will pick up later today


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fisher6*
> 
> Very well written! Thanks for the clearup, tbh the only reason I considered AIO was because they look cleaner but I heard they can be noisy and that's a big no no for me. I checked out the other fans but still prefer Noctua for some reason. Ordered the D15, will pick up later today


Thanks.

FYI
Thermalright TY-140 series fans look and perform near identical to NF-A14 & NF-A15 fans.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/20_20#post_23229617


----------



## replica9000

Coming in to say hi. Upgraded to the D15 from the CM Hyper 212 Evo. It fits nicely in my Fractal Arc Midi 2, even with the 2nd fan bumped up to clear my RAM.


----------



## I do wonder

Dear NH-d15 owners,

I am looking into buying one of these beauteful beasts but there is one thing stopping me from buying one at the moment; I have a LGA 2011-3 socket processor (i7-5820k) and I do not know how to mount this heat sink.
I heard Linus saying that you need the stock Intel backplate (or something along those lines) and I am not sure if I have it or not since I did not build my computer.

I'm not sure if I'm just being dumb or if I need to buy an extra.

Many thanks


----------



## Blameless

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *I do wonder*
> 
> I heard Linus saying that you need the stock Intel backplate (or something along those lines) and I am not sure if I have it or not since I did not build my computer.


You almost certainly have it as it's part of the CPU retention mechanism and the only reason to remove it would be for exotic custom cooling or to support a bare-die CPU.


----------



## I do wonder

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blameless*
> 
> You almost certainly have it as it's part of the CPU retention mechanism and the only reason to remove it would be for exotic custom cooling or to support a bare-die CPU.


I have a Prolimatech 81 CPU cooler, not a stock cooler.


----------



## Blameless

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *I do wonder*
> 
> I have a Prolimatech 81 CPU cooler, not a stock cooler.


Doesn't matter. The stock backplate is part of what holds the CPU in it's socket, and almost all coolers are designed to work with the default retention mechanism, if they support the socket at all.


----------



## levalencia

Please see my rig, NH D15 coming my way.

Do I need to remove the RAM Heat Dissipator to be able to install the noctua fan??

Will this hurt the RAM performance?


----------



## levalencia

I said this because in this video they had to remove one RAM to a smaller one


----------



## deskiller

I had to replace my gigabyte board and now own a asrock z77 extreme 4 board.

having a slight problem.

the cooler blocks the first pcie 1x slot.

normally I keep my soundcard in that slot.

but with this board I have to have the card in the slot under my sli gpus.

so now the card is blocking the one fan on my evga classy cards.

also cpu temps seem higher on this board, but that could be because before. the soundcard was blocking the gpu heat for cooler.

now its getting the heat.

does anybody know if I slighty bend the cooler stack upward some, if it would hurt the cooler?


----------



## replica9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *levalencia*
> 
> Please see my rig, NH D15 coming my way.
> 
> Do I need to remove the RAM Heat Dissipator to be able to install the noctua fan??
> 
> Will this hurt the RAM performance?


I have the Ripjaw Z series ram. I had to bump up the second fan to install it. I probably have about 0.25" from the fan to the side of the case, which is a Fractal Arc Midi R2. If I had your RAM, I wouldn't be able to use the second fan without removing the heat spreaders.


----------



## levalencia

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *replica9000*
> 
> I have the Ripjaw Z series ram. I had to bump up the second fan to install it. I probably have about 0.25" from the fan to the side of the case, which is a Fractal Arc Midi R2. If I had your RAM, I wouldn't be able to use the second fan without removing the heat spreaders.


In the video I showed, the put the 2nd fan on the other side of the memory, I suppose that should be fine too?

I have an HAF 922 CM case


----------



## replica9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *levalencia*
> 
> In the video I showed, the put the 2nd fan on the other side of the memory, I suppose that should be fine too?
> 
> I have an HAF 922 CM case


You could do a pull/pull setup instead of push/push. I would think that it wouldn't affect temps more than a couple degrees.


----------



## levalencia

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *replica9000*
> 
> You could do a pull/pull setup instead of push/push. I would think that it wouldn't affect temps more than a couple degrees.


can you please explain, I am noob on the subject


----------



## replica9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *levalencia*
> 
> can you please explain, I am noob on the subject


Instead of each fan pushing air though the heatsinks, the fans are mounted on the opposite side of the heatsink, pulling air though it.


----------



## reset1101

Hi all,

Im going to mount an NH-D15 next week and RAM height doesnt allow to mount a fan on the right side. So I see 2 options:

- Just mount one between the 2 towers and have a rear case fan
- Mount the second fan to the left of the second tower and dont mount the case fan. They would be so close I dont think case fan would be necessary.

Any advice on which option is best?

Thanks a lot!


----------



## Wallboy

Hey all, been looking at this cooler for my new upcoming build and have just a few questions. The case I'm probably going with will be a Enthoo Luxe (193mm Cooler clearance). And for RAM I think i'm going with G.Skill TridentX. I can remove the tops of the heatsinks, reducing them to 39mm in height. I also noticed the Tweaktown review of the D15 had the same setup and mentioned with the front fan moved up a bit, the total height of the cooler was now 185mm. Leaving 8mm in room for the Luxe. So I should not have any problems there?

The mobo I'm likely using will be a Maximus VII Hero. Any problems with the D15 clearing the first video card slot? I know the first PCI-E x1 slot will be likely unusable.

Also, is MX-4 a good thermal paste for this cooler? I also hear the paste the cooler comes with is pretty good as well?

And my last question is about the Y-Splitter that comes with it. From what I can tell, you can plug both fans into it, and then plug the other end into the CPU Fan header. Though I was under the impression that the motherboard headers could only power 1 fan? Wouldn't this put a lot more stress on a single fan header? What I think I'm going to do is just use both the CPU and CPU_OPT fan headers and not use the Y-Splitter since the VII Hero has "True PWM" for all fan headers anyway. Would this be better?

Thanks.


----------



## fisher6

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *reset1101*
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Im going to mount an NH-D15 next week and RAM height doesnt allow to mount a fan on the right side. So I see 2 options:
> 
> - Just mount one between the 2 towers and have a rear case fan
> - Mount the second fan to the left of the second tower and dont mount the case fan. They would be so close I dont think case fan would be necessary.
> 
> Any advice on which option is best?
> 
> Thanks a lot!


I have my D15 set up with the second find facing the back of the case. The exhaust fan will be fairly close and removing the rear fan depends on your case I would say. I tried both with and without and we are talking about 1-2 degrees difference. If I set it the standard way I would need to remove a RAM stick. Pull/pull works just fine. My CPU never goes above 50C while gaming.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wallboy*
> 
> Hey all, been looking at this cooler for my new upcoming build and have just a few questions. The case I'm probably going with will be a Enthoo Luxe (193mm Cooler clearance). And for RAM I think i'm going with G.Skill TridentX. I can remove the tops of the heatsinks, reducing them to 39mm in height. I also noticed the Tweaktown review of the D15 had the same setup and mentioned with the front fan moved up a bit, the total height of the cooler was now 185mm. Leaving 8mm in room for the Luxe. So I should not have any problems there?
> 
> The mobo I'm likely using will be a Maximus VII Hero. Any problems with the D15 clearing the first video card slot? I know the first PCI-E x1 slot will be likely unusable.
> 
> Also, is MX-4 a good thermal paste for this cooler? I also hear the paste the cooler comes with is pretty good as well?
> 
> And my last question is about the Y-Splitter that comes with it. From what I can tell, you can plug both fans into it, and then plug the other end into the CPU Fan header. Though I was under the impression that the motherboard headers could only power 1 fan? Wouldn't this put a lot more stress on a single fan header? What I think I'm going to do is just use both the CPU and CPU_OPT fan headers and not use the Y-Splitter since the VII Hero has "True PWM" for all fan headers anyway. Would this be better?
> 
> Thanks.


According to Noctua's compatibility page you won't have any problems with the first PCI-E slot: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en

I've used the included paste all the time in the past and it's been working great. When it comes to the Y splitter, you can have one header controlling and powering both fans without any problems.


----------



## Wallboy

Alright thanks, I'll probably just use the Noctua paste and save me a little money there.

And yeah I might just end up using the Y-Splitter if 2 fans on one header is ok.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *reset1101*
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Im going to mount an NH-D15 next week and RAM height doesnt allow to mount a fan on the right side. So I see 2 options:
> 
> - Just mount one between the 2 towers and have a rear case fan
> - Mount the second fan to the left of the second tower and dont mount the case fan. They would be so close I dont think case fan would be necessary.
> 
> Any advice on which option is best?
> 
> Thanks a lot!


In the Enthoo Primo the airflow is quite good .. good enough it won't make much difference. I think I would remove the rear case fan with the NF-A15 fans on cooler in pull / pull .. or possibly do single fan in middle of cooler with second fan as back exhaust .. or maybe use a duct from back of cooler to rear exhaust.



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wallboy*
> 
> Hey all, been looking at this cooler for my new upcoming build and have just a few questions. The case I'm probably going with will be a Enthoo Luxe (193mm Cooler clearance). And for RAM I think i'm going with G.Skill TridentX. I can remove the tops of the heatsinks, reducing them to 39mm in height. I also noticed the Tweaktown review of the D15 had the same setup and mentioned with the front fan moved up a bit, the total height of the cooler was now 185mm. Leaving 8mm in room for the Luxe. So I should not have any problems there?
> 
> The mobo I'm likely using will be a Maximus VII Hero. Any problems with the D15 clearing the first video card slot? I know the first PCI-E x1 slot will be likely unusable.
> 
> Also, is MX-4 a good thermal paste for this cooler? I also hear the paste the cooler comes with is pretty good as well?
> 
> And my last question is about the Y-Splitter that comes with it. From what I can tell, you can plug both fans into it, and then plug the other end into the CPU Fan header. Though I was under the impression that the motherboard headers could only power 1 fan? Wouldn't this put a lot more stress on a single fan header? What I think I'm going to do is just use both the CPU and CPU_OPT fan headers and not use the Y-Splitter since the VII Hero has "True PWM" for all fan headers anyway. Would this be better?
> 
> Thanks.


As stated, paste is good, no mobo problems, and your plan for RAM & front fan sounds good.


----------



## reset1101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fisher6*
> 
> I have my D15 set up with the second find facing the back of the case. The exhaust fan will be fairly close and removing the rear fan depends on your case I would say. I tried both with and without and we are talking about 1-2 degrees difference. If I set it the standard way I would need to remove a RAM stick. Pull/pull works just fine. My CPU never goes above 50C while gaming.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> In the Enthoo Primo the airflow is quite good .. good enough it won't make much difference. I think I would remove the rear case fan with the NF-A15 fans on cooler in pull / pull .. or possibly do single fan in middle of cooler with second fan as back exhaust .. or maybe use a duct from back of cooler to rear exhaust.
> 
> As stated, paste is good, no mobo problems, and your plan for RAM & front fan sounds good.


Thx for the replies to both of you.

Case is going to be the Corsair 750d, not the Phanteks, but It has enough airflow I think. Im planning on having 2 Noctua NF-A14 FLX at 800-900 rpms in the front. And 2 Gigabyte 970 g1 gaming, so you have all the info about how the airflow and the heat could affect the NH-D15. I should have mentioned it before asking advice.


----------



## xaeryan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wallboy*
> 
> Alright thanks, I'll probably just use the Noctua paste and save me a little money there.
> 
> And yeah I might just end up using the Y-Splitter if 2 fans on one header is ok.


It is ok, but if you have CPU OPT header, why not just use it? Then you get RPM readings on BOTH fans, important if one conks out or something. And less cables to manage.


----------



## replica9000

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xaeryan*
> 
> It is ok, but if you have CPU OPT header, why not just use it? Then you get RPM readings on BOTH fans, important if one conks out or something. And less cables to manage.


This is why I used the OPT header. I recently had one of the fans die on my old CM Hyper Evo.


----------



## cephelix

Hey Guys,

Just purchased the cooler. Returning to Noctua from watercooling.I would say it's fantastically hefty but installation is a breeze as all Noctua mounts are. Currently have it in a Corsair 750D.
My motherboard is a Gigabyte Z97 Gaming 7 and it blocks the first PCI slot. Nothing there so it's a non-issue for me. Also using Kingston valueram and I had to shift the first fan a few milimeters upwards.
I will post pics at a later date when I'm free-er to take photos in a nicer light.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cephelix*
> 
> Hey Guys,
> 
> Just purchased the cooler. Returning to Noctua from watercooling.I would say it's fantastically hefty but installation is a breeze as all Noctua mounts are. Currently have it in a Corsair 750D.
> My motherboard is a Gigabyte Z97 Gaming 7 and it blocks the first PCI slot. Nothing there so it's a non-issue for me. Also using Kingston valueram and I had to shift the first fan a few milimeters upwards.
> I will post pics at a later date when I'm free-er to take photos in a nicer light.


Welcome back from the wet side to the nice, quiet, simple air side.


----------



## JackMex

Sup, guys.

Got a Silverstone Fortress FT05B case, no window. Wondering what DDR4 RAM kits will be compatible with the D15 in dual-fan mode, NORMAL height (not slotted upward)?

Thanks.


----------



## cephelix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Welcome back from the wet side to the nice, quiet, simple air side.


thanks!








It is indeed quiet i was surprised and I get the same idle temps as on my custom loop. I know idle temps are kind of useless as a gauge but I haven't had time to test.

Even though the fans are running at 100% all the time, i barely hear them. Really surprised. Will take pics and do some testes when i have the time. currently waiting on my Cool Labs Ultra before I delid and my connectors for resleeving my cables.


----------



## deskiller

hey guys...

I had to rebuild my system due to motherboard problems.

I had a GA-Z77X-UD3H and it died. bios problem and not fixable.

I bought a new asrock z77 extreme 4 board but hated it because of voltage issues and temps issues.

I ended up buying a refurbished GA-Z77X-UD3H and rebuilt the system

now I have to ask should I be concerned that the Noctua NH-D15 cooler fans are not running on idle.

the temps are really good. around 20-25c and the fans dont run. I think because it too low rpm to run.

I watch the fan speed drop to 500 rpm and then no readings after that and fans stop turning.

if I use the computer then the fan kicks in and runs.

I just never had a system that the cpu fan stopped turning when temps get low.


----------



## cephelix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *deskiller*
> 
> hey guys...
> 
> I had to rebuild my system due to motherboard problems.
> 
> I had a GA-Z77X-UD3H and it died. bios problem and not fixable.
> 
> I bought a new asrock z77 extreme 4 board but hated it because of voltage issues and temps issues.
> 
> I ended up buying a refurbished GA-Z77X-UD3H and rebuilt the system
> 
> now I have to ask should I be concerned that the Noctua NH-D15 cooler fans are not running on idle.
> 
> the temps are really good. around 20-25c and the fans dont run. I think because it too low rpm to run.
> 
> I watch the fan speed drop to 500 rpm and then no readings after that and fans stop turning.
> 
> if I use the computer then the fan kicks in and runs.
> 
> I just never had a system that the cpu fan stopped turning when temps get low.


does the board have onboard fan control?? Maybe thw minimum rpm was too low.i'm just guessing here


----------



## deskiller

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cephelix*
> 
> does the board have onboard fan control?? Maybe thw minimum rpm was too low.i'm just guessing here


yeah.

just figured out it because I have fan controller in bios set to voltage control. but I need it set to voltage control to control my other non pwm fans. and it only has the one option for all fans.

also was reading a review that says when voltage control is used. the fans wont run at really low rpms.\

I just tested with easytune and put the fans speed at 10%. the fans shut off.

and temps are staying at 25-31c


----------



## cephelix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *deskiller*
> 
> yeah.
> 
> just figured out it because I have fan controller in bios set to voltage control. but I need it set to voltage control to control my other non pwm fans. and it only has the one option for all fans.
> 
> also was reading a review that says when voltage control is used. the fans wont run at really low rpms.\
> 
> I just tested with easytune and put the fans speed at 10%. the fans shut off.
> 
> and temps are staying at 25-31c


that's good though i don't know whether controlling pwm fans via voltage wpuld afftect it's lifespan.i've heard that it isn't good. Best to leave pwm to the board and voltage to the fan controller


----------



## doyll

@ deskiller

According to your manual on page 47; the CPU_FAN, SYS_FAN1 & SYS_FAN2 fan headers are PWM controlled but only the CPU_FAN header can have a curve set to it. ?? Could you use the CPU_FAN header for CPU cooler fans and SYS_FAN headers on voltage control to for other fans?


----------



## levalencia

I have installed the noctua nh d15, and checked with real temp and my low temp is 38, but when I see some websites, they claim to show 31 degrees when Idle, why so much difference?

I only have chrome, word and outlook open, I dont think that should make that huge difference on temps right?


----------



## cephelix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *levalencia*
> 
> I have installed the noctua nh d15, and checked with real temp and my low temp is 38, but when I see some websites, they claim to show 31 degrees when Idle, why so much difference?
> 
> I only have chrome, word and outlook open, I dont think that should make that huge difference on temps right?


what are your ambient temps or intake temps like? Have you tried reseating your cooler? Also, wouldnt put too much stock on idle temps.they fluctuate wildly.what's more important are load temps


----------



## levalencia

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cephelix*
> 
> what are your ambient temps or intake temps like? Have you tried reseating your cooler? Also, wouldnt put too much stock on idle temps.they fluctuate wildly.what's more important are load temps


outside is 31 degrees, inside home I dont know, but I dont have cooling at home, just my window is open, its very warm in here


----------



## levalencia

btw, how do I reset my cooler?


----------



## doyll

if it's 31c outside and you have the window open it is fair to assume it is reasonable to assume your room is the same.
Idle temp being 38c in a 31c room is fine. That is 7c delta.
After all an idle temp being 31c is a 23c room is 8c delta


----------



## cephelix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *levalencia*
> 
> outside is 31 degrees, inside home I dont know, but I dont have cooling at home, just my window is open, its very warm in here


Well, your ambients are the same as mine and my idle temps are about the same as yours.mine fluctuates around 36-38 deg celcius. That's with 7 gentle typhoons 1850rpm intaking and 1 bitfenix spectre exhausting. Will need to read doyll's article on aircooling to make sure i've optimised my airflow.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *levalencia*
> 
> btw, how do I reset my cooler?


not reset. reseAt. Take the cooler off and makes sure that the thermal paste imprint is good and that you havent used too much or too little TIM and that you've tightened the screws for the backplate and cooler all the way down so you can't turn them anymore but not overtorque the screws


----------



## tyvar1

I am thinking of building a mITX HTPC when Skylake comes and I wonder if this cooler will fit on a mITX board? Or should I go with Noctua NH-U14S instead?

nvm: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en


----------



## cephelix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> if it's 31c outside and you have the window open it is fair to assume it is reasonable to assume your room is the same.
> Idle temp being 38c in a 31c room is fine. That is 7c delta.
> After all an idle temp being 31c is a 23c room is 8c delta


my old noctua paired with my i5 760 used to idle around 12 degress above ambient.granted that was with a 1.2ghz OC and under gaming load it was around high 60s....i miss the days of ridiculous OCs


----------



## cephelix

Guys, was just wondering if anyone has replaced the stock fans with high speed gentle typhoons such as the ap-30? Can't test this myself since I don't have the fans but wondering if it would help decrease temps more or would it just not be worth it


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cephelix*
> 
> Guys, was just wondering if anyone has replaced the stock fans with high speed gentle typhoons such as the ap-30? Can't test this myself since I don't have the fans but wondering if it would help decrease temps more or would it just not be worth it


I tried TY-143 fans on mine and got a couple degrees cooler temps .. and three times as much noise to get them. Temps and noise levels were the same.same at same rpm as A15


----------



## cephelix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I tried TY-143 fans on mine and got a couple degrees cooler temps .. and three times as much noise to get them. Temps and noise levels were the same.same at same rpm as A15


Thanks for the reply.was just thinking of posting in your thread as well. the stock fans at 1500 rpm are already slightly noisy though not unpleasant.putting 2500rpm let alone the ap-30 would likely sound like a jet i suppose. well,i'll likely have to try pushing my temps and see if the stock fans work well.if not i'll have to source for the ty-143 online.where do you purchase yours by the way?i cant seem to find them anywhere.does ppcs stock them?


----------



## doyll

Usually Scan or Amazon here in UK. Sorry I can't help more.

Using more powerful fans will give better cooling, but case airflow needs to be increased as well so added cooler airflow is removed from case. Systems stay cool and quiet most of the time, but when we need the extra boost, it's nice to have the reserve performance to still be cool, even if it is louder.


----------



## cephelix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Usually Scan or Amazon here in UK. Sorry I can't help more.
> 
> Using more powerful fans will give better cooling, but case airflow needs to be increased as well so added cooler airflow is removed from case. Systems stay cool and quiet most of the time, but when we need the extra boost, it's nice to have the reserve performance to still be cool, even if it is louder.


that's what i thought. Thanks anyway. I have a few more questions you'd probably be able to answer but i'll post it in the appropriate thread


----------



## MR-e

boys, i currently have a matx case (silverstone tj08e) and i'm looking to go back to air cooling. i want to upgrade to z97 but not sure what matx board will not block the first pcie slot. does such a board currently exist? i don't want to change pcie slot because i need to use the next one for sound card.

thanks!


----------



## KaiserPhantasma

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sexpot*
> 
> boys, i currently have a matx case (silverstone tj08e) and i'm looking to go back to air cooling. i want to upgrade to z97 but not sure what matx board will not block the first pcie slot. does such a board currently exist? i don't want to change pcie slot because i need to use the next one for sound card.
> 
> thanks!


if you can put the name of your board we can have a look at it otherwise you can refer to this

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en

it lists ALL boards that noctua tested and am pretty sure one of those boards is the one you are eying, go knock yourself out with the compatibility list


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sexpot*
> 
> boys, i currently have a matx case (silverstone tj08e) and i'm looking to go back to air cooling. i want to upgrade to z97 but not sure what matx board will not block the first pcie slot. does such a board currently exist? i don't want to change pcie slot because i need to use the next one for sound card.
> 
> thanks!


I'm assuming this is your Asus Maximus Gene IV with Corsair Dominator GT RAM in Obsidian 350D case?


----------



## MR-e

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KaiserPhantasma*
> 
> if you can put the name of your board we can have a look at it otherwise you can refer to this
> 
> http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en
> 
> it lists ALL boards that noctua tested and am pretty sure one of those boards is the one you are eying, go knock yourself out with the compatibility list


I tried using that list first, but then my eyes started to wander and i lost track of where i was xD I don't have a specific board I want to use or color scheme. Just one that is compatible with the first pcie slot using a video card and sound card in the next.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I'm assuming this is your Asus Maximus Gene IV with Corsair Dominator GT RAM in Obsidian 350D case?


this system will be retired to my parent's youtube/streaming pc. I'm looking to build a new z97 matx altogether


----------



## KaiserPhantasma

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sexpot*
> 
> I tried using that list first, but then my eyes started to wander and i lost track of where i was xD I don't have a specific board I want to use or color scheme. Just one that is compatible with the first pcie slot using a video card and sound card in the next.


just try and look at it then one at a time







or you can use pcpart picker but that doesn't guarantee 100% compatibility of all sorts (since its just a website) like the processor socket maybe compatible but not the height of your case with your cooler etc etc... simply put its back to "manual"


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sexpot*
> 
> this system will be retired to my parent's youtube/streaming pc. I'm looking to build a new z97 matx altogether


There is no way weI can offer assistance without knowing what the parameters are. Case, motherboard and RAM are all required to determine what coolers will fit. Obviously some motherboards have better clearances than others .. and some RAM is shorter than others. But we need to know these things.


----------



## MR-e

ram and case i know fit. corsair low profile ram is only 27mm rounding up which will fit underneath the second fan as it has 30mm clearance. case, i have plenty, silverstone tj08b, corsair 350d, fractual node 804 etc. just spares from left over builds. all i need is a matx system board for z97 or 87 that will allow the video card (msi gtx 970 or asus strix) to fit in the first pcie. I want to save money by reusing my old matx cases so going to larger atx system board is not an option i want to take.

hope this answers your questions, thanks!

edit - did some more research, found out the following matx z97 boards will fit the nh-d15:

ASRock Z97M Anniversary
ASRock Z97M Pro4
Asus Z97M-Plus

If anyone knows of more prominent z97 matx boards that have a good history of high overclocks let me know!


----------



## phamtom

Hi, would the d15 fit on a Define R5 and G.Skill memory (40mm height)?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *phamtom*
> 
> Hi, would the d15 fit on a Define R5 and G.Skill memory (40mm height)?


Yes, it will fit.
40mm RAM is 35mm above surface of CPU plus 140mm for fan is 175mm Define R5 has 180mm CPU clearance.

But
Will the NH-D15 clear the top PCIe socket on your motherboard?
PCIe socket needs to be more than 78mm from center of CPU to clear NH-D15 with fan clips to clear a smooth backed GPU card.

As nice as NH-D15 cools, the cooler itself is really little if any better than NH-D14. It's the 2x 1500rpm 140.2m³/h NF-A15 fans that improve the cooling. NH-D14 has 1200/1300rpm 110,3 / 92,3 m³/h fans .. NH-D15 has significantly more airflow. resulting is Slow the NF-A15 fans to 1200rpm 115,5 m³/h and NH-D15 is only 1.6c better than NH-D14 .. putting same fans on both and NH-D14 is 0.3c better than NH-D15.


----------



## phamtom

The first PCIe lane is 1x so no problems there, thanks a lot for the info!


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *phamtom*
> 
> Hi, would the d15 fit on a Define R5 and G.Skill memory (40mm height)?


Set for pull/pull, not regular. couple degrees cooler and cools GPU in slot 1 a bit too. Don't know about the R5.


----------



## G227

Hi guys!

Need an advice from experts and veterans like you







. I have installed NH-D15 in my R5 and so far am very pleased with it. I have been running some stress test to test my overclocks on the CPU lately and have noticed that even though CPU is like 75C when I touch the fins on the cooler they are cold/cool (pretty much all the way down. Even when I check the air coming from my case its not that warm at all.

I'm running 5820K @4.5Ghz @1.28V and on 85% temps go up to 75C which is I guess pretty good, but the fact that the heatsinks and the fins are cool has me worried that I need to repaste. I previously had AIO 240mm radiator and that one got pretty hot and the air comming out of it was hot - but perhaps thats because the liquid went thorugh it?

*So my question is - are the fins and the heatpipes supposed to get hot when CPU is this temperature?* Should I try to repaste? - I think I did a pretty good job, but









Thanks a bunch!


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *G227*
> 
> Hi guys!
> 
> Need an advice from experts and veterans like you
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . I have installed NH-D15 in my R5 and so far am very pleased with it. I have been running some stress test to test my overclocks on the CPU lately and have noticed that even though CPU is like 75C when I touch the fins on the cooler they are cold/cool (pretty much all the way down. Even when I check the air coming from my case its not that warm at all.
> 
> I'm running 5820K @4.5Ghz @1.28V and on 85% temps go up to 75C which is I guess pretty good, but the fact that the heatsinks and the fins are cool has me worried that I need to repaste. I previously had AIO 240mm radiator and that one got pretty hot and the air comming out of it was hot - but perhaps thats because the liquid went thorugh it?
> 
> *So my question is - are the fins and the heatpipes supposed to get hot when CPU is this temperature?* Should I try to repaste? - I think I did a pretty good job, but
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks a bunch!


There is no reason to post same thing in different places.








Reposting the same thing in a second thread 10 minutes after first posting is not appreciated!


----------



## G227

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> There is no reason to post same thing in different places.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Reposting the same thing in a second thread 10 minutes after first posting is not appreciated!


Got it! Thanks for the answer and the explanation - I will remember it for next time!


----------



## cimi

Hi,i am planning to buy this cooler,but i am worried about clearance.
Cos i have this motherboard
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4717#ov

and i have this northbridge cooler (40 mm tall) and i dont know if noctua cooler would go over my cooler or if it would hit against my northbridge cooler.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xilence-Cooler-Northbridge-Heatsink-COO-XPNB-F_107/dp/B000KKKF96

And second question,i have Define R4 case,will this cooler fit in?


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cimi*
> 
> Hi,i am planning to buy this cooler,but i am worried about clearance.
> Cos i have this motherboard
> http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4717#ov
> 
> and i have this northbridge cooler (40 mm tall) and i dont know if noctua cooler would go over my cooler or if it would hit against my northbridge cooler.
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xilence-Cooler-Northbridge-Heatsink-COO-XPNB-F_107/dp/B000KKKF96
> 
> And second question,i have Define R4 case,will this cooler fit in?


Your board is compatible with the D15 as stated by Noctua: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=68&lng=en

The D15 (165mm with fans) will fit in the R4 (max cooler height 170mm - without side fan)

The unknown is addon northbridge cooler. But you may not need it with D15 installed. The new D15S has offset pipes which could be another option to clear the addon NB cooler.


----------



## G227

Hi

I'm going to be installing the new D15S as it will give me more PCI-E clearance. I'm wondering about the proper amount of thermal paste. I have installed the regular D15 before but I always have that tingling feeling I do it wrong and add too much TIM. A lot of conflicting information out there so I'm wondering if anybody has suggestions.

More info: I have 5820K and usually apply the TIM in the middle as a dot and with the X-wings around it.

Also - did anybody here test a difference between Push/push and pull/pull scenarios?

Thanks!


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *G227*
> 
> More info: I have 5820K and usually apply the TIM in the middle as a dot and with the X-wings around it.


Less is more. Just a pea for me and my Xeons. A little TIM fills the microscopic pores. The issues I've seen with many of the alternate methods is the formation of air pockets - while air coolers cool well, air pockets, not so much. ;-)

The application method can depend on the specific TIM, but with a Noctua cooler using their NT-H1, the small pea (4-5mm) in the center is recommended.


----------



## doyll

Amount of TIM needed varies. Much depends on how flat the CPU IHS is .. as well as the actual placement of processor dies on CPU PCB under IHS. These are the heat source and this area of IHS is where we need the best contact for best heat transfer. The overall size of IHS is because of overall size the PCB heeds to be for the hundreds of contacts between CPU and motherboard .. as well as a larger area makes it easier to keep cooler setting on it properly.


----------



## Brohem0th

Getting my NH-D15 tomorrow. Have a tube of CLP and CLU ready to go.

CLU is the superior thermal compound. I have already delidded my 4690k, and was wondering if it was safe to apply CLU between the IHS and the Heatsink heat transfer plate. The IHS is Nickel-plated copper, and the base plate of the NH-D15 is also nickel-plated copper.

To my knowledge and from the research I've done, it should be totally fine to apply CLU between the IHS and base-plate of the NH-D15. I'm just asking this as a sanity check before I potentially ruin a 100$ heatsink and the IHS on my 200$ CPU.

Thank you for your responses in advance.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> Getting my NH-D15 tomorrow. Have a tube of CLP and CLU ready to go.
> 
> CLU is the superior thermal compound. I have already delidded my 4690k, and was wondering if it was safe to apply CLU between the IHS and the Heatsink heat transfer plate. The IHS is Nickel-plated copper, and the base plate of the NH-D15 is also nickel-plated copper.
> 
> To my knowledge and from the research I've done, it should be totally fine to apply CLU between the IHS and base-plate of the NH-D15. I'm just asking this as a sanity check before I potentially ruin a 100$ heatsink and the IHS on my 200$ CPU.
> 
> Thank you for your responses in advance.


I have not used CLU, but you should be fine. As far as I know there is no problem using it on nickel plated surfaces, but it reacts with aluminium.


----------



## Brohem0th

NH-D15 installed, CLU applied on both the die and the IHS, rocking 64-67c at 1.335v/4.7Ghz where I was previously going over 80c. This is in Prime95 v26.6 Small FFT's. Literally could not be happier. And the previous temp, the 80c+? That was with an already delidded 4690k with some Antec Formula 6 Nano-Diamond TIM compound.

Ironically enough the NH-D15 has more vertical clearance than my old Hyper 212+. I had no reason to be worried at all. Mounting it was a breeze, even in my cramped mid-tower, their mounting hardware is the best in the business bar none. I only have one last question;

How do I get the fingerprints off of the top of it?


----------



## cephelix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> NH-D15 installed, CLU applied on both the die and the IHS, rocking 64-67c at 1.335v/4.7Ghz where I was previously going over 80c. This is in Prime95 v26.6 Small FFT's. Literally could not be happier. And the previous temp, the 80c+? That was with an already delidded 4690k with some Antec Formula 6 Nano-Diamond TIM compound.
> 
> Ironically enough the NH-D15 has more vertical clearance than my old Hyper 212+. I had no reason to be worried at all. Mounting it was a breeze, even in my cramped mid-tower, their mounting hardware is the best in the business bar none. I only have one last question;
> 
> How do I get the fingerprints off of the top of it?


Could try an alcohol wipe....see if that removes the fingerprints.
I just go for broke and use autosol


----------



## ehume

In general, if a case has a 120mm exhaust fan, it has enough room for a standard 160mm heatsink.


----------



## Brohem0th

Rocking 5Ghz at 1.420v Vcore/2.070v VCCIN, Handbrake and game stable. 4.9Ghz at 1.375v/2.000v will probably be my limit for gaming and stuff until I absolutely need the extra speed. I have the Intel Tuning Protection Plan just in case anything goes wrong (and in all honesty I kind of want to use it already, since my chip takes 1.4v+ to hit 5Ghz) but I'd still rather not run it past 1.4v unless I really need to.

More testing is needed though. Maybe I can get that Vcore down a little bit. Still insanely fast, and not breaking 77c in Handbrake encodes for an hour straight with 80f/30c ambient temps is really impressive.

When winter gets here I'll try running some benches and seeing how far I can really push it. Noctua is da bess


----------



## newbies

I currently have a FX-8350 running at 4.5GHz stable (1.38V) with a Zalman CNPS9900A, but I'm pushing the max temps when running prime95. Think I can get some more speed out of my CPU with the Noctua NH-D15?


----------



## Brohem0th

Ye. Most definitely. The only thing that gets better temps than an NH-D15 is a custom water loop.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> Ye. Most definitely. The only thing that gets better temps than an NH-D15 is a custom water loop.


You are incorrect.
There are several coolers that get as good and some better that are not custom loops.
Air coolers that are just as good are R1 Ultimate, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme, Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme, PH-TC14PE, Venom Medusa to name a few.
There are several AIOs like Swiftech H220-X, H240-X that are better. And even a couple CLCs' cough, choke as good or better.


----------



## jsc1973

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *newbies*
> 
> I currently have a FX-8350 running at 4.5GHz stable (1.38V) with a Zalman CNPS9900A, but I'm pushing the max temps when running prime95. Think I can get some more speed out of my CPU with the Noctua NH-D15?


You might, but that Zalman is a fairly high-performance air cooler to start with. You will get a few degrees better cooling with a D15, but not enough to really justify the expense.


----------



## newbies

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jsc1973*
> 
> You might, but that Zalman is a fairly high-performance air cooler to start with. You will get a few degrees better cooling with a D15, but not enough to really justify the expense.


It's a pretty old heatsink though. I should dust and reseat it and see if I get better temps before I make the leap. But if the D15 cools as much as a closed loop water cooling system, it should be a pretty big improvement over the Zalman.


----------



## miklkit

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *newbies*
> 
> It's a pretty old heatsink though. I should dust and reseat it and see if I get better temps before I make the leap. But if the D15 cools as much as a closed loop water cooling system, it should be a pretty big improvement over the Zalman.


What is your overall case airflow like? Good case airflow will help overall cooling. Most people with good air flow and D15s get 4.7-4.8 ghz.

I have always wanted a Zalman just for the looks but it appears to be a bit of an underperformer in the cooling department. 4.5 ghz is 212 territory.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *newbies*
> 
> It's a pretty old heatsink though. I should dust and reseat it and see if I get better temps before I make the leap. But if the D15 cools as much as a closed loop water cooling system, it should be a pretty big improvement over the Zalman.


After a few years it usually helps to wash the cooler in a sink of hot soapy water. The fins tend to collect a film of dirt and oil. This film insulates and lowers the heat transfer from fin to air. Washing it off usually give a few degrees better cooling.

CLCs don't cool any better than many top air coolers .. and if they are a few degrees cooler their are 2-8 times as loud.

As already stated, top tier air are a few degrees better than your Zalman, but improving case airflow often gains 5-8c. It takes a little time and effort, but the lower temps and noise are worth it. You might find articles in "Ways to Better Cooling" thread helpful. Link is in my sig.


----------



## sakete

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> After a few years it usually helps to wash the cooler in a sink of hot soapy water. The fins tend to collect a film of dirt and oil. This film insulates and lowers the heat transfer from fin to air. Washing it off usually give a few degrees better cooling.
> 
> *CLCs don't cool any better than many top air coolers .. and if they are a few degrees cooler their are 2-8 times as loud.*
> 
> As already stated, top tier air are a few degrees better than your Zalman, but improving case airflow often gains 5-8c. It takes a little time and effort, but the lower temps and noise are worth it. You might find articles in "Ways to Better Cooling" thread helpful. Link is in my sig.


I can't agree more with your statement. I was getting fairly high temps on my 4790K with the D15. So I thought maybe I should try a CLC solution, so I got the Corsair H110i. Well, initially I was getting even higher temps than with the D15, which didn't seem right so it turned out the copper plate wasn't making 100% contact with the heat spreader on the CPU. So after fixing that I still wasn't getting better temps than the D15, but I was getting a lot more noise. So I decided to return the H110i and stick with the D15. It's a great cooler, especially when you consider it doesn't make a ton of noise. And it never has to run at full speed, so it's pleasingly quiet.

Now all I'm going to do is improve the airflow in my case. Have two intakes up front (Corsair AF140, one partially blocked by the HD cage), one outtake in the rear (another Corsair AF140). I'm using a Kraken G10 bracket + Kraken X31 CLC on my GPU (980 Ti), and have that as a top exhaust. Plan on picking up a Noctua NF-F12 (120mm) fan as bottom intake (my Corsair 750D case only supports 120mm fans at the bottom, surprisingly). I think that should sufficiently improve airflow.


----------



## newbies

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miklkit*
> 
> What is your overall case airflow like? Good case airflow will help overall cooling. Most people with good air flow and D15s get 4.7-4.8 ghz.
> 
> I have always wanted a Zalman just for the looks but it appears to be a bit of an underperformer in the cooling department. 4.5 ghz is 212 territory.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> After a few years it usually helps to wash the cooler in a sink of hot soapy water. The fins tend to collect a film of dirt and oil. This film insulates and lowers the heat transfer from fin to air. Washing it off usually give a few degrees better cooling.
> 
> CLCs don't cool any better than many top air coolers .. and if they are a few degrees cooler their are 2-8 times as loud.
> 
> As already stated, top tier air are a few degrees better than your Zalman, but improving case airflow often gains 5-8c. It takes a little time and effort, but the lower temps and noise are worth it. You might find articles in "Ways to Better Cooling" thread helpful. Link is in my sig.


Well if I get a D15, I can use it for my next computer too. I'll clean and reseat my Zalman first tho to get a temperature to compare to the D15.

Regarding airflow, I have a NZXT Phantom Full Tower with the default fan setup as illustrated in the picture below. I have room for a second 200mm at the top of the case. I'm not sure how to improve case air flow.


----------



## miklkit

Try moving that top rear 200mm fan to the yop front position. All it is doing where it is at is disrupting the air flow through the CPU cooler.


----------



## doyll

Does your case have these fan placement options:
FRONT, 1 X 140mm
REAR, 1 X 120mm (included)
SIDE, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 200/230 (2 x 120mm included)
TOP, 2 X 200mm (1 x LED 200mm included)

or these fan placement options:
FRONT, 1 x 200mm or 2 x 140mm/120mm fan mounts, (1 x 200mm fan included),
REAR, 1 x 140mm/120mm fan mount, (140mm fan included),
TOP, 2 x 200mm/140mm or 3 x 120mm fan mounts,
SIDE, 1 x 140mm side fan mount,
BOTTOM, 2 x 120mm fan mounts,
INTERNAL, 1 x 140mm/120mm fan mount (fans not included)


----------



## newbies

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miklkit*
> 
> Try moving that top rear 200mm fan to the yop front position. All it is doing where it is at is disrupting the air flow through the CPU cooler.


Good suggestion, I'll try that.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Does your case have these fan placement options:
> FRONT, 1 X 140mm
> REAR, 1 X 120mm (included)
> SIDE, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 200/230 (2 x 120mm included)
> TOP, 2 X 200mm (1 x LED 200mm included)
> 
> or these fan placement options:
> FRONT, 1 x 200mm or 2 x 140mm/120mm fan mounts, (1 x 200mm fan included),
> REAR, 1 x 140mm/120mm fan mount, (140mm fan included),
> TOP, 2 x 200mm/140mm or 3 x 120mm fan mounts,
> SIDE, 1 x 140mm side fan mount,
> BOTTOM, 2 x 120mm fan mounts,
> INTERNAL, 1 x 140mm/120mm fan mount (fans not included)


I have this one:
FRONT, 1 X 140mm
REAR, 1 X 120mm (included)
SIDE, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 200/230 (2 x 120mm included)
TOP, 2 X 200mm (1 x LED 200mm included)

The 200/230 side fan can't be used due to CPU cooler size. I should probably install the front fan as an intake?


----------



## jsc1973

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miklkit*
> 
> What is your overall case airflow like? Good case airflow will help overall cooling. Most people with good air flow and D15s get 4.7-4.8 ghz.
> 
> I have always wanted a Zalman just for the looks but it appears to be a bit of an underperformer in the cooling department. 4.5 ghz is 212 territory.


It should be a little better than a 212, but not at the same performance level as a D15. The Zalman was one of the best air coolers when it first came out, but it predated all of the larger models, and its main raison d'être for existing, as I recall, was that it outperformed the 212 Plus and similar coolers, which were the best thing you could buy then.

As a long-term investment, something you plan to use for a long time, the D15 is worth it. It should be a high-performance cooler for a number of years yet. Even an older D14, if you get it at a discount, should last years.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *newbies*
> 
> Good suggestion, I'll try that.
> I have this one:
> FRONT, 1 X 140mm
> REAR, 1 X 120mm (included)
> SIDE, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 200/230 (2 x 120mm included)
> TOP, 2 X 200mm (1 x LED 200mm included)
> 
> The 200/230 side fan can't be used due to CPU cooler size. I should probably install the front fan as an intake?


Yes, front and bottom intakes. Possible the top vent closer to the front as an intake too, but that iffy. I would remove all unused PCIe back slot covers too. These things should give you good airflow from front to back supplying both GPU and CPU with cool air, but to be sure check the cooler intake air temp as discribed in case airflow in "Ways to Better Cooling" thread.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jsc1973*
> 
> It should be a little better than a 212, but not at the same performance level as a D15. The Zalman was one of the best air coolers when it first came out, but it predated all of the larger models, and its main raison d'être for existing, as I recall, was that it outperformed the 212 Plus and similar coolers, which were the best thing you could buy then.
> 
> As a long-term investment, something you plan to use for a long time, the D15 is worth it. It should be a high-performance cooler for a number of years yet. Even an older D14, if you get it at a discount, should last years.


Indeed. NH-D14 is as good as NH-D15 with the same fans.


----------



## Brohem0th

I've been running a 4690k at 1.41v/4.9Ghz and staying at 70c, but since I managed to find a 4790k with an X Batch number from Vietnam, I figure I'll go ahead and see if I can hit 5Ghz and keep it under 80c.

Also, I'm wanting to sell my 4690k to recoup some of the money I'm spending on my 4790k, but it's been delidded and has CLU applied, as well as clear nail polish over the VRM's. You guys think someone would still want to buy it?


----------



## MR-e

Has the NH-D15S hit any shelves yet?


----------



## DocShay

Any clearance issues with Corsair Dominator ram?

Planning on a Skylake build next month with this CPU Cooler and DDR4 Dominator ram.

Bonus question: Is it rediculous to buy 140mm Redux fans to replace the stock ones, just to have even color matching with the other redux fans i'm planning for the case? Guess I could always sell the stock ones...


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DocShay*
> 
> Any clearance issues with Corsair Dominator ram?
> 
> Planning on a Skylake build next month with this CPU Cooler and DDR4 Dominator ram.
> 
> Bonus question: Is it rediculous to buy 140mm Redux fans to replace the stock ones, just to have even color matching with the other redux fans i'm planning for the case? Guess I could always sell the stock ones...


Only that you will need a case with 190mm CPU clearance to fit a 140mm fan over this RAM.

Yes, it's ridiculous .. but than many of the things we do are.








The Redux will not mount with the stock fan clips.







NF-A15 have 105mm mount spacing (normal 120mm fan) and Redux have 124.5mm mount spacing (140mm fan).


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DocShay*
> 
> Bonus question: Is it rediculous to buy 140mm Redux fans to replace the stock ones, just to have even color matching with the other redux fans i'm planning for the case? Guess I could always sell the stock ones...


Why, yes, it is.

The D15 fans are more efficient than the similar redux model. Very close tho. The the NF-P14 1500rpm PWM is the closet match for cooling. Bit noisier however.. Still better to buy more chocolate and cream premiums ones for the case to match the D15's fans.

Unless you don't like more chocolate and cream - then nevermind. Oh, and keep the HD598s away from your system too:


If you have an aversion to the 'premium' color scheme...you could pop in a couple black & white TR TY-147As (heresy, I know). Won't match the ultimate cooling of the A15s, but will be very quiet. Equivalent to the A15 with the LNA.

Actually, on 2nd thought, I'll give you 10 bucks a piece for those horrible spinning beige and brown noisemakers and you can fund your grey redux adventure.









Also - need to lift the front fan to clear the over-sinked Dominators. Make sure your case has at least 190-195mm cooler clearance. Or just get a D15S and not worry about the clearance or the color, since the beigeness will be lost in the fin stack, neither seen, nor heard.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Why, yes, it is.
> 
> The D15 fans are more efficient than the similar redux model. Very close tho. The the NF-P14 1500rpm PWM is the closet match for cooling. Bit noisier however.. Still better to buy more chocolate and cream premiums ones for the case to match the D15's fans.
> 
> Unless you don't like more chocolate and cream - then nevermind. Oh, and keep the HD598s away from your system too:
> 
> 
> If you have an aversion to the 'premium' color scheme...you could pop in a couple black & white TR TY-147As (heresy, I know). Won't match the ultimate cooling of the A15s, but will be very quiet. Equivalent to the A15 with the LNA.
> 
> Actually, on 2nd thought, I'll give you 10 bucks a piece for those horrible spinning beige and brown noisemakers and you can fund your grey redux adventure.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also - need to lift the front fan to clear the over-sinked Dominators. Make sure your case has at least 190-195mm cooler clearance. Or just get a D15S and not worry about the clearance or the color, since the beigeness will be lost in the fin stack, neither seen, nor heard.


Or just use a single fan in NH-D15.









To me the only advantage the D15S has over D15 is the offset for better PCIe socket clearance. They cost the same .. meaning with D15 you get a free NF-A15 1500rpm fan.


----------



## DocShay

Will 28" cpu clearance be enough?









I'm building a PC desk, each cabinet is 28" tall - One dedicated to holding just PC components (mobo will lay flat) , with a window cut out on the top of the desk. Therfore...if needed I have 28" of room to play with. I think that should do









Looks like I will use a NH-D15. I'm going with all-around Noctua fans purely for their quietness and preformance - Not the "chocolate cream" look







. I'll have 5x140mm fans for cooling ontop of the CPU cooler (3x intake, 2x exhaust). The redux line seems very good. While perhaps not as good as the normal noctua line - I don't mind taking a small preformance hit to get a good color scheme. Plus all the accessories the regular line come with can be bought. (I will be using anti vibration screws/pins/whatever they like to call them)


----------



## iatacs19

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Or just use a single fan in NH-D15.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To me the only advantage the D15S has over D15 is the offset for better PCIe socket clearance. They cost the same .. meaning with D15 you get a free NF-A15 1500rpm fan.


I think the MSRP for the D15S is lower @ $79 since it only includes 1 fan.


----------



## doyll

MSRP for NH-D15S: EUR 79.90 / USD 79.90
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=presse_archiv&step=2&news_id=100&lng=en

On Amazon NH-D15 now sells for $65-95.00


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> MSRP for NH-D15S: EUR 79.90 / USD 79.90
> http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=presse_archiv&step=2&news_id=100&lng=en
> 
> On Amazon NH-D15 now sells for $65-95.00


Please post the link where the D15 is $65!!!

This link on amazon.com shows $92.99USD as the cheapest D15: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00L7UZMAK/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1436392003&sr=8-1&keywords=noctua+NH-D15&condition=new

Should be said tho, that the D15S is $99 atm on Amazon.com. Only because there is no stock in North America (and little in Europe). Expect it to drop to the MSRP once the supply matches the demand. And priced about the cost of D15 less the price of a A15 fan.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Please post the link where the D15 is $65!!!
> 
> This link on amazon.com shows $92.99USD as the cheapest D15: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00L7UZMAK/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1436392003&sr=8-1&keywords=noctua+NH-D15&condition=new
> 
> Should be said tho, that the D15S is $99 atm on Amazon.com. Only because there is no stock in North America (and little in Europe). Expect it to drop to the MSRP once the supply matches the demand. And priced about the cost of D15 less the price of a A15 fan.


All I did was open Amazon.com and enter "NH-D15" into it's search.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> All I did was open Amazon.com and enter "NH-D15" into it's search.


You either have the magic Amazon touch, or like starting shopping spree rumours on the internet.









Or may not have noticed that the list it brings up is this:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=NH-D15
Which contain U12S and D14 pricing. As well as $79 Phanteks and Energizer battery deals!









The list I posted contains only D15 prices and none are in the $65USD range...


----------



## Fuubar

Hi guys, I curently run a NH-D14 horizontally on a Z97 Extreme4 Asrock mobo with SLI GPUs.
Thinking about going to NH-D15 horizontally, but heard mixed opinions on the 1st PciEx slot, anyone with a similar setup can confirm or infirm?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fuubar*
> 
> Hi guys, I curently run a NH-D14 horizontally on a Z97 Extreme4 Asrock mobo with SLI GPUs.
> Thinking about going to NH-D15 horizontally, but heard mixed opinions on the 1st PciEx slot, anyone with a similar setup can confirm or infirm?


Why? Only reason NH-D15 cools a couple degrees better than NH-D14 is it has better fans. Change your fans to something like the TY-147A for near identical performance .. or if you want to go extreme TY-143 for even better performance with same noise at same rpm as NF-A15 or TY-147A fans. Depending on where you live the TY-143 may be way cheaper too. Here in UK I can get them for £10.76


----------



## Abula

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Fuubar*
> 
> Hi guys, I curently run a NH-D14 horizontally on a Z97 Extreme4 Asrock mobo with SLI GPUs.
> Thinking about going to NH-D15 horizontally, but heard mixed opinions on the 1st PciEx slot, anyone with a similar setup can confirm or infirm?


Your NH-D14 should be fine, its still a top end cooler, if you still wish to change it, wait for the NH-D15S, which is asymetrical so it shouldn't overlap the first PCIe slot.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Fuubar*
> 
> Hi guys, I curently run a NH-D14 horizontally on a Z97 Extreme4 Asrock mobo with SLI GPUs.
> Thinking about going to NH-D15 horizontally, but heard mixed opinions on the 1st PciEx slot, anyone with a similar setup can confirm or infirm?
> 
> 
> 
> Why? Only reason NH-D15 cools a couple degrees better than NH-D14 is it has better fans. Change your fans to something like the TY-147A for near identical performance .. or if you want to go extreme TY-143 for even better performance with same noise at same rpm as NF-A15 or TY-147A fans. Depending on where you live the TY-143 may be way cheaper too. Here in UK I can get them for £10.76
Click to expand...

Great advice.


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Hi there everyone!
I shall join Le Club









I had problems with my Antec 920 - listed here:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1560816/cpu-temps-have-gone-up-solved-faulty-antec-920/

Did some research and went ahead and bought the D15 - here's some pics and a few questions for y'all - input is appreciated! (I copy and pasted my post from my thread into here)









Here's the D15 installed in my system



For those wondering what happened with the RAM clearance and the Sabertooth Z77 - for the second fan to fit with RAM - I had to remove the 2x Vengeance and replace with the Vengeance LP (low-profile) - I have two sticks in my mother's PC, which run at the same 1600mhz 9-9-9-24 2N, so I just swapped them in.

Installation was by far one of the most easiest and straightforward installations I've ever done in my life. It makes the Arctic cooler look like a chore! Top marks to Noctua and for their overall presentation + what's included (you get thermal paste + fan resistors)

Before showing the pics - I would like to ask about the fan setup I have in my Fractal R4 - what's your thoughts - I think it is the best setup, but I'm happy to hear suggestions.
I have:
2x Intake from front -> Fractal R4 included Silent fans
1x Intake from side -> Corsair AF140
1x Intake from top -> Corsair SP120
Push/pull setup going towards the back on the D15s
1x Exhaust at the rear -> Corsair AF140



I DO HAVE a spare Corsair SP120, which I think is a shame to leave just standing there doing nothing - but I just can't see it working with the top slot.
I should note that I removed the small fractal "silent" pad at the top, as I felt that hot air could at least vent out from there, rather than stick in.



Here are the pics!


Spoiler: Over 19 pics here!!!

























Don't worry, I didn't forget a nice P95 blend for over 30mins to see temps, they're great! (My i7 3770k running at 4.5ghz is de-lidded)
(tab it to see temps etc - max temp was around 69c)


----------



## Totally Dubbed

^Anyone?


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Totally Dubbed*
> 
> ^Anyone?


No one is available at this time to review your post. So I will!









It looks great. Temps are pretty good. There's still some tweaking left to do, if you want.

Have you experimented with removing the top intake, putting the fan in the bottom and re-installing the "silent" pad in the top? It's a simple thing to do and will confirm/refute your optimum airflow theory for this case.

While you may need that top drive bay, as a test, could remove it and use the spare SP120 as intake. If you happened to have a spare Noc A15/14 even better. The results might be very interesting.

Another mod is remove the rear exhaust fan entirely as well as the rear grille. Not exactly reversible, but check the threads from doyll and ehume to see their improved results.

Hope this temporary critique will suffice until the bigger airheads arrive and go full flow with your build.


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> No one is available at this time to review your post. So I will!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It looks great. Temps are pretty good. There's still some tweaking left to do, if you want.
> 
> Have you experimented with removing the top intake, putting the fan in the bottom and re-installing the "silent" pad in the top? It's a simple thing to do and will confirm/refute your optimum airflow theory for this case.
> 
> While you may need that top drive bay, as a test, could remove it and use the spare SP120 as intake. If you happened to have a spare Noc A15/14 even better. The results might be very interesting.
> 
> Another mod is remove the rear exhaust fan entirely as well as the rear grille. Not exactly reversible, but check the threads from doyll and ehume to see their improved results.
> 
> Hope this temporary critique will suffice until the bigger airheads arrive and go full flow with your build.


that's some excellent input, thanks!
The intake I never thought about, however wouldn't it have problems, considering I'm on carpet flooring? The idea is bang on though, I like pushing the air up.

Exhaust - I think I'll keep for the time being.
Drive bay can't be removed, if I'm not mistaken, but that would have been good.

Also there's one more thing - could I use a sp120 on the radiator as a pull towards the exhaust fan? Meaning I have 3 fans on the cooler?


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Totally Dubbed*
> 
> that's some excellent input, thanks!
> The intake I never thought about, however wouldn't it have problems, considering I'm on carpet flooring? The idea is bang on though, I like pushing the air up.
> 
> Exhaust - I think I'll keep for the time being.
> Drive bay can't be removed, if I'm not mistaken, but that would have been good.
> 
> Also there's one more thing - could I use a sp120 on the radiator as a pull towards the exhaust fan? Meaning I have 3 fans on the cooler?


Oh come on, rip up your case with tin snips!









If you have the case on carpet, suggest you elevate it a bit. Easy to make a a simple platform - a piece of plywood (covered in carbon fibre vinyl if needed) bolt on a set of casters and the case has some more breathing space and less dust. I've made a few and often will jigsaw out the center and install a cheap washable furnace filter.

The 3rd fan may help a little, but would help more if the exhaust fan was mysteriously disappeared through a gaping hole where the restrictive grille once was. ;-)


----------



## MicroCat

Found it...here's ehume thread on disappearing exhaust fans.

And doyll's case airflow post that suggests it too.

I've recently performed some disappearances and can report an improvement. Need to check the exact data, but it was measurable enough to accept the risk of non-reversibility.


----------



## doyll

Raise the case but not on a solid plywood base. Put 4 blocks under it, one at each corner or use a castor base with center open like this on I made for Define R2. Triangle pieces are to index magnetic mount filter on vent.







.


or this one for Enthoo Primo


----------



## JynxLee

I'm about to order the Noctua NH-D15, moving away from a Corsair AIO. I checked Noctua's website, says it wont block my PCIe, checked my ram height and I will have to raise the one fan up higher, I have corsair vengeance ram. So my question is, 1.) Does raising that one fan change the cooling efficiency much if any? 2.) I have a Fractal R5, will raising that 1 fan to account for memory height hit the side panel?

Thanks!


----------



## doyll

If it is the motherboard in your sig, it is 75mm from center CPU to side of 1st PCI-e socket .. which is what the NH-D15 is to side of cooler fins. If your GPU back is not flush with side of socket, they both will not fit.

Vengeance RAM is *52.5mm* tall

Define R5 has *180mm* CPU clearance.

RAM base is 5mm below top of CPU for a total of *185mm* RAM and fan clearance
140mm fan plus 52.5mm RAM is *192.5mm*
140mm fan on top of Vengeance is *7.5mm too tall* to fit.

You have PM


----------



## JynxLee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> If it is the motherboard in your sig, it is 75mm from center CPU to side of 1st PCI-e socket .. which is what the NH-D15 is to side of cooler fins. If your GPU back is not flush with side of socket, they both will not fit.
> 
> Vengeance RAM is *52.5mm* tall
> 
> Define R5 has *180mm* CPU clearance.
> 
> RAM base is 5mm below top of CPU for a total of *185mm* RAM and fan clearance
> 140mm fan plus 52.5mm RAM is *192.5mm*
> 140mm fan on top of Vengeance is *7.5mm too tall* to fit.
> 
> You have PM


The GPU is completely flush, there's no aftermarket coolers or back plates on it. So with that and with Noctuas compatibility chart I don't believe I'll have a problem PCIe wise. And since posting this I did end up finding other R5's with this cooler so I guess I'm good there too.

Just comes down to it fitting with panel closed if the back fan is raised some to account for memory.

Worst case scenario I guess I break out the dremel and cut some fins off the ram.


----------



## JynxLee

I'm just gonna grab some low profile vengeance. I know I could save $100 and cut the fins but my OCD won't allow me to sit comfortably at the PC knowing there in there cut


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JynxLee*
> 
> I'm about to order the Noctua NH-D15, moving away from a Corsair AIO. I checked Noctua's website, says it wont block my PCIe, checked my ram height and I will have to raise the one fan up higher, I have corsair vengeance ram. So my question is, 1.) Does raising that one fan change the cooling efficiency much if any? 2.) I have a Fractal R5, will raising that 1 fan to account for memory height hit the side panel?
> 
> Thanks!


Hey dude,

I'm new to the club - but you should check out my R4 pics here, with Vengeance LP and normal:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1480717/noctua-nh-d15-club/860#post_24155543

This should give you a better idea of the size of the thing and clearance space (see my PCIE slot with my wireless adapter JUST fitting in)


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Oh come on, rip up your case with tin snips!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you have the case on carpet, suggest you elevate it a bit. Easy to make a a simple platform - a piece of plywood (covered in carbon fibre vinyl if needed) bolt on a set of casters and the case has some more breathing space and less dust. I've made a few and often will jigsaw out the center and install a cheap washable furnace filter.
> 
> The 3rd fan may help a little, but would help more if the exhaust fan was mysteriously disappeared through a gaping hole where the restrictive grille once was. ;-)


Interesting - thanks for letting me know bro!
I just don't see myself modding my case now - but will definitely keep it in mind.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Found it...here's ehume thread on disappearing exhaust fans.
> 
> And doyll's case airflow post that suggests it too.
> 
> I've recently performed some disappearances and can report an improvement. Need to check the exact data, but it was measurable enough to accept the risk of non-reversibility.


Excellent posts +rep to you and those mentioned!
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Raise the case but not on a solid plywood base. Put 4 blocks under it, one at each corner or use a castor base with center open like this on I made for Define R2. Triangle pieces are to index magnetic mount filter on vent.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
> 
> 
> or this one for Enthoo Primo


thanks for sharing!


----------



## JynxLee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Totally Dubbed*
> 
> Hey dude,
> 
> I'm new to the club - but you should check out my R4 pics here, with Vengeance LP and normal:
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1480717/noctua-nh-d15-club/860#post_24155543
> 
> This should give you a better idea of the size of the thing and clearance space (see my PCIE slot with my wireless adapter JUST fitting in)


Looks like I'll be fine.

I just ordered the D15 and some Vengeance LP, will be here tomorrow. I'll have a EVGA GTX 980 Ti SC right below it, Doesn't appear that I'll have any problems.

I gotta check out some other Mobo's I was interested in because within the next month or 2 I'll be switching boards and picking up another 980 Ti.


----------



## JynxLee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Found it...here's ehume thread on disappearing exhaust fans.
> 
> And doyll's case airflow post that suggests it too.
> 
> I've recently performed some disappearances and can report an improvement. Need to check the exact data, but it was measurable enough to accept the risk of non-reversibility.


I just built the R5, I removed the top 5.25 bays I don't use them, what's the best way to put another fan there instead? Unless I misread what you said a cple post up I thought maybe that's what you was saying. I want to keep all my moduvents closed as well that's why I bought it


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JynxLee*
> 
> I just built the R5, I removed the top 5.25 bays I don't use them, what's the best way to put another fan there instead? Unless I misread what you said a cple post up I thought maybe that's what you was saying. I want to keep all my moduvents closed as well that's why I bought it


The best way or the quick way? I'm expert at the later.

If it's a 140mm fan, I just apply some thick self-adhesive weather strip on two sides of the fan to create a friction-fitting fan. Then create a 'support tray' for the bottom of the fan using foam art board. Or twist ties or whatever is at hand...

With a 120mm fan, it's more complicated. Involves actually measuring the space and then cutting foam art board to create a faux front plate and shroud to snug-fit the fan. Essentially creating a fan box/tunnel with the foam art board. Vinyl sign board works as well. Then attach fan to the 'fan box' using double-sided adhesive tape. Then use the double-sided tape to attach to the 'fan-box' to the case.

Others can chime in with the best way. ;-)


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JynxLee*
> 
> Looks like I'll be fine.
> 
> I just ordered the D15 and some Vengeance LP, will be here tomorrow. I'll have a EVGA GTX 980 Ti SC right below it, Doesn't appear that I'll have any problems.
> 
> I gotta check out some other Mobo's I was interested in because within the next month or 2 I'll be switching boards and picking up another 980 Ti.


Perfect!


----------



## JynxLee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> The best way or the quick way? I'm expert at the later.
> 
> If it's a 140mm fan, I just apply some thick self-adhesive weather strip on two sides of the fan to create a friction-fitting fan. Then create a 'support tray' for the bottom of the fan using foam art board. Or twist ties or whatever is at hand...
> 
> With a 120mm fan, it's more complicated. Involves actually measuring the space and then cutting foam art board to create a faux front plate and shroud to snug-fit the fan. Essentially creating a fan box/tunnel with the foam art board. Vinyl sign board works as well. Then attach fan to the 'fan box' using double-sided adhesive tape. Then use the double-sided tape to attach to the 'fan-box' to the case.
> 
> Others can chime in with the best way. ;-)


Sounds worth looking into, I can picture what your saying and with a little paint it would look meant to be there.


----------



## JynxLee

I put the h100i in push/pull the other night with the Noctua fans around 1000RPM.

As of lastnight and this morning at idle

CPU 28c
GPU 30c
MB - 29c

The DH15 will be waiting for me when I get home from work today but with those above temps the past 2 days I'm hesitant now to swap it out :


----------



## doyll

What6 are the H100i load temps?


----------



## JynxLee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> What6 are the H100i load temps?


That's what I haven't done yet. I get up before the rest of the world and then work 12-15 hrs and then come home and don't want to move lol.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JynxLee*
> 
> That's what I haven't done yet. I get up before the rest of the world and then work 12-15 hrs and then come home and don't want to move lol.


No big deal. Just curious.


----------



## JynxLee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> No big deal. Just curious.


Just got notified my Asus Maximus VII Hero / Noctua D15 and Corsair Vengeance LP arrived, so hopefully when I get home I'm not too beat and I will transplant everything and see if I love moving over to a D15 vs my H100i.


----------



## iamwill3292

Question: Can you fit the Noctua Industrial 140mm fans onto this cooler? http://www.amazon.com/NF-A14-industrialPPC-3000-PWM-140x140x25mm-3000rpm/dp/B00KESS5L4

I've read that you could, but also that the default fans are 150mm so the 140mm will fit, but not snugly. Feedback from anyone with similar experience would be great. I'm trying to decide between this or the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 3 because it matches my all black build, but if I can get the black Noctua fans properly installed onto this cooler, Noctua all the way.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iamwill3292*
> 
> Question: Can you fit the Noctua Industrial 140mm fans onto this cooler? http://www.amazon.com/NF-A14-industrialPPC-3000-PWM-140x140x25mm-3000rpm/dp/B00KESS5L4
> 
> I've read that you could, but also that the default fans are 150mm so the 140mm will fit, but not snugly. Feedback from anyone with similar experience would be great. I'm trying to decide between this or the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 3 because it matches my all black build, but if I can get the black Noctua fans properly installed onto this cooler, Noctua all the way.


Fans are 140mm with 105mm (120mm fan) mount spacing, so fan clips are 105mm spacing and will not fit 124.5mm (140mm fan) mount spacing.


----------



## GMcDougal

Im thinking about getting the D15S so i dont run into compatibility issues with my motherboard and ram. Will i see cooler temps over my h80i (h80i fans are running at 1600rpm). Thanks


----------



## JynxLee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> No big deal. Just curious.


Ok so I went ahead and ran Prime95 for about 30 mins with HWinfo, I left the fans on the H100i at 1000rpm. I don't know if this is the info you need or not, I'm not the best benchmarking things.


----------



## JynxLee

Do you think those number's will be significantly different with the D15? and with 4 noctura f12's on the h100i at 1000rpm I don't hear anything right now. I'm sure the Fractal R5 helps.


----------



## MicroCat

@ JynxLee

Is 5-7 degrees cooler and 6-7dB quieter significant to you? If so, then probably.



That's the <40dB results from Hitech legion's D15 test.

Here's their results using F12s on the H100i and other AIOs.


----------



## Sinnersprayer

Hey all. Just wanted to get my certificate of ownership in here. Sorry it's dark, but it's late, I'm running on generator power because we got slammed by storms over the past 2 days, and it's as best I could do for the moment. Be glad to do some more during daylight, or when the power kicks back on.



And just in case anyone is ever curious, the Rosewill Blackhawk will fit the D-15, I'm using an Asus Maximus VII Hero, and you retain the use of all 4 DIMM slots, it doesn't block any PCIe slots, and as long as you're using a low-profile 120mm fan (120x15mm) you'll even retain use of your side panel fan and get that extra airflow right on your GPUs. And the case is in the $80 and under bracket, I personally can't recommend it enough for air cooling.



Keep the temps low and the frames high!


----------



## JynxLee

I finally installed the D15 tonight and so far stress testing I'm a good 5-7 degrees hotter than I was with the h100i. I guess results will vary from person to person.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JynxLee*
> 
> I finally installed the D15 tonight and so far stress testing I'm a good 5-7 degrees hotter than I was with the h100i. I guess results will vary from person to person.


Is it quieter tho?

Have you made your case intake airflow mods yet? The big air coolers need to breathe deep. From cool intake air. There's an air poem in there somewhere.


----------



## JynxLee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Is it quieter tho?
> 
> Have you made your case intake airflow mods yet? The big air coolers need to breathe deep. From cool intake air. There's an air poem in there somewhere.


Currently there are 2 intake fans in the front, 1 intake in the side panel, 1 intake in the bottom that I just added when I installed this and 1 rear exhaust.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JynxLee*
> 
> I finally installed the D15 tonight and so far stress testing I'm a good 5-7 degrees hotter than I was with the h100i. I guess results will vary from person to person.


Sounds like you need to work on case airflow. NH-D15 cools just as good as H100i at much lower noise levels .. if the airflow into both is the same temperature.







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JynxLee*
> 
> Currently there are 2 intake fans in the front, 1 intake in the side panel, 1 intake in the bottom that I just added when I installed this and 1 rear exhaust.


So only the back vent to let air out? This beans the 4 intakes are all trying to move their potential airflow out a hole the size of one of them.







Granted, there is a little vent area in the PCI-e slot covers and above them in the back, but case still has maybe half as much exhaust airflow area as the 4 intake fans have .. the intake fans can only flow as much air into the case as the exhaust lets out. This is why I keep preaching to have at least as much exhaust vent area as intake fan vent area.

What fans are you using?

What is the air temp going into cooler and the air temp of the room?

Remove all unused PCI-e slot cover, unplug the side fan, raise case about 40mm on something like spray can caps or square blocks and see what your temps do.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JynxLee*
> 
> Currently there are 2 intake fans in the front, 1 intake in the side panel, 1 intake in the bottom that I just added when I installed this and 1 rear exhaust.


Have you measured the cooler intake temp? Cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer with remote probe will work. Have you checked doyll's optimum case cooling post?

Maybe you've achieved the optimum flow for your system. Some simple measurements will confirm it.


----------



## doyll

You are being nice. I know Define R5 easily flows much better than JynxLee's now is.









I've set up a few myself and helped others do many more. Stock fans are not great, but with good fans properly installed they perform very well while remaining quiet.


----------



## JynxLee

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Sounds like you need to work on case airflow. NH-D15 cools just as good as H100i at much lower noise levels .. if the airflow into both is the same temperature.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So only the back vent to let air out? This beans the 4 intakes are all trying to move their potential airflow out a hole the size of one of them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Granted, there is a little vent area in the PCI-e slot covers and above them in the back, but case still has maybe half as much exhaust airflow area as the 4 intake fans have .. the intake fans can only flow as much air into the case as the exhaust lets out. This is why I keep preaching to have at least as much exhaust vent area as intake fan vent area.
> 
> What fans are you using?
> 
> What is the air temp going into cooler and the air temp of the room?
> 
> Remove all unused PCI-e slot cover, unplug the side fan, raise case about 40mm on something like spray can caps or square blocks and see what your temps do.


I've always been told to use positive pressure especially for dust purposed. All the fan's are 120mm Noctua's. intakes are F12's and exhaust is S12a. Currently I do have the case raised since I put a fan on the bottom of the case. Another reason why there is the one exhaust is I was trying to keep the moduvents closed on the top for sound dampening. This is the same setup I had with the h100i except that I had more fan with it being in push pull and intake.

Right now I'm using Asus fanxpert and have everything set on turbo which keeps the fans at 14% at 25c and slowly ramps to 49% at 45c. I've seince set that 14% to 25%.

Again just the bottom fan and lack of 4 intakes on the h100i rad is the only thing different from 2 days ago to today. The air in the room is always cool, central air has remained on and this room always stays nice. And on the R5 next to the PCIe slots is all open mesh.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JynxLee*
> 
> I've always been told to use positive pressure especially for dust purposed. All the fan's are 120mm Noctua's. intakes are F12's and exhaust is S12a. Currently I do have the case raised since I put a fan on the bottom of the case. Another reason why there is the one exhaust is I was trying to keep the moduvents closed on the top for sound dampening. This is the same setup I had with the h100i except that I had more fan with it being in push pull and intake.
> 
> Right now I'm using Asus fanxpert and have everything set on turbo which keeps the fans at 14% at 25c and slowly ramps to 49% at 45c. I've seince set that 14% to 25%.
> 
> Again just the bottom fan and lack of 4 intakes on the h100i rad is the only thing different from 2 days ago to today. The air in the room is always cool, central air has remained on and this room always stays nice. And on the R5 next to the PCIe slots is all open mesh.


LOL.
The "4 intkaes on H100i (actually 2 intake with 2 more fans stacked on them) were sucking unheated air from the room. But the air cooling is using air already in the case and probably 7-15c warmer than room.

Try running the case fans at 100% and see if that helps.

All that is needed is more intakes than exhaust FAN airflow capability. Making a case "positive pressure" by restricting the amount of air the case can flow out only restricts the case's overall airflow .. and airflow is way more important to keeping things cool. The reality is our cases will have almost no less or greater pressure than the room .. the are like building built to stay clean .. the ventilation system in the building has ever so slightly greater barometric pressure than the outside environment so when a door is opened air _flows_ out, not in. But when the doors are closed no air flows out of building. This almost no pressure at all .. less than it takes to make out ears "pop" when we fly in airplanes.

Our cases need to have plenty of airflow. .. more than the combined total of fans on components in the case. Stacked fans like push/pull on CPU cooler count only as one fan, but the 2 or 3 fans side by side on GPU are each flowing additional air .. and the heated exhaust from most GPUs is dumping indiscriminately everywhere inside the case causing the air going to CPU and to itself to be pre-heated before being used .. not a good thing. So when I build I make sure there is plenty of vent area for GPU and CPU to exhaust their heated air without it mixing with cool intake air. This does not require many if any exhaust fans. But it does require intake fans that have a decent static pressure rating to move enough air into case so it pushes the hot alr out and supplies cool air to components. through the case. These build often have 1.5 - 2 times as much exhaust vent area as intake fan vent area.


----------



## Brohem0th

Personally, I don't mind hearing my case and cooling fans. I run them at max speed 24/7. But, I'm also seven feet away from my PC since I use it from bed, so maybe I should just shutup!

Case airflow is really really important for air cooling though, especially on the bigger coolers. If I shut off all of my case fans my load temps are a solid 12-15c higher, and my idle is about 7-10c higher. That's a huge difference.

I've got a 140mm side panel intake blowing cool air on my GPU, a 120mm intake at the bottom front of the case right above the hard drive mounts, two 140mm exhaust fans on the top of my case, and a 120mm exhaust on the back of my case. So 260mm of intake and 400mm of exhaust, pretty sure I'm rocking hella negative air pressure in my case even with a copious amount of vents scattered all around it.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> Personally, I don't mind hearing my case and cooling fans. I run them at max speed 24/7. But, I'm also seven feet away from my PC since I use it from bed, so maybe I should just shutup!
> 
> Case airflow is really really important for air cooling though, especially on the bigger coolers. If I shut off all of my case fans my load temps are a solid 12-15c higher, and my idle is about 7-10c higher. That's a huge difference.
> 
> I've got a 140mm side panel intake blowing cool air on my GPU, a 120mm intake at the bottom front of the case right above the hard drive mounts, two 140mm exhaust fans on the top of my case, and a 120mm exhaust on the back of my case. So 260mm of intake and 400mm of exhaust, pretty sure I'm rocking hella negative air pressure in my case even with a copious amount of vents scattered all around it.


Indeed, airflow is very important.








But you have very little negative pressure. Just enough pressure differential to cause air to flow into case through unused vents rather than out. Not even as much as going from sea level to a few thousand feet higher.









Have you tried unplugging the back top fan, reversing the front top fan to be an intake and removing all unused PCIe back slot covers?

That and try using mobo fan headers to control their speed changes same as cpu and gpu fan speeds do. This way case airflow cycles with component demand.


----------



## Brohem0th

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Indeed, airflow is very important.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But you have very little negative pressure. Just enough pressure differential to cause air to flow into case through unused vents rather than out. Not even as much as going from sea level to a few thousand feet higher.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Have you tried unplugging the back top fan, reversing the front top fan to be an intake and removing all unused PCIe back slot covers?
> 
> That and try using mobo fan headers to control their speed changes same as cpu and gpu fan speeds do. This way case airflow cycles with component demand.


I do use the motherboard headers for my rear exhaust, but I use the other two that I have (not counting CPU fan headers of course) for the two 120mm fans I have mounted to my 780. I got it for 75$ since both stock fans were seized so I just removed them and the shroud and zip-tied two high pressure 120mm fans to it. Doesn't even break 65c at full load running Furmark.

I have tried playing around with the direction of airflow of all of my case fans in quite a few different configurations and this one gives me the best results. I kept the PCIe back slot covers on to prevent some dust buildup. I know it's not actually a whole lot of negative air pressure, but it'll hold a piece of paper against any of the vents I press it against that don't have a fan exhausting through them, so I must be doing something right!

Case fans are cheap and I have two fans circulating air in my room, so honestly I can hardly even hear my PC. I prefer to keep it as cool as possible at all times, so I just leave them running at full speed.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> I do use the motherboard headers for my rear exhaust, but I use the other two that I have (not counting CPU fan headers of course) for the two 120mm fans I have mounted to my 780. I got it for 75$ since both stock fans were seized so I just removed them and the shroud and zip-tied two high pressure 120mm fans to it. Doesn't even break 65c at full load running Furmark.
> 
> I have tried playing around with the direction of airflow of all of my case fans in quite a few different configurations and this one gives me the best results. I kept the PCIe back slot covers on to prevent some dust buildup. I know it's not actually a whole lot of negative air pressure, but it'll hold a piece of paper against any of the vents I press it against that don't have a fan exhausting through them, so I must be doing something right!
> 
> Case fans are cheap and I have two fans circulating air in my room, so honestly I can hardly even hear my PC. I prefer to keep it as cool as possible at all times, so I just leave them running at full speed.


Different courses for different horses.








But with negative airflow like yours you have so much air entering case through unfiltered vents and holes that removing the PCIe slot covers is not going to make any difference.


----------



## Brohem0th

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Different courses for different horses.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But with negative airflow like yours you have so much air entering case through unfiltered vents and holes that removing the PCIe slot covers is not going to make any difference.


Not so good sir! My PC wears panty hose!

It may look ridiculously ghetto, but I took a pair of nylon panty hose (the largest pair I could buy at Walmart, and it being Walmart, they were pretty friggin huge!) and basically put my PC inside of them. Stretched 'em tight and wound up all the loose material on the bottom of the case, tied it in a knot, and I brush it off daily. My only regret is that I didn't do it from the very beginning, my rig hardly even accumulates dust at all anymore. Although, I guess you are still technically correct in that it wouldn't make a difference, lol.

But seriously though, it works like a charm.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> My PC wears panty hose!











I've heard and seen many strange things and fetishes on the web, but this has to be the best .. or worst .. I've heard of. Please seek professional help before it manifests into something much worse .. like you start wearing them.








But seriously, they make good low restriction air filters.









Eidt:
You should post pics of it in the Post your "ghetto rigging" shenanigans thread.


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Hey guys - is removing the little covers off my Sabertooth Z77 worth it - or even removing the whole shell off the motherboard?
I was on liquid before now on the D15 - just wondering if that would help board temps and or be worse for board temps?


----------



## Brohem0th

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've heard and seen many strange things and fetishes on the web, but this has to be the best .. or worst .. I've heard of. Please seek professional help before it manifests into something much worse .. like you start wearing them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But seriously, they make good low restriction air filters.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Eidt:
> You should post pics of it in the Post your "ghetto rigging" shenanigans thread.


Yeah, they do make really good low restriction air filters, but I wanted the entire thing to be absolutely filtered from top to bottom as well as having minimum airflow impedance.

Do gotta say though, it was pretty awkward buying pantyhose, especially as big a pair as I bought. I'm a pretty big guy (4 u) and now that I think about it the cashier probably thought I was getting them for myself. Lol.


----------



## CrazyElf

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Totally Dubbed*
> 
> Hey guys - is removing the little covers off my Sabertooth Z77 worth it - or even removing the whole shell off the motherboard?
> I was on liquid before now on the D15 - just wondering if that would help board temps and or be worse for board temps?


I recommend for best temperatures that you remove the armor.

This review is for P67, but it's not going to change with the Thermal armor on any chipset:

https://techreport.com/review/20863/asus-sabertooth-p67-motherboard

Quote:


> Thermal Armor was designed to lower motherboard component temperatures, but it actually increased temperatures with most of the configurations we tested. The optional assistant fan is probably necessary to achieve the best results. Asus doesn't include it with the board, so you'll have to add one at an additional cost. Of course, you can also remove the armor and enjoy the Sabertooth without it.


The only exception is if you use that fan that Asus provides:
https://techreport.com/news/20972/assistant-fan-improves-thermal-armor-performance


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CrazyElf*
> 
> I recommend for best temperatures that you remove the armor.
> 
> This review is for P67, but it's not going to change with the Thermal armor on any chipset:
> 
> https://techreport.com/review/20863/asus-sabertooth-p67-motherboard
> The only exception is if you use that fan that Asus provides:
> https://techreport.com/news/20972/assistant-fan-improves-thermal-armor-performance


Thanks +rep!


----------



## MR-e

Guys, got a question regarding the mounting of the D15. Do you guys screw down the retention plate all the way to the mounting bracket? Is it possible to over-tighten the cooler down and crack the cpu die?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sexpot*
> 
> Guys, got a question regarding the mounting of the D15. Do you guys screw down the retention plate all the way to the mounting bracket? Is it possible to over-tighten the cooler down and crack the cpu die?


Screw it right down. It has those springs. If the screw is hard to tighten, then you have mis-threaded it (I have mis-threaded Noctua mounts once in all my Noctua mounts out of hundreds of mounts). You can't overtighten your mount.


----------



## MadMiko

Just completed my build









http://postimage.org/
http://postimage.org/


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MadMiko*
> 
> Just completed my build


I notice that you have removed your grill and rear fan. I have a similar setup. We are using the Bernoulli Principle to exhaust our cases. For a fun trip, look at item 2 in my sig.


----------



## MadMiko

Yep! That's exactly where I got the idea from. I also removed the grill on the top of the case and replaced it with a acrylic sheet. Currently have 3 intake fans 1 in drive bay and two below as seen in the pic. Have my 4690K OC'd to 4.5GHz and temps idle at 36C with max at 68C (delidded CPU). Planning to remove the grill on the side panel and replace with a acrylic sheet as well.


----------



## doyll

It's kinda amazing how much difference in both noise and airflow removing the stamped grills makes.







If grills are needed, the round wire grills are the best option.


----------



## MadMiko

It really is. I even removed the circular rubber grommets that were beside the PCI-e slots and the airflow is really something. My goal was to only have to use 3 fans and so far it's really turning out great.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MadMiko*
> 
> It really is. I even removed the circular rubber grommets that were beside the PCI-e slots and the airflow is really something. My goal was to only have to use 3 fans and so far it's really turning out great.


Two of my 3 systems (Define R2 & Enthoo Luxe) use 3 intake fans spinning between 550rpm & 1000rpm .. 1000rpm is when stress testing. My other rig is Enthoo Primo with 6 intakes between 350rpm and 650rpm. I have 4 more of the PH-F140SP fans, but no need.


----------



## MR-e

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Screw it right down. It has those springs. If the screw is hard to tighten, then you have mis-threaded it (I have mis-threaded Noctua mounts once in all my Noctua mounts out of hundreds of mounts). You can't overtighten your mount.


Ok thanks, just want to confirm. When you say screw it right down, you mean tighten until I can't turn no further right? I don't have the Noctua yet as my parts are still shipping until next week


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sexpot*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Screw it right down. It has those springs. If the screw is hard to tighten, then you have mis-threaded it (I have mis-threaded Noctua mounts once in all my Noctua mounts out of hundreds of mounts). You can't overtighten your mount.
> 
> 
> 
> Ok thanks, just want to confirm. When you say screw it right down, you mean tighten until I can't turn no further right? I don't have the Noctua yet as my parts are still shipping until next week
Click to expand...

Your backplate will have pre-mounted screws. See my review of the NH-D15 on Overclockers.com (sorry -- I'm not allowed to link directly). Push the screw shafts through the holes in the motherboard. Put on your brackets and screw them snug -- Phillips #2 to get them more than finger tight. Then mount your heatsink. If you are a fanatic, Gelid GC Extreme cools about 1c better than the Noctua TIM. The tighten the tensioning screw all the way. Best to have a Phillips #2 screwdriver with an 8" (200mm) shaft and magnetic tip for screwing down this heatsink and motherboard screws. I got mine at Sears -- a Craftsman.


----------



## MR-e

I'm going to pick up my NH-D15S this saturday for an upcoming matx build







I got the S version so I could use my graphics card in the first slot. Just wondering guys, will 2x scythe gt ap15's outperform 2x noctua 140mm fans? I want to focus on silence with this upcoming build.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sexpot*
> 
> I'm going to pick up my NH-D15S this saturday for an upcoming matx build
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I got the S version so I could use my graphics card in the first slot. Just wondering guys, will 2x scythe gt ap15's outperform 2x noctua 140mm fans? I want to focus on silence with this upcoming build.


No. If you must get a second fan, get another NF-A15. The retail is 1200rpm, so you can run the stock NF-A15 on its LNA. Together they are extremely quiet and cool very well. Be careful to get low profile RAM, though.


----------



## Crazybones

Hey, I recently got myself a D15:
http://postimg.org/image/mlik20bvl/full/

Case: Nanoxia Deep Silence 5
CPU: 4790k @ 4.4 1.2v
RAM: G.Skill Trident X 2400 16GB withuout heatsink

I have been wondering if my temps are too high.
After 20 min of the x264 stability test v2 (16 threads, normal priority) the hottest core is at 78°C (ambient 27°C, delta 51°C) average core t 75°C (27/48).

Additional Info:
The case has two 140mm intake and one 140mm exhaust fan running @1100rpm
D15 with low loise adapter @ 1150rpm
CPU 4.4 GHz @ 1.2v; cache 4.2 @ 1.18v

I applied a small dot of the included thermal paste in the middle of the CPU when installing.
What do you think?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crazybones*
> 
> Hey, I recently got myself a D15:
> 
> 
> Case: Nanoxia Deep Silence 5
> CPU: 4790k @ 4.4 1.2v
> RAM: G.Skill Trident X 2400 16GB withuout heatsink
> 
> I have been wondering if my temps are too high.
> After 20 min of the x264 stability test v2 (16 threads, normal priority) the hottest core is at 78°C (ambient 27°C, delta 51°C) average core t 75°C (27/48).
> 
> Additional Info:
> The case has two 140mm intake and one 140mm exhaust fan running @1100rpm
> D15 with low loise adapter @ 1150rpm
> CPU 4.4 GHz @ 1.2v; cache 4.2 @ 1.18v
> 
> I applied a small dot of the included thermal paste in the middle of the CPU when installing.
> What do you think?


Your temps are about right.

What you could do is remount with varying sizes of TIM glob, write down the diameter of each blob and write down the temps you get with a known piece of software. Use the same length of time each, and record your ambients. Eventually you will make a mount that is clearly superior to the others. You stick with that.

Too bad you had to remove the RAM heatsinks. Next time, buy low profile or ultra-low profile RAM. You'll be happier.

Edit: I recognize that fan blade color. which Nanoxia case are you using?


----------



## Crazybones

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Your temps are about right.
> 
> What you could do is remount with varying sizes of TIM glob, write down the diameter of each blob and write down the temps you get with a known piece of software. Use the same length of time each, and record your ambients. Eventually you will make a mount that is clearly superior to the others. You stick with that.
> 
> Too bad you had to remove the RAM heatsinks. Next time, buy low profile or ultra-low profile RAM. You'll be happier.
> 
> Edit: I recognize that fan blade color. which Nanoxia case are you using?


The case is a deep silence 5. The fans are "Nanoxia Deep Silence NDS 140"

From what I've heard the heatsinks are mostly for show. Maybe the cooling performance is slightly recduced because the fan is higher than default snce the RAM is still taller than low profile

Are you really expecting a noticable difference when I remount it? When I mounted it I checked if the paste spread nicely and it looked good


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crazybones*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Your temps are about right.
> 
> What you could do is remount with varying sizes of TIM glob, write down the diameter of each blob and write down the temps you get with a known piece of software. Use the same length of time each, and record your ambients. Eventually you will make a mount that is clearly superior to the others. You stick with that.
> 
> Too bad you had to remove the RAM heatsinks. Next time, buy low profile or ultra-low profile RAM. You'll be happier.
> 
> Edit: I recognize that fan blade color. which Nanoxia case are you using?
> 
> 
> 
> The case is a deep silence 5. The fans are "Nanoxia Deep Silence NDS 140"
> 
> From what I've heard the heatsinks are mostly for show. Maybe the cooling performance is slightly recduced because the fan is higher than default snce the RAM is still taller than low profile
> 
> Are you really expecting a noticable difference when I remount it? When I mounted it I checked if the paste spread nicely and it looked good
Click to expand...

Ram heatsinks are indeed mostly for show, especially in these days of lower Vramm's. However, low-profile RAMsticks can't hurt, and you can run them at 1.5V and never worry.

As for re-mounting, it can make up to 3°C difference in the hottest temps. I've done a lot of my testing with Linpack with AVX2 to get the most heat out of my chip. I had my 4790k at 4.4GHz on VID = 1.19v, Vcore measured at 1.212v. I have nudged it up to 4.6GHz by using a VID = 1.2v, 1.224 Vcore. Linpack with AVX2 is averaging in the high 80's, maxing out at 93°C. For me, you can see that 3°C is kinda important. I don't like to throttle my test apparatus.

BTW. This runs with more Watts and higher temps than 4.5GHz at Vcore > 1.3v. Go figure.


----------



## MR-e

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> No. If you must get a second fan, get another NF-A15. The retail is 1200rpm, so you can run the stock NF-A15 on its LNA. Together they are extremely quiet and cool very well. Be careful to get low profile RAM, though.


Thanks a lot ehume, I have corsair lpx ram, which should fit find underneath the second fan


----------



## Crazybones

[/quote]
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Ram heatsinks are indeed mostly for show, especially in these days of lower Vramm's. However, low-profile RAMsticks can't hurt, and you can run them at 1.5V and never worry.
> 
> As for re-mounting, it can make up to 3°C difference in the hottest temps. I've done a lot of my testing with Linpack with AVX2 to get the most heat out of my chip. I had my 4790k at 4.4GHz on VID = 1.19v, Vcore measured at 1.212v. I have nudged it up to 4.6GHz by using a VID = 1.2v, 1.224 Vcore. Linpack with AVX2 is averaging in the high 80's, maxing out at 93°C. For me, you can see that 3°C is kinda important. I don't like to throttle my test apparatus.
> 
> BTW. This runs with more Watts and higher temps than 4.5GHz at Vcore > 1.3v. Go figure.


So it seems my temps are indeed not out of the ordinary. I was just a bit surprised since I switched from a Thermalright Silver arrow (with the second fan pulling at the back becuase RAM was too high). I kinda expected better results.
Maybe the hot air does not get exhausted fast enough. I could open the top and install another two 140mm fans, but that would also increase noise since I would need to remove some of the noise-absorbing material.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crazybones*


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Ram heatsinks are indeed mostly for show, especially in these days of lower Vramm's. However, low-profile RAMsticks can't hurt, and you can run them at 1.5V and never worry.
> 
> As for re-mounting, it can make up to 3°C difference in the hottest temps. I've done a lot of my testing with Linpack with AVX2 to get the most heat out of my chip. I had my 4790k at 4.4GHz on VID = 1.19v, Vcore measured at 1.212v. I have nudged it up to 4.6GHz by using a VID = 1.2v, 1.224 Vcore. Linpack with AVX2 is averaging in the high 80's, maxing out at 93°C. For me, you can see that 3°C is kinda important. I don't like to throttle my test apparatus.
> 
> BTW. This runs with more Watts and higher temps than 4.5GHz at Vcore > 1.3v. Go figure.


So it seems my temps are indeed not out of the ordinary. I was just a bit surprised since I switched from a Thermalright Silver arrow (with the second fan pulling at the back because RAM was too high). I kinda expected better results.
Maybe the hot air does not get exhausted fast enough. I could open the top and install another two 140mm fans, but that would also increase noise since I would need to remove some of the noise-absorbing material.[/QUOTE]

Look at the second item in my sig. That is what Bernoulli's Principle can do. That was the first case where I cut out the rear grill and did without the rear fan. I am now up to my third case with the grill removed and no rear fan. It can't contribute to the noise, but it does contribute to the cooling. Ask doyll.


----------



## doyll

Deep Silence 5 is a good case. Adding a 3rd 140mm fan in 5.25" bays and door open will help cooling when under high load.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Deep Silence 5 is a good case. Adding a 3rd 140mm fan in 5.25" bays and door open will help cooling when under high load.


Amen. + rep


----------



## Crazybones

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Deep Silence 5 is a good case. Adding a 3rd 140mm fan in 5.25" bays and door open will help cooling when under high load.


That is true, but it defeats the purpose of a low-noise case like the nanox is supposed to be. I do think the D15 is quite noisy even at 1200rpm. The noise from the NF-A15 fan bearings is louder than the noise from the airflow. But that could be related to the sound absobing material since it is more or less effective in different frequencies.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crazybones*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Deep Silence 5 is a good case. Adding a 3rd 140mm fan in 5.25" bays and door open will help cooling when under high load.
> 
> 
> 
> That is true, but it defeats the purpose of a low-noise case like the nanox is supposed to be. I do think the D15 is quite noisy even at 1200rpm. The noise from the NF-A15 fan bearings is louder than the noise from the airflow. But that could be related to the sound absobing material since it is more or less effective in different frequencies.
Click to expand...

Those bearings are fancy sleeve bearings. I know because I have had them apart. To me, the air noise overwhelms the bearing noise. What are you identifying as bearing noise?


----------



## Crazybones

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Those bearings are fancy sleeve bearings. I know because I have had them apart. To me, the air noise overwhelms the bearing noise. What are you identifying as bearing noise?


When I turn up the speed above 52% (around 800rpm) I can hear a noise that gets louder the faster the fans spin. It is hard to descrobe how a noise "sounds", but my guess would be that either the motor moving the blades or the bearings produce this. It can only be heard when my case is closed since the sound of the airflow is damped down by the case.

The sound absorbing material used in low noise cases is more effective the higher the frequency of the sound is, but some frequencies become more apparent when others are more quiet.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Crazybones*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Those bearings are fancy sleeve bearings. I know because I have had them apart. To me, the air noise overwhelms the bearing noise. What are you identifying as bearing noise?
> 
> 
> 
> When I turn up the speed above 52% (around 800rpm) I can hear a noise that gets louder the faster the fans spin. It is hard to descrobe how a noise "sounds", but my guess would be that either the motor moving the blades or the bearings produce this. It can only be heard when my case is closed since the sound of the airflow is damped down by the case.
> 
> The sound absorbing material used in low noise cases is more effective the higher the frequency of the sound is, but some frequencies become more apparent when others are more quiet.
Click to expand...

I would get an audio recording of that, and send it to Noctua technical support. Actually try it with one fan disconnected then with the other. If only one fan makes the noise, it's a bad fan. You should be able to RMA it, if you have kept the receipt.


----------



## Crazybones

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I would get an audio recording of that, and send it to Noctua technical support. Actually try it with one fan disconnected then with the other. If only one fan makes the noise, it's a bad fan. You should be able to RMA it, if you have kept the receipt.


I have never had a fan above 800rpm that did not produce some kind of mechanical noise besides the sound of flowing air. By the way, the Nanoxia Deep Silence NDS 140 case fans are much more quiet than the Noctua NF-A15 at 1100rpm.
edit: nevermind, I compared the fans again at different speeds and the NDS 140s also produce some kind of mechanical noise (I usually run them at 800 so I didn't notice). So I guess everything works as intended and I am just overly sensitive (gotta get me a custom water loop in the future :/ )


----------



## Rista

Hi guys, i have a Define R5 case, and i need your advice. For CPU cooling, what is better to buy, Noctua NH-D15 or Cooler Master Nepton 280L? I plan to do overclock, but not to much, my cpu is on 3,5 ghz on default and i will go to 4-4.2 ghz max. It would be nice if someone can give me exact reasons for one or another, cause i'm not expert in cpu coolers especially in AiO water coolers. Thanks in advance.


----------



## Gregsta

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rista*
> 
> Hi guys, i have a Define R5 case, and i need your advice. For CPU cooling, what is better to buy, Noctua NH-D15 or Cooler Master Nepton 280L? I plan to do overclock, but not to much, my cpu is on 3,5 ghz on default and i will go to 4-4.2 ghz max. It would be nice if someone can give me exact reasons for one or another, cause i'm not expert in cpu coolers especially in AiO water coolers. Thanks in advance.


I would go for Noctua NH-D15 hands down build quality, every review you ever read about Noctua is the quality that they are built!!! Strange colours brown a cream. This company is always getting awards and great reviews.


----------



## Rista

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Gregsta*
> 
> I would go for Noctua NH-D15 hands down build quality, every review you ever read about Noctua is the quality that they are built!!! Strange colours brown a cream. This company is always getting awards and great reviews.


Thanks for the advice Gregsta.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rista*
> 
> Hi guys, i have a Define R5 case, and i need your advice. For CPU cooling, what is better to buy, Noctua NH-D15 or Cooler Master Nepton 280L? I plan to do overclock, but not to much, my cpu is on 3,5 ghz on default and i will go to 4-4.2 ghz max. It would be nice if someone can give me exact reasons for one or another, cause i'm not expert in cpu coolers especially in AiO water coolers. Thanks in advance.


Noctua or similar air cooler every time. These CLCs are not as good as they are cracked up to be.


----------



## MicroCat

With a mild overclock there is zero benefit to choosing an AIO/CLC over a top tier air cooler. For the extra 2 degrees in peak cooling of the Nepton 280 vs the D15, your ears take a beating. At load the 280 is 28dB louder, 63dB vs 35dB for the D15!!! 10dB is perceived as being twice as loud - so the 280 is 3 times louder at load - even at idle the 280 is twice as loud as the D15. Ouch!

99.9% of these CLC's use cheap high fpi rads that required strong, high rpm (noisy) fans to deliver their optimum performance. When limited to a reasonable noise level, <40dB, the AIOs will perform much worse than a top tier air cooler - in the range of 7-15 degrees.

Combine this with less than excellent (cheap and crappy) pump/block designs and their inevitable failure, AIOs are successful based on marketing and the perception of a 'cleaner' build. If you think hooking up your CPU to life support tubes is attractive. And when they leak, the life support ends abruptly.

CLCs/AIOs are marketed to offer the advantages of a custom water cooling loop at a much, much lower price. However, you get what you pay for. And less. But, MORE noise! So, that's a plus.









If you still want to dabble in the shallow end of the liquid cooling pool, check out the Swiftech 220 or 240 as they offer the option to expand into a proper custom loop. However, the maintenance expands as well...


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> With a mild overclock there is zero benefit to choosing an AIO/CLC over a top tier air cooler. For the extra 2 degrees in peak cooling of the Nepton 280 vs the D15, your ears take a beating. At load the 280 is 28dB louder, 63dB vs 35dB for the D15!!! 10dB is perceived as being twice as loud - so the 280 is 3 times louder at load - even at idle the 280 is twice as loud as the D15. Ouch!
> 
> 99.9% of these CLC's use cheap high fpi rads that required strong, high rpm (noisy) fans to deliver their optimum performance. When limited to a reasonable noise level, <40dB, the AIOs will perform much worse than a top tier air cooler - in the range of 7-15 degrees.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Combine this with less than excellent (cheap and crappy) pump/block designs and their inevitable failure, AIOs are successful based on marketing and the perception of a 'cleaner' build. If you think hooking up your CPU to life support tubes is attractive. And when they leak, the life support ends abruptly.
> 
> CLCs/AIOs are marketed to offer the advantages of a custom water cooling loop at a much, much lower price. However, you get what you pay for. And less. But, MORE noise! So, that's a plus.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you still want to dabble in the shallow end of the liquid cooling pool, check out the Swiftech 220 or 240 as they
> offer the option to expand into a proper custom loop. However, the maintenance expands as well..
> 
> 
> .


The difference to our ears between 35dBA and 63dBA is not 3times as loud, but 5-6 times as loud.

Every 10dBA doubles how loud it sounds. It also takes a 2-3dBA change for our ears to hear a change.


----------



## MicroCat

Correct. It is 5-6 times louder. This is what even discussing auditory trauma can do. Mess up one's math skills.


----------



## Rista

Thanks guys for the excellent answers, i guess then D15 it is.


----------



## MicroCat

Great choice! Your ears will thank you.

Oh...before installing, water aficionados like to leak check their loops in a waterproof basin, just in case

Leak checking is a good practice, that I've adopted for high performance air cooler installation:



Don't forget to check for air leaks after installing and to bleed air from the cooler every month or so.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Great choice! Your ears will thank you.
> 
> Oh...before installing, water aficionados like to leak check their loops in a waterproof basin, just in case
> 
> Leak checking is a good practice, that I've adopted for high performance air cooler installation:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Don't forget to check for air leaks after installing and to bleed air from the cooler every month or so.


I have no idea what you are taking for your ailment, but can I please have some?









Besides, Noctua quality control makes sure there are no air leaks .. although there are on rare occasions a oil leak. .. nothing like the Valdez or Deepwater Horizon.










CLC public relations downplay their leaks much the same as the oil industry does .. saying there were only 10 leaks when there were 20.


----------



## Totally Dubbed

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rista*
> 
> Thanks for the advice Gregsta.


you'll easily push 4.5 ghz btw, do it, don't let your dreams be dreams.


----------



## Gregsta

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Totally Dubbed*
> 
> you'll easily push 4.5 ghz btw, do it, don't let your dreams be dreams.


I guess that not at me am pushing 4.6GHZ







and I prob could push a little bit more HMMMMMM


----------



## smonkie

Hi, guys. I own a Prolimatech Megahalems which is 5 years old and despite it's superb performance I'm looking to switch to Noctua D15. Thing is, it's difficult to find any direct comparison between both, taking account of how Mega old is. From the info I have gathered, I guess 4-5º would be an optimistic gain (with better fan noise).

Any thoughts on that?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *smonkie*
> 
> Hi, guys. I own a Prolimatech Megahalems which is 5 years old and despite it's superb performance I'm looking to switch to Noctua D15. Thing is, it's difficult to find any direct comparison between both, taking account of how Mega old is. From the info I have gathered, I guess 4-5º would be an optimistic gain (with better fan noise).
> 
> Any thoughts on that?


NH-D15 will out-perform Megahalems a little and be a little quieter, but it is also much bigger and costs a lot of money. A couple of top tier fans on Megahalems, top tier case fans with optimized airflow and automatic speed control would probably give you similar performance and noise levels for much less money.









Edit:
Give it a good wash in kitchen sink with hot water and dishwasher detergent. Over time te fins collect a thin film of oil and dirt that lowers their ability to transfer heat. A good washing often gives 2-4c improvement.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *smonkie*
> 
> Hi, guys. I own a Prolimatech Megahalems which is 5 years old and despite it's superb performance I'm looking to switch to Noctua D15. Thing is, it's difficult to find any direct comparison between both, taking account of how Mega old is. From the info I have gathered, I guess 4-5º would be an optimistic gain (with better fan noise).
> 
> Any thoughts on that?


I'm planning to test my 2009 Megahalems head-to-head with a number of heatsinks. I'll tell you right now though that the Megahalems is mega-surprising. Try it with two quiet fans. Also try it in both mounting positions. That 90 degrees may make a lot of difference.


----------



## smonkie

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I'm planning to test my 2009 Megahalems head-to-head with a number of heatsinks. I'll tell you right now though that the Megahalems is mega-surprising. Try it with two quiet fans. Also try it in both mounting positions. That 90 degrees may make a lot of difference.


Yeah, right now I got it with a push/pull configuration with two silent wings @800-900 rpm and it's a dream in idle (keeps 6700K in 23-24º). But anyway, I thought the larger dissipation area of the Noctua has to be relevant anyhow.


----------



## smonkie

I couldn't help it and end up buying it and I must say I'm very pleased. I am reaching 68º after 5 Intel Burn passes, so it's an improve of 8º from Megahalems + 2 Silentwings with a similar noise (even less should I say) under the same conditions (23º ambient).

On this basis, I doubt I'm ever gonna reach 60º while playing (6700K @ 4.5GHz), which is an excellent performance for me.

Thanks everyone for the help.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *smonkie*
> 
> I couldn't help it and end up buying it and I must say I'm very pleased. I am reaching 68º after 5 Intel Burn passes, so it's an improve of 8º from Megahalems + 2 Silentwings with a similar noise (even less should I say) under the same conditions (23º ambient).
> 
> On this basis, I doubt I'm ever gonna reach 60º while playing (6700K @ 4.5GHz), which is an excellent performance for me.
> 
> Thanks everyone for the help.


Did you give the Megahalems a good washing to see if that made a difference?
Could you put the Silent Wings on NH-D15 and see what the temps are? My guess is the 800-900rpm of Silent Wings compared to the1500rpm of NF-A15 1500rpm fans is most of the difference .. that and NH-D15 is new and super clean.


----------



## yii1

Evening

long time reader and I just finished a new rig, so I think it's time to sign up.
Here's my D15 in mediocre smartphone quality and yes those are dirty fingerprints on the cooler. It was ******* 34°C in my room when I installed everything.


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## doyll

Nice looking setup.

Noctua aluminum is a finger print magnet .. and hard to clean the prints off of too.


----------



## Transmaniacon

Wrong Noctua thread... /facepalm


----------



## PowerSlide

whats the way to clean it? mine is over a year gets a little dusty and some oxidize on the top fin


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> whats the way to clean it? mine is over a year gets a little dusty and some oxidize on the top fin


Usually a little window cleaner on a soft rag will clean, but be very fast with a second dry cloth to wipe it clean and dry. Always wipe with the brushed grain of the aluminum.

I have also had good result on albrushed and polished aluminum using NEVR-DULL wadding polish. A can lasts for many many years, even when used a lot on motorcycle & bikes.
http://www.nevrdull.com/


----------



## PowerSlide

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Usually a little window cleaner on a soft rag will clean, but be very fast with a second dry cloth to wipe it clean and dry. Always wipe with the brushed grain of the aluminum.
> 
> I have also had good result on albrushed and polished aluminum using NEVR-DULL wadding polish. A can lasts for many many years, even when used a lot on motorcycle & bikes.
> http://www.nevrdull.com/


don't think i can find this NEVR-DULL where i live but i'll see what i can find but i thought it's not a good idea to put any kind of chemical on heatsink as it will make things worst


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PowerSlide*
> 
> don't think i can find this NEVR-DULL where i live but i'll see what i can find but i thought it's not a good idea to put any kind of chemical on heatsink as it will make things worst


NEVR-DULL is made to clean and polish aluminum, chrome, etc. It is commonly used by bicycle, motorcycle enthusiasts to clean and polish.

Got to your local bicycle shop and see what they suggest.


----------



## BrokenPC

Howdy, I picked up a D15 for my build. I have it on a test rack at the moment but it will be going into a caselabs S8S. I was going to put it into push push mode and mount a 120mm rear exhaust behind it as that's what made the most sence to me but reading some of the 100 plus pages here, some suggest pull pull and leave that rear exhaust out?

Also, if I could ask a more general question about fans in the case, I was thinking of creating some fan groups with different profiles. I was going to have the one in the rear and three in the front on one group and then put six in the lid that would fire up when things got hot. All PWM 120mm.

There is also room for two fans in the bottom of the case too. Any thoughts? I can also change the six pack in the top to 4x 140mm and the front can change from 3x 120 to 2 x 140 plus 1x 120 but that would lol funny and I lose a 51/4 bay.... I already bought the 120mm hardware anyways.

This is an I7 6700k, 2x 980GTX SC in SLI plus an Intel 750 SSD. So, lots of heat.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BrokenPC*
> 
> Howdy, I picked up a D15 for my build. I have it on a test rack at the moment but it will be going into a caselabs S8S. I was going to put it into push push mode and mount a 120mm rear exhaust behind it as that's what made the most sence to me but reading some of the 100 plus pages here, some suggest pull pull and leave that rear exhaust out?
> 
> Also, if I could ask a more general question about fans in the case, I was thinking of creating some fan groups with different profiles. I was going to have the one in the rear and three in the front on one group and then put six in the lid that would fire up when things got hot. All PWM 120mm.
> 
> There is also room for two fans in the bottom of the case too. Any thoughts? I can also change the six pack in the top to 4x 140mm and the front can change from 3x 120 to 2 x 140 plus 1x 120 but that would lol funny and I lose a 51/4 bay.... I already bought the 120mm hardware anyways.
> 
> This is an I7 6700k, 2x 980GTX SC in SLI plus an Intel 750 SSD. So, lots of heat.


I suggest you read up on case airflow and cooling. "Ways to Better Cooling" link in my sig has several articles you might find helpful. The whys' and what-fors' are explained there so I don't have to write them out every time someone asks the questions you are asking.


----------



## duckyboy

Hello people of Overclockers.net Could anyone tell me how this cooler will work in my respected build? I have an I7 5820k with a Gigabyte Gaming 5 X99 motherboard. Would this cooler put a lot of stress on my motherboard, I am paranoid of it flexing my motherboard and in the cracking it. I want to use a single fan configuration with it because my Kingston predator ram is very tall.


----------



## doyll

Side of NH-D15 will be just over the edge of near side of 1st PCIe socket. My guess is the first socket will not be usable for GPU.

You could use the NH-D15S, but keep in mind with the offset top side of cooler will be almost to the side of motherboard.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Side of NH-D15 will be just over the edge of near side of 1st PCIe socket. My guess is the first socket will not be usable for GPU.
> 
> You could use the NH-D15S, but keep in mind with the offset top side of cooler will be almost to the side of motherboard.


The D15S will just fit, though. See my reviews of the NH-D15 and the NH-D15S on Overclockers. Also look carefully at the diagrams, specifications, etc. on the Noctua site. Very helpful.

You also expressed some concern over you MB. Don't worry. Those Gigabyte boards are tough, extra thick. I use only them these days. Heavy heatsinks generally do not warp boards, but if you are concerned make sure that all three top MB attachment points have their screws on firmly -- tight is not necessary.


----------



## duckyboy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> The D15S will just fit, though. See my reviews of the NH-D15 and the NH-D15S on Overclockers. Also look carefully at the diagrams, specifications, etc. on the Noctua site. Very helpful.
> 
> You also expressed some concern over you MB. Don't worry. Those Gigabyte boards are tough, extra thick. I use only them these days. Heavy heatsinks generally do not warp boards, but if you are concerned make sure that all three top MB attachment points have their screws on firmly -- tight is not necessary.


Ok thank you very much because I was mostly concerned with my motherboard warping or breaking. It's just a lot of $$ to me since I'm also a university student struggling to pay for the obvious. So thank you and What did the other replyer mean with the D15s being offset to the side? I thought it was offset more upwards to the top of the case, I also have the Phanteks enthoo luxer.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *duckyboy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> The D15S will just fit, though. See my reviews of the NH-D15 and the NH-D15S on Overclockers. Also look carefully at the diagrams, specifications, etc. on the Noctua site. Very helpful.
> 
> You also expressed some concern over you MB. Don't worry. Those Gigabyte boards are tough, extra thick. I use only them these days. Heavy heatsinks generally do not warp boards, but if you are concerned make sure that all three top MB attachment points have their screws on firmly -- tight is not necessary.
> 
> 
> 
> Ok thank you very much because I was mostly concerned with my motherboard warping or breaking. It's just a lot of $$ to me since I'm also a university student struggling to pay for the obvious. So thank you and What did the other replyer mean with the D15s being offset to the side? I thought it was offset more upwards to the top of the case, I also have the Phanteks enthoo luxer.
Click to expand...

The two NH-D15's share the same fin stack. It's just that the fin stack is symmetrical on the CPU in the NH-D15. The NH-D15S fin stack is shifted 1 cm sideways, away from the 1st PCIE slot. It is still within the confines of your MB, though. Your case will be fine with it.


----------



## ITAngel

My Noctua NH-D15 is cooling now my OCed 5820k that is right now 4.5Ghz @ 1.286v and is doing great. iddle temps 34C, and Max temps during AIDA64 Stress test is 68C. Doing an amazing cooling job for sure and that is with my MSI R9 290X Lightning Edition overclocked too. Ambiet temps 70C. Love this cooler!


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ITAngel*
> 
> My Noctua NH-D15 is cooling now my OCed 5820k that is right now 4.5Ghz @ 1.286v and is doing great. iddle temps 34C, and Max temps during AIDA64 Stress test is 68C. Doing an amazing cooling job for sure and that is with my MSI R9 290X Lightning Edition overclocked too. Ambiet temps 70C. Love this cooler!


Hmm. That is a Z99 chipset. This would imply that your first slot has a card in it. True? Not true? Would like a Y/N. Also, if yes, a picture. What you have sounds interesting. And that chip running 4.5GHz at 1.26 Vcore is wonderful, but very hot. And your D15 cools it . . .


----------



## ITAngel

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Hmm. That is a Z99 chipset. This would imply that your first slot has a card in it. True? Not true? Would like a Y/N. Also, if yes, a picture. What you have sounds interesting. And that chip running 4.5GHz at 1.26 Vcore is wonderful, but very hot. And your D15 cools it . . .


The first PCIe slot is it in fact covered by the heatsink and this is on a EVGA X99 Macro so I have to use the next slot for the graphic card. I did a quick test to show you some voltage values and temps and OC speed.











Hope these pictures help out with your question.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ITAngel*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Hmm. That is a Z99 chipset. This would imply that your first slot has a card in it. True? Not true? Would like a Y/N. Also, if yes, a picture. What you have sounds interesting. And that chip running 4.5GHz at 1.26 Vcore is wonderful, but very hot. And your D15 cools it . . .
> 
> 
> 
> The first PCIe slot is it in fact covered by the heatsink and this is on a EVGA X99 Macro so I have to use the next slot for the graphic card. I did a quick test to show you some voltage values and temps and OC speed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hope these pictures help out with your question.
Click to expand...

Yup. Helped a lot for all of us. Purty, too.


----------



## qvist

Haven't read through whole thread so im sorry, but can you remove the top fin on both towers on the D15?


----------



## Brohem0th

I don't believe you can remove either of them


----------



## qvist

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> I don't believe you can remove either of them


i'll take your word for it, cheers


----------



## Brohem0th

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qvist*
> 
> i'll take your word for it, cheers


I know that as far as height clearance goes, if a Hyper 212 will fit then an NH-D15 will too, since that was my upgrade path. Horizontal clearance is generally the issue most people have with it, hitting the top of their case or covering a pci slot.


----------



## ehume

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *qvist*
> 
> Haven't read through whole thread so im sorry, but can you remove the top fin on both towers on the D15?


The top clearance is limited by the height of the heatpipes . . . only if you use 120mm fans. If you use 140mm fans like the NF-A15, the fans limit the height. See my review on Overclockers for lots of pics.

You could mutilate the D15 by prising off the top fin, but why?


----------



## Brohem0th

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> The top clearance is limited by the height of the heatpipes . . . only if you use 120mm fans. If you use 140mm fans like the NF-A15, the fans limit the height. See my review on Overclockers for lots of pics.
> 
> You could mutilate the D15 by prising off the top fin, but why?


I sank the fans down as low as they would go and they're a couple millimetres taller than the very tippy top of the heatpipes. Low profile ram is recommended. If it touches your side panel but it can still close, you'll probably be okay as long as it's not putting an undue amount of force onto the heatsink. Close enough for government work anyway.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> The top clearance is limited by the height of the heatpipes . . . only if you use 120mm fans. If you use 140mm fans like the NF-A15, the fans limit the height. See my review on Overclockers for lots of pics.
> 
> You could mutilate the D15 by prising off the top fin, but why?
> 
> 
> 
> I sank the fans down as low as they would go and they're a couple millimetres taller than the very tippy top of the heatpipes. Low profile ram is recommended. If it touches your side panel but it can still close, you'll probably be okay as long as it's not putting an undue amount of force onto the heatsink. Close enough for government work anyway.
Click to expand...

Yup. I use ultra-low profile RAM, and still, the 140mm fan is a little taller than the heatpipes. That's why I always recommend ULP RAM.

BTW -- a good rule of thumb is that if you have a 120mm exhaust fan, you can fit a full tower heatsink like the Megahalems, the NH-D14 or the NH-D15.


----------



## Brohem0th

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> The top clearance is limited by the height of the heatpipes . . . only if you use 120mm fans. If you use 140mm fans like the NF-A15, the fans limit the height. See my review on Overclockers for lots of pics.
> 
> You could mutilate the D15 by prising off the top fin, but why?
> 
> 
> 
> I sank the fans down as low as they would go and they're a couple millimetres taller than the very tippy top of the heatpipes. Low profile ram is recommended. If it touches your side panel but it can still close, you'll probably be okay as long as it's not putting an undue amount of force onto the heatsink. Close enough for government work anyway.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yup. I use ultra-low profile RAM, and still, the 140mm fan is a little taller than the heatpipes. That's why I always recommend ULP RAM.
> 
> BTW -- a good rule of thumb is that if you have a 120mm exhaust fan, you can fit a full tower heatsink like the Megahalems, the NH-D14 or the NH-D15.
Click to expand...

That is a good rule of thumb that I hadn't even thought of!


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> BTW -- a good rule of thumb is that if you have a 120mm exhaust fan, you can fit a full tower heatsink like the Megahalems, the NH-D14 or the NH-D15.


Do keep in mind it's not always accurate. Best to know actual CPU clearance.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/20_20#post_23232751


----------



## qvist

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> The top clearance is limited by the height of the heatpipes . . . only if you use 120mm fans. If you use 140mm fans like the NF-A15, the fans limit the height. See my review on Overclockers for lots of pics.
> 
> You could mutilate the D15 by prising off the top fin, but why?


its not an clearance issue







just wanted to take em off and paint them!


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qvist*
> 
> its not an clearance issue
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> just wanted to take em off and paint them!


Any reason to not just mask off rest of cooler and heat pipes above fin, then paint?
That way there is no chance of damaging fin or scratching heatpipes.


----------



## qvist

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Any reason to not just mask off rest of cooler and heat pipes above fin, then paint?
> That way there is no chance of damaging fin or scratching heatpipes.


I saw an image of someone removing a top fin on a noctua heatsink (dunno which model) and put vinylwrap on the top fin, cant find the image








No, no particular reason other than it just would be alot easier...


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qvist*
> 
> I saw an image of someone removing a top fin on a noctua heatsink (dunno which model) and put vinylwrap on the top fin, cant find the image
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No, no particular reason other than it just would be alot easier...


Easier?








If you had just masked and painted it would have been done in far less time than you've spent trying to figure out how to get it of cooler.








If you don't want the tops of pipes different, just slip some paper between top and second fin is all that is needed before painting.


----------



## qvist

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Easier?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you had just masked and painted it would have been done in far less time than you've spent trying to figure out how to get it of cooler.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you don't want the tops of pipes different, just slip some paper between top and second fin is all that is needed before painting.


You are right........

Also i found other pictures doin the method you suggested... now that i think about it sounds easier..

I think i'll go this route

















Source&Credit: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/70086-phantom-antique-noctua/


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *qvist*
> 
> You are right........
> 
> Also i found other pictures doin the method you suggested... now that i think about it sounds easier..
> 
> I think i'll go this route
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Source&Credit: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/70086-phantom-antique-noctua/


I have sprayed top of coolers with no masking at all. Very little gets into other fins. When going for theme color match a little fog / overspay on edges of other fins usually helps carry the theme anyway, and edges of fins do little / no cooling anway. I like using candy (translucent) paint as it is designed to be used over a gold or silver base coat, and this give a bright look to top.


----------



## qvist

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I have sprayed top of coolers with no masking at all. Very little gets into other fins. When going for theme color match a little fog / overspay on edges of other fins usually helps carry the theme anyway, and edges of fins do little / no cooling anway. I like using candy (translucent) paint as it is designed to be used over a gold or silver base coat, and this give a bright look to top.


Your advice is much appreciated!


----------



## Brohem0th

Question. Would it be possible to mount an NH-D15 on a GTX 780, and a future GPU like a 980ti or even possibly fit Pascal in the future. I think it would be a cool idea for a build and would also be pretty quiet. I usually run all my case fans and heatsink fans at full speed anyway, although I'll be getting a new board for that reason and also to run some faster ram, my current board will only do 1600Mhz. I also want to get an m.2 ssd but that's neither here nor there.

Can I put an NH-D15 on a 780, is it smart?


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> Question. Would it be possible to mount an NH-D15 on a GTX 780, and a future GPU like a 980ti or even possibly fit Pascal in the future. I think it would be a cool idea for a build and would also be pretty quiet. I usually run all my case fans and heatsink fans at full speed anyway, although I'll be getting a new board for that reason and also to run some faster ram, my current board will only do 1600Mhz. I also want to get an m.2 ssd but that's neither here nor there.
> 
> Can I put an NH-D15 on a 780, is it smart?


I don't think that would be wise... Graphics card cooling systems, especially on higher end cards cool more than just the actual square processor, the heatsinks and/or pipes, pcb and it's various components like vrms need cooling as well.


----------



## Brohem0th

Yeah, so keep the heatsink on the vrm's and point a fan at it.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brohem0th*
> 
> Yeah, so keep the heatsink on the vrm's and point a fan at it.


For a CPU cooler to do that is needs to be a downflow / pancake design, not a tower.







Towers airflow is in same plane as PCB .. not very conducive to PCB and it's component cooling Pancake cooler airflow is toward or away from PCB depending on fan orientation .. which is conducive to PCB & it's component cooling.


----------



## baii

I haven't see the noctua mount, so you may need to make your own mount, you also need to experiment with mount pressure.
If your card have a mid plate, it will keep all other component happy except the vertical line of vrm.
Mk26 or morpheus cost less than a d15, and they are premade solutions. They may not cool as good as the d15, but they are "good enough".


----------



## m3tpe

figured i post some detail pics of the build i did over the weekend. massive heatsink for sure!


__
https://flic.kr/p/BcYDBE


__
https://flic.kr/p/BcYDBE
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/C3dcDi


__
https://flic.kr/p/C3dcDi
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/Cau8QB


__
https://flic.kr/p/Cau8QB
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/Cau94x


__
https://flic.kr/p/Cau94x
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/C3demB


__
https://flic.kr/p/C3demB
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/Cau9Mg


__
https://flic.kr/p/Cau9Mg
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/BHmzPN


__
https://flic.kr/p/BHmzPN
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/C8briS


__
https://flic.kr/p/C8briS
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/Caufor


__
https://flic.kr/p/Caufor
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/BZUd83


__
https://flic.kr/p/BZUd83
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


__
https://flic.kr/p/CaujYi


__
https://flic.kr/p/CaujYi
 by twkidM3, on Flickr


----------



## BioDefault

So I have a 4790k at stock, and a NH-D14. My idle is nearly 40, though I AM using the high performance power option.

Should it be lower?

PS: I'm using Noctua thermal paste. Either that, or it's Arctic Silver.

EDIT: Just realized this is a D15 club, not a D14 club. Sorry


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BioDefault*
> 
> So I have a 4790k at stock, and a NH-D14. My idle is nearly 40, though I AM using the high performance power option.
> 
> Should it be lower?
> 
> PS: I'm using Noctua thermal paste. Either that, or it's Arctic Silver.
> 
> EDIT: Just realized this is a D15 club, not a D14 club. Sorry


I doubt other Noctua owners mind if you post about your D14. After all, they are brothers and have same color fans.









Start a thread if you like and I'll try and help you get your temps down. Sounds like it might be related to case airflow and the temp of air going into cooler being much warmer than room.


----------



## Darkhaze

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *baii*
> 
> I haven't see the noctua mount, so you may need to make your own mount, you also need to experiment with mount pressure.
> If your card have a mid plate, it will keep all other component happy except the vertical line of vrm.
> Mk26 or morpheus cost less than a d15, and they are premade solutions. They may not cool as good as the d15, but they are "good enough".


I totally forgot about the mounting when I posted... that would be one helluva challenge lol


----------



## Wostafa

Hi, My case is *DeepCool Kendomen Titan* , Is case the appropriate for Height *NOCTUA NH-D15*?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wostafa*
> 
> Hi, My case is *DeepCool Kendomen Titan* , Is case the appropriate for Height *NOCTUA NH-D15*?


I think your case has 165mm CPU clearance.
NH-D15 is 160mm tall, 165mm with fan. But front fan height is dependent on how tall your RAM is. The case's CPU clearance plus 5mm is the combined height of fan and RAM. This means in your case 165mm plus 5mm is 170mm minus 140mm fan means RAM cannot be more than 30mm tall, or the fan will not fit between RAM and case. .


----------



## Sev501

Does any one know if nh-d15 fit a 400r case with 990fxa-ud3 and vengeance pro rams?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sev501*
> 
> Does any one know if nh-d15 fit a 400r case with 990fxa-ud3 and vengeance pro rams?


1st x16 PCIe socket is 2nd away from CPU so no problem
CPU clearance is 175mm
Vengeance Pro is 44mm
140mm fan + 44mm RAM = 184mm - 5m (top CPU to bottom RAM socket) = 179mm
4mm too tall to fit in case.

Would have to run 2nd fan on back of cooler


----------



## Sev501

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> 1st x16 PCIe socket is 2nd away from CPU so no problem
> CPU clearance is 175mm
> Vengeance Pro is 44mm
> 140mm fan + 44mm RAM = 184mm - 5m (top CPU to bottom RAM socket) = 179mm
> 4mm too tall to fit in case.
> 
> Would have to run 2nd fan on back of cooler


Can I replace 2nd with a 120mm fan? Does it impact alot if the 140mm is at the back? Pull pull?


----------



## doyll

Using different fans, especially different sizes, is usually more complicated than it's worth. Different size fans have different rates of flow and different speeds.

Pull / pull gives very little if any less performance.


----------



## Sev501

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Using different fans, especially different sizes, is usually more complicated than it's worth. Different size fans have different rates of flow and different speeds.
> 
> Pull / pull gives very little if any less performance.


Thanks a bunch for the responses you've been very helpful. Will post pics and results on how I mount it when I get it later.

Again thanks!
-Sev

Would it look like this. Found it in this thread as well. Thanks to the user who postes this http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/2275559/


----------



## gsdavid1

Hi guys, i've been considering to post about this problem for a while..at first it thought i was being over sensitive and that D15 should just be this loud. I've tried remounting my fans numerous times, resetting the heatsink itself, but the pull/pull(cant use push/pull due to ram clearance) makes awful sound that is way too loud.

Single fan setup makes a similar sound but probably 2-3x quieter and i still find it annoying. This is my setup 

but i've removed the 2nd fan now and replaced the 3 HHDs with single 5900 rpm hdd....apparently having 3 HDDs can actually cause a lot of case vibration and noise so i replaced those in hope i get rid of the annoying sound but it still persisted. Also please ignore the cable management (PSU part) as i've opened it after taking the picture numerous times and ziptied everything as to make sure its not something vibrating against the case

Basically the sound i'm dealing with is not rly whirling sound or any mechanical sort, it reminds me of noise that washing machines make, some sort of centrifugal repetitive sound, or perhaps it could be described as puffing sound if you blow air out of your mouth every 0.5 sec or faster in intervals. Maybe i should try to record the sound, but then volume could be exaggerated/or too low...sound is cyclical and not really loud but it has some pitch that i find really annoying. Pull/pull setup made this noise a lot, lot more exacerbated that i decided that i can't put up with it. Since the sound felt cyclical i thought that the fact that my 3 HDDs were vibrating the case could had caused some weird vibrations that caused the fans to sound this way..but now that i removed all vibration it still persists.

I have 2 NF-P14s redux @ 1500RPM PWM for front intake (closer to me than D15) and I find them a lot more quieter than NF-A15. They do make a loud sound of air blowing but there is no unnatural cyclical sound following it. ATM i'd give anything to have NF-P14 on my cooler and that doesn't seem right, since both of them, A15 and P14, are rated @ 26 db. I tried unplugging all other case fans, my gpu fans dont spin at all when idling/doing prime 95 and i still had this sound. I don't think its the power supply fan, i've listed to open case a lot and i'm 99% sure its not the culprit.

Is it possible that both A15 fans are faulty since i tried both of them in single setup and got same result? Could it be the case?

I feel kinda dumb to RMA only a <30$ fan but on other side i would like to avoid to listening to this for next 6+ yrs and would eventually like to use both fans when i upgrade since my load temps increase for about 4c when in single fan vs pull/pull. I'm not even sure how the retailer will look at me when i tell him i want to RMA a fan "because its too loud"

I don't think that fans are mounted bad at all, i had a guy that deals with building servers come over just so supervise (he never dealt w noctua before) but still the fans are firmly placed, i compared online shots and the metal clamps should be 100% correctly placed, when i try to wiggle it, it doesn't move, especially since i've already gotten so used to moving the fans around lol ;/

Is holding the fan in hand viable method to test for this sound vs the case being the actual culprit?

I've had case fans die on me before but they were making a lot more awful sound, like screwdriver hitting on plastic or smtn, this feels a lot different.

Once again I probably wouldn't mind listening to 10 NF-P14s redux, but if this A15 x2 sound is rated at 42db i cannot imagine what water cooling people put up with if most of them are rated at 50-55

edit: the sound is not really noticeable at all at some 700 rpm, its super quiet at 900rpm, i can barely hear it, but it grows exponentially as it hits 1500 rpm.

Rest of my rig if relevant at all:

CPU: I7 930 @ 3.8 ghz

Motherboard: ASUS P6T SE

Cooler: NH D15

Ram: DDR3 12gb Corsair 1600mhz CL dominator

PSU: TX 650w Corsair

Graphics: R9 390 MSI

Case: Corsair 300r

Thx in advance for all the help


----------



## doyll

I know this sounds stupid, but have you definitely determined the noise is from the cooler fan / fans? You can safely unplug and listen to the noises from your systm starting with no fans at all, than only one at a time by unplugging them all and plugging / unplugging them one at a time. D15 on 930 at idle is not a problem with no fans. Worst case (no pun) is it will slowly heat up so monitor it's temps .. and if it gets abouve 70-75c plug in the cooler fan.









At a grab-air guess, it's airflow noise, not fan.


----------



## gsdavid1

It has to be A15 or case sound caused by A15, I tried removing all other fans, and sound still persisted. Sound gets worse as RPM goes up and in pull/pull its multiplied..only question is how do i check if it caused by case vs the A15 itself?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gsdavid1*
> 
> It has to be A15 or case sound caused by A15, I tried removing all other fans, and sound still persisted. Sound gets worse as RPM goes up and in pull/pull its multiplied..only question is how do i check if it caused by case vs the A15 itself?


Did you try using any other fans in the same position as A15?
If so, did you get the same noise problem or did it go away?


----------



## miklkit

Could it possibly be air whooshing out the back of the case through all of those tiny holes? My rig got way quieter when I removed the rear exhaust grill.


----------



## gsdavid1

i don't really have a fan that i could place on the cooler in the same spot, i mounted NF P14 120mm 1200 RPM in the back as exhaust instead of the 2nd A15 and the annoying sound isn't there. Its either A15 or them somehow hitting the heatsink..i will open the box tomorrow and double check again(did it several times already) just to make sure im not misleading.

It still doesn't explain why there is such huge noise difference vs pull/pull and single A15 fan +120mm NF P14 (granted 1200 RPM version has a lot less force) but it adds 0 more to volume of that cyclical sound


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gsdavid1*
> 
> i don't really have a fan that i could place on the cooler in the same spot, i mounted NF P14 120mm 1200 RPM in the back as exhaust instead of the 2nd A15 and the annoying sound isn't there. Its either A15 or them somehow hitting the heatsink..i will open the box tomorrow and double check again(did it several times already) just to make sure im not misleading.
> 
> It still doesn't explain why there is such huge noise difference vs pull/pull and single A15 fan +120mm NF P14 (granted 1200 RPM version has a lot less force) but it adds 0 more to volume of that cyclical sound


Noctua has said that running 2x NF-A15 PWM 1500rpm fans at same speed like on on a splitter or CPU fan and CPU opt can cause noise. They say using the LNA to lower the speed of the back one to 1200rpm usually stops this problem.

Not saying that is the problem but might be worth a try.


----------



## ehume

The NF-A15's that come with the NH-D15 heatsink are indeed loud. I did a review of this heatsink published 12/1/14 at Overclockers. I did test the heatsink with the Low Noise Adapters in place. The Sound Pressure Level dropped from 37 DBA to 32 dBA at 1m. That was going from a net SPL of 7 dBA to 2 dBA. The net temps went from 42.3c to 44.9c.

It's the middle fan that makes all the noise.

Use your LNA's to get a quieter heatsink.


----------



## Harrywang

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Noctua has said that running 2x NF-A15 PWM 1500rpm fans at same speed like on on a splitter or CPU fan and CPU opt can cause noise. They say using the LNA to lower the speed of the back one to 1200rpm usually stops this problem.
> 
> Not saying that is the problem but might be worth a try.


Does that mean I shouldn't be using both fans on a Y splitter that connects to the master CPU fan?

Also my d15s makes little to no noise until the 800rpm range where you can hear them a little bit. You probably either mounted them wrong or it's the grilles at the back of your case. Have you tried testing each fan in EVERY position? As in using a single fan setup for each position. Try both fans to see which position has the most sound.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Harrywang*
> 
> Does that mean I shouldn't be using both fans on a Y splitter that connects to the master CPU fan?
> 
> Also my d15s makes little to no noise until the 800rpm range where you can hear them a little bit. You probably either mounted them wrong or it's the grilles at the back of your case. Have you tried testing each fan in EVERY position? As in using a single fan setup for each position. Try both fans to see which position has the most sound.


Noctua supplies 2x NF-A15 1500rpm fans on coolers We cannot buy a NF-A15 1500rpm fan. All accessory NF-A15 fans are 1200rpm (maybe it is 1300rpm, can't remember). When people asked Noctua for A15 1500rpm fans for 3rd fan on D15 cooler they were told to use the accessory A15 1200rpm fans because the uses of an A15 1500rpm fan on back usually creates unwanted noise.

Not my words, theres.









I'm only saying try putting the LNA on the back fan with the 'Y'-splitter and see if that solves the problem. Easy to try and costs nothing but a couple minutes time.


----------



## Sev501

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Using different fans, especially different sizes, is usually more complicated than it's worth. Different size fans have different rates of flow and different speeds.
> 
> Pull / pull gives very little if any less performance.


Ah! Finally got to mount it. After a few cuts on my knuckles (big hands) hahah managed to mount it pull pull inside Corsair 400r!!! The 2nd fan was trouble getting attached due to limited space from the case roof and the tower.. The middle fan was a breeze!

Thanks doyll!

Am I part of the team now ?


----------



## gsdavid1

How are your acoustics? I have exact same case and pull/pull is killing me. Was considering to see if the removed PCI covers could be the culprit if the fans were somehow blowing some of the air into them


----------



## Sev501

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gsdavid1*
> 
> How are your acoustics? I have exact same case and pull/pull is killing me. Was considering to see if the removed PCI covers could be the culprit if the fans were somehow blowing some of the air into them


Fine for me, running fans at 40% on normal usage and have it auto ramp to a 100% if I'm about to hit the temp over 60c.
It's quiet. I still have the exhaust fan from the case connected too.


----------



## shilka

Spoiler: Finally had time to install my NH-D15S and this is the results









CPU temps have dropped 4-6c in ilde alone.
One of the fan clip is bumping up againt the top video card so there is really not a ton of space left.


----------



## Mazda6i07

Temps are pretty good considering I slid the cooler around upon install on accident, but 6600k @ 4.6GHz @ 1.350v under 100% load 65c max.







Ambient temps for anything else, using the low noise adapters for both fans as well inside an h440.


----------



## sb43

I have had my Noctua D15 for almost 2 years now and I love it! I am constantly thinking about difeerent fan configurations to increase my airflow and get these temps even lower. I was even thinking about rigging up my 2 Noctua NF-A14 iPPC-3000 PWM, 140mm fans up to the D15 radiator and seeing how it would act. (I bought extra clips, and I "CAN" get them to mount onto it. I know the noise would be an issue, but give a little gain a lot!
I have one 3000 rmp fan on the top front of my case, and one mounted on the side blowing on the VRM. I've modified my Corsair 540 case twice now as you can see in the photo. Any suggestions?
I was also thinking about putting a 3000 rpm fan on the back exhaust. Give me some ideas.


----------



## miklkit

You have an 8320 running on a UD3 @ 5 ghz on air?







You should consider joining the 5ghz 24/7 club as well as painting some gold stripes on that case, because bumblebees can't fly.









This is the minimum requirement for entry.  

The rear exhaust fan should flow at least as much air as the cpu cooler fans or it is just an obstruction. If it can't, then consider removing the fan and the rear grille completely.


----------



## sb43

Thanks for the advise. Yeah, I kind got "the golden Chip", I can play all of my games etc., etc, on 5.0, but I'm always thinking how can I get better temps with the fan arrangements. So' I'll take that 3000 rpm fan off the front, and put it on the rear. I too was thinking the air was bumping into a roadblock.. Not too interested in being in any clubs. I hate the pettiness of the competition. Not saying any of you are like that. You know what I mean.


----------



## miklkit

You have a unique rig as the UD3 is supposed to top out around 4.8 ghz and you have one doing 5! I'm the only one there with an air cooled FX and everyone thinks I'm special. It would be good to show that others can do it too. I wonder how many others are out there?

For air flow, those top fans bother me. The front one is sucking up the air coming from the front fan and tossing it out of the case before it can do anything. It would be better as an intake. The top rear fan is probably doing more harm than good. I had one like that and when it died temps went down.

This is what I ended up with, except that now I'm using a different video card and cpu cooler.


----------



## sb43

Than you for the reply. See, those top fans have been the splinter in my side for the longest time. I know heat rises ( I'm a carpenter, so.....), but I have SO MUCH air going "into" the case, now that I've put the 3000 rpm fan in the back exhaust ( Running at full tilt), should I turn the top fans down and bring MORE an over the CPU?
I tweaked it back up to 5.0 and so far so good. I've been doing small benches to see what's what. I can't do 1.5 volt..... It doesn't like it. I'm at 1.475, and so far, so good.

so the drawing shows the fan swap, do ya think turng the top fans down for MORE intake will Help? I know everyone has an opinion, but hey, if it works , it works.


----------



## miklkit

Hot air rises slowly. Fans push air quickly. Air goes where you push it no matter what temperature it is.

Those top fans are easy to swap around so try it in different combinations and see what happens. Personally methinks you have them at just about their worst now. Why? Because they are pulling air out of the CPU cooler making it run less efficiently, and because they are pulling hot air up from the GPUs into said CPU cooler making it run that much warmer.

The next worst setup is with the front as intake and rear as exhaust. What happens there is that the air from the rear exhaust gets sucked right back into the case by the front fan, and from there it goes past the CPU cooler to the rear fan to be sucked out.

With both as intakes the front fan is feeding the CPU cooler and the rear is blowing down onto the CPU cooler exhaust. Unless the rear case fan is really working it will reduce air flow through the CPU cooler by clogging the exhaust path with air.

So that is how I ended up with the top front as intake and no rear top at all.

My case fans aren't as powerful as yours. Three of them are Arctic Cooling F12s which are pretty quiet and move a decent amount of air, and one Silverstone FM121, which is a little beast. It feeds the CPU cooler intake as well as keeping the hot exhaust air from the GPU away from the CPU cooler. It basically creates a wall of air between them. There are no case exhaust fans as the rear of the case is open. The PCIE slot covers are gone as well as the exhaust fan grille. The I/O panel cover is gone too. The air comes in the front and goes out the back. Quickly.


----------



## sb43

I took your advise and did changed the top fans. It's cooling MUCH better now. I did that before I saw your post, so we're thinking along the same lines.!


----------



## sb43

Okay, here we are at both top fans at down draft (Intakes), at 5.0
Ghz


----------



## ehume

@miklkitand @sb43: I would agree with everything you are doing. Air indeed goes where you push it. You are better to have a top fan bringing cool outside air into your system. Hot air exhaust in front of your heatsink just pulls hot air up to it.

The one thing I would do is something I do on all my cases: I remove the grill from the rear exhaust. If you have a heatsink with a pull fan, it will entrain the air in your case and pull it out. For a silly example, look at #2 in my sig. It's hilarious what you can do with only a push-pull setup on your heatsink and no case fans.

At that point, try three alternatives: No exhaust fan, your old exhaust fan, and a pull fan on your D15. A pull fan on a D15 only improves cooling when the first two fans are on LNA's. I've conversed with Noctua, who don't see any significant improvement but the humor us enthusiasts. What a pull fan can do is exhaust your case with less noise than you have now.

In any case, have fun -- that's what it's all about. I just went to Harbor Freight and bought a set of security bits today. Just one bit allowed me to easily remove the outside screws -- amazing what having the right tool will do. This allowed me to repair my 15-year-old Krups waffle maker. This was marvelous fun. We live life for this. Have fun with your stuff.


----------



## sb43

Thank you both for the GREAT advise today. I now have both top fans pushing air in, and it definitely helped. I was able to play Rainbow Six Seige with 5.0, no stutters, yada, yada. Thank you both! I will however, be bumping up my top fans!


----------



## doyll

You might find 'Ways to Better Cooling' link in my sig of interest. 1st post is index, click on topics to see them. 2nd postis what I use to monitor air temps in and out of case.

Try removing all unused PCIe back slot covers to let more heated air out. Unplug your back top fan and see what happens My guess it is not help and may be hurting.


----------



## sb43

Thank You!


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> CPU clearance is distance from top of CPU to inside of case. CPU clearance is the maximum height cooler that will fit.
> Top of CPU is 8mm above surface of motherboard.
> Bottom of RAM is 3mm above top of motherboard


But all vendors state the clearance without taking into account the 5mm extra space or not?

In my case (G-Skill Trident X), I know that a Dark Rock Pro 3 will fit if I remove the RAM fins because I saw a photo of it, although the DRP 3 also states less clearance, just 35mm (would not fit the Trident).

http://www.tweaktown.com/image.php?image=imagescdn.tweaktown.com/content/6/0/6072_23_be_quiet_dark_rock_pro_3_cpu_cooler_review_a_winner_in_terms_of_performance_and_quietness_full.jpg

And Noctua states on #2 for the NH-D15 - Ram clearance in dual fan mode: 32mm to mainboard: http://noctua.at/media/wysiwyg/images/noctua_nh_d15_dimensions.jpg

Do they mean with the cooler installed or just the space from the bottom of the heatsink to the bottom of the fan? Because the former would have more or less 37mm of clearance for RAM.

I would appreciate any feedback.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Contiusa*
> 
> But all vendors state the clearance without taking into account the 5mm extra space or not?
> 
> In my case (G-Skill Trident X), I know that a Dark Rock Pro 3 will fit if I remove the RAM fins because I saw a photo of it, although the DRP 3 also states less clearance, just 35mm (would not fit the Trident).
> 
> http://www.tweaktown.com/image.php?image=imagescdn.tweaktown.com/content/6/0/6072_23_be_quiet_dark_rock_pro_3_cpu_cooler_review_a_winner_in_terms_of_performance_and_quietness_full.jpg
> 
> And Noctua states on #2 for the NH-D15 - Ram clearance in dual fan mode: 32mm to mainboard: http://noctua.at/media/wysiwyg/images/noctua_nh_d15_dimensions.jpg
> 
> Do they mean with the cooler installed or just the space from the bottom of the heatsink to the bottom of the fan? Because the former would have more or less 37mm of clearance for RAM.
> 
> I would appreciate any feedback.


Wow! I'm ashamed of that drawing.








Please give me a link to it so I can change it.









Here is a better one.

Detailed explanation of how to do it:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/20_20#post_23232751

CPU clearance = top of CPU to case.

Most cooler vendors only give the distance from top of CPU to bottom of fins.
Add 5mm to this and you have the maximum height the RAM can be. This is not the RAM height in socket. It is the physical measurement of RAM itself.

Whoever drew that NH-D15 has no idea how to do mechanical drawings. I'm not sure what they were trying to say. But here is edited drawing I did and verified with fan on cooler.
Here is one showing how high the front fan can be fit. I wouldn't want to mount that high. Partly because the vibration mount is just above the fins.







But It could be mounted 10 mm lower no problem .. meaning 59mm RAM would fit. Of course there is almost no airflow over the fins and heatpipes in that notched out area.


----------



## Contiusa

Thanks! The other drawing works as well
















From what I see, I think it will be too tight. I have clearance for a 170mm cooler, then the memory cannot be higher than 34mm I suppose.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Contiusa*
> 
> Thanks! The other drawing works as well
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From what I see, I think it will be too tight. I have clearance for a 170mm cooler, then the memory cannot be higher than 34mm I suppose.


Have you looked at coolers with better RAM clearance with fan? There is a list of coolers and clearances in 'Ways to Better Cooling' linked in my sig.


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Have you looked at coolers with better RAM clearance with fan? There is a list of coolers and clearances in 'Ways to Better Cooling' linked in my sig.


Nice, I'll take a look. Maybe I'll find another option, because I have been sifting around and there are not many options clear ahead of my 9900NT and up to the D15 in Brazil. There are lots of products not being restored because of the dollar instability. And to import is to pay 100% plus taxes on top of it; makes it unviable.

The worse is that I bought a Havik 140 this week but then the seller gave me a call saying they made a mistake and the cooler was sold out. That was a bummer, because the reviews place it better than the DRP3. I can't find anywhere else. It was going to be my option.


----------



## Contiusa

As an update, I think I'll go with the N14. It fits my ram and my case and I might get better fans later on (from what people say) and catch up with the N15 stock.

Another guy in another forum has the 30.5mm Mushkin Stealth and he had to raise 5mm of the front fan of the N15. In other words, you need to have those extra low profile rams with no heat spreader







OC3D video also shows that the N15 interferes with the PCI-e slot. Mine has a PCI first and it wound not interfere, but these guys from Noctua created a cooler for test benches, not real cases


----------



## TobsenHB

Hello fellow NH-D15 owners. Would like to join!




On a Asus x99 e ws 3.1 it is very close to the first pcie slot, but my gpu fit there. I only switched slots due to the fact, that the Asus Thunderbolt card works only in the second slot on this board.


----------



## duckyboy

Buyer Beware, the Cooler is massive, and I trusted the Noctua Compatibility list, Sure they are not wrong with it not blocking the ASUS X99 SABERTOOTH if the gpu does not have a backplate. My 980 ti Strix was touching against it which I thought was fine, but after a complete install You could tell that the card was being forced down a bit while screwing the screws to the card, but with a card like my 670FTW no backplate it was a perfect fit. Just thought I would share this with everyone =)

*The Actual heatsink does not interfere it is the A15 Fan that does!


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *duckyboy*
> 
> Buyer Beware, the Cooler is massive, and I trusted the Noctua Compatibility list, Sure they are not wrong with it not blocking the ASUS X99 SABERTOOTH if the gpu does not have a backplate. My 980 ti Strix was touching against it which I thought was fine, but after a complete install You could tell that the card was being forced down a bit while screwing the screws to the card, but with a card like my 670FTW no backplate it was a perfect fit. Just thought I would share this with everyone =)
> 
> *The Actual heatsink does not interfere it is the A15 Fan that does!


Important: if you have a GPU in the first slot, get the NH-D15S. The D15S has the same heatsink as the D15, but it is moved sideways a centimeter so that it clears the first slot. See my reviews of the D15 and the D15S. There cooling power is the same if you put the same fans on them.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *duckyboy*
> 
> Buyer Beware, the Cooler is massive, and I trusted the Noctua Compatibility list, Sure they are not wrong with it not blocking the ASUS X99 SABERTOOTH if the gpu does not have a backplate. My 980 ti Strix was touching against it which I thought was fine, but after a complete install You could tell that the card was being forced down a bit while screwing the screws to the card, but with a card like my 670FTW no backplate it was a perfect fit. Just thought I would share this with everyone =)
> 
> *The Actual heatsink does not interfere it is the A15 Fan that does!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Important: if you have a GPU in the first slot, get the NH-D15S. The D15S has the same heatsink as the D15, but it is moved sideways a centimeter so that it clears the first slot. See my reviews of the D15 and the D15S. There cooling power is the same if you put the same fans on them.


What ehume said.

ehume, have you done a comparison between D14 and D15 with same fans? My guess is performance will be the same or very close to the same.


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> ehume, have you done a comparison between D14 and D15 with same fans? My guess is performance will be the same or very close to the same.


That's what I heard. From OC3D review, both towers look very similar. The D15 is wider, but it has the cutouts for RAM, so they might have similar dissipation areas.

I would be interested in the test results


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *duckyboy*
> 
> Buyer Beware, the Cooler is massive, and I trusted the Noctua Compatibility list, Sure they are not wrong with it not blocking the ASUS X99 SABERTOOTH if the gpu does not have a backplate. My 980 ti Strix was touching against it which I thought was fine, but after a complete install You could tell that the card was being forced down a bit while screwing the screws to the card, but with a card like my 670FTW no backplate it was a perfect fit. Just thought I would share this with everyone =)
> 
> *The Actual heatsink does not interfere it is the A15 Fan that does!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Important: if you have a GPU in the first slot, get the NH-D15S. The D15S has the same heatsink as the D15, but it is moved sideways a centimeter so that it clears the first slot. See my reviews of the D15 and the D15S. There cooling power is the same if you put the same fans on them.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> What ehume said.
> 
> ehume, have you done a comparison between D14 and D15 with same fans? My guess is performance will be the same or very close to the same.
Click to expand...

In the other Overclockers, my heatsink reviews are cumulative. I did one on the Cryorig R1 Ultimate, for example, they shows the NH-D15 net coretemps at 57c, with the NH-D15S at 57.7c. 0.7 centigrade is within the margin of error, considering they were separate mounts with separate globs of TIM.

I would link but OCN rules say I cannot provide hyperlinks to my own articles. But considering that I have both heatsinks in my possession, I can tell you that the fin stacks are identical.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Contiusa*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> ehume, have you done a comparison between D14 and D15 with same fans? My guess is performance will be the same or very close to the same.
> 
> 
> 
> That's what I heard. From OC3D review, both towers look very similar. The D15 is wider, but it has the cutouts for RAM, so they might have similar dissipation areas.
> 
> I would be interested in the test results
Click to expand...

What kind of testing? If you just want to compare them, that's been done elsewhere. Do you have something else in mind?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> In the other Overclockers, my heatsink reviews are cumulative. I did one on the Cryorig R1 Ultimate, for example, they shows the NH-D15 net coretemps at 57c, with the NH-D15S at 57.7c. 0.7 centigrade is within the margin of error, considering they were separate mounts with separate globs of TIM.
> 
> I would link but OCN rules say I cannot provide hyperlinks to my own articles. But considering that I have both heatsinks in my possession, I can tell you that the fin stacks are identical.


Thanks, I know the NH-D15 an NH-D15S have same cooling ability.

We were wondering the difference between NH-D*14* and NH-D*15* with same fans. Like how does NH-D14 perform with 1x and 2x of the NF-A15 1500rpm compared to how NH-D15 and NH-D15S do?


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> What kind of testing? If you just want to compare them, that's been done elsewhere. Do you have something else in mind?


I am just trailing on the wake of what doyll said:
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> ehume, have you done a comparison between D14 and D15 with same fans? My guess is performance will be the same or very close to the same.


So I just said that I would be interested to hear about it too, you see?


----------



## miklkit

I have heard that their base is different with the D14 having a smooth, slightly concave surface while the D15 has a flat polished surface. How much difference does that make?


----------



## mav451

eHume already tested the A14s on the D14 as part of his D15 review on Overclockers - it's the very last image.
There's basically no difference.


----------



## ehume

Hmm. D14 vs D15, using the same fans. Interesting, since I have the heatsinks and the fans. Sounds worth doing, though I'm trying out GC-4 Supreme just now. So the results will differ some from the master review. It'll take a day or two to do.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mav451*
> 
> eHume already tested the A14s on the D14 as part of his D15 review on Overclockers - it's the very last image.
> There's basically no difference.


You're right. I had forgotten about that. So the test has already been done. The results were well within the margin of error, given they were separate mounts.

One other thing: you can't compare those old results with current results, since I had to retire the old CPU.

Still, the D14 had interference problems when the GPU was in the first slot. I advise using the D15S in those circumstances.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miklkit*
> 
> I have heard that their base is different with the D14 having a smooth, slightly concave surface while the D15 has a flat polished surface. How much difference does that make?


Depends on how flat or concave the CPU IHS is.








If I remember correctly my D15 base is not perfectly flat. It is just a little high side to side had light leaks under it at differnt place front to back. I used several different razor blade checking it because it was hard to believe light was leaking under at different places, not just at ends or middle. It wasn't much but was enough to catch my attention because I see it happen on rare occasions. As in this case it is on highly polished bases. My reasoning is machining is leaves a near perfect plane, but polishing is not as precise. It is done with compounds and pads, not flat precision edges. Add this to the fact that polishing removes softer materials before hard material. This means hard polished spots are slightly higher than low polished spots while machining cuts places are slightly raised above the softer material. .. while machining precisely cuts the surface. Really this means little because regardless on how perfect one of the surface is finished, it make no difference unless the other surface it is finished to prefect matched to it.

The rational of a slightly convex cooler base is not to fit the entire IHS surface. It is to make sure it makes good contact with the center area of IHS .. the area over the CPU itself.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> You're right. I had forgotten about that. So the test has already been done. The results were well within the margin of error, given they were separate mounts.
> 
> One other thing: you can't compare those old results with current results, since I had to retire the old CPU.
> 
> Still, the D14 had interference problems when the GPU was in the first slot. I advise using the D15S in those circumstances.


D14 is 70mm enter to left while D15 is 67mm .. only 3mm difference. But to the right the D15 is 83mm and D14 is still only 70mm.

D15 is 66mm front to center of CPU and 68mm on to back. D15 is 67.5mm both ways from center.

Would still be interested in seeing how D14 does with A15 1500rpm fans.


----------



## ehume

I don't know about ruler measurements. What I know about is interference with the first clot, since my mATX board has a D14 on it, and a wide PCIE socket in the first slot. Hence, the GPU goes in the fourth slot.

I have had the D14, D15 and D15S on the test mb. As doyll notes, the D15 is 67.5mm to right and left. That sounds about right. The D15S is moved over. Here are some outtakes from the review. They haven't been published before:


----------



## Contiusa

As an update, I just ordered a NH-U14S (I saw the review here). Later on I will add another NF-A15 (it was sold out). It has the same width of the D15 but it does not affect my PCI-e and I can keep the fins of my Trident X. For me it will come close to the price of the D14 with the extra fan but it fits my rig much better.

If I have time, I'll post the difference from my Zalman 9900NT at 4.4Ghz in the proper thread.

I appreciate all the help guys.


----------



## Ixander

I just want to show my love for this CPU Cooler, it's a beauty



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## Scrimstar

How would these compare to a Corsair H110i GTX? I am also able to get aftermarket fans and thermal paste.

I want to OC a 5820k to 4.5GHz while keeping my rig quiet. $170 budget

D15>D15S, right?


----------



## kubo

I'm interested in getting a D15 in the future and already have some gentle typhoon AP-15's. Has anyone tried these fans with the D15?--And how they compare with the stock D15 fans.


----------



## TobsenHB

I am running my 5830k with it @4.4GHZ. Changed the fans to the industrial 2000rpm versions. On Prime95 it hits 83 Degrees, so not sure how 4.5GHZ would heat it up.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Scrimstar*
> 
> How would these compare to a Corsair H110i GTX? I am also able to get aftermarket fans and thermal paste.
> 
> I want to OC a 5820k to 4.5GHz while keeping my rig quiet. $170 budget
> 
> D15>D15S, right?


H110i GTX is really no better than D15. Sure 110 will give you about 5c cooler temps at full speed, but at full speed it is sounds 6 times loud! Slow the fans down to <40dBA (D15 is 33dBA full speed) and 110 give same temps. I have not done it on a D15, but when I've tested other top tier coolers using 2500rpm 45dBA fans instead of their stock 1300-1500rpm fans the CPU temps drop 5-8c .. meaning they cool better or at least as well as 110 while being half as loud.
Every 10dBA of increase doubles the noise level out ears hear.









D15 and D15S have same cooling with same fans. Reason D15S test a little warmer is 1x vs 2x fans.









Please keep in mind your case needs to flow more air than the coolers in it flow. If it does not it becomes an oven and components have to re-used their already heated exhaust .. meaning component temps go up by the same amount as the heated air going into their coolers.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kubo*
> 
> I'm interested in getting a D15 in the future and already have some gentle typhoon AP-15's. Has anyone tried these fans with the D15?--And how they compare with the stock D15 fans.


I don't know of anyone who has, but why would anyone? The NF-A15 1500rpm fans on D15 are excellent fans .. easily as good as GTs in this application. Additionally the A15s' 140mm size supply a bigger airflow pattern through the cooler than GTs' 120mm size can .. meaning more airflow over the D15's fins.

If you do try the GTs on it, please let us know what the results are. You may surprise me. Airflow often does things we do not expect.


----------



## miklkit

This is an intriguing question as the 140s have a larger dead air hole in the center than the 120s meaning the 120s might actually cool more of the radiator. It depends on the radiator design though as some have the heat pipes spread across the front surface and some have them clustered on the sides where there is more air flow. The D15s center pipes might not be cooling as well as the outer pipes while they are taking their heat from the hottest part of the CPU.


----------



## Quarazhi

So I have just ordered a third fan for my NH-D15 I'm aware it probably won't make a difference. Just have a feeling it will look pretty beastly in the side window.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Quarazhi*
> 
> So I have just ordered a third fan for my NH-D15 I'm aware it probably won't make a difference. Just have a feeling it will look pretty beastly in the side window.


you run all three fans at 1200 rpm. For stock 1500 rpm fans, that means using the LNA. test the rpm's of the fans. Slowest in front, fastest in back. Have fun.


----------



## Quarazhi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> you run all three fans at 1200 rpm. For stock 1500 rpm fans, that means using the LNA. test the rpm's of the fans. Slowest in front, fastest in back. Have fun.


Thanks man, I am unsure what I'll be doing to get it to work because I am just using the fan hub on my Enthoo Pro Case, I mean there must be a limit as to how many fans you can run with it. Currently I am running 6 on it already. I am thinking about using the case fan headers on the motherboard instead of running them to the hub and then to the cpu_fan header.

Actually I am running a Y splitter from both the CPU fans and then to cpu_fan header and then the other chassis fans to the hub and it looks like the hub is connected to molex or sata. I will figure it all out when the fan gets here, I really need to tidy up the cable management and route them more logically..


----------



## ehume

You should probably test your fans with a direct line to the PSU while measuring RPM with your MB. You only need to do this once, but it will tell you how fast they spin. Each will deviate from specs to an unknown amount.


----------



## Quarazhi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> You should probably test your fans with a direct line to the PSU while measuring RPM with your MB. You only need to do this once, but it will tell you how fast they spin. Each will deviate from specs to an unknown amount.


Is it really that important? I mean isn't that only if you chasing perfect airflow that actually matters? As of right now all the temp sensors are fine and my CPU doesn't even touch 60 degrees celcius at full load and that's with the fans running as low as they will go and Asus AI Suite tells me that's 740-760 rpm.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Quarazhi*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> You should probably test your fans with a direct line to the PSU while measuring RPM with your MB. You only need to do this once, but it will tell you how fast they spin. Each will deviate from specs to an unknown amount.
> 
> 
> 
> Is it really that important? I mean isn't that only if you chasing perfect airflow that actually matters? As of right now all the temp sensors are fine and my CPU doesn't even touch 60 degrees celcius at full load and that's with the fans running as low as they will go and Asus AI Suite tells me that's 740-760 rpm.
Click to expand...

 I figure that if you are on OCN, you want the max. Think about it. Slower fans do not let as much airflow through as faster fans. All fans have varied speeds and cfm. Putting the slowest last is sort of creating an air dam. Not necessary to fix that, but desirable.


----------



## Quarazhi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I figure that if you are on OCN, you want the max. Think about it. Slower fans do not let as much airflow through as faster fans. All fans have varied speeds and cfm. Putting the slowest last is sort of creating an air dam. Not necessary to fix that, but desirable.


Excuse me for being quite daft, but what do you mean with direct link to PSU? And since I haven't wired the fans on splitters to the different chas_fan outputs I can't see the RPM of each fan individually but only the header where I have all my fans connected to which is the cpu_fan header


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Quarazhi*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I figure that if you are on OCN, you want the max. Think about it. Slower fans do not let as much airflow through as faster fans. All fans have varied speeds and cfm. Putting the slowest last is sort of creating an air dam. Not necessary to fix that, but desirable.
> 
> 
> 
> Excuse me for being quite daft, but what do you mean with direct link to PSU? And since I haven't wired the fans on splitters to the different chas_fan outputs I can't see the RPM of each fan individually but only the header where I have all my fans connected to which is the cpu_fan header
Click to expand...

Try connecting a fan with an adapter -- they usually attached to your Molex connector. The adapter usually has and rpm wire that ends in a 3-conductor plug. Plug that in to your MB. Alternately, set your motherboard on max. Then, one by one, connect each fan directly to the same CPU header. That will get you comparative fan speeds. Connecting them through a harness means that only the RPM of the first fan will be reported.


----------



## Quarazhi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Try connecting a fan with an adapter -- they usually attached to your Molex connector. The adapter usually has and rpm wire that ends in a 3-conductor plug. Plug that in to your MB. Alternately, set your motherboard on max. Then, one by one, connect each fan directly to the same CPU header. That will get you comparative fan speeds. Connecting them through a harness means that only the RPM of the first fan will be reported.


Alright, I will try that. I'm looking forward to play with my PC again, it's so much fun, except for when stuff breaks and you have to troubleshoot.


----------



## Contiusa

Hi guys, so I added a NF-A14 to the NH-U14S to do a push pull configuration. Noctua also told me to get the NF-A14 to match the 1500rpm of the original NF-A15. I used the same mounting wire. It just got tighter. To use the ziptie I would have to drill holes in it, because the holes don't match the tower.

But the dual fan configuration is giving me a noise like those water pumps that comes defective. High pitch, but not that close to coil wine. Even at idle, but you have to come close to listen to it. I also tested with the noise adaptor on the second fan (could be the voltage of the two combined) and it did not change a bit. With the stress test the whine gets pretty annoying. Both fans have rubber pads and I touched them and they are not vibrating or loose. Both seem to be well centered. The tower wobble in a very tight (slight) cycle, but I assume this has to do with the pressure from the fans. I pressed with my fingers to stop the wobble and the noise did not stop or changed.

Is one of the fans (or both) defective or this is a common anomaly? I did not like the sound of the single NF-A15 with the stress test, sounded slightly unbalanced, with a hard noise from the fan.

I also bought a Corsair SP120 High Performance Edition to be an exhaust and it is a real blower and I can feel the noise as only air and drag. It sounds perfectly balanced. In fact, really nice fan. Not the same experience that I am having with the Noctua's.

Do I have to test both NF-A14 and NF-A15 separately on a 3 pin connector to see how they fare in open air? If they present some weird noise at high rpm? Do the NH-U14S or Noctua has a troubled history with push pull?


----------



## Contiusa

Here's the setup:



Ps: I know, I gotta replace the white rims from the top fans


----------



## Contiusa

OK, I found about the spacers on the NF-A15 (thought they were spare pads). Let's see if gets better. But the NF-A14 spacers won't fit in the tower.


----------



## shilka

Updated my build log if anyone want to see how it turned out
Project Arios / Seravee


----------



## Contiusa

Now I did a thorough test with the fans that I have with the case closed horizontally.

The NF-A15 continues to whine with the spacer. Did not make a single wave in the pitch.

The SP120 Performance Edition cuts the whine in half when working together with the NF-A14. I assume both Noctua's are not getting along together. If I add another SP120 the whine will likely disappear.

The SP120 Performance Edition (not PWM version) alone is slightly better than the NF-A15 alone. Some 1.5-2ºC. I imagine the NF-A15 will catch-up a degree at 1500rpm (it ran at 1350rpm). I don't have a test bench so it is hard to put your hand below the top of the heatsink, but looks like the 120mm fan exploits all the air through the fins, while the 140mm fan wastes some from the top and the side of the heatsink. And the SP120 has more static pressure (it was around *2250rpm). Not that noisy like I would expect from a 2350rpm fan. But I would obviously run a pair of PWM ones.

I tested the NF-A15 on a 4 pin header and it is running fine. I did not test the NF-A14 because they both seems fine. The SP120 also makes a hard noise on the heatsink. They both fare about equal on the heatsink pitch.

Corsair gained some leeway with me. I will most likely buy two SP120 with PWM to run with my NH-U14S. And it looks cool with a red ring in front of my red memory (forgot to take a picture).

Well, thanks for all the help guys. In case I add a pair of 120mm and they also whine I'll drop a note here.

Peace,


----------



## MicroCat

Have you made an audio or a video with audio of the various fans? By the description, one or more of the Nocs may have a defect. Mine don't whine, but whoosh.

But, if the SP120s work for you, that's great. Not my first choice in 120mm fans, that would be the Darkside PWM GTs or EK Vardars,

Oh...3 pin SP120 quieter than PWM A14/A15, is that right? Possibly there's a PWM controller issue in your system. Is the MB set to run the cpu header in PWM mode? Have you set your own fan profiles?


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Have you made an audio or a video with audio of the various fans? By the description, one or more of the Nocs may have a defect. Mine don't whine, but whoosh.
> 
> But, if the SP120s work for you, that's great. Not my first choice in 120mm fans, that would be the Darkside PWM GTs or EK Vardars,
> 
> Oh...3 pin SP120 quieter than PWM A14/A15, is that right? Possibly there's a PWM controller issue in your system. Is the MB set to run the cpu header in PWM mode? Have you set your own fan profiles?


No, not quieter







but it has less whine making a duo with another Noctua. What I said is that the SP120 is quieter than I thought a 2350 fan would be, but it certainly makes more noise than the Noctua. But not what I imagined, since it runs 750-800rpm higher. On this regard it surprised me. But if I get PWM ones they will certainly be inaudible in most cases.

From what I am seeing in the Brazilian market, so far I have the option of the SP120, Cougar Vortex and Sickleflow. I might find one or two other options down the line. The latter two are pretty cheap. Maybe I'll by a pair of the Sickleflow to make a test. I saw a review and looks like the Blade Master 120 is pretty good (http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/120mm_and_140mm_fan_comparison,17.html), but I don't see it for sale here. But Cooler Master is pretty popular in Brazil, so maybe I'll wait a bit. The Corsairs are expensive and are sold out right now, but they come around all the time.


----------



## MicroCat

Ok, thanks for clearing that noise up. ;-)

But, until you can SP120 PWM versions, the whine might be a PWM issue with the system. If you run the Noctuas in voltage control mode, not PWM, is the whine the same or is it reduced?


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Ok, thanks for clearing that noise up. ;-)
> 
> But, until you can SP120 PWM versions, the whine might be a PWM issue with the system. If you run the Noctuas in voltage control mode, not PWM, is the whine the same or is it reduced?


That could be the case. I did all the tests with the PWM, although I tested the NF-A14 with LNA (to replicate what Noctua imposed with the NF-A15 1200rpm). The whine remains the same.

But I'll test them both with voltage control tomorrow, most likely. I'll let you know the result.


----------



## doyll

Contiusa
Your top case fans are most likely increasing our CPU temps when GPU is working.







They are drawing it's heated exhaust up into your U14S intake airflow.

Easy way to find out is unplug them, especially the front one, and see if temps change.
I also suggest removing all unused PCIe slot covers for better front to back airflow.
If your motherboard has a good lower graphics card socket, moving your GPU down will likely lower temps too.


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Contiusa
> Your top case fans are most likely increasing our CPU temps when GPU is working.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They are drawing it's heated exhaust up into your U14S intake airflow.
> 
> Easy way to find out is unplug them, especially the front one, and see if temps change.
> I also suggest removing all unused PCIe slot covers for better front to back airflow.
> If your motherboard has a good lower graphics card socket, moving your GPU down will likely lower temps too.


I know -- I was reading your posts about intakes on the top -- but my room gathers a lot of dust and with intakes the rig gets flooded with dust every three months. So I gave up on intake fans -- other than the one in the front, and it has a filter. And I live by the sea (a few blocks from it), so you mix dust and salt air and all my plated pieces get stained with time. It would hinder the resale value.

The difference in dust in between a fan blowing air directly into an object is immense compared to negative or positive pressure. It has been a few weeks since I took away the lateral intakes and the case looks clean. I rather deal with a couple degrees than the dust. And the Carbide is full of entrances and the NH-U14S is working good, so









I could test the GPU on a lower PCI-e. Will check the mobo specs.

Maybe I'll work some filters, but the Carbide 300R is getting small. I need a bigger case to start modding it.


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Ok, thanks for clearing that noise up. ;-)
> 
> But, until you can SP120 PWM versions, the whine might be a PWM issue with the system. If you run the Noctuas in voltage control mode, not PWM, is the whine the same or is it reduced?


I tested both (NF-A15 and A14) in the sys fans (4 pin). The whine remains, even louder at 1000rpm. The BIOS was set on 'Normal'. I disabled it and at 1500rpm they whine like hyenas







Then I turned the back one off and it stopped. I forgot to turn off the front one (kind of gave up on them







. I'll do later.


----------



## Contiusa

Oh, the back one NF-A14 is whining alone. I'll put it in front of the heatsink later to see if it whines -- and rule out the turbulence of being a puller. I will also check in open air.


----------



## Contiusa

No, the NF-A14 is not whining in front of the heatsink alone as a pusher (at high speed). Must be the turbulence as a puller. Maybe later I'll test with the NF-A15 in the back.


----------



## Contiusa

No love... With the NF-A14 in front and the NF-A15 in the back they whine like hell as well. Must be my heatsink or the NH-U14S has a problem with push pull and its 14mm fans.


----------



## shilka

Could you please use the edit function to add more to your last post instead of making a new post.
Once or twice in a row is fine but 4-5 times is a bit too much.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Contiusa*
> 
> I know -- I was reading your posts about intakes on the top -- but my room gathers a lot of dust and with intakes the rig gets flooded with dust every three months. So I gave up on intake fans -- other than the one in the front, and it has a filter. And I live by the sea (a few blocks from it), so you mix dust and salt air and all my plated pieces get stained with time. It would hinder the resale value.
> 
> The difference in dust in between a fan blowing air directly into an object is immense compared to negative or positive pressure. It has been a few weeks since I took away the lateral intakes and the case looks clean. I rather deal with a couple degrees than the dust. And the Carbide is full of entrances and the NH-U14S is working good, so
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I could test the GPU on a lower PCI-e. Will check the mobo specs.
> 
> Maybe I'll work some filters, but the Carbide 300R is getting small. I need a bigger case to start modding it.


Sorry, but most of what you are saying is bases on false logic, false data and false assumptions.
A case only flows the lessor of the two; the intake or the exhaust. A case can only flow the amount of air coming into the case out of the case.
Negative case pressure only means air can leak into case through holes other than where intake fans are.
Positive case pressure only mens air can leak out of case though holes other than when exhaust fans are.
The pressure difference is like the differnece between sea level and 150 meters above sea level. Mabye enough for you to feel it in your ears. ;D

You might find some of the posts in "Ways to Better Cooling" linked in my sig of interest. First post is index. Click on topic of interest to see it.


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shilka*
> 
> Could you please use the edit function to add more to your last post instead of making a new post.
> Once or twice in a row is fine but 4-5 times is a bit too much.


Sorry, I'll do.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Sorry, but most of what you are saying is bases on false logic, false data and false assumptions.


Not in my experience. With the fans blowing direct air I would already have dust accumulation in these last few weeks that I took them away.

Fot the thread in general, here is the video with the whine. The stress test only gets the fan to 1250rpm, so it gets even louder at 1500rpm. It already is. Wait untill the end when it throttles down.


----------



## turboman

Here is a picture of my setup with a NH-D15S. I am using two Noiseblocker NB eLoop B14-PS fans. The fans got highest rated by pcgameshardware.
However: the fans are 29mm thick, so I made some construction with balsa wood to mount the fans.Goes like a bomb!
I also use the same fan for the case (Fractal Design Define R5) at the back.


----------



## shilka

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *turboman*
> 
> 
> 
> Here is a picture of my setup with a NH-D15S. I am using two Noiseblocker NB eLoop B14-PS fans. The fans got highest rated by pcgameshardware.
> However: the fans are 29mm thick, so I made some construction with balsa wood to mount the fans.Goes like a bomb!
> I also use the same fan for the case (Fractal Design Define R5) at the back.


Well thats one way to do it but as they say in the military If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid.


----------



## miklkit

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Contiusa*
> 
> Sorry, I'll do.
> Not in my experience. With the fans blowing direct air I would already have dust accumulation in these last few weeks that I took them away.
> 
> Fot the thread in general, here is the video with the whine. The stress test only gets the fan to 1250rpm, so it gets even louder at 1500rpm. It already is. Wait untill the end when it throttles down.


You might want to listen to Doyll as he has been doing this a while. You are talking about dust accumulation. Everyone deals with it and that is why we use filters. They can range from pantyhose stretched of the case to custom built filters.

Silverstone makes a range of filters that works ok. I use one. 

It is magnetized and removable and costs about what a fan costs. I hit it with the vacuum cleaner weekly and every few months take the whole thing outside and give it a thorough beating with a DataVac. Big cloud of dust............

About air flow, what worked out best for me is no top rear fan and the top front fan set as an intake. The blue lights show this.


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miklkit*
> 
> You might want to listen to Doyll as he has been doing this a while. You are talking about dust accumulation.


I deal with the dust in my room and in my computers for over a decade. The intake fans throw dust on my GPU and motherboard like they are building sand dunes (kidding). When I open the case a few months later, I see the pattern of the flow. And it quickly builds a layer, because the AF140 has a lot of flow as intakes. From my observations so far without the intakes and with the AF140 as exhausts (replacing the Cougars -- less two fans), it looks very promising. It is not rocket science, it is my own experience over the years.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miklkit*
> 
> Everyone deals with it and that is why we use filters. They can range from pantyhose stretched of the case to custom built filters.


I know, I am kind of postponing this. But the temps aren't bad and my GTX lightning is a very fine lady. The dust is a priority now, so the top intakes will have to wait until I figure a filter.

Edit: ah, got it! Only the back fan needs a spacer. I had to invert the order of the fans. Since the NF-A14 does not have spacers for the NH-U14S, I had to put him in front and the NF-A15 is in the back. The whine stopped altogether even at 1500rpm.

I'll post the solution at the YouTube video so that other people can find a quick answer for this particular problem.


----------



## turboman

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shilka*
> 
> Well thats one way to do it but as they say in the military If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid.


@shilka: you call the system stupid? You ain't seen seen nothing yet.








Here is another stupid system of mine. The SSD is not hard mounted but hung freefloating by the power and SATA cable. This way, the vibration of the spinning disks in the SSD are reduced by more than 99.99%. Please also note the efficient cooling directly behind the front fan which takes the heat generated by the spinning disks away.
It also has the advantage that I only had to use one power cable for DVD-player (top), harddisk (bottom) and SSD.
I also have many jokes about Danes.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *turboman*
> 
> 
> @shilka: you call the system stupid? You ain't seen seen nothing yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is another stupid system of mine. The SSD is not hard mounted but hung by the power and SATA cable. This way, the vibration of the spinning disks in the SSD are reduced by more than 99.99%. Please also note the efficient cooling directly behind the front fan which takes the heat generated by the spinning disks away.
> It also has the advantage that I only had to use one power cable for DVD-player (top), harddisk (bottom) and SSD.
> I also have many jokes about Danes.


ROFL Me thinks something definitely spun loose in there.









"If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid." = "If stupid works it isn't stupid." But why put a door in a wall and then put a "This door is to remain closed at all times" sign on it?







What good is a door if it's always closed?


----------



## baii

The whine issue seems to be universal, pull fan on heatsink tend to do that, at least on my macho and what others told me.


----------



## TK421

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shilka*
> 
> Well thats one way to do it but as they say in the military If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid.


Why wouldn't a 29mm fan fit a D15? It's the same 140mm right?


----------



## turboman

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TK421*
> 
> Why wouldn't a 29mm fan fit a D15? It's the same 140mm right?


There are two things to consider:

The 29mm Noiseblocker Eloop fan is wider than a standard 25mm fan. There is however enough space between the two cooling tower stacks. If I remember well, about 4mm gap left after mounting the 29mm.

For mounting a 140mm with square frame, special clips can be bought from Noctua. However these are made for 25mm fan width. So for the 29mm Noiseblocker Eloop, I had to make up my own mounting.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TK421*
> 
> Why wouldn't a 29mm fan fit a D15? It's the same 140mm right?


29mm will fit, but unless the 29mm thick fan has 120mm fan mounts (105mm spacing) the Noctua fan clips will not.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *turboman*
> 
> There are two things to consider:
> 
> The 29mm Noiseblocker Eloop fan is wider than a standard 25mm fan. There is however enough space between the two cooling tower stacks. If I remember well, about 4mm gap left after mounting the 29mm.
> 
> For mounting a 140mm with square frame, special clips can be bought from Noctua. However these are made for 25mm fan width. So for the 29mm Noiseblocker Eloop, I had to make up my own mounting.


Good guess.







D15 has 35mm between fin packs.
The 140mm fan clips could not be tweaked out 4mm to fit on 29mm thick fans? Are these the same clips used on the D14 140mm middle fan? I ask because I can find no info about these fan clips.


----------



## Contiusa

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *baii*
> 
> The whine issue seems to be universal, pull fan on heatsink tend to do that, at least on my macho and what others told me.


I resolved with a spacer that comes with the NF-A15. Only the pull fan needs it. Took me a while to figure because I had to buy a NF-A14 to match the bundle NF-A15 (the retail NF-A15 is a downgraded version with 1200rpm), and the NF-A14 does not have spacers.


----------



## turboman

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> 29mm will fit, but unless the 29mm thick fan has 120mm fan mounts (105mm spacing) the Noctua fan clips will not.
> Good guess.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> D15 has 35mm between fin packs.
> The 140mm fan clips could not be tweaked out 4mm to fit on 29mm thick fans? Are these the same clips used on the D14 140mm middle fan? I ask because I can find no info about these fan clips.


@doyll: from what I have seen, D15 and D15S use 140mm fans with 120mm mounting clips. Same for the D14 middle fan. So these 120mm clips will not fit a traditional 140mm square fan.
On the Noctua Website, in the FAQ of the D15S cooler, Noctua mentions that special clips for 140mm square fan can be ordered. These would then be for traditional 25mm fans. Wheteher these clips could be tweaked a bit to fit my 29mm fans is a good question. After your comments, I would be inclined to try that, because the way I did it, though functional, does not look good.
I want to stick to the Eloop B14-PS. They got good reviews here:
http://thermalbench.com/2016/02/12/blacknoise-nb-eloop-b14-ps-and-b14-3-140mm-fans/
http://www.pcgameshardware.de/Luftkuehlung-Hardware-217993/Specials/Noiseblocker-Eloop-140-mm-Test-Review-1183359/


----------



## GRABibus

Hi,
here is my rig :

http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16021601154117369813979965.jpg

I pull the air at the bottom of my ANTEC case in order to get benefit of the top extraction fan 20mm.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Hi,
> here is my rig :
> 
> http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16021601154117369813979965.jpg
> I pull the air at the bottom of my ANTEC case in order to get benefit of the top extraction fan 20mm.


While I hate to rain on your parade, I can't help myself. If yo do not have 30-4omm clearance between fan and back of GPU, the fan cannot draw air as it should.
Additionally, even if your GPU is blower design blowing air out the back there is still a lot of hot air leaking out of it inside the case. And if it is not blower, it is dumping almost all of it's heated air inside of case .. and this heated air goes up into your CPU cooler. With the motherboard orientation you have, front to back airflow is the best way to supply CPU with cool air. You might find "Ways to Better Cooling" linked in my sig of interest. 1st post in index, click on topic of interest to see it.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> While I hate to rain on your parade, I can't help myself. If yo do not have 30-4omm clearance between fan and back of GPU, the fan cannot draw air as it should.
> Additionally, even if your GPU is blower design blowing air out the back there is still a lot of hot air leaking out of it inside the case. And if it is not blower, it is dumping almost all of it's heated air inside of case .. and this heated air goes up into your CPU cooler. With the motherboard orientation you have, front to back airflow is the best way to supply CPU with cool air. You might find "Ways to Better Cooling" linked in my sig of interest. 1st post in index, click on topic of interest to see it.


Thanks for advise.
My front panel is removed (Case open) because of incompatibility NH-D15 height with Antec 901.
so, it helps a lot for air flow.
Also, I am at Vcore=1,07V and temps during intensive games are between 40°C and 50°C.
If I do what you say, I will win maybe 2°C...

In stress tests, GPU is stressed only with Aida64 and ROG Realbench.
So maybe here alos i could win 1°C or 2°C with your advise, but I think it won't help me to increase Vcore and then CPU frequency.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Thanks for advise.
> My front panel is removed (Case open) because of incompatibility NH-D15 height with Antec 901.
> so, it helps a lot for air flow.
> Also, I am at Vcore=1,07V and temps during intensive games are between 40°C and 50°C.
> If I do what you say, I will win maybe 2°C...
> 
> In stress tests, GPU is stressed only with Aida64 and ROG Realbench.
> So maybe here alos i could win 1°C or 2°C with your advise, but I think it won't help me to increase Vcore and then CPU frequency.


I'm assuming you could not mount the D15 turned 90 degrees?
If you can, then I would do that for sure. If not, I would try putting cooler fans on in pull / pull instead of push / push. This will increase the airflow area into lower fin pack on D15 while still having a fan on each pack.


----------



## Quarazhi

So I have now installed the third fan on my NH-D15 and I ended up mounting the 1200 rpm fan in front with zip ties. I mounted it in front as suggested by Doyll I believe? The way I mounted it was not really optimal but it seems to work. I will have to find some of those clips though..


----------



## cadger

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Quarazhi*
> 
> So I have now installed the third fan on my NH-D15 and I ended up mounting the 1200 rpm fan in front with zip ties. I mounted it in front as suggested by Doyll I believe? The way I mounted it was not really optimal but it seems to work. I will have to find some of those clips though..


Email Noctua saying you need new clips. They will send them along for free. I got mine in like 3 days.


----------



## Quarazhi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cadger*
> 
> Email Noctua saying you need new clips. They will send them along for free. I got mine in like 3 days.


I saw somewhere that they didn't do that for the D15 only for the D14?


----------



## cadger

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Quarazhi*
> 
> I saw somewhere that they didn't do that for the D15 only for the D14?


They did for me. "Do you guys sell fan clips for the NH-D15? I purchased a NF-A15
thinking it would come with the clips and it did not. I would like to try 3 fan
setup on the NH-D15"

They're response

Thanks for sending over the requested data and documents.

The parts will be dispatched today, please expect a delivery time of 4-8 working days within Europe and 10-14 working days overseas.

Kind regards, Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Fr./Mrs. Michaela Pfeifer
Noctua support team

***************
Noctua - geräuschoptimierte Premium Komponenten
Noctua - sound-optimised premium components
E: [email protected]
W: http://www.noctua.at
***************


----------



## Quarazhi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cadger*
> 
> They did for me. "Do you guys sell fan clips for the NH-D15? I purchased a NF-A15
> thinking it would come with the clips and it did not. I would like to try 3 fan
> setup on the NH-D15"
> 
> They're response
> 
> Thanks for sending over the requested data and documents.
> 
> The parts will be dispatched today, please expect a delivery time of 4-8 working days within Europe and 10-14 working days overseas.
> 
> Kind regards, Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
> Fr./Mrs. Michaela Pfeifer
> Noctua support team
> 
> ***************
> Noctua - geräuschoptimierte Premium Komponenten
> Noctua - sound-optimised premium components
> E: [email protected]
> W: http://www.noctua.at
> ***************


Awesome! I just sent them a message on the support site on their website.


----------



## TK421

Have anyone tried another fan on the D15? Possible combination that would make it quieter while maintaining same rpm and cooling capacity.

And why does the nb-eloop have whine when used as a pull fan on the D15? I thought the whine issue was only on radiators?


----------



## Quarazhi

So when I run all my fans on the PWM hub on the Enthoo Pro: it goes front and exhaust fan on a y splitter together because they're the phanteks fans which I haven't replaced. So that's a 200mm and a 140mm exhaust fan. They go to lowest priority on fan hub (slot 6 on the hub). Then I have my front CPU fan which is a 140mm NF-A15 as the rpm reference on fan 1 on the hub because it's the slowest fan in the system which is 1200rpm, Phanteks themselves says no splitter on fan 1 (slot 1 on the hub) since it's the rpm reference. So then I have the middle fan the 140mm that comes with the NH-D15 (slot 2 on the hub) and the rear fan 140mm from NH-D15, (slot 3 on the hub) on my CPU heatsink seperate not on any splitters. I will tell you why later, so the I have my 3 top fans 140mm NF-A14 which the 2 in front is on a splitter on fan 4 (slot 4 on the hub) and the last 1 on fan 5 (slot 5 on the hub) now is the weird part, and the reason why the 2 NH-D15 fans aren't paired on a y splitter on the hub. Whenever i couple them together on the hub 1 of them will stop spinning after the computer has been running for a few minutes.. But if I just put them on seperate slots they will keep spinning.. So that means it isn't because they're underpowered..


----------



## ehume

The D15 and the D15S have identical finstacks. It's just that the 15S finstack is moved to the right 1cm to accommodate video cards in the first slot.

If you want three fans -- and Noctua will support you, just send them an email with a copy of your receipt -- use all three fans at 1200 rpm. That means you must put LNA's on stock (1500rpm) fans. I test that in my NH-D15S review for Overclockers.


----------



## zaodrze244

ehume whether you think it makes sense to change the nh-d14 to d15s . on my nh - d14 I have now mounted one nf - a15 . my cpu is [email protected]

in a previous post you said that you tested nh - d14 , d15 and d15s , Could you give a link to the test


----------



## Quarazhi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> The D15 and the D15S have identical finstacks. It's just that the 15S finstack is moved to the right 1cm to accommodate video cards in the first slot.
> 
> If you want three fans -- and Noctua will support you, just send them an email with a copy of your receipt -- use all three fans at 1200 rpm. That means you must put LNA's on stock (1500rpm) fans. I test that in my NH-D15S review for Overclockers.


Have done so, amazing that they just send them out for free.. So the LNA's will bring them down the 1500's down to 1200 rpm..


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I'm assuming you could not mount the D15 turned 90 degrees?
> If you can, then I would do that for sure. If not, I would try putting cooler fans on in pull / pull instead of push / push. This will increase the airflow area into lower fin pack on D15 while still having a fan on each pack.


I have rebuilt my NH-D15 according to your advise => front to back airflow by rotating 90°.
I will post a picture.
I am currently running Prime95 Small FFT's v28.7 with 4,3GHz at Vcore=1,08V.
I get the same temps as with formerly 4,2GHz at Vcore=1,07V. So it seems that it has improved the cooling (Maybe 3°C ).


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> I have rebuilt my NH-D15 according to your advise => front to back airflow by rotating 90°.
> I will post a picture.
> I am currently running Prime95 Small FFT's v28.7 with 4,3GHz at Vcore=1,08V.
> I get the same temps as with formerly 4,2GHz at Vcore=1,07V. So it seems that it has improved the cooling (Maybe 3°C ).


Do you have any way of checking the cooler intake air temp? How long at 100% used does it take the CPU to reach peak temps?


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Do you have any way of checking the cooler intake air temp? How long at 100% used does it take the CPU to reach peak temps?


With the former mounting (The one of my posted picture yesterday), the air temperature was 25.5°C between the graphic card and the NH-D15 fan just above teh graphic card.
Ambient temperature around the computer is 22°C.
Now, with the running mounting, the temperature at the same fan where it intakes the air, teh temperature is 23.5°C.

I will recheck.

Your question concerning time to reach peak temps at 100% load dépends on the stress software used.
Prime95 v28.7 Small FFT's is a killer (Worst test from a temperature considering side) => peak temp is reached in 1 to 2 minutes.

But wit the new mounting, I have improved temps, I am sure.

I will do a comparison test at 4,2GHz and Vcore=1,07V with a lighter test as Prime95 v26.6 Small FFT's with both mountings.


----------



## GRABibus

I have to tests alos with GPU at full load.
This is the key.


----------



## GRABibus

here is my new mounting :

http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16021711441117369813983781.jpg

I stay with it now









I am fed up with optimisations, overclocking and stress tests since weeks . I wanna game with my rig now !









I am rock stable at 4,3GHz and Vcore=1,08V, which is pretty good.
Max core temp = 78°C at 22°C ambient during the worst test Prime95 v28.7 Small FFT's during 24 hours.

I am ok !









Thank you again or your help and advises.


----------



## TK421

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> here is my new mounting :
> 
> http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16021711441117369813983781.jpg
> 
> I stay with it now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am fed up with optimisations, overclocking and stress tests since weeks . I wanna game with my rig now !
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am rock stable at 4,3GHz and Vcore=1,08V, which is pretty good.
> Max core temp = 78°C at 22°C ambient during the worst test Prime95 v28.7 Small FFT's during 24 hours.
> 
> I am ok !
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you again or your help and advises.


woah, 4.3 on all 6 cores with only 1.03v? very impressed!

I can do 4.2 at 1.148-1.15v


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *zaodrze244*
> 
> ehume whether you think it makes sense to change the nh-d14 to d15s . on my nh - d14 I have now mounted one nf - a15 . my cpu is [email protected]
> 
> in a previous post you said that you tested nh - d14 , d15 and d15s , Could you give a link to the test


I am not allowed to link, but look up the D15 review for details. What it amounts to is this: if your heatsink is too close to your graphics card, get a D15S. If all you want is better cooling and better quietness, replace the stock fans of your D14 with retail NF-A15 PWM fan(s).


----------



## MicroCat

Spooky coincidence...was just thinking about the D14/D15 comparisons....

D15 test at overclockers

D15S test at overclockers

D15/D14 comparison chart:


----------



## ehume

In the D15 terst I used A14's as a proxiy for A15's, but A15's are wider on the sides, so air flows out the side and on the edges of the fin stack. Whether for the D14, the D15 or the D15S, I recommend using NF-A15 PWM's, or TR TY-147A's (which are naturally PWM). I also did a review of Thermalright fans.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TK421*
> 
> woah, 4.3 on all 6 cores with only 1.03v? very impressed!
> 
> I can do 4.2 at 1.148-1.15v


1,08V, not 1,03V









For4,2GHz, I am rock stable at Vcore=1,07V


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Spooky coincidence...was just thinking about the D14/D15 comparisons....
> 
> D15 test at overclockers
> 
> D15S test at overclockers
> 
> D15/D14 comparison chart:


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> In the D15 terst I used A14's as a proxiy for A15's, but A15's are wider on the sides, so air flows out the side and on the edges of the fin stack. Whether for the D14, the D15 or the D15S, I recommend using NF-A15 PWM's, or TR TY-147A's (which are naturally PWM). I also did a review of Thermalright fans.


I see no reason to go with D15 when D14 is just as good with same fans.


----------



## TK421

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> 1,08V, not 1,03V
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For4,2GHz, I am rock stable at Vcore=1,07V


Still a good chip. I can't run that low.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I see no reason to go with D15 when D14 is just as good with same fans.


Bragging rights maybe


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TK421*
> 
> Bragging rights maybe


More likely it's ego massage.

Or just simply falling for advertising hype.


----------



## Lemmy

can I fit the Noctua D15 on an Asus P5Q deluxe mobo, it has a **** load of heat sinks surrounding CPU socket, anyone tried it ?

link: bit.ly/21UIFHS


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lemmy*
> 
> can I fit the Noctua D15 on an Asus P5Q deluxe mobo, it has a **** load of heat sinks surrounding CPU socket, anyone tried it ?
> 
> link: bit.ly/21UIFHS


First thought, with that old board with the big copper VRM sinks, why aren't you looking for a TR True Copper?











Second, you will need the NM-I3 mounting kit as the D15 doesn't ship with a compatible mounting kit for a 775/1366 board.

Third, just measured my D15 on a X58 Sabertooth board - there's about 55mm(ish - it's dark inside) clear from lowest point of the D15 to the MB. What's the height of the VRM sinks? That would be my only concern. Can't imagine they're higher than 40-45mm tho.

Here's the D15 specs:


----------



## Lemmy

@MicroCat
the mosfet heatsinks on the P5Q DL mobo look too tall, can't measure them right now, the last time I opened the case was years ago - it's probably not my best idea to begin with but thanks for the info mate, oh yeah that True Copper cooler, very nice but now I'm starting to feel my age and you've got me thinking


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lemmy*
> 
> @MicroCat
> the mosfet heatsinks on the P5Q DL mobo look too tall, can't measure them right now, the last time I opened the case was years ago - it's probably not my best idea to begin with but thanks for the info mate, oh yeah that True Copper cooler, very nice but now I'm starting to feel my age and you've got me thinking


Happy to help. And sorry to get you thinking...remember they're only thoughts, you don't have to listen.


----------



## gordesky1

Hey guys i was wondering how well does the D15 handle with alot of voltage? why i ask because a day ago my water cooling block cracked raijintek Triton after about a year of non stop running. that cooler handle the heat of my 8370 at 5ghz with 1.55v with around 65-69c. yes i know That's a bit high but everything was stable. But i usely kept it around 4.8ghz with 1.47-1.5v and temps mostly stayed in the 50s.

Pretty much it beat my xspc rasa kit which is surprising.

There was no damage to anything but a good bit of liquid did go on the mb.. And probably was doing it for a week or so till i found out the big crack.

But yea i was looking at the d15 and was wondering will it do just as good with that kind of voltage?

All the reviews i looked up was mostly testing with intel...

Water cooling just got me worry now cause i do keep my pc on 24.7 and with a good air cooler i wont have to worry about any leaks lol

But i don't want to spend 100$ and the temps are worse at the speeds im running..


----------



## miklkit

That's a very interesting case you have there. I bet a fan in the OD slots would cool it very well. With air cooling case air flow is the most important part to work on. Then comes the cooler itself. If the hot exhaust air can't get out of the case it will just recirculate and make it overheat.

Asking air to cool 1.55 vcore is a tall order but it can be done. Here is the highest I still have a record of on the Sabertooth. I went higher with the cooler running GD80. The D15 should do it but it might need more powerful fans like the TY-143.


----------



## doyll

Not that D15 won't do the job, but If you need maximum cooling I would look at Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme .. because it comes with 2500rpm 130cfm fans. You will need to balance your case airflow to need of whatever cooler you decide to use. "Ways to Better Cooling" linked in my sig has topics on case airflow and cooling. 1st post is index, click on topics to see them. There are many coolers just as good as D15. My choice would depend on prices where I live, not just one brand or model.


----------



## miklkit

Indeed I first got to 5 ghz with the SA IB-E Extreme, but it also delivered an overheating motherboard due to lack of air flow to the VRMs. This is because its fans can not be moved around on the cooler to put some air on said VRMs.

For that reason alone I can only recommend coolers with adjustable fans like the Phanteks 14PE, Silverstone HE01, and the Noctua D14 / D15. In my experience the difference is in the 10-15C range and that is the difference between a stable OC and an unstable OC.

Also consider a Molex to PWM adapter to power the fans as the motherboard really can't supply the voltage they need. The TY-143 spin over 2600 rpm under full load like that and you will be wanting those rpms and more later on. A very well respected overclocker (Flank3r) uses 3000 rpm fans on his air cooled test bench.

And like doyll said, the case fans need to flow more than the cooler fans. You gotta feed the beast.


----------



## pyra

Hey guys,

I have my D15 in a 'standard' setup blowing towards the back of the case but I'm going to have to turn it 90 degrees and use a pull/pull setup with the fans so I can use my top pci slot for a second GPU (a warning to all maximus 7 gene owners, the front to back mount with the d15 does block that top pcix slot) has anyone that's tried different fan configurations along with different rotations seen a difference in performance at all?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pyra*
> 
> Hey guys,
> 
> I have my D15 in a 'standard' setup blowing towards the back of the case but I'm going to have to turn it 90 degrees and use a pull/pull setup with the fans so I can use my top pci slot for a second GPU (a warning to all maximus 7 gene owners, the front to back mount with the d15 does block that top pcix slot) has anyone that's tried different fan configurations along with different rotations seen a difference in performance at all?


This is why, with motherboards like yours in existence, the NH-D15S was invented.

Pointing the D15 up instead of back will either cool less by a copule of degrees, cool more by a couple of degrees, or make no difference at all. It all so much depends on the alignment of the silicon chip under the IHS of your CPU and the convexity of your heatsink. I did a review of the NH-L12 that showed no difference in cooling until the OC got fairly hot, for example. Your own results will vary; test the cooling before and after turning your heatsink.

Fans. According to my NH-D15S review, a single NF-A15 fan did equally well in the center position, whether pushing or pulling. I have not tested fans in the middle and back positions, though I should. It will be close enough that you will be OK, I think.


----------



## BenJaminJr

Just installed a d15 today to replace a rather loud and gunked up h220x. Loving the silence!


----------



## tbob22

Just upgraded my U14S to a D15S. There is a huge difference at higher clocks, I can get up to around 4.9ghz now and keep temps pretty well under control, for 24/7 I'm sticking to 4.6ghz though as temps stay well under 70c while stressed. I'm running triple fan with two 1500rpms pushing and then a 1200rpm on the back pulling.

A few pics:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Before


Side by side


After




Quite a bit more space around the GPU.
And I guess I need to take some air to my pc.


----------



## BenJaminJr

Does a triple fan setup provide any benefits?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BenJaminJr*
> 
> Does a triple fan setup provide any benefits?


Slow fans. Very quiet fans -- 800 - 1200 rpm.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BenJaminJr*
> 
> Does a triple fan setup provide any benefits?


Not sure yet, I will try with two fans and one fan just to see. I can tell you it's very quiet and temps really don't change even under load with the fans above 1100rpm as I have pretty good airflow. My HDD's are louder than the fans at 1100 rpm or so. At 1500rpm they aren't annoying, but they are very noticable.


----------



## tbob22

Here are my results, nothing scientific.

[email protected]
Fans at max speed
P95 28.7 smallfft for 10min
Idle for 30min before starting test
Ambient 23c

Triple Fan:
1200rpm<1500rpm<1500rpm
Maximum:
69 71 70 67 73 70

Dual Fan
No fan<1500rpm<1500rpm
66 69 68 66 71 69

Single Fan
No fan<1500rpm < No fan
Maximum temp:
70 72 70 69 74 71

Guess which one I'll be using?









I guess the stock D15 fan setup is best in a case with good airflow. I noticed when I took my side panel off the pressure seemed much higher when I put my hand in-between the back of my case and the cooler with two fan config versus the three fan.


----------



## ehume

The reason dual fans beat triple fans is that your dual fan setup was 1500 > 1500, while your triple fan setup was 1500>1500>1200, which tended to slow things down. It's only a little better than 1200>1200>1200, but noisier. Your choices are the dual fan setup or slowing your two 1500 rpm fans down to 1200 rpm with the included LNA's. The first is noisier with better cooling. The second is quieter with cooling that is not as good.

In general, track your actual RPM's. Ideally you would track your CFM's per fan, but you'd need special equipment for that. So, put your faster fan downstream from your slowest fan. Something like 1450>1510, or 1140>1160>1200.

Don't believe me? Try it yourself. Put 1200>1500>1500 and compare it with the 1500>1500>1200 setup.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> The reason dual fans beat triple fans is that your dual fan setup was 1500 > 1500, while your triple fan setup was 1500>1500>1200, which tended to slow things down. It's only a little better than 1200>1200>1200, but noisier. Your choices are the dual fan setup or slowing your two 1500 rpm fans down to 1200 rpm with the included LNA's. The first is noisier with better cooling. The second is quieter with cooling that is not as good.
> 
> In general, track your actual RPM's. Ideally you would track your CFM's per fan, but you'd need special equipment for that. So, put your faster fan downstream from your slowest fan. Something like 1450>1510, or 1140>1160>1200.
> 
> Don't believe me? Try it yourself. Put 1200>1500>1500 and compare it with the 1500>1500>1200 setup.


It could be, I'll have to try to limit the dual fan setup to 80% using the bios like I've been running normally, this brings the 1500rpm fans down to 1200rpm max. The reason I put the 1200 on the back is because that's how Noctua recommended setting up the U14S in dual fan mode with the larger rubber spacers, but in the manual they do say that it isn't recommended to add a third fan to the D15S.

I'll have to do some more testing.


----------



## doyll

If you are testing in a case using room ambient air temp and not monitoring the cooler intake air temp, you are not just testing how the cooler performs with different fan combination, but how your system performs with different fan combinations on cooler

Your closing sentence _*"I noticed when I took my side panel off the pressure seemed much higher when I put my hand in-between the back of my case and the cooler with two fan config versus the three fan."*_ is evidence.

The reasons for this are many, but basically it's because fan changes and their speed change the airflow paths / patterns of case airflow. The heated air coming off of components usually mixes with the cool air coming to them which raises the air temp, and therefore the component temperature.

"Ways to Better Cooling" link in my sig, 5th post is a basic guide t case airflow. 1st post is index, click on topics to see them.


----------



## miklkit

Doyll pointed out the big clue. You have little to no case air flow. What you have now is essentially an oven with some electronics cooking inside it. Feed that D15S lots of air and let it do its job.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miklkit*
> 
> Doyll pointed out the big clue. You have little to no case air flow. What you have now is essentially an oven with some electronics cooking inside it. Feed that D15S lots of air and let it do its job.


If OP indeed has no case air, then your advice is right on.

I will repeat the advice I always give: cut out the rear "grill" (the area with holes in it). See item 2 in my sig for how well this works.


----------



## doyll

Open exhaust is great, but it needs equal intake airflow to work.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> If you are testing in a case using room ambient air temp and not monitoring the cooler intake air temp, you are not just testing how the cooler performs with different fan combination, but how your system performs with different fan combinations on cooler
> 
> Your closing sentence _*"I noticed when I took my side panel off the pressure seemed much higher when I put my hand in-between the back of my case and the cooler with two fan config versus the three fan."*_ is evidence.
> 
> The reasons for this are many, but basically it's because fan changes and their speed change the airflow paths / patterns of case airflow. The heated air coming off of components usually mixes with the cool air coming to them which raises the air temp, and therefore the component temperature.
> 
> "Ways to Better Cooling" link in my sig, 5th post is a basic guide t case airflow. 1st post is index, click on topics to see them.


That's a good point. I'll have to give that a try if I do more testing. I think I have pretty good airflow overall, my MB heatsinks stay no more than warm to the touch when I take my panel off and check after stressing everything (including GPU using furmark). I have fans blowing directly over the motherboard, one up and over, and then out of the back/top and in through the front which pulls air over the hdd's as well.

All in all I have three intakes (2x 120mm one of which blows over the board, pulls air in over the drives and brings in outside air for the CPU cooler. 1x 140mm) and three exhausts (2x 120mm, 1x 140mm) and then one 120mm mounted underneath the board to cool the lower section on the board.

HDD temps stick around 30c and 35c under heavy writes/reads.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *miklkit*
> 
> Doyll pointed out the big clue. You have little to no case air flow. What you have now is essentially an oven with some electronics cooking inside it. Feed that D15S lots of air and let it do its job.


Well, when I was testing I thought maybe it was recirculating the hot air, but I tried the same tests with the side panels off and the results were almost exactly the same. But again, it wasn't a scientific test by any means.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> That's a good point. I'll have to give that a try if I do more testing. I think I have pretty good airflow overall, my MB heatsinks stay no more than warm to the touch when I take my panel off and check after stressing everything (including GPU using furmark). I have fans blowing directly over the motherboard, one up and over, and then out of the back/top and in through the front which pulls air over the hdd's as well.
> 
> All in all I have three intakes (2x 120mm one of which blows over the board, pulls air in over the drives and brings in outside air for the CPU cooler. 1x 140mm) and three exhausts (2x 120mm, 1x 140mm) and then one 120mm mounted underneath the board to cool the lower section on the board.
> 
> HDD temps stick around 30c and 35c under heavy writes/reads.
> Well, when I was testing I thought maybe it was recirculating the hot air, but I tried the same tests with the side panels off and the results were almost exactly the same. But again, it wasn't a scientific test by any means.


Fans blowing air is not the same as fans flowing air. Air low is like water flow. Water running into a pond on one side and out on the other side has a slow and gentle flow of water from in to out. put a big pump taking all the water flowing into pond and blow it out of a pipe at 40 psi and there is not longer gentle flow in the pond .. it is now a mess of high speed water stirring up mud and mixing everything up. .
Our cases are very similar. Nice controlled flow move cool intake air to components and pushes their heated exhaust toward case exhaust vents. Adding fans to *blow* air generally disrupts air *flow* resulting in hotter air going to components. It generally coolsl one specific area better while causing others to be hotter. This is why I use temperature sensors in the airflow to components. By monitoring the airflow temps we can tune the flow to supply cool air where needed and push / pull the heated air out of case.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Fans blowing air is not the same as fans flowing air. Air low is like water flow. Water running into a pond on one side and out on the other side has a slow and gentle flow of water from in to out. put a big pump taking all the water flowing into pond and blow it out of a pipe at 40 psi and there is not longer gentle flow in the pond .. it is now a mess of high speed water stirring up mud and mixing everything up. .
> Our cases are very similar. Nice controlled flow move cool intake air to components and pushes their heated exhaust toward case exhaust vents. Adding fans to *blow* air generally disrupts air *flow* resulting in hotter air going to components. It generally coolsl one specific area better while causing others to be hotter. This is why I use temperature sensors in the airflow to components. By monitoring the airflow temps we can tune the flow to supply cool air where needed and push / pull the heated air out of case.


I guess I'll just have to measure the airflow temperature to know for sure. These are all low rpm fans, they are all running at about 800-900 rpm. The HDD's are by far the loudest components in the case. You could very well be right about the airflow being disrupted.

Thanks for the tips, I'll have to do some reading.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> I guess I'll just have to measure the airflow temperature to know for sure. These are all low rpm fans, they are all running at about 900 rpm. The HDD's are by far the loudest thing in the case. You could very well be right about the airflow being disrupted.
> 
> Thanks for the tips, I'll have to do some reading.


Once you've done a little reading and understand how much we don't know







I say 'we don't know' because the more I learn the more I realize it is near impossible to predict all the possible variables involved in tuning airflow.








The only for sure thing is there is no for sure thing.

The only way to know is to build, monitor while testing and then analyze / interpret the results. With years of experience I now have a better than 70/30 chance of getting it right with minimal effort on a new design build. Rarely do they set up perfect the first time. I like to compare it to tuning a race car or race bike. No two will perform the same, even if the are 'identical' in every detial. There are literally hundreds of variables involved for air temp, humidity, cable management, .. sometimes I think how we hold our mouth can make a difference.


----------



## ehume

This is why when I test cases, I test them with a fanless NH-D14. It measures the cooling airflow provided by the case.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> This is why when I test cases, I test them with a fanless NH-D14. It measures the cooling airflow provided by the case.


What MB, CPU, RAM, GPU and case fan setting do you use?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> This is why when I test cases, I test them with a fanless NH-D14. It measures the cooling airflow provided by the case.
> 
> 
> 
> What MB, CPU, RAM, GPU and case fan setting do you use?
Click to expand...

The MB is an old GA-P55M-UD2 - an mATX motherboard. It was the first MB I ever bought separately from a system. So it is from late 2009. There are 4 sticks of 2GB of 2000MHz-capable Ripjaws running at 1600MHz. I run a passive GPU in the bottom slot of the MB. The CPU is an i7 860 -- the first I ever bought. It comes from 2009 and runs at 2.93MB. The software is OCCT 3.1 -- but I have to look it up each time I test a case. The case fan settings are stock for each case. That's what I am testing.

This is off the top of my head. The case reviews have this info too. If the numbers differ, use those.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> The MB is an old GA-P55M-UD2 - an mATX motherboard. It was the first MB I ever bought separately from a system. So it is from late 2009. There are 4 sticks of 2GB of 2000MHz-capable Ripjaws running at 1600MHz. I run a passive GPU in the bottom slot of the MB. The CPU is an i7 860 -- the first I ever bought. It comes from 2009 and runs at 2.93MB. The software is OCCT 3.1 -- but I have to look it up each time I test a case. The case fan settings are stock for each case. That's what I am testing.
> 
> This is off the top of my head. The case reviews have this info too. If the numbers differ, use those.


Thanks mate.







Sounds like a good way to get a general feel of how a stock case performs / flow air.


----------



## TK421

I use this setup for the D15

Phanteks Enthoo Pro
-Intake NF-A14 PWM front x2
-Rear exhaust NF-A14 PWM x1
-Top exhaust NF-A14 rear / front slot
-Gentle Typhoon AP15 (rad fan) middle exhausting to top

Is there any optimization to be done?


----------



## duckyboy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TK421*
> 
> I use this setup for the D15
> 
> Phanteks Enthoo Pro
> -Intake NF-A14 PWM front x2
> -Rear exhaust NF-A14 PWM x1
> -Top exhaust NF-A14 rear / front slot
> -Gentle Typhoon AP15 (rad fan) middle exhausting to top
> 
> Is there any optimization to be done?


Sounds fairly decent to me.Orientation is spot on Plus there isn't that much added benefit to put any more fans than what you already have. Do some testing and you will see 0 performance difference with 2 fans intake and one exhaust. I used to have 2x140 NF-A14s front intake and 3 NF f12s top exhaust and the A15 Rear exhaust. But after testing top fans did not matter at all. Saw 0 performance decrease. Before you say it's because I used the NF F12s, I tried swapping them around with the Noctua NF S12A, and still no difference.


----------



## TK421

Yeah, the Enthoo's top mesh is really restrictive, even if there's quite a distance from fan -> mesh.

Thankfully the typhoon is still strong enough (at 100% power anyways) to push air through the rad and mesh if I'm gaming.


----------



## Imprezzion

Do I count with my shiny new NH-D15*S*









I got fed the hell up with my Swiftech H320 kit breaking down every couple of months with plasticizer all over the block and pump ruining the pump time after time..

I have to send the 3rd unit in 2.5 years back for RMA and I decided to go back to air..

Well, some guy near me had a ad going for €50 for a NH-D15S he used for 3 days and replaced with a AIO as his case wouldn't close with the D15S.

Obviously jumped on the thing as I do have (very) high profile RAM so need the extra clearance









It's not even underperforming when I compare it to my H320.. Which is a full 360mm rad water setup..

Mounted it with Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra as i have plenty of the stuff laying around (yay for delids) on a, ofcourse delidded, 3770K and it will keep it at maximum measured temperatures of 80-81-77-80 (in C ofcourse) on the cores in LinX w/ AVX. (~120 GFLOPS). It averages more around the 75-76c mark. CPU's running on 4.8Ghz, 1.384v load with 16GB of 2133Mhz CL9 Crucial Ballistix Elite's which need 1.10v VCCIO and 1.72v VDRAM to run the 9-10-10-21-120-1T timings i'm pushing on it









So, average at about 76c on this OC. And that's with *3* - had to zip tie one on to it but k - Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan 120mm 2000RPM XL-P PWM fans on it running off of the CPU header on a custom PWM profile and with the old Swiftech PWM splitter board. It's slightly audible above 70c load with these fans and PWM curve but under 70c it's completely inaudible.

Much more quiet than the Swiftech ever was and that barely averaged 72c with 77-78c peak temps on the same OC.. That's less than 5c difference..

EDIT: Ran like, an hour worth of Linpack. Final temps and fanspeeds are in HWMonitor


----------



## Blaise170

I ordered a D15S for use in my NZXT S340. I saw that someone else in the club had managed to get their regular D15 to fit in their case, so do you think this would fit in mine?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blaise170*
> 
> I ordered a D15S for use in my NZXT S340. I saw that someone else in the club had managed to get their regular D15 to fit in their case, so do you think this would fit in mine?


Rule of thumb: if your case has a 120mm exhaust fan, it will fit a full tower heatsink like the NH-D15. Whether you us the -D15 or the -D15S depends on whether you have a graphics card in the top slot. If the top slot is a PCIE x 1, you can leave it unpopulated and use the D15. If the top slot has a PCIE x 16, you should use the NH-D15S.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blaise170*
> 
> I ordered a D15S for use in my NZXT S340. I saw that someone else in the club had managed to get their regular D15 to fit in their case, so do you think this would fit in mine?


He did it with one fan. And so can you!



There is a small chance the D15S and the window could occupy the same space. Dremels make good spacial conflict resolution tools. Especially when applied to Polycarbonate interlopers.


----------



## Blaise170

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Rule of thumb: if your case has a 120mm exhaust fan, it will fit a full tower heatsink like the NH-D15. Whether you us the -D15 or the -D15S depends on whether you have a graphics card in the top slot. If the top slot is a PCIE x 1, you can leave it unpopulated and use the D15. If the top slot has a PCIE x 16, you should use the NH-D15S.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> He did it with one fan. And so can you!
> 
> 
> 
> There is a small chance the D15S and the window could occupy the same space. Dremels make good spacial conflict resolution tools. Especially when applied to Polycarbonate interlopers.


Thanks for the help. Supposed to be getting the new gear in Tuesday, so I'm ready to get my PC back together again.


----------



## linbetwin

Hello !

I am not in your club (yet). I intend to replace my old Antec P182 with a Corsair 400Q and my Corsair H70 CLC with a NH-D15. I also want to buy some Noctua fans for the case, to replace the stock ones.

Does anyone have this combination ? Corsair says CPU coolers up to 170 mm but I don't know whether they measure from MB tray or from CPU IHS. I found a French review where they managed to fit it in and didn't complain about clearance. Picture half way down the page: http://www.conseil-config.com/2016/test-corsair-carbide-400q/

Could you tell me if this is a good case for the D15? I chose it because it's smaller and only 215 mm wide, which means it should fit in the PC "cabinet" under my desk (don't worry it's open at the front and back).

I'm thinking of installing 3x120 mm intake fans at the front (top for CPU, middle for GPU, bottom for HDDs). And a 140 mm exhaust at the back. Too many ? I won't buy them all now. Maybe just one to help the stock fans and the rest later. But I don't know what fans to buy, Noctua has so many.

I have an Asus Z87-Pro motherboard and two sticks of Kingston RAM (I don't know how tall they are, I'll measure them tomorrow).


----------



## Blaise170

Turns out it fits just perfectly.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *linbetwin*
> 
> Hello !
> 
> I am not in your club (yet). I intend to replace my old Antec P182 with a Corsair 400Q and my Corsair H70 CLC with a NH-D15. I also want to buy some Noctua fans for the case, to replace the stock ones.
> 
> Does anyone have this combination ? Corsair says CPU coolers up to 170 mm but I don't know whether they measure from MB tray or from CPU IHS. I found a French review where they managed to fit it in and didn't complain about clearance. Picture half way down the page: http://www.conseil-config.com/2016/test-corsair-carbide-400q/
> 
> Could you tell me if this is a good case for the D15? I chose it because it's smaller and only 215 mm wide, which means it should fit in the PC "cabinet" under my desk (don't worry it's open at the front and back).
> 
> I'm thinking of installing 3x120 mm intake fans at the front (top for CPU, middle for GPU, bottom for HDDs). And a 140 mm exhaust at the back. Too many ? I won't buy them all now. Maybe just one to help the stock fans and the rest later. But I don't know what fans to buy, Noctua has so many.
> 
> I have an Asus Z87-Pro motherboard and two sticks of Kingston RAM (I don't know how tall they are, I'll measure them tomorrow).


If Blaise170 can stuff a D15S in a 340 with it's 161.5mm cooler clearance, you will have no problems in the 400q.

For 120mm intakes, I really like the Noc P12s - great balance between flow, static pressure and noise. Not fond of the stock corsair fans.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blaise170*
> 
> Turns out it fits just perfectly.


Looks great! Love the 'fins under glass' look.

Guess you'll have to save your dremel skillz for another build. Oh, well....


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Looks great! Love the 'fins under glass' look.
> 
> Guess you'll have to save your dremel skillz for another build. Oh, well....


Or not. The rear exhaust fan grille on the 340 is very restrictive. Helped a friend build one and we snipped out the rear grille and ran without MB shield and pci slot covers. Resulted in much better temps and lower noise.


----------



## Blaise170

Eh, I can't complain. Running three Noctua 140 Redux, a Noctua 120 Industrial, NH-D15S, and 980 Ti at 100% and I can barely hear it. I can't hear it at all when the A/C is on anyways.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blaise170*
> 
> Eh, I can't complain. Running three Noctua 140 Redux, a Noctua 120 Industrial, NH-D15S, and 980 Ti at 100% and I can barely hear it. I can't hear it at all when the A/C is on anyways.


Ok, but hope you can't hear your dremel crying in its case.


----------



## linbetwin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> For 120mm intakes, I really like the Noc P12s - great balance between flow, static pressure and noise. Not fond of the stock corsair fans.


The NF-P12 PWM, right ?

Would there be a big difference in noise levels between a windowed case and one with a solid padded panel ? (400C/Q, Define S windowed / windowless) ?


----------



## 66racer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blaise170*
> 
> Turns out it fits just perfectly.


DANG! Thanks for posting that lol Guess it does fit! They were not kidding with the 161mm clearance lol that 1mm makes a difference.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *linbetwin*
> 
> The NF-P12 PWM, right ?
> 
> Would there be a big difference in noise levels between a windowed case and one with a solid padded panel ? (400C/Q, Define S windowed / windowless) ?


Yes, the NF-P12 PWM. It's a great all-round performer.

Yes, there can be a difference between a window vs solid panel case. It does depend tho on the specific model, some use thicker polycarbonate/acrylic than others. I haven't noticed a significant difference more 2-3dB. The padded panels offer a small bit of attenuation vs an undamped plastic/glass panel in various frequency ranges. However, getting the lowest noise is best started with the selection of components that make the noise.

The choice of fans makes a big difference. Even a damped silent style case won't stop the clicks and buzzes of some fans from being annoying. If using hard drives, how they are mounted/isolated in the case affects the noise level. Hard drives mounted on DIY elastic suspension produce less noise in an open style case than the usual hard mounted drive cage in a padded 'silent' case.

If using a high performance GPU, then its fans (if air cooled) will likely be the loudest noise at load and why its important to get clean airflow to the GPU intake fans - especially as stock GPU fans have poor static pressure and can't pull much air through a case grille.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> Here are my results, nothing scientific.
> 
> [email protected]
> Fans at max speed
> P95 28.7 smallfft for 10min
> Idle for 30min before starting test
> Ambient 23c
> 
> Triple Fan:
> 1200rpm<1500rpm<1500rpm
> Maximum:
> 69 71 70 67 73 70
> 
> Dual Fan
> No fan<1500rpm<1500rpm
> 66 69 68 66 71 69
> 
> Single Fan
> No fan<1500rpm < No fan
> Maximum temp:
> 70 72 70 69 74 71
> 
> Guess which one I'll be using?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I guess the stock D15 fan setup is best in a case with good airflow. I noticed when I took my side panel off the pressure seemed much higher when I put my hand in-between the back of my case and the cooler with two fan config versus the three fan.


Those results are incredible...
Every bench I made are around 85°C and 95°C with P95 28.7 small FFT's....These are comon values with this P95 realease in small FFT's...
How can you get only average 68°C with dual FAN's ??
Your temps are better than high-end water cooling performing P95 28.7 small FFT's....


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Those results are incredible...
> Every bench I made are around 85°C and 95°C with P95 28.7 small FFT's....These are comon values with this P95 realease in small FFT's...
> How can you get only average 68°C with dual FAN's ??
> Your temps are better than high-end water cooling performing P95 28.7 small FFT's....


I think it's because Haswell supports AVX2 which produces much more heat compared to AVX on Sandy Bridge.


----------



## GRABibus

Dear NH-D15 owners,
I didn't read all the thread, but, is there any reference tests on which we could rely in order to see if our cooling is performing correctly ?

From my side, I would like toknow if my temps are correct or not (See my rig for more détails). I have some doubts, this is why I come here.

I applied a thin and flat layer of Kryonaut (It took me 1 hour to get what I thought was a perfect thin and flat layer and homogeneous).
I have 2 fans NF-A15 in push pull at 1500rpm.

http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16042103094417369814169933.jpg

I was pretty sure there are no big issues on my cooling...But, comparing some benches and some people temps here with NH-D15, I have some doubts.

Here is an example of some temps I reach :

http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16042103164617369814169940.png

My front case is opened
Ambient tempereature is 22°c during this test.

As you can see, I reach 77°C maximum at only Vid=1.18V for 4.6GHz on my i7-5930K.
Hontesly, I would have expected 10 degrees less...

If I put 1.23V, I reach 80°C on the hottest core at 22°C ambient.

What do you think ?
Atre these temps completely normal ? too high ?
Please, note that I idle around 31°C to 35°C at 4.6GHz/1.23V.

Should I reapply my thermal paste with "Pea" method to see if it helps ?
I doubt because I saw some serious benchmarks on which it is clearly shown there is no real diffrence.
And as I said, I took a particular care to put my Kryonaut with "Spread" method.

Thank you in advance.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Dear NH-D15 owners,
> I didn't read all the thread, but, is there any reference tests on which we could rely in order to see if our cooling is performing correctly ?
> 
> From my side, I would like toknow if my temps are correct or not (See my rig for more détails). I have some doubts, this is why I come here.
> 
> I applied a thin and flat layer of Kryonaut (It took me 1 hour to get what I thought was a perfect thin and flat layer and homogeneous).
> I have 2 fans NF-A15 in push pull at 1500rpm.
> 
> http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16042103094417369814169933.jpg
> 
> I was pretty sure there are no big issues on my cooling...But, comparing some benches and some people temps here with NH-D15, I have some doubts.
> 
> Here is an example of some temps I reach :
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16042103164617369814169940.png
> 
> 
> My front case is opened
> Ambient tempereature is 22°c during this test.
> 
> As you can see, I reach 77°C maximum at only Vid=1.18V for 4.6GHz on my i7-5930K.
> Hontesly, I would have expected 10 degrees less...
> 
> If I put 1.23V, I reach 80°C on the hottest core at 22°C ambient.
> 
> What do you think ?
> Atre these temps completely normal ? too high ?
> Please, note that I idle around 31°C to 35°C at 4.6GHz/1.23V.
> 
> Should I reapply my thermal paste with "Pea" method to see if it helps ?
> I doubt because I saw some serious benchmarks on which it is clearly shown there is no real diffrence.
> And as I said, I took a particular care to put my Kryonaut with "Spread" method.
> 
> Thank you in advance.


To know if your cooler is performing properly is not just a room ambient to CPU temp. We need to know what the air temp is going into cooler. If air going into cooler is within 3-5c of room ambient. This is a critical air temperature because many systems at full load are supplying coolers with air 10-20c above room ambient. Post #2 in 'Ways to Better Cooling' link in my sig shows a low cost way to monitor component intake air temp.


----------



## GRABibus

You mean I have to measure ambient temp just in front of the right NH-D15 fan inside the case ?
I already did this and it is around 23.5°C when my room i at 22°C, butat idle.
I will check Under load.

If air of the right fan is around +5°c or more than ambient , what should I do ?


----------



## GRABibus

If I remove the rear exhaust fan, would it help ?
Yesterday evening I stopped it while burning tests to see the effect.
No difference.

When it turns or when it doesn't turn => Same temps


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> You mean I have to measure ambient temp just in front of the right NH-D15 fan inside the case ?
> I already did this and it is around 23.5°C when my room i at 22°C.


Good air temp going into cooler .. if it is really that low. With HDDs, and GPU heat there is usually more difference than 1.5c.
How much TIM did you use? TIM is not supposed to make a layer between CPU IHS and cooler base. It is only supposed to fill microscopic voids in the surface between metal to metal contact. Direct metal to metal transfers heat way better than even the very best TIM. You might find post #10 in 'Ways to Better Cooler' link in my sig.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Good air temp going into cooler .. if it is really that low. With HDDs, and GPU heat there is usually more difference than 1.5c.
> How much TIM did you use? TIM is not supposed to make a layer between CPU IHS and cooler base. It is only supposed to fill microscopic voids in the surface between metal to metal contact. Direct metal to metal transfers heat way better than even the very best TIM. You might find post #10 in 'Ways to Better Cooler' link in my sig.


During stress test Aida, if I stick GPU test or not, the results are the same.
No influence by the heat of GPU.

I have to check air temperature at full load just in front of this fan to check the air temp blowed into this right fan.
23.5°c - 24°C is the idle temp Inside the case just in front of the right fan.

I have made the spread method with Kryonaut.

The layer was really flat, thin, homogenous. I don't see any issues here.
And with the small pea method, I will win maximum 2°C best case...

If I put a fan at the front of the case which should push air into the first NH-D15 fan ? This fan would be mounted in the front panel on the right side, then it would blow the room air into the first NH-D15 fan ? You understand what I mean ?

Should I also remove rear case exhausting fan ?


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Dear NH-D15 owners,
> I didn't read all the thread, but, is there any reference tests on which we could rely in order to see if our cooling is performing correctly ?
> 
> From my side, I would like toknow if my temps are correct or not (See my rig for more détails). I have some doubts, this is why I come here.
> 
> I applied a thin and flat layer of Kryonaut (It took me 1 hour to get what I thought was a perfect thin and flat layer and homogeneous).
> I have 2 fans NF-A15 in push pull at 1500rpm.
> 
> What do you think ?
> Atre these temps completely normal ? too high ?
> Please, note that I idle around 31°C to 35°C at 4.6GHz/1.23V.
> 
> Should I reapply my thermal paste with "Pea" method to see if it helps ?
> I doubt because I saw some serious benchmarks on which it is clearly shown there is no real diffrence.
> And as I said, I took a particular care to put my Kryonaut with "Spread" method.
> 
> Thank you in advance.


The 9c difference between cores could indicate a poor mount. Or just a hot chip barely within spec. But, only one mount is not enough data.

Did you preheat the Kryonaut before spreading? It's tough to spread without getting air pockets at room temperature. I would suggest a re-mount or three with the included NT-H1 using the pea method to create a baseline (clean IHS and cooler base each time).

If the difference between cores at load drops to the 5-8c range, then return to the Kryonaut using the pea method. Still recommend pre-heating it. (Place the SEALED bag containing the Kryonaut tube that TG supplies in another sealed bag, then place in hot water until it's about 15-20c above ambient). Still not happy? Try the spreader method with pre-heated Kryonaut. In my experience, it takes at least 5 attempts to achieve the best air-pocket-free application. Yes, you waste a lot of expensive Kryonaut, but according to TG, that's not a bad thing.

As doyll suggested, it's vital to ensure good airflow to the cooler intake fan. What is the delta between ambient and the intake temp at load?


----------



## GRABibus

So, according to your advise, I placed a digital thermometer just in front of the rightt NH-D15 fan (Terrarium thermometer from Exo Terra lol )

The probe is just in fron t of the right fan and is circled in red => 21,3°C

The other thermometer indicates temperature outside the computer, so it is my room temperature => 21°C

http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16042509234317369814179266.jpg

Those temps have been taken during stress test Prome95 v27.9 AVX lenght 8K during 10 minutes.

As you can see, the air flowed into the cooling is equal to room ambient !!!

So, acxcording to me, this would be ok... ? Right ?

The only thing to check would be to reapply thermal paste with "Small pea method"....

I applied my kryonaut following the Grizzly instructions :

http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=16042509203417369814179259.jpg

My layer was very thin and flat.

What is your opinion ?
According to me, I don't see any big issues....


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> The 9c difference between cores could indicate a poor mount. Or just a hot chip barely within spec. But, only one mount is not enough data.


Thank you for comments.
dopn't forget that INTEL DTS have an accuracy of +5°C/-5°C. So, 10°C difference between cores at load is not unusual.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> So, according to your advise, I placed a digital thermometer just in front of the rightt NH-D15 fan (Terrarium thermometer from Exo Terra lol )
> 
> The probe is just in fron t of the right fan and is circled in red => 21,3°C
> 
> The other thermometer indicates temperature outside the computer, so it is my room temperature => 21°C
> 
> Those temps have been taken during stress test Prome95 v27.9 AVX lenght 8K during 10 minutes.
> 
> As you can see, the air flowed into the cooling is equal to room ambient !!!
> 
> So, acxcording to me, this would be ok... ? Right ?
> 
> The only thing to check would be to reapply thermal paste with "Small pea method"....
> 
> I applied my kryonaut following the Grizzly instructions :
> 
> My layer was very thin and flat.
> 
> What is your opinion ?
> According to me, I don't see any big issues....


Are you checking temps with the side off? The case should be closed up. I like to put the sensor a bit below the heatsink closer to the motherboard, that gives a better indicator of whether you have heat building up in the case due to poor airflow. It also helps to have all the fans hooked up via mb headers/pwm where they will ramp up based on CPU temp.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> Are you checking temps with the side off? The case should be closed up. I like to put the sensor a bit below the heatsink closer to the motherboard, that gives a better indicator of whether you have heat building up in the case due to poor airflow. It also helps to have all the fans hooked up via mb headers/pwm where they will ramp up based on CPU temp.


Hi,

i can't close my case due to NH-D15 height.

could you draw something to show where you put the the sensor ? I don't really get you









The temsp with the side off ? You mean between left NH-D15 fan and rear panel (Output of the cooler in fact) ?
It is 30°C.
This heat should be pulled out....

PS : all my fans run at 100%


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Hi,
> 
> i can't close my case due to NH-D15 height.
> 
> could you draw something to show where you put the the sensor ? I don't really get you
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The temsp with the side off ? You mean between left NH-D15 fan and rear panel (Output of the cooler in fact) ?
> It is 30°C


No I mean behind the cooler but just closer to the motherboard where there isn't as much fresh air being pulled though. I'll see if I can get a photo later today. I don't think you'll ever get proper flow without closing the case up and certain components could overheat due to poor airflow.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Thank you for comments.
> dopn't forget that INTEL DTS have an accuracy of +5°C/-5°C. So, 10°C difference between cores at load is not unusual.


True, it is within spec, but just barely. The Intel spec states a max gradient of 10c between cores at load.

Still, you may not have seen any issues with the TIM application and you could well be the first enthusiast to obtain the perfect mount the first time and there is nothing more to be done.

Or...you could re-mount several times to prove that the perfect first mount was no fluke.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> No I mean behind the cooler but just closer to the motherboard where there isn't as much fresh air being pulled though. I'll see if I can get a photo later today. I don't think you'll ever get proper flow without closing the case up and certain components could overheat due to poor airflow.


I have put the sensor behind the cooler, so close to the motherboard.

Ambient room => 21°C
Sensor temp before burn test => 22.8°C
Sensor temp after 10 minutes burn test (I hit the hootest core until 95°C) => 25.5°C

So, when sensor is placed behing the cooler close to motherboard, at idel or full load, thers is no significant overheat, right ?

Maximum temperature seems to be at the ouput of the cooler.

PS : when I close the case (I did it with a piece of squarte plastic which has quite the same dimension of my case), then, temp increases rapidly at this sensor.

It is better with open case.

So, whaty do you think ?

Last thing to do could be to do "small pea" method with NT-H1 ?


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> I have put the sensor behind the cooler, so close to the motherboard.
> 
> Ambient room => 21°C
> Sensor temp before burn test => 22.8°C
> Sensor temp after 10 minutes burn test (I hit the hootest core until 95°C) => 25.5°C
> 
> So, when sensor is placed behing the cooler close to motherboard, at idel or full load, thers is no significant overheat, right ?
> 
> Maximum temperature seems to be at the ouput of the cooler.
> 
> PS : when I close the case (I did it with a piece of squarte plastic which has quite the same dimension of my case), then, temp increases rapidly at this sensor.
> 
> It is better with open case.
> 
> So, whaty do you think ?
> 
> Last thing to do could be to do "small pea" method with NT-H1 ?


That doesn't seem too bad. The main issue if the case heats up is then the cooler will recirculate that hot air and just keep getting hotter. I would never let my CPU hit 95c, I would take that a sign to back off on your overclock.

As far as the thermal paste goes, you'd have to have a really bad application to make more than a 5c or so difference. I've re-seated my cooler a few times using the thin line method and haven't seen more than 1c difference.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> As far as the thermal paste goes, you'd have to have a really bad application to make more than a 5c or so difference. I've re-seated my cooler a few times using the thin line method and haven't seen more than 1c difference.


Yes.
All the benchmarks I saw is that if the Thermal paste is applied correctly, whatever the method, worst case is 2°C difference between the best and the worst...
I will receive kryonaut by the end of the week.
i will maybe try the pea method, just to check.


----------



## doyll

Of the top 20 or more TIMs available there is only about 3-5c difference, and most of that difference is the top or bottom two. Add to this the extreme cost of top 2 or 3 Tim and the even more extreme hassle involved in getting a good set with them keep me from even trying them.

The reason your system has such cool air is the missing side cover.







That's cheating.








I was very skeptical of your temperature quotes, but now I understand why the are what they are.









Can be change the wording from 'front' and 'back' of cooler to 'intake' and 'exhaust'? In my experience the difference between intake and exhaust airflow temp is 2-3c at idle and 4-7c full load. This varies depending on fan / airflow speed. I don't pay much attention to exhaust air temp .. and I generally don't use the motherboard case I / O shield. Reason is it blocks, at least restricts airflow over motherboard components between CPU and back of case. Keeping cooler fan idle speed at about 500rpm also makes a big difference in motherboard component temps.









Edit:
If you use the 'pea' method, use a 'pea' the size of a grain of rice. The more fluid the past is the better .. so warm it up before applying it. My experience is less usually gives better heat transfer than more. Anything more than a about 5mm beyond the area of the CPU chip under IHS has little if any effect on heat transfer. The IHS is the size it is not to spread heat, but to create a stable base area for cooler to set on.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Of the top 20 or more TIMs available there is only about 3-5c difference, and most of that difference is the top or bottom two. Add to this the extreme cost of top 2 or 3 Tim and the even more extreme hassle involved in getting a good set with them keep me from even trying them.
> 
> The reason your system has such cool air is the missing side cover.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's cheating.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was very skeptical of your temperature quotes, but now I understand why the are what they are.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Can be change the wording from 'front' and 'back' of cooler to 'intake' and 'exhaust'? In my experience the difference between intake and exhaust airflow temp is 2-3c at idle and 4-7c full load. This varies depending on fan / airflow speed. I don't pay much attention to exhaust air temp .. and I generally don't use the motherboard case I / O shield. Reason is it blocks, at least restricts airflow over motherboard components between CPU and back of case. Keeping cooler fan idle speed at about 500rpm also makes a big difference in motherboard component temps.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit:
> If you use the 'pea' method, use a 'pea' the size of a grain of rice. The more fluid the past is the better .. so warm it up before applying it. My experience is less usually gives better heat transfer than more. Anything more than a about 5mm beyond the area of the CPU chip under IHS has little if any effect on heat transfer. The IHS is the size it is not to spread heat, but to create a stable base area for cooler to set on.


Thanks to all and you of course









So, I shouldn't do anything more concerning my case and cooling and I should only try pea method ?


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Thanks to all and you of course
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So, I shouldn't do anything more concerning my case and cooling and I should only try pea method ?


Yes, try the pea method. You want to eliminate some variables. Get some baseline info.

If your case won't close with the D15, then you either run it open sided, mod the case or get another case.


----------



## GRABibus

I reinstalled the NH-D15 with "Small pea" method with NH-T1.
I won 3°C to 4°C and the temperatures increase more slowly under full load stress test.
I can see lower temps in tests as OCCT or RealBench (3°C to 4°C).
But in Aida, roughly the same than with sprayed method (No real improvment).

By the way, this seems better.

When my Kryonaut arrives by the end of the week, I will try it with "Small pea".


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> I reinstalled the NH-D15 with "Small pea" method with NH-T1.
> I won 3°C to 4°C and the temperatures increase more slowly under full load stress test.
> I can see lower temps in tests as OCCT or RealBench (3°C to 4°C).
> But in Aida, roughly the same than with sprayed method (No real improvment).
> 
> By the way, this seems better.
> 
> When my Kryonaut arrives by the end of the week, I will try it with "Small pea".


"Grain of Rrice" "Grain of Rice"








On my 6700K I use a "Half Grain of Rice.
Literally a dob the size of a 2mm ball .. compared to a 'pea' being 5+ mm in size .. smaller than a grain of rice and less than 1/7th as much as that of a pea.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> "Grain of Rrice" "Grain of Rice"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On my 6700K I use a "Half Grain of Rice.
> Literally a dob the size of a 2mm ball .. compared to a 'pea' being 5+ mm in size .. smaller than a grain of rice and less than 1/7th as much as that of a pea.


In fact I Made more longer temp tests to compare With former sprayed kryonaut...not réal improvement.....maybe 2C best case


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> In fact I Made more longer temp tests to compare With former sprayed kryonaut...not réal improvement.....maybe 2C best case


I'm going to assume you did a good job both times you mounted it.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I'm going to assume you did a good job both times you mounted it.


Maybe









But I Will the Kryonaut pea







)


----------



## xKrNMBoYx

Add me to the club.


----------



## duckyboy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xKrNMBoYx*
> 
> Add me to the club.


WOWZERS 3 fans... while I'm using one in the middle and the other one for exhaust in my case lol.
out of curiosity, did you do any performance testing with 1 fan compared to the 3 ?


----------



## duckyboy

q


----------



## xKrNMBoYx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *duckyboy*
> 
> WOWZERS 3 fans... while I'm using one in the middle and the other one for exhaust in my case lol.
> out of curiosity, did you do any performance testing with 1 fan compared to the 3 ?


Sorry, no performance testing/comparisons yet. It's been less than 24 hours since the PC was put together. In which I was working for more than half of the 24 hours.


----------



## doyll

The difference between 1x, 2x & 3c fans is more at low speeds than at high speeds.

Often peeps test cooler fan combinations in the case. This means they are not just testing how the cooler fan combination performance, but the complete system performance with difference cooler fan combinations. To know how well the cooler is performing requires monitoring the cooler intake air temp because cooler intake temp changes with fan speed and number .. and every degree difference in cooler intake air temp is a degree differnce in CPU temp.
Example
*Room CPU Cooler intake*
22c . . . 45c . . 25c
22c . . . 50c . . 30c.
22c . . . 55c . . 35c
This is only an example, not actual testing, but testing give near identical results.

Room remains the same. CPU temp changes same as cooler intake air temp.

The above is why I preach the need to monitor cooler intake air temp when trying to optimize case airflow.


----------



## linbetwin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xKrNMBoYx*
> 
> Add me to the club.


That's the H440, right ? Do you have the three default fans in the front ? How's the airflow and what are your temps ?


----------



## xKrNMBoYx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *linbetwin*
> 
> That's the H440, right ? Do you have the three default fans in the front ? How's the airflow and what are your temps ?


Yes it's a H440. Maybe the newer revision with slightly more space. I switched out the front 3 fans with 3x NF-F12 I had in another build. As for airflow and temps I don't know. My stock E3-1275 V5 has idle temps of 18C and 43C when stressing with h264 stress/bench.


----------



## ehume

Also, when you can mount three fans, mount the fastest last. Mounting the slowest last will slow down the train to the slowest fan's CFM.


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Also, when you can mount three fans, mount the fastest last. Mounting the slowest last will slow down the train to the slowest fan's CFM.


Don't slow down the A-train.

(Sorry, couldn't help myself)


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Also, when you can mount three fans, mount the fastest last. Mounting the slowest last will slow down the train to the slowest fan's CFM.
> 
> 
> 
> Don't slow down the A-train.
> 
> (Sorry, couldn't help myself)
Click to expand...

But that's the point. You got it in one.


----------



## Reiep

Add me to the club!

I've just set up a new desktop in a Corsair 600Q, did a very rapid OC of my 6700K @ 4,4 GHz and did a small "load test" of mine, meaning rendering a 600 frames 4K timelapse while racing at 1440p Ultra details on Project Cars. I've only monitored my main criteria, the noise, with a very precise "ear control system" (







). Result: the fans only started rev'ing a bit faster after after around 20 min, but it was so subtle that if I've had any noise in the room or sound in the game, I wouldn't hear it. I suppose the case airflow needs to be enhanced a bit (5 140mm fans @ 5V for now). When running only the game or only the rendering, dead silent, the D15's fans stay under 300 RPM









It's not a proper test of course, I still need to fine tune a lot of things (OC, airflow, etc.) and then I'll do a proper test. It was just a fast run for validating my build... and I must say that I'm very impressed! I hesitated a lot between the D15 and an AIO, I'm glad I went the Noctua way


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Reiep*
> 
> Add me to the club!
> 
> I've just set up a new desktop in a Corsair 600Q, did a very rapid OC of my 6700K @ 4,4 GHz and did a small "load test" of mine, meaning rendering a 600 frames 4K timelapse while racing at 1440p Ultra details on Project Cars. I've only monitored my main criteria, the noise, with a very precise "ear control system" (
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ). Result: the fans only started rev'ing a bit faster after after around 20 min, but it was so subtle that if I've had any noise in the room or sound in the game, I wouldn't hear it. I suppose the case airflow needs to be enhanced a bit (5 140mm fans @ 5V for now). When running only the game or only the rendering, dead silent, the D15's fans stay under 300 RPM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's not a proper test of course, I still need to fine tune a lot of things (OC, airflow, etc.) and then I'll do a proper test. It was just a fast run for validating my build... and I must say that I'm very impressed! I hesitated a lot between the D15 and an AIO, I'm glad I went the Noctua way


Sounds (no pun) good.







The slow rice in fan noise does indicate case air is warming up, but as long as components stay cool it's not a worry. Running case fans on automatic speed control (like CPU and graphs card fans) is the best way to keep things both cool and quiet. Only makes sense to have case airflow to be synchronized with component airflow. I started using automatic case fan speed control when CPU and graphics card fans went automatic .. and have never looked back.


----------



## Reiep

Indeed, that's the next step for me, having a better case airflow. It's a work in progress setup, I'm very confident I can make it virtually silent at any load.

I'll also build a small support for the heatsink. I don't think there is a particular risk, but with the reverse design of the case, it stands just a few centimetres above the bottom of the case, it should be an easy job and will not hurt.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Sounds (no pun) good.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The slow rice in fan noise does indicate case air is warming up, but as long as components stay cool it's not a worry. Running case fans on automatic speed control (like CPU and graphs card fans) is the best way to keep things both cool and quiet. Only makes sense to have case airflow to be synchronized with component airflow. I started using automatic case fan speed control when CPU and graphics card fans went automatic .. and have never looked back.


Yep, some boards also have very nice fan control options. My board allows all the fan headers to ramp up based on the CPU temp, which is how I have mine set up, they sit at around 700rpm until the CPU hits 50c then slowly ramp up and max out at 1200rpm which then it is audible but just barely louder than my drives.


----------



## doyll

Top tier air coolers are better than top CLC 99.99% of the time, especially in noise, dependability and cost. But user need to make sure case is flowing the air needed to keep components cool. Any identity ten tea challenged person can mount a CLC and supply it with cool air. Super identity ten tea challenged persons even mount them as intakes to heat up everything else in their systems.







This link may be of interest for case airflow. This is might be of interest for cases. Fractal Design do good cases too, as do several other companies. I don't consider yours good.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> Yep, some boards also have very nice fan control options. My board allows all the fan headers to ramp up based on the CPU temp, which is how I have mine set up, they sit at around 700rpm until the CPU hits 50c then slowly ramp up and max out at 1200rpm which then it is audible but just barely louder than my drives.


Many of mine had similar setup. Now I usually have GPU and CPU case airflow fans on controlled by their respective users. Easy to do as explained here.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Many of mine had similar setup. Now I usually have GPU and CPU case airflow fans on controlled by their respective users. Easy to do as explained here.


That also seems like a nice way of doing it. Lots of wires though.









My current setup works pretty well, so I'm happy with it for now.

Right now my GPU idles at around 40c with 0% fan at idle, if I take the sidepanel off it jumps up to around 43c. Motherboard temps reacts similarly. At full CPU load the GPU actually drops a few degrees as more air is being pushed around it and out of the case.

Not sure if you're talking to me about the case, but if you're going by my photo, well things have changed a lot in there since then. But yeah I've had this case for almost 6 years, while it's been fine it certainly isn't the best case for airflow or noise. It's fairly quiet though as I did add dynamat to the sidepanels and a few other places.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> That also seems like a nice way of doing it. Lots of wires though.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My current setup works pretty well, so I'm happy with it for now.
> 
> Right now my GPU idles at around 40c with 0% fan at idle, if I take the sidepanel off it jumps up to around 43c. Motherboard temps reacts similarly. At full CPU load the GPU actually drops a few degrees as more air is being pushed around it and out of the case.
> 
> Not sure if you're talking to me about the case, but if you're going by my photo, well things have changed a lot in there since then. But yeah I've had this case for almost 6 years, while it's been fine it certainly isn't the best case for airflow or noise. It's fairly quiet though as I did add dynamat to the sidepanels and a few other places.


Temps rising when case is open is a good sign of a case with good airflow.









Was answering Reiep when you posted and quoted your post above answer to your's


----------



## Reiep

As long as it's silent and it looks good, it's good enough for me


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Reiep*
> 
> As long as it's silent and it looks good, it's good enough for me


"Good" is a very relative word.
If you are used to drivign a Bentley, a BMW does not seem as good.
If you are used to driving a 20 year old Hugo, a new VW Golf seems very good..


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xKrNMBoYx*
> 
> Yes it's a H440. Maybe the newer revision with slightly more space. I switched out the front 3 fans with 3x NF-F12 I had in another build. As for airflow and temps I don't know. My stock E3-1275 V5 has idle temps of 18C and 43C when stressing with h264 stress/bench.


18C idle ?
That would me a room between 10c and 15c....is it the case ?
Do not Forget That With air Cooling, cpu temp can never below ambient temp.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *xKrNMBoYx*
> 
> Yes it's a H440. Maybe the newer revision with slightly more space. I switched out the front 3 fans with 3x NF-F12 I had in another build. As for airflow and temps I don't know. My stock E3-1275 V5 has idle temps of 18C and 43C when stressing with h264 stress/bench.
> 
> 
> 
> 18C idle ?
> That would me a room between 10c and 15c....is it the case ?
> Do not Forget That With air Cooling, cpu temp can never below ambient temp.
Click to expand...

Temp ascertainment is more and more inaccurate the further you get from the throttling temp. Having a CPU report itself as below ambient is kinda routine.


----------



## doyll

What ehume said.








As well as his inaccuracy is more to the low side .. meaning below about 30c it is not at all uncommon for temp reading to be 2-5c lower than the really are.

Of course this is only educated guessing.,

In a 23c room we assume a CPU reading of 25-30c is accurate and know for sure a reading of <23c are definitely lower than they really are. But by the same logic the 25-30c readings may be 27-30c to 32-35c, maybe even higher. What we are told is that on Intel at around 70c and above the temperature reading are accurate and the lower the actual temperature the more inaccurate the reading.

In my experience the idle temps have always been very close to room ambient and sometimes below on a couple of cores. I have never had a CPU give higher idle temps than normal inaccurately low readings that were not being caused by a poor cooler mount or high cooler intake air temps, etc.

.


----------



## GRABibus

idle =
=> all settings Bios on default
=> C-states and C1E enabled.
=> In power options of windows CPU minimum=0% and CPU maximum=0%.

PS : I took those idle conditions here :

https://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/docs (Read calibration chapter)

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html (Read section 14).

COOLING IDLE DEGREES ABOVE AMBIENT
High end water 6°C
High end air (true push/pull) 6-7°C
High end air (1 fan) 7°C
Mid air (Zalman 9500) 8-9°C depending on fan RPM
Intel stock cooler 10-11°C

As I have NH-DF15 and 2 fans push-pull, I am supposed idling between 28°C-29°CV at 22°C ambient by following their procedure. I had to apply positive offsets in speedfan, core temp and Real temp to get 28°C-29°C idle in above conditions and 22°c ambien temp.

Without offsets, at idle and 22°C, i am between 23°C and 30°C depending on the core.

My air intake temps are = room temp (Opened case)
I restarted 5 times my thermal paste mounting with "Grain rice" Kryonaut and I alwaysd get the same temps.

I think my mounting and air intake are "ok" , as discussed already together doyll


----------



## ehume

I wanted to share with you just how inaccurate temps can be when they get far from Tmax. See how low these temps read. The ambient temp was around 72F (22.2c), read in the room.



Even 14c was below ambient, much less 7c. This was on my first i7 860.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I wanted to share with you just how inaccurate temps can be when they get far from Tmax. See how low these temps read. The ambient temp was around 72F (22.2c), read in the room.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Even 14c was below ambient, much less 7c. This was on my first i7 860.


Yes.
This is why the calibration methods above help to reduce this inacurracy at idle.
Most of the people will have positive offsets to put in temperatures monitoring softwares. Then, at full load, reading temps will be also higher, due to these offsets.

Here are my offsets :

CoreTemp :
+3°C
+2°C
+2°C
+3°C
+1°C
+0°C

-Coef Speedfan :
+5°C
+4°C
+5°C
+5°C
+3°C
+2°C

Real Temp :
+2°C
+1.5°C
+1.5°C
+2.5°C
+1°C
-0.5°C


----------



## doyll

Temperature accuracy is really only important at or near TJMax. At idle accuracy means very little. So want if cors are reading 18c and they are actually 25c in a 22c room?

Years back there was a lot of discussion about what the actual core temps were versus what the monitoring hardware, firmware and software was reading. Basically what it all boiled down to was keeping CPU at reasonable temps at 100% load .. and that is usually not a problem with good case airflow and a reasonable cooler .. sometimes even stock coolers are okay.









Sometimes I think the old-timers had a better understanding of temperatures;
cold, knippie, chilly, cool pleasant, warm, hot and blistering pretty well summed it up for them.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Temperature accuracy is really only important at or near TJMax. At idle accuracy means very little. So want if cors are reading 18c and they are actually 25c in a 22c room?
> 
> Years back there was a lot of discussion about what the actual core temps were versus what the monitoring hardware, firmware and software was reading. Basically what it all boiled down to was keeping CPU at reasonable temps at 100% load .. and that is usually not a problem with good case airflow and a reasonable cooler .. sometimes even stock coolers are okay.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sometimes I think the old-timers had a better understanding of temperatures;
> cold, knippie, chilly, cool pleasant, warm, hot and blistering pretty well summed it up for them.


Did you read my links ?
These are my "Bible" for how to rely on monitoring temps softwares and how to calibrate.
The link from CompuTronik at tom's Hardware is really interesting and I learned a lot about.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Did you read my links ?
> These are my "Bible" for how to rely on monitoring temps softwares and how to calibrate.
> The link from CompuTronik at tom's Hardware is really interesting and I learned a lot about.


I scanned them.
All they do is _guess_ at what they _think_ the idle temperature is and adjust accordingly.







Sorry, but that makes about as much sense as trying to sell snow to Eskimo's









Edit: I admire your desire to learn, researching and reading to find the answers. I just don't agree with what those articles are saying. Doesn't matter what the thermometer says, it I'm sweating in my chair it is 'hot'.


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Did you read my links ?












what they are saying is just physics...

A certain power with a certain kind of CPU gives a certain core temperature at a certain ambient temperature with a certain cooler.
This is based on calculation from INTEL. This is not guess lol

I am confident in Real Temp team and Computronik, which is an INTEL thermal specialist for information.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> what they are saying is just physics...
> 
> A certain power with a certain kind of CPU gives a certain core temperature at a certain ambient temperature with a certain cooler.
> This is based on calculation from INTEL. This is not guess lol
> 
> I am confident in Real Temp team and Computronik, which is an INTEL thermal specialist for information.


I'm sorry, but with years of R&D experience and knowing how 10 highly detailed blueprinted engines (or CPUs, GPUs, etc) will all perform a little different (including different temperatures), I have reasonable doubt about calculations versus actual results.








I guess I'm hard to convince. I've seen way too many physics and engineering equations and designs that the 'experts' swore were best thing ever that when built and tested just did not do it.


----------



## GRABibus

Hi,
I did reapply my kryonaut with the "Central grain of rice" method.
But, fact, I didn't put this grain of rice at exactly in the middle of the CPU. It was shifted by 3mm to 4mm from the center.

Is it an issue or should I stay like this ?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Hi,
> I did reapply my kryonaut with the "Central grain of rice" method.
> But, fact, I didn't put this grain of rice at exactly in the middle of the CPU. It was shifted by 3mm to 4mm from the center.
> 
> Is it an issue or should I stay like this ?


As long as the temps are good I would not change it.


----------



## QuacK

Here's my setup with the Noctua NH-D15


----------



## GRABibus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *QuacK*
> 
> Here's my setup with the Noctua NH-D15


Nice rig


----------



## QuacK

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GRABibus*
> 
> Nice rig


Thanks


----------



## xKrNMBoYx

Well the new GPU makes this build even better. Just need to add the old as a dedicated PhysX.


----------



## linbetwin

Nice! What RAM do you have ? How tall are the sticks ?


----------



## xKrNMBoYx

If you're asking me I have HyperX Fury. Not that tall.


----------



## linbetwin

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xKrNMBoYx*
> 
> If you're asking me I have HyperX Fury. Not that tall.


Thanks. I was asking because your left fan seems to fit without needing to be raised. My HyperX Predator is 53.8 mm tall, your Fury must be 32-34 mm. If I buy the NH-D15, I would have to raise the left fan more than 2cm, making the cooler over 18.5 cm tall, am I right ? So I'll have to look at the D15s.


----------



## drop24

I want the D15S so I can use my top PCIE slot but it only comes with one fan for some reason. Want to buy another one? YOU CAN'T. The 1500 rpm model it comes with is not sold separately only some 1200 RPM version.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *linbetwin*
> 
> Thanks. I was asking because your left fan seems to fit without needing to be raised. My HyperX Predator is 53.8 mm tall, your Fury must be 32-34 mm. If I buy the NH-D15, I would have to raise the left fan more than 2cm, making the cooler over 18.5 cm tall, am I right ? So I'll have to look at the D15s.


32-34mm RAM stands 35-37mm above motherboard when plugged into socket (socket raises RAM 3mm). Top of CPU is 8mm above motherboard.
Fan is 140mm + RAM & socket. 35-37mm = 175-177mm - 8mm top of CPU = 167-169mm CPU clearance

Here is a drawing showing the clearances.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/20_20#post_23232751
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *drop24*
> 
> I want the D15S so I can use my top PCIE slot but it only comes with one fan for some reason. Want to buy another one? YOU CAN'T. The 1500 rpm model it comes with is not sold separately only some 1200 RPM version.


It's a crazy world we live in.








If you really need the 1-3c additional cooling the 2nd fan gives (most of that improvement at lower rpm) maybe look at other cooler that cools as well as D15 that have better PCIe clearance? There are several others that are 70mm or less from center CPU toward PCIe socket.








Noctua are very good, but they are not the only one on top of the mountain.


----------



## xKrNMBoYx

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *linbetwin*
> 
> Thanks. I was asking because your left fan seems to fit without needing to be raised. My HyperX Predator is 53.8 mm tall, your Fury must be 32-34 mm. If I buy the NH-D15, I would have to raise the left fan more than 2cm, making the cooler over 18.5 cm tall, am I right ? So I'll have to look at the D15s.


Actually my fan is raised a bit. Probably a good cm or more, but that's to match the height of the third/very rear fan. If I have the fan touch the RAM it would be raised 7-10mm


----------



## ehume

I just wanted to point out how inaccurate temperature sensors can be:

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *drop24*
> 
> I want the D15S so I can use my top PCIE slot but it only comes with one fan for some reason. Want to buy another one? YOU CAN'T. The 1500 rpm model it comes with is not sold separately only some 1200 RPM version.


If you want to run two fans on the D15S -- and you should -- use the LNA on the stock fan to bring it down to match the retail fan. Two NF-A15 PWM fans running at 1200 rpm are nice and quiet. It's lovely. If you want more cooling power, use a Thermalright TY-147A. The same clips will work.

Now, if you don't mind noise, get two TY-143's (two will cost about what one Noctua fans costs) and blow the heck out of that heatsink.

But whatever fans you get, be sure to cut out your rear "grill" and live without an exhaust fan. See #2 in my sig for an example.


----------



## doyll

What ehume said.









If you do go with TY-143 fan, be sure to increase case airflow to about twice what 'normal' fans use .. because the TY-143 move about twice the air at full speed.








If you do not increase case flow to cooler and out of case the cooler will re-use it's own heated exhaust, and every degree warmer the air going into cooler is translates to 1c hotter the CPU is.









Removing the real grill greatly increases the exhaust airflow .. and lowers noise levels as well.


----------



## miklkit

Hmmph. Why not just get the Termalright Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme then? It has a shiny chrome finish, is offset to the side, and already has the ty-143 fans.

Someday I gotta get a Noctua D14/D15 to find out just how good they really are.


----------



## LostParticle

Hey guys...

Got and mounted my new Noctua NH-D15S today. Two mounts already and *this is what I get*... Is this normal? Help, anyone, please?

Thank you!


----------



## Glottis

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *drop24*
> 
> I want the D15S so I can use my top PCIE slot but it only comes with one fan for some reason. Want to buy another one? YOU CAN'T. The 1500 rpm model it comes with is not sold separately only some 1200 RPM version.


D15S is using Noctua NF-A15 PWM fan and you can definitely buy it separately http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Quality-Cooling-NF-A15-PWM/dp/B00AED7XFI


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> Hey guys...
> 
> Got and mounted my new Noctua NH-D15S today. Two mounts already and *this is what I get*... Is this normal? Help, anyone, please?
> 
> Thank you!


Were you running that h110 before? I have heard that it newer versions of P95 aren't a very good idea on Haswell.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glottis*
> 
> D15S is using Noctua NF-A15 PWM fan and you can definitely buy it separately http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Quality-Cooling-NF-A15-PWM/dp/B00AED7XFI


Isn't that 1200rpm though?


----------



## LostParticle

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> Were you running that h110 before? I have heard that it newer versions of P95 aren't a very good idea on Haswell.


I still own + use the Corsair H110 together with the two Noctua Industrial fans shown in my sig_rig. It's just for a couple of months each year I am using an open-air rig with a good Air Cooler. Today I got my new NH-D15S and now I am testing it. This the only reason I am running the latest version of Prime95, Small FFTs. All I want to know is IF I am getting high temps or if they are normal for my ambient temps and this test (Prime95).

I am reposting all the data here, again:

- Second time I am re-seating today
- Prime 95 v.28.9 - SMALL FFTs
- Room temperature = 25 C

System (open-air rig):
Intel i7-4790K
Asus Maximus Hero VII
Noctua NH-D15S + 2 x Noctua NF-A15 both running at their full speed (>1500RPM). These fans are mounted: one in the middle and one at the back of the cooler (as pull).
Thermal Grizzly Kryonout



Why am I getting >90 C?
Is this normal or should I re-sit (again!)?

Thank you!


----------



## Glottis

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> Isn't that 1200rpm though?


you are right specs on official website show 1500rpm for fan bundled with cooler, but same fan sold separately only 1200 rpm. maybe email noctua on why is that?


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> I still own + use the Corsair H110 together with the two Noctua Industrial fans shown in my sig_rig. It's just for a couple of months each year I am using an open-air rig with a good Air Cooler. Today I got my new NH-D15S and now I am testing it. This the only reason I am running the latest version of Prime95, Small FFTs. All I want to know is IF I am getting high temps or if they are normal for my ambient temps and this test (Prime95).
> 
> I am reposting all the data here, again:
> 
> - Second time I am re-seating today
> - Prime 95 v.28.9 - SMALL FFTs
> - Room temperature = 25 C
> 
> System (open-air rig):
> Intel i7-4790K
> Asus Maximus Hero VII
> Noctua NH-D15S + 2 x Noctua NF-A15 both running at their full speed (>1500RPM). These fans are mounted: one in the middle and one at the back of the cooler (as pull).
> Thermal Grizzly Kryonout
> 
> 
> 
> Why am I getting >90 C?
> Is this normal or should I re-sit (again!)?
> 
> Thank you!


How are your temps with the h110? I would never let the CPU get that hot. That's a sign to either try a different test like Aida64 or lower your clocks.


----------



## linbetwin

Don't use prime with adaptive voltage. It increases your cpu voltage and that's why you are getting those temps.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glottis*
> 
> D15S is using Noctua NF-A15 PWM fan and you can definitely buy it separately http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Quality-Cooling-NF-A15-PWM/dp/B00AED7XFI


You are wrong.
The cooler version of NF-A15 (1500rpm) cannot be bought separately. The retail version is 1200rpm.

Check out the specificatons next time before you stick your foot in your mouth.

Retail version is 1200rpm maximum.
Cooler version is 1500rpm maximum.


----------



## LostParticle

No, no, guys, guys!! Either I have not expressed myself correctly or you do not understand me! Most probably, I have not expressed myself correctly since I am not a native English speaker.

So:

- the ONLY reason I am using Prime95, Small FFTs, is because I got this new cooler and I want to test its capacity = to find its limits!
- I never leave or run my chip at these temperatures. I have four O/C profiles (saved in my BIOS) and for all of them I have used the x264 stress test to stabilize them. That is my "main" stress test. Prime is used just now, just today, to discover the limits of my new cooler and also IF I have mounted it properly.
- My Corsair H110 indeed performs a little bit better than this Noctua air cooler, but it is used in a completely different setup, inside my chassis; see sig_rig. Anyway, I am not comparing the two, each one has its use.

Conclusion:
ALL I need is a guy with an i7-4790K and a NH-D15S or D15 to run Prime95, latest version, Small FFTs, for 1- 2 minutes, and tell me or post his Max Core temperature (and his ambient temp). Of course I realize that an open-air rig cannot be compared with a chassis, but just to get an idea about these temps of mine. Do you understand me?

Thank you.


----------



## JackCY

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> No, no, guys, guys!! Either I have not expressed myself correctly or you do not understand me! Most probably, I have not expressed myself correctly since I am not a native English speaker.
> 
> So:
> 
> - the ONLY reason I am using Prime95, Small FFTs, is because I got this new cooler and I want to test its capacity = to find its limits!
> - I never leave or run my chip at these temperatures. I have four O/C profiles and for all of them I have used the x264 stress test to stabilize them. That is my "main" stress test. Prime is use just now, just today, to discover the limits of my new cooler and also IF I have mounted it properly.
> - My Corsair H110 indeed performs a little bit better than this Noctua air cooler, but it is used in a completely different setup, inside my chassis; see sig_rig. Anyway, I am not comparing the two, each one has its use.
> 
> Conclusion:
> ALL I need is a guy with an i7-4790K and a NH-D15S or D15 to run Prime95, latest version, Small FFTs, for 1- 2 minutes, and tell me or post his Max Core temperature. Of course I realize that an open-air rig cannot be compared with a chassis, but just to get an idea about these temps of mine. Do you understand me?
> 
> Thank you.


90C+ when you OC the 4790K. P95 is not even the worst, the hottest bench is pure Intel linpack downloaded from Intel, not the toned down versions in IBT, OCCT, whatever.
The load is very high, uses AVX and the internal temperature skyrockets, you simply can't take away the heat fast enough to keep it say below 70C, it's a design thing of what is below the cooler, small node = high density = high heat density, small chip area = small dissipation area, wanna be IHS that isn't soldered, ...

Using P95 for any testing is useless anyway, you can be stable in P95 yet x264/Handbrake will crash your CPU when you start encoding videos or playing games.

Check the Haswell OC thread for more info.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> Of course I realize that an open-air rig cannot be compared with a chassis, but just to get an idea about these temps of mine. Do you understand me?
> 
> Thank you.


Actually you can compare open air testing with a chassis testing. All of my systems only run a couple degrees warmer in chassis system then on bench station. But I do not run chassis fans even close to full speed because of noise issues. If chassis fan are run faster the CPU temps are same as on bench .. because *it's all about case airflow and getting air to the cooler intake at same temprerautre as room* (or very nearly the same).

FYI for other reading this, LP and I have discussed this and many other things.








My rant above is more for other readers.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> No, no, guys, guys!! Either I have not expressed myself correctly or you do not understand me! Most probably, I have not expressed myself correctly since I am not a native English speaker.
> 
> So:
> 
> - the ONLY reason I am using Prime95, Small FFTs, is because I got this new cooler and I want to test its capacity = to find its limits!
> - I never leave or run my chip at these temperatures. I have four O/C profiles (saved in my BIOS) and for all of them I have used the x264 stress test to stabilize them. That is my "main" stress test. Prime is used just now, just today, to discover the limits of my new cooler and also IF I have mounted it properly.
> - My Corsair H110 indeed performs a little bit better than this Noctua air cooler, but it is used in a completely different setup, inside my chassis; see sig_rig. Anyway, I am not comparing the two, each one has its use.
> 
> Conclusion:
> ALL I need is a guy with an i7-4790K and a NH-D15S or D15 to run Prime95, latest version, Small FFTs, for 1- 2 minutes, and tell me or post his Max Core temperature (and his ambient temp). Of course I realize that an open-air rig cannot be compared with a chassis, but just to get an idea about these temps of mine. Do you understand me?
> 
> Thank you.


I don't think someone else running a 4790k+D15S will be a good comparison, every chip is different and you may just have a hotter chip. You need to find the settings that are right for your setup. Those volts do seem a little high for 4.4ghz, I'd expect more around 1.2-1.25v at most, but again every chip is different.

If it's pretty close to your H110 then it's probably mounted correctly, I wouldn't expect it to perform significantly better or worse at tolerable noise levels.


----------



## LostParticle

I found a previous post of mine, from when I received my new Corsair H110 and I was testing it with the x264 stress test. *The original post is here*.

These are the results from that test. My system of that period is fully shown in HWiNFO64, as well as in my sig_rig. The ambient temperature then was 27C



I tried to reproduce the same settings on my current system and I run the same test. The ambient temperature now is 25 C



I think I am OK. I might try to re-sit one last time, even though I do not think it will make much of a difference. It is a nice cooler.

Thank you.


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> I found a previous post of mine, from when I received my new Corsair H110 and I was testing it with the x264 stress test. *The original post is here*.
> 
> These are the results from that test. My system of that period is fully shown in HWiNFO64, as well as in my sig_rig. The ambient temperature then was 27C
> 
> 
> 
> I tried to reproduce the same settings on my current system and I run the same test. The ambient temperature now is 25 C
> 
> 
> 
> I think I am OK. I might try to re-sit one last time, even though I do not think it will make much of a difference. It is a nice cooler.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> [/SPOILER]


That looks about right at those volts. Are you setting everything manually or do you have some settings on auto?


----------



## LostParticle

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> That looks about right at those volts. Are you setting everything manually or do you have some settings on auto?


Excuse me, I think I have clarified this, but I will say it again: everything that I am posting here does not represent any kind or type of overclocking attempt! I am not trying to overclock my processor. I have already overclocked my processor enough, I know its limits, and I have already created and saved four (4) O/C profiles in my BIOS. That is, in my ASRock's Z97 OC Formula BIOS because on this Asus Hero VII I have not tried yet with this chip (which is new, relatively). So, everything I have posted in this thread had to do with the performance of my new Noctua NH-D15S. Just to see how it functions, how it works, you know?

Now, on my O/C profiles, specifically x47, x48, x49, per-core x50 x50 x49 x49, cache always at x44, I never set any "major" voltage / setting on Auto. I always set them manually after testing and trying etc. You know? Like overclocking!









These values that you've seen in my recent post, on this thread, were a) the Optimized Defaults of the Hero VII (Multi-core Enhancement Enabled), and in my previous post just some quick settings in order to reproduce the same load. To compare with my H110.

I own the Noctua NH-U14S, as well. Its performance, with 2 fans, is similar to this one! I was "obliged" to replace it though due to some sort of corrosion that appeared on its fins, after washing it and not thoroughly drying it... No worries, I had it / have it since 2012 and it was about time for a new Air cooler.

Thank you.


----------



## tbob22

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> Excuse me, I think I have clarified this, but I will say it again: everything that I am posting here does not represent any kind or type of overclocking attempt! I am not trying to overclock my processor. I have already overclocked my processor enough, I know its limits, and I have already created and saved four (4) O/C profiles in my BIOS. That is, in my ASRock's Z97 OC Formula BIOS because on this Asus Hero VII I have not tried yet with this chip (which is new, relatively). So, everything I have posted in this thread had to do with the performance of my new Noctua NH-D15S. Just to see how it functions, how it works, you know?
> 
> Now, on my O/C profiles, specifically x47, x48, x49, per-core x50 x50 x49 x49, cache always at x44, I never set any "major" voltage / setting on Auto. I always set them manually after testing and trying etc. You know? Like overclocking!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> These values that you've seen in my recent post, on this thread, were a) the Optimized Defaults of the Hero VII (Multi-core Enhancement Enabled), and in my previous post just some quick settings in order to reproduce the same load. To compare with my H110.
> 
> I own the Noctua NH-U14S, as well. Its performance, with 2 fans, is similar to this one! I was "obliged" to replace it though due to some sort of corrosion that appeared on its fins, after washing it and not thoroughly drying it... No worries, I had it / have it since 2012 and it was about time for a new Air cooler.
> 
> Thank you.


Sounds good to me, just asking because of the voltage. I do have somewhat limited experience with Haswell but those volts just seem a bit high. I recently helped a friend overclock a 4770k, but it only needed 1.25v for 4.4ghz. Another friend has a 4670k and we got it up to 1.225v/4.6ghz and it's been stable.

I also have a U14S, but I saw a solid 10c drop at load on my chip. You're probably being limited by the TIM on your IHS.


----------



## LostParticle

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tbob22*
> 
> Sounds good to me, just asking because of the voltage. I do have somewhat limited experience with Haswell but those volts just seem a bit high. I recently helped a friend overclock a 4770k, but it only needed 1.25v for 4.4ghz. Another friend has a 4670k and we got it up to 1.225v/4.6ghz and it's been stable.
> 
> I also have a U14S, but I saw a solid 10c drop at load on my chip. You're probably being limited by the TIM on your IHS.


Ah, yes, now I understand you!









Yes, these voltages that you see here are intentionally set high to test a big load! You know? On the link I give to that other post of mine, inside the spoiler of that post, I write: "Excessive voltage values deliberately set for testing purposes."

Now, for example, in this specific i7-4790K that I own this period, and which is the third i7-4790K I have used, I set 1.2V Adaptive both for VCore and Cache V, for Core ratio x47 and cache ratio x44







This is my "everyday o/c profile", meaning that with approx. 1.250V I run at x47 when at defaults my ASRock mobo sets this V for x44. Then my x48 oc requires 1.290Vcore in the BIOS, but I always set Adaptive... And so... blah//blah, and so on...

We're a bit (or more) off topic









I will certainly delidd my chip but this will happen after the Warranty is over, which will be after November 2017.

Thank you.


----------



## THS89

Deleted


----------



## doza

thinking about getting a d15 to replace my aging h100i ( it's like a disco in my chase as leds are blinking like crazy in all colors) plus pump is realy killing me (sound ).

my main problem is compatibility, first pcie is a no go as im using x99 mkiller, but im running just to test gpu in lower pcie slot x8 and there is no problem in terms of fps so that solves it, maybe latter on il get pcie rise cable and do some mod with cable inserted in first pcie...

I did watch/read a lot of d15 reviews and d15 looks close to h100i in terms of performance but one thing is bugging me, most or all benche's are on open scenarios where idle temps are doing wonders for this massive heatsink.but does it hold it's ground in closed chase?
Reason i ask is becouse i have h100i mounted at the front of chase and it's getting all the fresh air it can have and d15 is surrounded with all the motherboard hot components, so can it cool same as on open testbed?


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> thinking about getting a d15 to replace my aging h100i ( it's like a disco in my chase as leds are blinking like crazy in all colors) plus pump is realy killing me (sound ).
> 
> my main problem is compatibility, first pcie is a no go as im using x99 mkiller, but im running just to test gpu in lower pcie slot x8 and there is no problem in terms of fps so that solves it, maybe latter on il get pcie rise cable and do some mod with cable inserted in first pcie...
> 
> I did watch/read a lot of d15 reviews and d15 looks close to h100i in terms of performance but one thing is bugging me, most or all benche's are on open scenarios where idle temps are doing wonders for this massive heatsink.but does it hold it's ground in closed chase?
> Reason i ask is becouse i have h100i mounted at the front of chase and it's getting all the fresh air it can have and d15 is surrounded with all the motherboard hot components, so can it cool same as on open testbed?


D15S solves the pcie clearance issue since it has an offset base. And cools within 2 degrees of the two fanned D15. See ehume's D15S review

Install a couple decent 120/140mm intake fans and ensure a clean flow path to the D15s - with a little finagling can achieve a 2-5 degree temp gradient between the cooler intake and room ambient.

What case are you using?


----------



## doza

F31 thermaltake


----------



## MicroCat

The F31 will fit two 140mm intakes. If you don't use the optical drive bay, can install one nearly inline with the D15. Suggest 2X Noc A15 PWM connected to a PWM splitter running off the CPU header. That way the intakes are sync'd to the cooler so the system breathes as needed. Also suggest a 140mm exhaust. Could be another A15 pwm connected to the splitter. There's other decent 140mm fan choices, if you want to forgo the delicious chocolate and cream combo.


----------



## doza

Nah to many noc fans,they are to pricey for my taste, I have 2 thermaltake pure fans and 4x xilence so I'll do some combo with them as I have a lot of fan mount options in f31


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> What ehume said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you do go with TY-143 fan, be sure to increase case airflow to about twice what 'normal' fans use .. because the TY-143 move about twice the air at full speed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you do not increase case flow to cooler and out of case the cooler will re-use it's own heated exhaust, and every degree warmer the air going into cooler is translates to 1c hotter the CPU is.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Removing the real grill greatly increases the exhaust airflow .. and lowers noise levels as well.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> The F31 will fit two 140mm intakes. If you don't use the optical drive bay, can install one nearly inline with the D15. Suggest 2X Noc A15 PWM connected to a PWM splitter running off the CPU header. That way the intakes are sync'd to the cooler so the system breathes as needed. Also suggest a 140mm exhaust. Could be another A15 pwm connected to the splitter. There's other decent 140mm fan choices, if you want to forgo the delicious chocolate and cream combo.


If you are going to use Noctua fans, go with the A14 FLX (1200 rpm). Square frame.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

subbed


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> Nah to many noc fans,they are to pricey for my taste, I have 2 thermaltake pure fans and 4x xilence so I'll do some combo with them as I have a lot of fan mount options in f31


When air cooling we need to make sure the case is flowing more air than components are using. CLCs like H100 are not as good as any of the top air coolers .. while close in overall cooling ability, to achieve the same cooling CLCs may many times more noise. Best example I know if is this German review of H100, Silver Arrow SB-E and Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme. NH-D15 is near identical performance to Silver Arrow SB-E .. 1c better than H100 but only a fraction as loud. Using high performance fans making as much noise as H100 it is 7c cooler.


Here is NH-D14 and TRUE Spirit 140 Power using same high performance fans. Notice the 8.25 -9.3c difference between 1200rpm and 2500rpm fan speed.


But don't think you can simply put high performance fan on cooler and get this kind of results! It is a complete package deal requiring case airflow to be improved to match. *We have to supply cooler with cool air !!* Otherwise air temps inside of case are much higher as a result of cooler having to re-use it's on heated exhasut, and this means CPU will be much higher temperature.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Which would most likely cool better on this heatsink: two 120mm fans or a single 140mm fan in the center (assuming the fans are of similar quality, such as made by the same manufacturer)? Would running a 140mm fan in the center and a 120mm pushing toward the 140mm be better than a single 140mm fan or two 120mm fans or would that open up a can of worms that would be better off left closed?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Which would most likely cool better on this heatsink: two 120mm fans or a single 140mm fan in the center (assuming the fans are of similar quality, such as made by the same manufacturer)? Would running a 140mm fan in the center and a 120mm pushing toward the 140mm be better than a single 140mm fan or two 120mm fans or would that open up a can of worms that would be better off left closed?


Generaly a single 140mm fan will move more air than 2x 120mm push/pull fans, but it does depend on how well the fans overcome resistance.

Which heatsink are you referring to?

NH-D14 on i7 [email protected]
w/ 2x GT fans @ 850 rpm was 51.95c delta
w/ 2x GT fans @ 1700rpm was 51.5c delta
w/ 1x GT fan @ 1700 rpm was 54.55c delta
w/ 1x TY-143 @ 1200rpm was 57.c delta

True Spirit 140 Power on i7 [email protected]
w/ 2x GT fans @ 850 rpm was 59.1c delta
w/ 2x GT fans @ 1700rpm was 49.4c delta
w/ 1x GT fan @ 1700rpm was 52.25c delta
w/ 1x TY-143 @ 1200rpm was 54.2c delta

It really depends a lot on how well the fans overcome resistance. The better they overcome resistance the less the difference between a single fan versus stacked fans.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Which would most likely cool better on this heatsink: two 120mm fans or a single 140mm fan in the center (assuming the fans are of similar quality, such as made by the same manufacturer)? Would running a 140mm fan in the center and a 120mm pushing toward the 140mm be better than a single 140mm fan or two 120mm fans or would that open up a can of worms that would be better off left closed?
> 
> 
> 
> Generaly a single 140mm fan will move more air than 2x 120mm push/pull fans, but it does depend on how well the fans overcome resistance.
> 
> Which heatsink are you referring to?
> 
> NH-D14 on i7 [email protected]
> w/ 2x GT fans @ 850 rpm was 51.95c delta
> w/ 2x GT fans @ 1700rpm was 51.5c delta
> w/ 1x GT fan @ 1700 rpm was 54.55c delta
> w/ 1x TY-143 @ 1200rpm was 57.c delta
> 
> True Spirit 140 Power on i7 [email protected]
> w/ 2x GT fans @ 850 rpm was 59.1c delta
> w/ 2x GT fans @ 1700rpm was 49.4c delta
> w/ 1x GT fan @ 1700rpm was 52.25c delta
> w/ 1x TY-143 @ 1200rpm was 54.2c delta
> 
> It really depends a lot on how well the fans overcome resistance. The better they overcome resistance the less the difference between a single fan versus stacked fans.
Click to expand...

Since this is the Noctua NH-D15 club thread, I assumed that people would assume I was talking about the NH-D15 or NH-D15S. Silly me (it's the S version, btw). The 120mm fans I had in mind would be Phanteks PH-120MP_BK PWMs. The 140mm could be just about any fan as long as it was square and black; I'm open to suggestions.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Since this is the Noctua NH-D15 club thread, I assumed that people would assume I was talking about the NH-D15 or NH-D15S. Silly me (it's the S version, btw). The 120mm fans I had in mind would be Phanteks PH-120MP_BK PWMs. The 140mm could be just about any fan as long as it was square and black; I'm open to suggestions.


Sorry about that.








Honestly, the stock NF-A15 is a very good fan.
A very good square black 140mm fan is Cooljag Everflow model # R121425SL (PWM) or model # F121425BUAF (variable voltage)


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Since this is the Noctua NH-D15 club thread, I assumed that people would assume I was talking about the NH-D15 or NH-D15S. Silly me (it's the S version, btw). The 120mm fans I had in mind would be Phanteks PH-120MP_BK PWMs. The 140mm could be just about any fan as long as it was square and black; I'm open to suggestions.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry about that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Honestly, the stock NF-A15 is a very good fan.
> A very good square black 140mm fan is Cooljag Everflow model # R121425SL (PWM) or model # F121425BUAF (variable voltage)
Click to expand...

Don't forget another very good fan for that heatsink, a drop-in replacement for the stock NF-A15: the Thermalright TY-147A (not the square version). The fan is PWM, not expensive, and fits perfectly. And if you use low-profile RAM (you should) you can put two 140mm fans on that thing.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Thanks for the replies. So, on the NH-D15S, a single 140mm Thermalright TY-147A will cool better than two 120mm Phanteks PH-120MP_BK PWM (I can't find the Cooljag; the stock fan is seriously ugly, not to mention it won't match my chassis fans)? Would adding a 120mm Phanteks in front of the cooler with the 140mm Thermalright in the middle improve cooling or would that just be dumb?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Thanks for the replies. So, on the NH-D15S, a single 140mm Thermalright TY-147A will cool better than two 120mm Phanteks PH-120MP_BK PWM (I can't find the Cooljag; the stock fan is seriously ugly, not to mention it won't match my chassis fans)? Would adding a 120mm Phanteks in front of the cooler with the 140mm Thermalright in the middle improve cooling or would that just be dumb?


The reason you go with the Thermalright is the same reason you would go with a retail NF-A15. When you use that 1200 RPM + the stock fan + LNA (also 1200 rpm) you get a quieter heatsink that matches the cooling of the single stock fan without LNA at 1500 rpm. An TY-147A is cheaper than buying another NF-A15.

You would not run the NH-D15 without that stock fan, however. It came with the heatsink, so it is free. And it's a great fan. You simply want to mate it with the TY-147A -- two slower fans are quieter than one faster fan. As I said, run the Noctua with the LNA. Try it with the Noctua in the middle and the Thermalright in the middle. One of the two arrangements will be cooler by a degree or so.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Thanks for the replies. So, on the NH-D15S, a single 140mm Thermalright TY-147A will cool better than two 120mm Phanteks PH-120MP_BK PWM (I can't find the Cooljag; the stock fan is seriously ugly, not to mention it won't match my chassis fans)? Would adding a 120mm Phanteks in front of the cooler with the 140mm Thermalright in the middle improve cooling or would that just be dumb?
> 
> 
> 
> The reason you go with the Thermalright is the same reason you would go with a retail NF-A15. When you use that 1200 RPM + the stock fan + LNA (also 1200 rpm) you get a quieter heatsink that matches the cooling of the single stock fan without LNA at 1500 rpm. An TY-147A is cheaper than buying another NF-A15.
> 
> You would not run the NH-D15 without that stock fan, however. It came with the heatsink, so it is free. And it's a great fan. You simply want to mate it with the TY-147A -- two slower fans are quieter than one faster fan. As I said, run the Noctua with the LNA. Try it with the Noctua in the middle and the Thermalright in the middle. One of the two arrangements will be cooler by a degree or so.
Click to expand...

The stock fan is just too ugly to even consider (plus, all my case fans are black and white). While there is enough room for a 140mm fan in the middle slot, I only have room for 120mm fans on the positions on the outside positions of the cooler.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Thanks for the replies. So, on the NH-D15S, a single 140mm Thermalright TY-147A will cool better than two 120mm Phanteks PH-120MP_BK PWM (I can't find the Cooljag; the stock fan is seriously ugly, not to mention it won't match my chassis fans)? Would adding a 120mm Phanteks in front of the cooler with the 140mm Thermalright in the middle improve cooling or would that just be dumb?
> 
> 
> 
> The reason you go with the Thermalright is the same reason you would go with a retail NF-A15. When you use that 1200 RPM + the stock fan + LNA (also 1200 rpm) you get a quieter heatsink that matches the cooling of the single stock fan without LNA at 1500 rpm. An TY-147A is cheaper than buying another NF-A15.
> 
> You would not run the NH-D15 without that stock fan, however. It came with the heatsink, so it is free. And it's a great fan. You simply want to mate it with the TY-147A -- two slower fans are quieter than one faster fan. As I said, run the Noctua with the LNA. Try it with the Noctua in the middle and the Thermalright in the middle. One of the two arrangements will be cooler by a degree or so.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> The stock fan is just too ugly to even consider (plus, all my case fans are black and white). While there is enough room for a 140mm fan in the middle slot, I only have room for 120mm fans on the positions on the outside positions of the cooler.
Click to expand...

Too bad. Maybe you'd have more room with low profile RAM?

As for the stock fan, you can paint the outside black and hide the innards by making it the middle fan.

Putting a 120mm fan on a D15? I haven't done that since the D14 days. I stopped when I found a TY-140. I used low profile RAM, so two TY-140's were quiet and fit the bill. But really, the NF-A15 is a fine fan. Keep it, and find a way to use a 140mm front fan. You'll like it.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Thanks for the replies. So, on the NH-D15S, a single 140mm Thermalright TY-147A will cool better than two 120mm Phanteks PH-120MP_BK PWM (I can't find the Cooljag; the stock fan is seriously ugly, not to mention it won't match my chassis fans)? Would adding a 120mm Phanteks in front of the cooler with the 140mm Thermalright in the middle improve cooling or would that just be dumb?
> 
> 
> 
> The reason you go with the Thermalright is the same reason you would go with a retail NF-A15. When you use that 1200 RPM + the stock fan + LNA (also 1200 rpm) you get a quieter heatsink that matches the cooling of the single stock fan without LNA at 1500 rpm. An TY-147A is cheaper than buying another NF-A15.
> 
> You would not run the NH-D15 without that stock fan, however. It came with the heatsink, so it is free. And it's a great fan. You simply want to mate it with the TY-147A -- two slower fans are quieter than one faster fan. As I said, run the Noctua with the LNA. Try it with the Noctua in the middle and the Thermalright in the middle. One of the two arrangements will be cooler by a degree or so.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> The stock fan is just too ugly to even consider (plus, all my case fans are black and white). While there is enough room for a 140mm fan in the middle slot, I only have room for 120mm fans on the positions on the outside positions of the cooler.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Too bad. Maybe you'd have more room with low profile RAM?
> 
> As for the stock fan, you can paint the outside black and hide the innards by making it the middle fan.
> 
> Putting a 120mm fan on a D15? I haven't done that since the D14 days. I stopped when I found a TY-140. I used low profile RAM, so two TY-140's were quiet and fit the bill. But really, the NF-A15 is a fine fan. Keep it, and find a way to use a 140mm front fan. You'll like it.
Click to expand...

You aren't paying attention. There simply is NOT room for a 140mm fan on the outside positions. The RAM I have is a G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 Series 64GB (8 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2133 (PC4 17000) Memory Kit Model F4-2133C15Q2-64GRB kit, the lowest profile DDR4 kit I could find in blue.


----------



## doyll

The single vs double fan even on NH-D15 or NH-D15S is 0-2 c difference maximum .. to me that is a moot issue.
Same is true of actual sound level, 0-2 dB(A) difference .. less than our ears can notice.

Optimizing case airflow and using temp / rpm profiles on case fans makes way more difference in both temp and noise levels.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> The single vs double fan even on NH-D15 or NH-D15S is 0-2 c difference maximum .. to me that is a moot issue.
> Same is true of actual sound level, 0-2 dB(A) difference .. less than our ears can notice.
> 
> Optimizing case airflow and using temp / rpm profiles on case fans makes way more difference in both temp and noise levels.


Thanks for the straight answer! I'll use a single 140mm then, probably the Thermalright TY-147A.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Thanks for the straight answer! I'll use a single 140mm then, probably the Thermalright TY-147A.


Indeed! Its black housing w/ white fan is nice. NF-A15 is a good fan, just ugly colors and over priced .. TY-147A is $17.99 compared to NF-A15 being $23.94 Here they are £10.95 versus £21.15 and in Europe they are EUR 13,90 vsrsus EUR 21,90. Rather a no brainer, even without considering the desert camo Noc colors.
Another option if you wanted white housing w/ black fan would be PH-F140HP I. It has same performance specs as PH-F140MP which sounds very good to meI. I need to do some a/b comparisons of PH-F140HP II versus TY-147A. To date the TY-14x series have nicest sound to me on case and cooler .. that is once they get loud enough to hear.









Code:



Code:


                      BLACK/WHITE      BLACK/BLACK
Model NO :      PH-F140MP_BK    PH-F140MP_BBK
UPC Code :      886523000655    886523000839
Fan Dimensions        140 x 140 x 25mm
Speed (RPM)           500-1600 ± 250 rpm
Max Airflow           68.1 CFM
Acoustical Noise      17-25.3 dB (A)
Static Pressure       1.62 mm H2O
Input Current         0.2 A
Rate VoltageDC        12V
Input Power           2.4 W
MTBF                  >150,000 h
Speed Sensor          4 pins

Model NO :      PH-F140HP_BK2   PH-F140HP_WT2
UPC Code :      886523000716    886523000723
Fan Dimensions        140 x 140 x 25mm
Speed (RPM)           500-1600 ± 250 rpm
Max Airflow           68.1 CFM
Acoustical Noise      25 dB (A)
Static Pressure       1.62 mm H2O
Input Current         0.2 A
Rate VoltageDC        12V
Input Power           2.4 W
MTBF                  >150,000 h
Speed Sensor          4 pins


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Thanks for the straight answer! I'll use a single 140mm then, probably the Thermalright TY-147A.
> 
> 
> 
> Indeed! Its black housing w/ white fan is nice. NF-A15 is a good fan, just ugly colors and over priced .. TY-147A is $17.99 compared to NF-A15 being $23.94 Here they are £10.95 versus £21.15 and in Europe they are EUR 13,90 vsrsus EUR 21,90. Rather a no brainer, even without considering the desert camo Noc colors.
> Another option if you wanted white housing w/ black fan would be PH-F140HP I. It has same performance specs as PH-F140MP which sounds very good to meI. I need to do some a/b comparisons of PH-F140HP II versus TY-147A. To date the TY-14x series have nicest sound to me on case and cooler .. that is once they get loud enough to hear.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> BLACK/WHITE      BLACK/BLACK
> Model NO :      PH-F140MP_BK    PH-F140MP_BBK
> UPC Code :      886523000655    886523000839
> Fan Dimensions        140 x 140 x 25mm
> Speed (RPM)           500-1600 ± 250 rpm
> Max Airflow           68.1 CFM
> Acoustical Noise      17-25.3 dB (A)
> Static Pressure       1.62 mm H2O
> Input Current         0.2 A
> Rate VoltageDC        12V
> Input Power           2.4 W
> MTBF                  >150,000 h
> Speed Sensor          4 pins
> 
> Model NO :      PH-F140HP_BK2   PH-F140HP_WT2
> UPC Code :      886523000716    886523000723
> Fan Dimensions        140 x 140 x 25mm
> Speed (RPM)           500-1600 ± 250 rpm
> Max Airflow           68.1 CFM
> Acoustical Noise      25 dB (A)
> Static Pressure       1.62 mm H2O
> Input Current         0.2 A
> Rate VoltageDC        12V
> Input Power           2.4 W
> MTBF                  >150,000 h
> Speed Sensor          4 pins
Click to expand...

'Tis curious you would post that since, shortly after I last posted, I was browsing though geggeg's Thermalbench reviews and spotted this fan. I'm already have the 120mm version of this fan for my case fans (the intakes will be pulling through a pleated paper furnace filter; the exhaust will use the same fans just for convenience). Geggeg's reviews give the round TY-147A a rating of only 80, saying it's not really for use as a radiator fan (I suspect due to its rounded shape). The square version got a rating of 85. I couldn't find the square version and could find the round version in only one place on my side of the pond. Amazon lists it for a Marketplace vendor and carries the merchandise in Amazon's own warehouses and ships it themselves. I have had so much trouble with misbegotten Amazon lately, I'm avoiding ordering from them like the plague. The Marketplace vendor is Nan's Fans (or something like that). I found their website but it was still down due to vacation two days after it was supposed to be back up.

The Phanteks got the same rating so I ordered a couple from Newegg (one for the cooler and one for a spare). My mail service has already received them and I'll pick them up next week.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> 'Tis curious you would post that since, shortly after I last posted, I was browsing though geggeg's Thermalbench reviews and spotted this fan. I'm already have the 120mm version of this fan for my case fans (the intakes will be pulling through a pleated paper furnace filter; the exhaust will use the same fans just for convenience). Geggeg's reviews give the round TY-147A a rating of only 80, saying it's not really for use as a radiator fan (I suspect due to its rounded shape). The square version got a rating of 85. I couldn't find the square version and could find the round version in only one place on my side of the pond. Amazon lists it for a Marketplace vendor and carries the merchandise in Amazon's own warehouses and ships it themselves. I have had so much trouble with misbegotten Amazon lately, I'm avoiding ordering from them like the plague. The Marketplace vendor is Nan's Fans (or something like that). I found their website but it was still down due to vacation two days after it was supposed to be back up.
> 
> The Phanteks got the same rating so I ordered a couple from Newegg (one for the cooler and one for a spare). My mail service has already received them and I'll pick them up next week.


I love geggeg's testing but don't follow his overall ratings. Maybe they include availability, because the performance of fans is often better than is rating% shows. Square version does not perform as well as round version .. either in his testing or by any others. I've been using both round forever and square for more than 6 months, and while specs and testing can show a slight difference it is too little for me to see in actual application. In other words, on coolers and as case fans the both run so close to same temps at same speeds I am not able to say one is better than other.

Vender is Nan's Gaming Gear. They are the only Thermalright dealer in USA now. Try a month and 2 days. They went on 'vacation' the end of Junes to be back July 7th. it's now August 13th and website is till not back up.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> 'Tis curious you would post that since, shortly after I last posted, I was browsing though geggeg's Thermalbench reviews and spotted this fan. I'm already have the 120mm version of this fan for my case fans (the intakes will be pulling through a pleated paper furnace filter; the exhaust will use the same fans just for convenience). Geggeg's reviews give the round TY-147A a rating of only 80, saying it's not really for use as a radiator fan (I suspect due to its rounded shape). The square version got a rating of 85. I couldn't find the square version and could find the round version in only one place on my side of the pond. Amazon lists it for a Marketplace vendor and carries the merchandise in Amazon's own warehouses and ships it themselves. I have had so much trouble with misbegotten Amazon lately, I'm avoiding ordering from them like the plague. The Marketplace vendor is Nan's Fans (or something like that). I found their website but it was still down due to vacation two days after it was supposed to be back up.
> 
> The Phanteks got the same rating so I ordered a couple from Newegg (one for the cooler and one for a spare). My mail service has already received them and I'll pick them up next week.
> 
> 
> 
> I love geggeg's testing but don't follow his overall ratings. Maybe they include availability, because the performance of fans is often better than is rating% shows. Square version does not perform as well as round version .. either in his testing or by any others. I've been using both round forever and square for more than 6 months, and while specs and testing can show a slight difference it is too little for me to see in actual application. In other words, on coolers and as case fans the both run so close to same temps at same speeds I am not able to say one is better than other.
> 
> Vender is Nan's Gaming Gear. They are the only Thermalright dealer in USA now. Try a month and 2 days. They went on 'vacation' the end of Junes to be back July 7th. it's now August 13th and website is till not back up.
Click to expand...

You're correct about the name of the vendor and how long it has been shut down; I just had an episode of cerebral flatulence when I posted.









I read the entire reviews on Thermalbench but the score at the end is a handy reference for me. I do keep in mind that he may adjust a score for certain factors such as cost (which he does explain, fortunately). There wasn't much difference in actual performance between the square and round version of the Thermalright. The Phanteks had similar performance so the factors I based my decision on was availability and similarity to my case fans (yeah, I know, I'm picky).

Now, if Noctua would just hurry up and come out with that cover for the heatpipes on the NH-D15 that they flaunted at CES...


----------



## vaoqeRG

{moved to the Noctua Club, I think my question would be more appropriate there, sorry for the confusion}


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

FYI. Nan's Gaming Gear is back online. However, with shipping, it's cheaper to order from Newegg or Amazon (and, after recent foul-ups by Amazon and their new delivery service, I no longer trust Amazon for anything other than e-books).


----------



## silveralf

Got myself this amazing Noctua NH-D15 CPU cooler.
Idle temps: 29-31 C on my Intel i7 4790K 4GHz CPU with ambient temp of 25 C.



I left with about 1cm of clearance between the cooler and my GTX 980 Ti G1 GAMING GPU (my mobo is ASUS Z97-DELUXE).
Fits perfectly, although I had to move the front fan aside a little bit so it won't interfere with the RAM (I'm using the G.Skill RipJaw X RAM).


----------



## ehume

Ever since I started using 140mm push fans I've gone with nothing but low profile RAM.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Ever since I started using 140mm push fans I've gone with nothing but low profile RAM.


I don't know what you consider 'low profile', but to me 'low profile' is RAM that is shorter than RAM clips .. at least not taller than they are.








RAM with no heatsinks and about 30mm tall is just normal height RAM.


----------



## Valentyn

Hello everyone.

May I join your club as well? Last week my H110i GT's pump failed, and after prowling the internet doyll pointed me to overclock.net, his guides and at some proper air coolers.

I must say, I am more than happy with the results. My NH D15S coupled with the Enthoo Luxe is great. The NZXT H440 was such a hotbox, and because the fans had to run at ridiculously high RPMs to get air through, was also noisy compared to my Luxe.

Some images of my newly rebuilt system.





Also temps under AIDA64 at stock speeds.


Max temps with an overlock.


----------



## silveralf

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Valentyn*
> 
> Last week my H110i GT's pump failed


That was the main reason why I went with the Noctua NH-D15 instead of Corsair's H series cooler.
Don't get me wrong, I do love Corsair's products but I've heard from people that after some time they're started to had some problems with these pre-filled liquid coolers, especially the pump problems (noise, failure etc..).


----------



## Valentyn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *silveralf*
> 
> That was the main reason why I went with the Noctua NH-D15 instead of Corsair's H series cooler.
> Don't get me wrong, I do love Corsair's products but I've heard from people that after some time they're started to had some problems with these pre-filled liquid coolers, especially the pump problems (noise, failure etc..).


On reddit alone there were several people that recently had their Corsair pumps die, one thread in particular about another chap also moving to the D15 had a few people in it.

The other forum I frequent had 3 people including myself have their Corsair pumps die. Seems to be rather common.

I do like their keyboards though, really nice mechanical ones, and RAM; however I'll be avoiding their cooling products in the future.


----------



## Glottis

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Valentyn*
> 
> On reddit alone there were several people that recently had their Corsair pumps die, one thread in particular about another chap also moving to the D15 had a few people in it.
> 
> The other forum I frequent had 3 people including myself have their Corsair pumps die. Seems to be rather common.
> 
> I do like their keyboards though, really nice mechanical ones, and RAM; however I'll be avoiding their cooling products in the future.


even if pump doesn't die prematurely, all AIOs have limited life span and need replacing about every 5 years anyway because of degradation. there is ALWAYS a risk of getting a leak too.

what's the worst that can happen to NH-D15? fan might die and you just replace it, that's about it.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glottis*
> 
> even if pump doesn't die prematurely, all AIOs have limited life span and need replacing about every 5 years anyway because of degradation. there is ALWAYS a risk of getting a leak too.
> 
> what's the worst that can happen to NH-D15? fan might die and you just replace it, that's about it.


It's not all AIOs (All in Ones) that are the problem, It's only the CLCs (Closed Loop Cooling) .. originally called LCLC (Low Cost Liquid Cooling) that are the problem.

AIO includes many coolers. While most are CLCs, there are a few AIOs that are not CLCs. These include Swiftech and EK Predator .. which are basically pre-assembled and filled liquid cooler kits. These AIOs are much better quality and are not hermetically sealed disposable liquid coolers.

Liquid cooling is like gloves. Some are very very expensive and last a long long time (custom loops), some are reasonably priced last about the same but don't look quite as nice (pre-assembled ready to use (AIO like Swiftech & EK), and some are cheap and almost as disposible as latex glues (CLCs)


----------



## 45nm

Can anyone tell me if seeing temperature variations up to 15 degrees is normal. This is on an E5-2670 on a Rampage IV motherboard. I even redid the thermal paste application and used the nf-a15 on my Noctua NH-D15S and I am seeing the same temperature variation. The hottest core goes up to about 70 degrees while the coolest 4 cores are around 54-57ish approximately in degrees. What's also strange is that cores 1-4 are the coolest and cores 5-8 are the hottest. When I did my thermal paste application i did a 5mm (approximately) bead using Arctic MX-4.


----------



## MicroCat

Not the normal gradient. The spec is around 10c gradient between cores. Cores 1-4 are on the outside of the die whereas 5-8 are more centrally located, so the inner bank of cores will have different, usually higher temps. The max temp seems pretty high for a locked 115W Xeon under a D15, but still within tcase limits.

Here's some of the usual troubleshooting steps...

What stress test are you running? Does it load all cores equally? What temp monitor program are you using? Do you have the latest bios/drivers? Can't rule out a software monitoring error just yet.

Is this chip a server pull or purchased new? If a server pull, it's rare, but it could have suffered some micro-fractures in the solder that attaches the IHS. That's a long shot tho.

Do you recall what the TIM footprint from the first mount looked like when you performed the 2nd mount? Suggest another mount to observe the TIM pattern on the IHS. Is it symmetrical with very little TIM in the center? Take a TIM selfie and post it on snapchat...no...post here. ;-)

After thorough cleaning of the IHS and cooler to remove TIM, mount it again. But instead of the MX-4, try the Noctua TIM, as is generally easier to apply than MX-4. Use the small rice-grain sized blob in the center of the IHS application. That way the mount pressure will push the TIM into gaps where needed and squish the excess to the outside area of the IHS. The rice/pea dot method can provide a good baseline to determine IHS/Cooler base fit. If the 15 degree difference is still seen, then pull the cooler off and check the TIM pattern. Again. ;-)

And as you've probably done, make sure the backplate is mounted correctly and cooler mounting screws are tightened the same. No fears of over-tightening as the Noctua mount has springs to prevent it.

If the temp gradient hasn't changed then consider checking the IHS for symmetry and possibly lapping it. Take a razor edge and check the D15 for symmetry as well. It's designed with a convex center as most IHS surfaces are slightly concave. If the IHS is convex on one side...well...that would explain it too.

If you have another cooler, could try it on the Xeon. And if you have another system, mount the D15 and crosscheck results. Does the thermal variance move with the D15 or stay with the Xeon?

That's how I'd tackle it. Or you could just ignore the difference until, if ever, the Xeon throttles under load. ;-)


----------



## 45nm

Microcat thanks for the reply. The stress tests used was Prime95, AIDA64 and CPU-Zs stress test. The temp monitoring program was Coretemp followed by Hwinfo64 and even AIDA64's built in statistics tool. The processor is a server pull.

The first time I took off the cooler to check the footprint it covered the entire cpu as it should because of the mounting pressure. It looks almost exactly like the overclockers.com picture of the footprint. I will try and mount it again but due to the design of the motherboard i have to remove the video card each time which is tricky (since the ex-NB blocks the pci express clip). I also thoroughly clean off the thermal paste but some TIM could be left onnthe sides of the processor and possibly on the cooler.

What I also have is a BXTS13A cooler and from what i remember i was also getting similar temperature variation even with that cooler. I do the thermal paste application quite carefully and the MX-4 is my preferred thermal paste.

Is it possible that because the fan is clipped to the left tower that the cores 5-8 are on the right tower and getting higher temperatures as a result?

Also Noctua is telling me that up to a 20 degree variation is okay so I am not really sure.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *45nm*
> 
> Can anyone tell me if seeing temperature variations up to 15 degrees is normal. This is on an E5-2670 on a Rampage IV motherboard. I even redid the thermal paste application and used the nf-a15 on my Noctua NH-D15S and I am seeing the same temperature variation. The hottest core goes up to about 70 degrees while the coolest 4 cores are around 54-57ish approximately in degrees. What's also strange is that cores 1-4 are the coolest and cores 5-8 are the hottest. When I did my thermal paste application i did a 5mm (approximately) bead using Arctic MX-4.


I have no idea what the CPU die shape or size is under the iHS. As such at a guess it is probably rectangular longest way from PCIe socket toward top of motherboard.
A 5mm bead is quite big. I would probably use a 2mm x 4mm line. This seems to be best for rectangular CPU chips.

You might find this of interest
http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/0_20#post_22335323


----------



## MicroCat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *45nm*
> 
> Microcat thanks for the reply. The stress tests used was Prime95, AIDA64 and CPU-Zs stress test. The temp monitoring program was Coretemp followed by Hwinfo64 and even AIDA64's built in statistics tool. The processor is a server pull.
> 
> The first time I took off the cooler to check the footprint it covered the entire cpu as it should because of the mounting pressure. It looks almost exactly like the overclockers.com picture of the footprint. I will try and mount it again but due to the design of the motherboard i have to remove the video card each time which is tricky (since the ex-NB blocks the pci express clip). I also thoroughly clean off the thermal paste but some TIM could be left onnthe sides of the processor and possibly on the cooler.
> 
> What I also have is a BXTS13A cooler and from what i remember i was also getting similar temperature variation even with that cooler. I do the thermal paste application quite carefully and the MX-4 is my preferred thermal paste.
> 
> Is it possible that because the fan is clipped to the left tower that the cores 5-8 are on the right tower and getting higher temperatures as a result?
> 
> Also Noctua is telling me that up to a 20 degree variation is okay so I am not really sure.


Fan placement won't result in a 15c difference. Removing the 2nd fan on the D15 usually results in a 2-3 degree difference.

Not sure where they are getting the 20 degree figure from - they know more than me. I know Intel states their sensors are accurate within +/-5 degrees at load. At idle...well...accuracy is not supported. ;-)

Sounds like you have a handle on the software side. So...If you're confident that the TIM print is looking good and consistent and the core temp gradient was similar with a different cooler, the evidence appears to convict the 2670 itself on thermal negligence grounds. Could just be a faulty sensor, but why take the chance?

I suggest execution by over-volting. And replace it with another $60 server pull. I have used a number of server pull Xeons in my render boxes and the worst one had a 9 degree hot/cold core gradient. Or could just use it and not worry, just as long as it doesn't throttle.

That's the fun of using these used Xeons - so cheap we can use and abuse them if required and replace them at 5-10 cents on the dollar. Even if some of them may have been tainted by FB electron exposure.


----------



## jura11

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doza*
> 
> thinking about getting a d15 to replace my aging h100i ( it's like a disco in my chase as leds are blinking like crazy in all colors) plus pump is realy killing me (sound ).
> 
> my main problem is compatibility, first pcie is a no go as im using x99 mkiller, but im running just to test gpu in lower pcie slot x8 and there is no problem in terms of fps so that solves it, maybe latter on il get pcie rise cable and do some mod with cable inserted in first pcie...
> 
> I did watch/read a lot of d15 reviews and d15 looks close to h100i in terms of performance but one thing is bugging me, most or all benche's are on open scenarios where idle temps are doing wonders for this massive heatsink.but does it hold it's ground in closed chase?
> Reason i ask is becouse i have h100i mounted at the front of chase and it's getting all the fresh air it can have and d15 is surrounded with all the motherboard hot components, so can it cool same as on open testbed?


Hi there

From my point of view and my experience with Corsair H100i I would replace it,you will or can have lower temps as in my case,noise of pump this has been issue too for me and mainly my H100i started to fail and you will gain like in quieter operation and no worries regarding if yours pump or radiator fail or get clogged etc

Regarding compatibility and first slot,this has been in my case too,my GPU is in second slot and GPU is running at x8 right now as I've 28 lane CPU(i7-5820k),tried to play few games and didn't notice FPS drops etc,maybe they're some drops but nothing major

Regarding the temps on yours,this depends on case and case airflow,I would suspect doyll would say something on this area,my case in question is Phanteks Enthoo Primo and done few tests and right now I'm very happy

Here is thread regarding my experience with H100i and NH-D15 there

http://www.overclock.net/t/1610396/noctua-nh-d15-vs-corsair-h100i-v2-my-comparison-and-my-little-test/10#post_25488411

Hope this helps and good luck there:thumb:

Thanks,Jura


----------



## jura11

Here is mine,as in spec list Dreamcatcher X99 V3,i7-5820k OC to 4.5GHz and temps are lot lower than with AIO/CLC from Corsair,tried yesterday 4.6GHz and it cools really nicely at that frequency,temps are same as with Corsair H100i V2 at 4.4GHz and less vCore





Very happy with purchase guys

Thanks,Jura


----------



## 45nm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MicroCat*
> 
> Fan placement won't result in a 15c difference. Removing the 2nd fan on the D15 usually results in a 2-3 degree difference.
> 
> Not sure where they are getting the 20 degree figure from - they know more than me. I know Intel states their sensors are accurate within +/-5 degrees at load. At idle...well...accuracy is not supported. ;-)
> 
> Sounds like you have a handle on the software side. So...If you're confident that the TIM print is looking good and consistent and the core temp gradient was similar with a different cooler, the evidence appears to convict the 2670 itself on thermal negligence grounds. Could just be a faulty sensor, but why take the chance?
> 
> I suggest execution by over-volting. And replace it with another $60 server pull. I have used a number of server pull Xeons in my render boxes and the worst one had a 9 degree hot/cold core gradient. Or could just use it and not worry, just as long as it doesn't throttle.
> 
> That's the fun of using these used Xeons - so cheap we can use and abuse them if required and replace them at 5-10 cents on the dollar. Even if some of them may have been tainted by FB electron exposure.


Haven't logged on to these forums in a while so it's a delayed response. However regardless of thermal paste application (tried both 5mm and 10mm peas [10mm was a bit too much]) the temperature difference remained. I reapplied several times and decided it wasn't worth reapplying the thermal paste several times. I did get more experience and hands on using this cooler from that reapplication however. The TIM print I took pictures of and I would say it was a good coverage from several times (perhaps a small part not covered). I also compared the die size (using 3970X delid pictures) and it should have covered the majority of cores and the hotspots.

I will keep using this processor as it is still well within the safe temperatures. Those same temperatures were also high because of higher ambient temperatures. Oddly enough on idle or even with somewhat of a load the difference only narrows to about 8 degrees. When under a full load the difference becomes 12 degrees plus. It's not in danger of throttling and as far as I understand it's well under TjMax.

I will say that using the NF-A15 compared to the NF-A12 iPPC 3000rpm the system is much quieter even when using the Turbo PWM bios profile.


----------



## keskperane

Hello all, FTP.

I just joined the site because I wanted to go somewhere and rave about how happy I am with my new cooler. Now I should add the I have the NH-D15*S*, so not sure if that means I have the *s*illy version.

My room will often get above 40c in summer. With summer coming on I wanted to be prepared this year so I got the NH-D15S. So happy. I am simply unable to get my i5-4590 to overheat now







even with the fan running below audible. I highly recommend this cooler to anyone.

To the HDH-D15 club members, hi, and mum's the word.


----------



## sb43

You're definitely on the right path. I have a nice rig, but I just don't want water. One drop and everything you worked for gone. I'm running at 4.7 (and I can go higher, but this works, and I have a GTX 1080 card. ) Nothing EVER gets hot. Fans, fans, fans! Just get good ones and set them up right!


----------



## Sev501

Howdy NH-D15/S users, I've had mine for over at least 2 years now and has served me well keeping my FX8350 cool, I was wondering if there is any way to make it bright or shine again, specifically the top of the HSF, even after handling it and wiping it with alcohol to remove hand/finger prints it gets darker or non shiny anymore.

What do you use to make it shine like new again? If not how to atleast clean it up with what and I plan to paint it, just the top part where the logo is... Maybe with some plastidip paint or something else...

Thanks!


----------



## langkhack18

Hi guys, as refer to some comments on page 117 and 118. I'm planning to buy the Noctua D15 to replace to stock wraith cooler (as it has the AM4 supported atm and D15S doesn't). But I don't know how well it would fit in my case (NZXT S340 Elite). Do I have to pull the middle fan down a bit? Is there enough RAM clearance for the second fan? Do I have to remove rear or top fan if I installed the heatsink? I can also buy the D15S with the AM4 kits anyway. But I just want the clarify first. Thanks for reading


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *langkhack18*
> 
> Hi guys, as refer to some comments on page 117 and 118. I'm planning to buy the Noctua D15 to replace to stock wraith cooler (as it has the AM4 supported atm and D15S doesn't). But I don't know how well it would fit in my case (NZXT S340 Elite). Do I have to pull the middle fan down a bit? Is there enough RAM clearance for the second fan? Do I have to remove rear or top fan if I installed the heatsink? I can also buy the D15S with the AM4 kits anyway. But I just want the clarify first. Thanks for reading


If I only had NH-D15 and NH-D15S to choose from I would get the NH-D15S. It costs less and only hs one fan, but the difference between 1 and 2 fans is only 1-2c .. not enough to worry about.

Your NZXT S340 Elite only has 161mm CPU clearance. You do not say what motherboard you have so no idea what the distance from center CPU toward PCIe socket is.

NH-D15 is 160mm tall so it will fit, but 161mm CPU clearance means you only have 166mm clearance for RAM and fan. NH-D15 has 140mm fans s RAM would have to be 26mm or less tall.

The NH-D15 is 150mm wide and 75mm center CPU toward PCIe sockets. Many motheboards do not have 75mm center CPU toward PCIe sockets. This means you cannot use the PCIe socket nearest the CPU.

NH-D15S is same basic cooler as NH-D15 but with the base ofset so it is 67mm center cooler base / CPU toward PCIe sockets. This 67mm distance means it will clear the PCIe sockets on most motherboards.


----------



## langkhack18

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> If I only had NH-D15 and NH-D15S to choose from I would get the NH-D15S. It costs less and only hs one fan, but the difference between 1 and 2 fans is only 1-2c .. not enough to worry about.
> 
> Your NZXT S340 Elite only has 161mm CPU clearance. You do not say what motherboard you have so no idea what the distance from center CPU toward PCIe socket is.
> 
> NH-D15 is 160mm tall so it will fit, but 161mm CPU clearance means you only have 166mm clearance for RAM and fan. NH-D15 has 140mm fans s RAM would have to be 26mm or less tall.
> 
> The NH-D15 is 150mm wide and 75mm center CPU toward PCIe sockets. Many motheboards do not have 75mm center CPU toward PCIe sockets. This means you cannot use the PCIe socket nearest the CPU.
> 
> NH-D15S is same basic cooler as NH-D15 but with the base ofset so it is 67mm center cooler base / CPU toward PCIe sockets. This 67mm distance means it will clear the PCIe sockets on most motherboards.


Thanks for the quick reply







I have a Gigabyte B350 Gaming 3. The first PCIe is X1 so I don't think it would be a problem. From Newegg Australia, the D15S with Am4 kit nearly same price as the D15 Am4 version. I though the height of D15 is 165mm with fan right? And the D15S is 160mm with fan. I can still hook up a 120mm fan if I buy the D15S


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *langkhack18*
> 
> Thanks for the quick reply
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have a Gigabyte B350 Gaming 3. The first PCIe is X1 so I don't think it would be a problem. From Newegg Australia, the D15S with Am4 kit nearly same price as the D15 Am4 version. I though the height of D15 is 165mm with fan right? And the D15S is 160mm with fan. I can still hook up a 120mm fan if I buy the D15S


The cooler is 160mm tall .. 165mm with fan centered on finpack. I think you can set the middle fan down so it is 160-161mm above CPU.








D15 will fit on your motherboard .. probably block topt 1x PCIe.








The NH-D15s sould be $5-10 lower priced than NH-D15.
The AM4 mount is available from Noctua free of charge.
http://noctua.at/en/nm-am4-mounting-kit.html


----------



## langkhack18

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> The cooler is 160mm tall .. 165mm with fan centered on finpack. I think you can set the middle fan down so it is 160-161mm above CPU.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> D15 will fit on your motherboard .. probably block topt 1x PCIe.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The NH-D15s sould be $5-10 lower priced than NH-D15.
> The AM4 mount is available from Noctua free of charge.
> http://noctua.at/en/nm-am4-mounting-kit.html


Thanks







. But the D15S cost 94aud with kit +8aud and D15 am4 cost 99aud. The kit is free but I probably have to wait about 4-6 weeks







. So both of them are actually at the same price in Newegg AU


----------



## raggazam

My System
https://ibb.co/dUs7WF


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



https://ibb.co/e1GZBF
https://ibb.co/g9f5Jv
https://ibb.co/eETEBF
https://ibb.co/nL0hfa



Time to Redux




Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!







4790k - z97 Gaming 7 - Adata xpg v2 2400 - Gtx 1080 g1 - EVGA 750 P2 - 850 Pro Evo 500 gb - Raven 02


----------



## Sev501

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sev501*
> 
> Howdy NH-D15/S users, I've had mine for over at least 2 years now and has served me well keeping my FX8350 cool, I was wondering if there is any way to make it bright or shine again, specifically the top of the HSF, even after handling it and wiping it with alcohol to remove hand/finger prints it gets darker or non shiny anymore.
> 
> What do you use to make it shine like new again? If not how to atleast clean it up with what and I plan to paint it, just the top part where the logo is... Maybe with some plastidip paint or something else...
> 
> Thanks!


Any inputs or suggestions?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Sev501*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Sev501*
> 
> Howdy NH-D15/S users, I've had mine for over at least 2 years now and has served me well keeping my FX8350 cool, I was wondering if there is any way to make it bright or shine again, specifically the top of the HSF, even after handling it and wiping it with alcohol to remove hand/finger prints it gets darker or non shiny anymore.
> 
> What do you use to make it shine like new again? If not how to atleast clean it up with what and I plan to paint it, just the top part where the logo is... Maybe with some plastidip paint or something else...
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any inputs or suggestions?
Click to expand...

Don't use any paint on it. That will ****** metal to air heat transfer.

Ask Noctua.


----------



## Sev501

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Don't use any paint on it. That will ****** metal to air heat transfer.
> 
> Ask Noctua.


Alright, was thinking of using metal polish just to see if it would clean the top part where the logo is, but I've read that it also leaves some sort of residue, might as well shoot them an email.

Thanks!


----------



## doyll

Google "brighten dull aluminum" and you will find all kinds of ways. I would avoid trying to polish it. If it doesn't clean up by wetting the top with a solution, maybe take cooler of and set it upside down in a cleaning / brightening solution and check it every so often to see what is happening.








http://lmgtfy.com/?q=brighten+dull+aluminum


----------



## Sev501

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Google "brighten dull aluminum" and you will find all kinds of ways. I would avoid trying to polish it. If it doesn't clean up by wetting the top with a solution, maybe take cooler of and set it upside down in a cleaning / brightening solution and check it every so often to see what is happening.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://lmgtfy.com/?q=brighten+dull+aluminum


Sounds like I'll be doing some cooking! Lol, found 2 home recipe's that might do the trick:

1: Lemon + few grains of salt (might be too abrasive tho)
2: a mix of
1/4 cup cream of tartar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons soap flakes/dish washing liquid

Good luck to me ! Hahaha


----------



## CJSK

Well I just switched to the Bitphenix Prodigy from the ML08 mitx, so It was time to actually cool the CPU properly. Moved to the 7700k.

Its really big, but I squeezed in the NH-D15!


----------



## iLikeBoobs

Hi,

I wonder if someone tried to put the new NH-D15S in ASUS P5Q Deluxe? s775.. I would like to buy it but dont know if will fit without blocking the mobo heatsinks and 1th PCI-Express 1x slot, noctua support couldnt say 100%, has anybody tried to pair them?


----------



## eclap

Oh why not, here's a photo of my build with the NH D15








http://s9.photobucket.com/user/eclap/media/20170309_112537_zpsgimq5evl.jpg.html

And as it was all being assembled
http://s9.photobucket.com/user/eclap/media/20170309_104041_zpsahb1tqwu.jpg.html


----------



## doyll

Nicely done @eclap
I like your build bench. All the important 'tools' within easy reach .. from water to Disaronno.


----------



## xkm1948

Would you guys say a third A15 fan is worth it for the D15?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> Would you guys say a third A15 fan is worth it for the D15?


In a word, no.
The A15 fans on coolers are 1500rpm, the ones you can buy are 1200rpm.







.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> Would you guys say a third A15 fan is worth it for the D15?


In a word, yes -- but only if you plan to run your fans at low speed. Otherwise it is as doyll says: no benefit. Of course, it helps if you mod your case to provide a rear window instead of a rear "grill." That way you would run with no exhaust fan. It's a quietness thing. See items 2 and 7 in my sig.


----------



## xkm1948

I did not pay attention to that part at all. Well, how about this fan?
http://noctua.at/en/nf-p14s-redux-1500-pwm/specification

It is Noctua, 140mm and it is 1500RPM.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> I did not pay attention to that part at all. Well, how about this fan?
> http://noctua.at/en/nf-p14s-redux-1500-pwm/specification
> 
> It is Noctua, 140mm and it is 1500RPM.


As a square frame it does not fit on the Noctua heatsinks. Round frame 140mm fans do fit on the NH-D15/NH-D15S and the NH-D14 as a pull fan. Again, you can put three fans on there to get low fan speeds. But putting three 1500 rpm fans on it won't improve the cooling. It's already maxed out with two 1500 rpm fans on it.

Recently I put three PWM fans on a Scythe Fuma. The point was to let the fans keep their speeds low. That way my daughter's rig is very quiet. The Fuma is a fine heatsink but three fans on it cool no better than two -- the third fan just allows all of them to run slowly.


----------



## xkm1948

I see. I will try the third A15 just to for the sake of trying then. Eventually I do plan to go EKWB MLC AIO to improve cooling as well as makes it less clustered around CPU area. As of right now my D15 and FuryX radiator is just fighting for spaces near the rear exhaust of the case.


----------



## BriTcanting

Hello

Looking to get one of these coolers soon. I have the Phantek Luxe and was wondering if it will fit ok? I know the height is fine but just worried about the gap between the cooler and GPU. I only have one 16x PCI-E socket on my motherboard, Gigabyte Z87-D3HP.

Thanks!


----------



## eclap

Just checked out your bo
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BriTcanting*
> 
> Hello
> 
> Looking to get one of these coolers soon. I have the Phantek Luxe and was wondering if it will fit ok? I know the height is fine but just worried about the gap between the cooler and GPU. I only have one 16x PCI-E socket on my motherboard, Gigabyte Z87-D3HP.
> 
> Thanks!


Just checked out your board. NH D15 will normally block the upper most PCI-E slot. Most boards have the PCI-E x16 slots one down from that.

On your board, you have fan connectors in place of the uuper most PCI-E slot, the PCI-E x16 slot is the one down from it so yes, the cooler will fit perfectly fine.


----------



## BriTcanting

Thanks! now to get ordering


----------



## eclap

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BriTcanting*
> 
> Thanks! now to get ordering


No worries, have fun with it, it's a great cooler and a joy to work with.

BTW, confirmed on the official website, your board is fully compatible with the NH D15


EDIT: Damn, I managed to highlight the DS3H, instead of the D3HP but as you can see, the D3HP is fully compatible too.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BriTcanting*
> 
> Hello
> 
> Looking to get one of these coolers soon. I have the Phantek Luxe and was wondering if it will fit ok? I know the height is fine but just worried about the gap between the cooler and GPU. I only have one 16x PCI-E socket on my motherboard, Gigabyte Z87-D3HP.
> 
> Thanks!


On your GA-Z87-D3HP you have about 93mm center cpu toward 1st x16 PCIe socket so no worrys about D15 fitting. Even the fan connectors are about 77mm from center CPU and D15 is 75mm. Phanteks Luxe 193mm CPU clearance so no problems there either. What fans does your Luxe have? Reason I ask is some came with a 200mm front fan and it is not much good.


----------



## BriTcanting

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> On your GA-Z87-D3HP you have about 93mm center cpu toward 1st x16 PCIe socket so no worrys about D15 fitting. Even the fan connectors are about 77mm from center CPU and D15 is 75mm. Phanteks Luxe 193mm CPU clearance so no problems there either. What fans does your Luxe have? Reason I ask is some came with a 200mm front fan and it is not much good.


I replaced the 200mm with two 140mm Vipers.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BriTcanting*
> 
> I replaced the 200mm with two 140mm Vipers.


You will be fine. While Vipers are not my first choice, they are not bad.


----------



## BriTcanting

What would be your first choice? Out of interest.


----------



## doyll

I probably should have said choices .. PH-F140MP for Phanteks, NF-A14, TY-147A SQ to name a few. Much depends on where you live and what is available. I bought a bunch of TY-147A SQ for £12 each, PH-F140MP are £12.95, NF-A14 are £18.23 and NF-A14 iPPC are £20.99. Probably my all time favorite was TY-140 (same as TY-147A but idled at 600rpm instead of 300rpm and were fugly colors) for £5.00 each.

NF-A14 / A14 iPPC and TY-140 / 147 / 147A / 143 al perform the same at same rpm with similar sounds .. so does PH-
F140MP.


----------



## javamocha

i just install D-15 with one fan...i set the fan for pull on the first tower (center between the towers, attached to the first tower). when on load, the HSF makes strange sound...and the sound decreases when the fan slows down. is it normal?
should i just set the fan for push on the second tower?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *javamocha*
> 
> i just install D-15 with one fan...i set the fan for pull on the first tower (center between the towers, attached to the first tower). when on load, the HSF makes strange sound...and the sound decreases when the fan slows down. is it normal?
> should i just set the fan for push on the second tower?


Yes, mount fan so it pushes on 2nd tower. The reason is the fan housing / frame spaces fan almost flush (1mm) with intake side of fan but is 3-4mm from exhasut side becuase of the motor mounting frame on that side of fan. This 1mm vs 3-4mm is what is making the sound difference. Many cooler companies that supply fans for pull on back of cooler (NH-U14S) have a spacer / thicker vibration dampening block for the pull fan or have more space between fins and fan on pull side.


----------



## javamocha

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Yes, mount fan so it pushes on 2nd tower. The reason is the fan housing / frame spaces fan almost flush (1mm) with intake side of fan but is 3-4mm from exhasut side becuase of the motor mounting frame on that side of fan. This 1mm vs 3-4mm is what is making the sound difference. Many cooler companies that supply fans for pull on back of cooler (NH-U14S) have a spacer / thicker vibration dampening block for the pull fan or have more space between fins and fan on pull side.


ah, i see.....thanks for the reply...


----------



## TK421

@doyll my noctua fan on nh d15 is rattling, is it dead?

doesn't appear to be hitting any cables, just randomly rattles like "tak tak tak tak"


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TK421*
> 
> @doyll my noctua fan on nh d15 is rattling, is it dead?
> 
> doesn't appear to be hitting any cables, just randomly rattles like "tak tak tak tak"


Well, it's not dead .. unless it's a zombie fan.









I suggest emailing Noctua with details and see what they say .. or use their contact form. While it is rare, occasionally a Noc does go bad.
Email address: [email protected]
Contact form


----------



## rodubbs

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Rule of thumb: if your case has a 120mm exhaust fan, it will fit a full tower heatsink like the NH-D15. Whether you us the -D15 or the -D15S depends on whether you have a graphics card in the top slot. If the top slot is a PCIE x 1, you can leave it unpopulated and use the D15. If the top slot has a PCIE x 16, you should use the NH-D15S.


I know this is an older post, but I could really use some guidance for my S340 (161mm clearance). I am returning a D14 that is having issues where the fans drop to 0RPM, and I wanted to go with the D15 or the D15S for the PWM fans and hopefully slightly lower temps.

It seems like the D15 will not be able to mount the second fan, even though I have low profile ram (Corsair vengeance LPX), is that correct? The 120mm fan on the D14 fits perfectly above my ram, but there's not much more clearance - it's basically sitting right on top of the ram.

For what it's worth, on my motherboard the D15 (and D14) actually bock the only M2 slot, not a PCI slot. So in theory I could install an M2 drive by remounting it. I'm less concerned about the offset and more concerned about which would fit better without wasting a fan if the D15 will only work with one.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rodubbs*
> 
> I know this is an older post, but I could really use some guidance for my S340 (161mm clearance). I am returning a D14 that is having issues where the fans drop to 0RPM, and I wanted to go with the D15 or the D15S for the PWM fans and hopefully slightly lower temps.
> 
> It seems like the D15 will not be able to mount the second fan, even though I have low profile ram (Corsair vengeance LPX), is that correct? The 120mm fan on the D14 fits perfectly above my ram, but there's not much more clearance - it's basically sitting right on top of the ram.
> 
> For what it's worth, on my motherboard the D15 (and D14) actually bock the only M2 slot, not a PCI slot. So in theory I could install an M2 drive by remounting it. I'm less concerned about the offset and more concerned about which would fit better without wasting a fan if the D15 will only work with one.


At a guess your fans dropping to 0rpm is a fan curve setting issue that you can probably correct by amanually setting up a custom fan temp to rpm curve

Without knowing what motherboard you have we have no idea if D15 will clear PCIe sockets, but the D15S will clear if D14 cleared.


----------



## rodubbs

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> At a guess your fans dropping to 0rpm is a fan curve setting issue that you can probably correct by amanually setting up a custom fan temp to rpm curve
> 
> Without knowing what motherboard you have we have no idea if D15 will clear PCIe sockets, but the D15S will clear if D14 cleared.


I've tried setting the D14 to run at 6v from 0-40 degrees and it will still sometimes drop to 0. It's very frustrating - it actually started about a week after installing it.

The motherboard I'm using is the MSI Z270A-Pro. It seems like the compatibility issue (a problem with the D14 at least) is the M2 slot which is almost completely covered.

Am I correct in thinking that even in single fan mode the D15S will be better temperature wise than the D14? Since I'm returning the D14 anyway it seems like a worthy $7 investment if the temps are even a couple degrees better.


----------



## ehume

To fit a 140mm above any RAM on a height-constrained case like the S340, the RAM must be Ultra-Low Profile (ULP).

With an NH-D15, you can mount fans at the back of the heatsink as pull fans. This might lose you a degree of cooling. Might. You also might have to remove your rear grill to allow air to exit without an exhaust fan (see item 2 for an old example of how well this can work).

Instead, you can keep your NH-D14 as doyll mentioned, but only if it is an NH-D14 SE2011 -- the regular NH-D14 does not use PWM fans.

A third alternative is getting an NH-D15S so you only buy one fan with your heatsink. Then if (big if) you need a second fan in front you can separately buy an NF-F12 fan.


----------



## rodubbs

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> At a guess your fans dropping to 0rpm is a fan curve setting issue that you can probably correct by amanually setting up a custom fan temp to rpm curve
> 
> Without knowing what motherboard you have we have no idea if D15 will clear PCIe sockets, but the D15S will clear if D14 cleared.


Very weird, looks like my response disappeared. The motherboard is a MSI Z270A-Pro.

My fan curve starts the D14 at 6v from 0-40, but it's still dropping to 0. I've had it for about a week and it just started happening. I'm going to be returning it to Amazon anyway, so I figure it's worth the $7 to upgrade to the D15S at least. From what I've seen it has lower temps even in single fan mode than the D14.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> To fit a 140mm above any RAM on a height-constrained case like the S340, the RAM must be Ultra-Low Profile (ULP).
> 
> With an NH-D15, you can mount fans at the back of the heatsink as pull fans. This might lose you a degree of cooling. Might. You also might have to remove your rear grill to allow air to exit without an exhaust fan (see item 2 for an old example of how well this can work).
> 
> Instead, you can keep your NH-D14 as doyll mentioned, but only if it is an NH-D14 SE2011 -- the regular NH-D14 does not use PWM fans.
> 
> A third alternative is getting an NH-D15S so you only buy one fan with your heatsink. Then if (big if) you need a second fan in front you can separately buy an NF-F12 fan.


It's the older DC controlled DH-14. My ram is Corsair Vengence LPX. I know it's not one of the taller sets of ram, but I'm not sure it could be considered ultra low profile. To be completely honest I'm not sure I'm comfortable removing the rear exhaust fan grill.. plus I just put a NF-S12A on it!


----------



## ehume

Ditch the older NH-D14. Trade it in on an NH-D15S. Cut out your rear grill. Take the NF-0S12A and put it on the front of your new NH-D15S. Tape the cut edges at the back. Done.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rodubbs*
> 
> Very weird, looks like my response disappeared. The motherboard is a MSI Z270A-Pro.
> 
> My fan curve starts the D14 at 6v from 0-40, but it's still dropping to 0. I've had it for about a week and it just started happening. I'm going to be returning it to Amazon anyway, so I figure it's worth the $7 to upgrade to the D15S at least. From what I've seen it has lower temps even in single fan mode than the D14.
> It's the older DC controlled DH-14. My ram is Corsair Vengence LPX. I know it's not one of the taller sets of ram, but I'm not sure it could be considered ultra low profile. To be completely honest I'm not sure I'm comfortable removing the rear exhaust fan grill.. plus I just put a NF-S12A on it!


Honestly, the D15 cooler is no better than the D14. The only reason it cools a couple degrees better is D15 has NF-A14 1500rpm fan .. only available on D15, D15S and U14S coolers. All retail NF-A15 fans are 1200rpm.

If D14 is blocking access to motherboard, the D15 will only block more .. D14 is 70mm center CPU toward PCIe, D15 is 75mm. Even D15S is same 70mm fin cover center CPU toward PCIe sockets as D14.

It might be more cost effective to replace the D14 stock fans with a couple of 140mm PWM fans. What fans depends on what is available to you and what their cost is.


----------



## rodubbs

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Ditch the older NH-D14. Trade it in on an NH-D15S. Cut out your rear grill. Takle the NF-0S12A and put it on the front of you new NH-D15S. Tape the cut edges at the back. Done.


Got it. Well that decides it in favor of the D15s. I'll take a look at the temps and if I really need to remove the rear grill I'll cross that bridge when I get there and use the fan on the heatsink.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Honestly, the D15 cooler is no better than the D14. The only reason it cools a couple degrees better is D15 has NF-A14 1500rpm fan .. only available on D15, D15S and U14S coolers. All retail NF-A15 fans are 1200rpm.
> 
> If D14 is blocking access to motherboard, the D15 will only block more .. D14 is 70mm center CPU toward PCIe, D15 is 75mm. Even D15S is same 70mm fin cover center CPU toward PCIe sockets as D14.
> 
> It might be more cost effective to replace the D14 stock fans with a couple of 140mm PWM fans. What fans depends on what is available to you and what their cost is.


My problem with the D14 isn't that it's blocking the M2 slot on my board - I can remount it if I ever end up putting an upgrade there. The problem is the fans are stalling.

Since I'm returning it for a refund, I can either get another D14 or a D15S for $7 more. If the included fan makes a temp difference it seems worth it, not to mention the added benefit of PWM. I guess I was just under the impression that 2 fans are better than one, but it seems like the 1500rpm fan on the D15S may beat out the 2 on the D14.

It looks like the U14S is too tall for my case or I'd actually be considering that one. It's 165mm without the fan!

I really appreciate the help guys!


----------



## rodubbs

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Ditch the older NH-D14. Trade it in on an NH-D15S. Cut out your rear grill. Take the NF-0S12A and put it on the front of your new NH-D15S. Tape the cut edges at the back. Done.


Hi ehume! I checked out your D15s review here . I'm considering adding an F12 on the front, but based on the chart it would make no performance increase when compared to single fan mode. If I'm reading this correctly with just the stock fan the temps are at 62.6. When you added the F12 the temps were 62.7 (technically higher)?

Do you think it's worth it to add the fan on, or am I just reading this wrong?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rodubbs*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Ditch the older NH-D14. Trade it in on an NH-D15S. Cut out your rear grill. Take the NF-0S12A and put it on the front of your new NH-D15S. Tape the cut edges at the back. Done.
> 
> 
> 
> Hi ehume! I checked out your D15s review here . I'm considering adding an F12 on the front, but based on the chart it would make no performance increase when compared to single fan mode. If I'm reading this correctly with just the stock fan the temps are at 62.6. When you added the F12 the temps were 62.7 (technically higher)?
> 
> Do you think it's worth it to add the fan on, or am I just reading this wrong?
Click to expand...

Fact beats theory every time. Try it with no push fan. Record your net temps (core-ambient). Then run it with your S12A. Compare your net temps. I would not buy an NF-F12. Too costly.

Cutting is cheaper than buying, right? And if you cut in such a way as to leave the four screw-holes intact you can always put that S12A back in place. The only thing I would get is a finger guard -- but don't buy one separately. Shipping will cost you ten times the price of the guard.


----------



## jd63636

My rig freshly converted back to air cooling.


----------



## chronotjai

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jd63636*
> 
> My rig freshly converted back to air cooling.


Wow your d15 doesnt look ugly in your case cause of the light. Can you explain what you did to cover it?


----------



## jd63636

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chronotjai*
> 
> Wow your d15 doesnt look ugly in your case cause of the light. Can you explain what you did to cover it?


I used this-BitFenix BFA-RGB-30MK15N-RP Alchemy 2.0 RGB LED Magnetic Strip - 30cm.

I have it running along the top of the case next to where the top fans would mount.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811997143


----------



## Melcar

Both my TY-143s started to tick and generate weird noises even at minimum rpm. Really bummed out about it since they are both hard and expensive to get here. I had to install the stock NF-A15s. I was surprised how good they perform. I was afraid I was going to have to lower my OC, but no. On average the NF-A15s performed 3-5*C worse than the TY-143s all while being MUCH quieter.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Melcar*
> 
> Both my TY-143s started to tick and generate weird noises even at minimum rpm. Really bummed out about it since they are both hard and expensive to get here. I had to install the stock NF-A15s. I was surprised how good they perform. I was afraid I was going to have to lower my OC, but no. On average the NF-A15s performed 3-5*C worse than the TY-143s all while being MUCH quieter.


The problem comes with the round frame. They are about equivalent fans, but you can only get a round frame by going with the TY-143. Noctua does make a 3000 rpm NF-A14 iPPC, but as you can see from the A-14 number, it has a square frame. The highest speed round-frame Noctua makes is the stock NF-A15's that come with an NH-D15. The highest speed retail A15 is 1200rpm.

How long did you run the TY-143's? My TY-140 (admittedly an earlier fan) lasted for years of steady use.


----------



## Melcar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> The problem comes with the round frame. They are about equivalent fans, but you can only get a round frame by going with the TY-143. Noctua does make a 3000 rpm NF-A14 iPPC, but as you can see from the A-14 number, it has a square frame. The highest speed round-frame Noctua makes is the stock NF-A15's that come with an NH-D15. The highest speed retail A15 is 1200rpm.
> 
> How long did you run the TY-143's? My TY-140 (admittedly an earlier fan) lasted for years of steady use.


Yeah, not many good high speed round frames fans out there. It's why I got the TY's in the first place (the stock fans seemed too weak for me). I had the TYs for a bit more than 2 years. Maybe just bad luck or something.
I really wish Noctua made a 2000rpm round frame fan.
If the stock fans were to ever fail, I have to pray Noctua is a Bro and sends me new ones. Ziptie screws would be a pain to use I bet (for mounting those square frame fans).


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Melcar*
> 
> Both my TY-143s started to tick and generate weird noises even at minimum rpm. Really bummed out about it since they are both hard and expensive to get here. I had to install the stock NF-A15s. I was surprised how good they perform. I was afraid I was going to have to lower my OC, but no. On average the NF-A15s performed 3-5*C worse than the TY-143s all while being MUCH quieter.


Side by side testing of TY-143 shows near identical performance to NF-A15 (1200 or 1500rpm) when both are running at same rpm. Thermalbench test results are the same. This is results with square frame.

http://thermalbench.com/2016/08/19/thermalright-ty-143-sq-140-mm-fan/3/


----------



## Melcar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Side by side testing of TY-143 shows near identical performance to NF-A15 (1200 or 1500rpm) when both are running at same rpm. Thermalbench test results are the same. This is results with square frame.
> 
> http://thermalbench.com/2016/08/19/thermalright-ty-143-sq-140-mm-fan/3/


Yeah, they perform similar. Those extra 1000rpm on the TY-143 amounted to the lower 3-5*C temps under full load.


----------



## ehume

Akasa makes a round-frame 140mm PWM fan (Viper R), but it still goes only 1600rpm, and I haven't tested it. Not much different from the Noctuas you have.


----------



## Melcar

Yeah, and they're yellow (







). Think I read a review somewhere and found them lacking.

Edit: Here we go...

http://www.coolingtechnique.com/recensioni/air-cooling/ventole/1746-recensione-akasa-piranha-viper-140-e-apache-black-140.html?start=1

Their NF-A15 (1500rpm) test...
http://www.coolingtechnique.com/recensioni/air-cooling/dissipatori/1446-recensione-noctua-nh-d15.html?start=4

Square frame version, but should be nearly the same. I find CT's tests sometimes throw strange results when compared to other sites, but they are still my top favorite review site.


----------



## doyll

Silverstone has their FHP141 and reversible FHP141-VF, but they are 38mm thick.


----------



## aaronlwm

Hey Everyone,

I've finally decided to pull the plug on AIO cooling and go back to Air Cooling - Been running on the Corsair H115i for a couple of months, but nothing satisfies me more than to have a huge-arse cooler sitting on my board, it just looks more bad arse. Was previously rocking a BeQuiet DRP3.

Just ordered the Noctua NH-D15 and it should arrive in a day or two - but I do have a few questions as this will be my first Noctua cooler, but not the first time using Noctua fans in my system. I'm looking for some feedback on the queries I have below:

1. Is there going to be a huge different in running the cooler in Single Fan vs Dual Fans? My case and rams should have no issue on the fan height. So if anyone has experience on this, it'd be great!

2. I know that the fan clips that come with the cooler are meant for Fans with 120MM mounting holes, but will it be advisable for me to run this cooler with 2 x Corsair ML 120 Pros? (since I have these two lying around), and will there be adverse effects on the cooling or temps?

My system specs below:

i5-6600K at 4.6Ghz @ 1.35v
Asus Z170 Pro Gaming
2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX Rams
MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X
Mastercase 5 Pro with 3 x 140mm Corsair ML140 Pro (Intake @ 1000RPM) & 1 x 140mm Corsair ML 140 Pro (Exhaust @ 1,200 RPM)

I look forward to hearing from you here!

Cheers!


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aaronlwm*
> 
> Hey Everyone,
> 
> I've finally decided to pull the plug on AIO cooling and go back to Air Cooling - Been running on the Corsair H115i for a couple of months, but nothing satisfies me more than to have a huge-arse cooler sitting on my board, it just looks more bad arse. Was previously rocking a BeQuiet DRP3.
> 
> Just ordered the Noctua NH-D15 and it should arrive in a day or two - but I do have a few questions as this will be my first Noctua cooler, but not the first time using Noctua fans in my system. I'm looking for some feedback on the queries I have below:
> 
> 1. Is there going to be a huge different in running the cooler in Single Fan vs Dual Fans? My case and rams should have no issue on the fan height. So if anyone has experience on this, it'd be great!
> 
> 2. I know that the fan clips that come with the cooler are meant for Fans with 120MM mounting holes, but will it be advisable for me to run this cooler with 2 x Corsair ML 120 Pros? (since I have these two lying around), and will there be adverse effects on the cooling or temps?
> 
> My system specs below:
> 
> i5-6600K at 4.6Ghz @ 1.35v
> Asus Z170 Pro Gaming
> 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX Rams
> MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X
> Mastercase 5 Pro with 3 x 140mm Corsair ML140 Pro (Intake @ 1000RPM) & 1 x 140mm Corsair ML 140 Pro (Exhaust @ 1,200 RPM)
> 
> I look forward to hearing from you here!
> 
> Cheers!


1. Only a couple degrees difference between 1 & 2 fans.
2. I'm pretty sure the stock A15 cooler fans are better and quieter than the ML120 Pro, but have not tried MLs. Could you test it both ways and let us know for sure?


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aaronlwm*
> 
> Hey Everyone,
> 
> I've finally decided to pull the plug on AIO cooling and go back to Air Cooling - Been running on the Corsair H115i for a couple of months, but nothing satisfies me more than to have a huge-arse cooler sitting on my board, it just looks more bad arse. Was previously rocking a BeQuiet DRP3.
> 
> Just ordered the Noctua NH-D15 and it should arrive in a day or two - but I do have a few questions as this will be my first Noctua cooler, but not the first time using Noctua fans in my system. I'm looking for some feedback on the queries I have below:
> 
> 1. Is there going to be a huge different in running the cooler in Single Fan vs Dual Fans? My case and rams should have no issue on the fan height. So if anyone has experience on this, it'd be great!
> 
> 2. I know that the fan clips that come with the cooler are meant for Fans with 120MM mounting holes, but will it be advisable for me to run this cooler with 2 x Corsair ML 120 Pros? (since I have these two lying around), and will there be adverse effects on the cooling or temps?
> 
> My system specs below:
> 
> i5-6600K at 4.6Ghz @ 1.35v
> Asus Z170 Pro Gaming
> 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX Rams
> MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X
> Mastercase 5 Pro with 3 x 140mm Corsair ML140 Pro (Intake @ 1000RPM) & 1 x 140mm Corsair ML 140 Pro (Exhaust @ 1,200 RPM)
> 
> I look forward to hearing from you here!
> 
> Cheers!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *aaronlwm*
> 
> Hey Everyone,
> 
> I've finally decided to pull the plug on AIO cooling and go back to Air Cooling - Been running on the Corsair H115i for a couple of months, but nothing satisfies me more than to have a huge-arse cooler sitting on my board, it just looks more bad arse. Was previously rocking a BeQuiet DRP3.
> 
> Just ordered the Noctua NH-D15 and it should arrive in a day or two - but I do have a few questions as this will be my first Noctua cooler, but not the first time using Noctua fans in my system. I'm looking for some feedback on the queries I have below:
> 
> 1. Is there going to be a huge different in running the cooler in Single Fan vs Dual Fans? My case and rams should have no issue on the fan height. So if anyone has experience on this, it'd be great!
> 
> 2. I know that the fan clips that come with the cooler are meant for Fans with 120MM mounting holes, but will it be advisable for me to run this cooler with 2 x Corsair ML 120 Pros? (since I have these two lying around), and will there be adverse effects on the cooling or temps?
> 
> My system specs below:
> 
> i5-6600K at 4.6Ghz @ 1.35v
> Asus Z170 Pro Gaming
> 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX Rams
> MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X
> Mastercase 5 Pro with 3 x 140mm Corsair ML140 Pro (Intake @ 1000RPM) & 1 x 140mm Corsair ML 140 Pro (Exhaust @ 1,200 RPM)
> 
> I look forward to hearing from you here!
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> 
> 
> 1. Only a couple degrees difference between 1 & 2 fans.
> 2. I'm pretty sure the stock A15 cooler fans are better and quieter than the ML120 Pro, but have not tried MLs. Could you test it both ways and let us know for sure?
Click to expand...

I agree with Doyll that there is only a small difference between 1- and 2- fan operation of the D15.

Things to think about:

1. If you want to squeeze the absolute maximum from your heatsink you will want 2 fans. You memory, OTOH, has unnecessary coxcombs on the RAMsticks. It is possible you cannot place a 140mm fan in front. You'll have to try it and see. In future you should but only low-profile or "Ultra-Low Profile" RAMsticks for your rig. I use ULP RAMsticks, which allow me to fit 140mm fans in front.

2. If you want to use 2 fans but the RAM is too tall, you can fit one of the fans on the back of your heatsink. It will replace your exhaust fan and the entertainment of air will exhaust your case IF you have cut out the rear grill -- or if you buy an aluminum case that has no rear grill. I discovered long ago that the rear "grill" will cause exhaust air to reflect from it unless there is an exhaust fan. Since the exhaust fan is a noise source, I removed it. Please see item 2 in my sig for an experiment from 2010.

Overall, I think you will be happy with the D15. It is my go-to heatsink between testing sessions, so obviously I like it.


----------



## doyll

Also extremely important part of getting the coolest CPU you can is make sure the airflow from case intake to cooler is not being contaminated by heated air coming out of GPU. *Every degree warmer the air is going into cooler is a degree hotter the CPU under heavy load will.*

Time and again I see people with one of the best cooler like D15, R1, 14PE, DRP3, TS140P, LGM, etc complaining about high CPU temps that are all because their case airflow is not optimized and GPU heated air is heating up airflow to cooler.
CPU should hit maximum temperature in 2-4, maybe 5 minutes from time CPU hits 100% load.
*If it is taking 10, 20, 40 minutes to hit peak temps its case airflow heating up the air going into cooler.*


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Also extremely important part of getting the coolest CPU you can is make sure the airflow from case intake to cooler is not being contaminated by heated air coming out of GPU. *Every degree warmer the air is going into cooler is a degree hotter the CPU under heavy load will.*
> 
> Time and again I see people with one of the best cooler like D15, R1, 14PE, DRP3, TS140P, LGM, etc complaining about high CPU temps that are all because their case airflow is not optimized and GPU heated air is heating up airflow to cooler.
> CPU should hit maximum temperature in 2-4, maybe 5 minutes from time CPU hits 100% load.
> *If it is taking 10, 20, 40 minutes to hit peak temps its case airflow heating up the air going into cooler.*


You should pay strict attention to the advice doyll gave you. Very important. For example, you might draw air from above your case IF that air is cooler than the air inside your case. Measure the temp of that air. As he notes, every degree hotter the intake air is a degree hotter your CPU will get -- CPU coolers have a fixed amount of cooling they can do. This is just as true for water as it is for air.


----------



## aaronlwm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> I agree with Doyll that there is only a small difference between 1- and 2- fan operation of the D15.
> 
> Things to think about:
> 
> 1. If you want to squeeze the absolute maximum from you heatsink you will want 2 fans. You memory, OTOH, has unnecessary coxcombs on the RAMsticks. It is possible you cannot place a 140mm fan in front. You'll have to try it and see. In future you should but only low-profile or "Ultra-Low Profile" RAMsticks for your rig. I use ULP RAMsticks, which allow me to fit 140mm fans in front.
> 
> 2. If you want to use 2 fans but the RAM is too tall, you can fit one of the fans on the back of your heatsink. It will replace your exhaust fan and the entertainment of air will exhaust your case IF you have cut out the rear grill -- or if you buy an aluminum case that has no rear grill. I discovered long ago that the rear "grill" will cause exhaust air to reflect from it unless there is an exhaust fan. Since the exhaust fan is a noise source, I removed it. Please see item 2 in my sig for an experiment from 2010.
> 
> Overall, I think you will be happy with the D15. It is my go-to heatsink between testing sessions, so obviously I like it.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> 1. Only a couple degrees difference between 1 & 2 fans.
> 2. I'm pretty sure the stock A15 cooler fans are better and quieter than the ML120 Pro, but have not tried MLs. Could you test it both ways and let us know for sure?


Hi Doyll,

Thanks for feedback!

I'll most likely run the cooler on a 2 fan mode.

As for the ML120's, I've been using Corsair ML's since they were released, and honestly, I don't have any complaints. I like the fact that they have a huge PWM control range, which I can run up to 2400 RPM (ML120) and 2000 RPM (ML140), and they also offer a much higher static pressure than the AF15's.

I was just wondering if there'd be any adverse effects running 120MM fans on the NH-D15, given that 120MM fans would have a much better ram compatibility as well. But I have no problems running the AF15's either, not so much on the looks.

I'll put together a little test next weekend and see if they really do make a difference - will post the findings.

Hi Ehume,

Thanks for the feedback as well, let's see how it goes. I personally like the ML fans because of it's extensive PWM range, but as I mentioned, I just wanted to know if my NH-D15's performance is going to be affected if I run 120MM fans instead of 140MM fans on it. I just happen to have two of them lying around, and it'll fit nicely into my black/red themed PC, but if it's going to affect the performance of the D15, then I'm happy to stick with the stock A15 fans


----------



## Melcar

As far as CPU temps it probably will be the same or so, just louder. The most significant difference will be in surrounding temperatures. VRM temps. will go up for example. Having a 14cm fan up there is really good for moving air around.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aaronlwm*
> 
> Hi Doyll,
> 
> Thanks for feedback!
> 
> I'll most likely run the cooler on a 2 fan mode.
> 
> As for the ML120's, I've been using Corsair ML's since they were released, and honestly, I don't have any complaints. I like the fact that they have a huge PWM control range, which I can run up to 2400 RPM (ML120) and 2000 RPM (ML140), and they also offer a much higher static pressure than the AF15's.
> 
> I was just wondering if there'd be any adverse effects running 120MM fans on the NH-D15, given that 120MM fans would have a much better ram compatibility as well. But I have no problems running the AF15's either, not so much on the looks.
> 
> I'll put together a little test next weekend and see if they really do make a difference - will post the findings.


The MLs are a decent fan, but they are way over-hyped . Wide PWM controlled rpm ranges are common. Fore example Thermalright TY-147A 300-1300rpm 2nd generation of TY-140 550-1300rpm fan that is like 10 years old. TY-143 550-2500rpm fan is about same age. SST-FHP141 38mm thick 2 speed range fan is 500-1200rpm and 500-2000rpm .. again a many years old fan.

RAM compatibility for D15 is usually an issue if fans are mounted pull / pull instead of push / push (back of each finpack instead of front).

As for adverse effects, probably not but I have not tried it to be sure.

Biggest potential problem with D15 is it's extreme width and no offset. Noctua was't paying attention when they designed it. Several other companies had already done wide coolers (Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E, Archon SB-E) and followed up with same basic cooler on offset base for better PCIe clearance.

The cooling difference is easy to see in reviews that have used both D15 and D15S. Just make sure the review is open bench and/or using the air temp going into cooler and not the room ambient. Even on a test bench the air temp is generally not the same as elsewhere in the room.

Here is testing at stock and 2 overclock settings. Temps are only 0.3 - 1.6c better with 2x fans versus 1x fan
  
(click on image to enlarge)


----------



## ehume

The D15 with a 120mm in front is like the D14. You won't hurt it, but you will be a degree or two shy of reaching the D15's max cooling. Try it.

@doyll - The D15 is wide, yes. It makes the top slot unusable. But that slot is PCIe x16 in only a few boards. The standard enthusiast board has an x1 in that slot. There probably wasn't enough demand for that top slot when Noctua designed the D15, which is just an improved D14.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> The D15 with a 120mm in front is like the D14. You won't hurt it, but you will be a degree or two shy of reaching the D15's max cooling. Try it.
> 
> @doyll
> - The D15 is wide, yes. It makes the top slot unusable. But that slot is PCIe x16 in only a few boards. The standard enthusiast board has an x1 in that slot. There probably wasn't enough demand for that top slot when Noctua designed the D15, which is just an improved D14.


Many motherboards have x16 PCIe too close to CPU for D15 to not block them .. which is why Noctua added the D15S to their lineup.

Noctua did not improve on the D14 with the D15. They made D15 wider and butchered out the finpack to clear tall RAM, the put better / higher rpm fans on it to get better performance. By your own testing the D15 is no better than D14 with same fans .. but it is 10mm wider than D14. Actually by according to your testing the D14 is 0.7c better than D15 with same fans.


If the width was not an issue at the time they released the D15 why had Thermalright already changed their Silver Arrow SB-E to Silver Arrow IB-E with offset base .. why was HR-22 offset the same way? Obvious answer is so they will fit more motherboards without interference issues.


----------



## Irev

Hey guys

decided to keep my NHD15 and re-use it for my new Ryzen build that's on the way..... had to order a AM4 mounting kit.

I'm thinking of changing the fans though swappiung them out for RGB ... anyone know of any 140mm RGB fans that have 120mm mounting holes?

or is there something I can use/mod to stick 140mm mounting hole fans to the noctua d15 heat sinks?? any help would be fantastic


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irev*
> 
> Hey guys
> 
> decided to keep my NHD15 and re-use it for my new Ryzen build that's on the way..... had to order a AM4 mounting kit.
> 
> I'm thinking of changing the fans though swappiung them out for RGB ... anyone know of any 140mm RGB fans that have 120mm mounting holes?
> 
> or is there something I can use/mod to stick 140mm mounting hole fans to the noctua d15 heat sinks?? any help would be fantastic


You need to ask yourself if your want cool looks or a cool and quiet system.
I know of no round 140mm fans with RGB lighting.
Mounting square 140mm fans can be done with zip-ties as explained bu 5th link in ehume's sig list.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irev*
> 
> Hey guys
> 
> decided to keep my NHD15 and re-use it for my new Ryzen build that's on the way..... had to order a AM4 mounting kit.
> 
> I'm thinking of changing the fans though swappiung them out for RGB ... anyone know of any 140mm RGB fans that have 120mm mounting holes?
> 
> or is there something I can use/mod to stick 140mm mounting hole fans to the noctua d15 heat sinks?? any help would be fantastic


But as doyll noted in a previous post, those RGB fans are not at all better than the stock D15 fans - the 1500rpm A15's - and often not as good.

Now you can get comparable fans, the TY-14x series from TR; they are no better than the A15 but they do have round frames like the A15. The max rpm's differ: 1200rpm for the retail A15, 1300rpm for the TY-140 & -147A, 1500rpm for the A15 that comes with the D15 and D15S. To get 2000 rpm you go square frame and can get the NZXT Fx-140 V2 or the NH-A14 iPPC 2000 PWM. The TY-143 is 2600rpm and round frame. There is an NF-A14 iPPC at 3000 rpm. There is a 3000rpm 24V version that runs at 1800rpm when the voltage is 12V.

As for fastening square frame fans, you have to use ziptie screws. See item 5 in my sig.

Needless to say, the most cost effective solution is to use the stock fans.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> But as doyll noted in a previous post, those RGB fans are not at all better than the stock D15 fans - the 1500rpm A15's - and often not as good.
> 
> Now you can get comparable fans, the TY-14x series from TR; they are no better than the A15 but they do have round frames like the A15. The max rpm's differ: 1200rpm for the retail A15, 1300rpm for the TY-140 & -147A, 1500rpm for the A15 that comes with the D15 and D15S. To get 2000 rpm you go square frame and can get the NZXT Fx-140 V2 or the NH-A14 iPPC 2000 PWM. The TY-143 is 2600rpm and round frame. There is an NF-A14 iPPC at 3000 rpm. There is a 3000rpm 24V version that runs at 1800rpm when the voltage is 12V.
> 
> As for fastening square frame fans, you have to use ziptie screws. See item 5 in my sig.
> 
> Needless to say, the most cost effective solution is to use the stock fans.


I'll only add that many of us prefer TY-147A to NF-A15. Also the TY-143 is 550-2500rpm and just as quiet and nice as TY-147A and A15 at same rpm .. it's just fugly red and orange colors need to be hidden from the light of day.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> ...it's just fugly red and orange colors need to be hidden from the light of day.


So that's what are. I thought they were puke and feces.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> So that's what are. I thought they were puke and feces.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> So that's what are. I thought they were puke and feces.


Now you know why I said trolliing. they do cost more to maintain .. as does any luxury car .. even normal cars if we want them to last for 5+ years / 200,000 miles. Honestly, the maintenance is not the killer. It's the depreciation in first 3-5 years.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> So that's what are. I thought they were puke and feces.
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> So that's what are. I thought they were puke and feces.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Now you know why I said trolliing. they do cost more to maintain .. as does any luxury car .. even normal cars if we want them to last for 5+ years / 200,000 miles. Honestly, the maintenance is not the killer. It's the depreciation in first 3-5 years.
Click to expand...

Uh...

1. I was referring to the colors of Noctua fans.

2. Definition of trolling: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-internet-trolling-3485891 I do not feel the person you were referring to in the other thread was trolling; he was merely dissenting. Just because someone has an opinion different from yours doesn't make them a troll.

3. This is the wrong thread for your comment on luxury cars and completely unrelated to my comment on fan colors. The cars were being discussed (and cussed) in the recent thread on AIOs.

Are you feeling alright, doyll? Normally, you don't get mixed up like this.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Uh...
> 
> 1. I was referring to the colors of Noctua fans.
> 
> 2. Definition of trolling: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-internet-trolling-3485891 I do not feel the person you were referring to in the other thread was trolling; he was merely dissenting. Just because someone has an opinion different from yours doesn't make them a troll.
> 
> 3. This is the wrong thread for your comment on luxury cars and completely unrelated to my comment on fan colors. The cars were being discussed (and cussed) in the recent thread on AIOs.
> 
> Are you feeling alright, doyll? Normally, you don't get mixed up like this.


You did not see the posts that have now been removed.


----------



## Irev

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> You need to ask yourself if your want cool looks or a cool and quiet system.
> I know of no round 140mm fans with RGB lighting.


CM's new 140mm fans are rounded - they do have 140mm mounting holes though.

Would the ziptie method on these particular fans be worthwhile ?

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/39785/cooler-master-masterfan-pro-140-air-pressure-rgb


----------



## AlphaC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irev*
> 
> CM's new 140mm fans are rounded - they do have 140mm mounting holes though.
> 
> Would the ziptie method on these particular fans be worthwhile ?
> 
> https://www.pccasegear.com/products/39785/cooler-master-masterfan-pro-140-air-pressure-rgb


I'd prefer to use a high quality fan with Phanteks' upcoming Halos...


----------



## Irev

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AlphaC*
> 
> I'd prefer to use a high quality fan with Phanteks' upcoming Halos...


It'll only be cooling a Ryzen 7 chip - so it should do it quite easily even with a lower grade fan.

I really want a full RGB build this time round so I think im going to go for looks - however it still should perform great


----------



## ehume

Ziptie screws.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irev*
> 
> CM's new 140mm fans are rounded - they do have 140mm mounting holes though.
> 
> Would the ziptie method on these particular fans be worthwhile ?
> 
> https://www.pccasegear.com/products/39785/cooler-master-masterfan-pro-140-air-pressure-rgb


I guess by your definition all fans are round.








You can ziptie it onto the D15, but it's maximum unobstructed airflow is only 46.2cfm rating and maximum pressure rating of 1.59mm at 1500rpm. A15 is 69cfm rating and maximum pressure rating of 1.51mm H2O at 1500rpm. That is a 33% drop in maximum airflow with similar pressure rating.









That is not even a lower performing fan, it's a terrible performing fan. If nice fancy ligthing to is your thing why not do it to your entire room and keep computer as it is?


----------



## Irev

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I
> 
> That is not even a lower performing fan, it's a terrible performing fan. If nice fancy ligthing to is your thing why not do it to your entire room and keep computer as it is?


haha - well yes it's a much worse fan but as I said its only cooling a Ryzen 1700 chip so its not going to be a problem - the whole build including mobo has RGB so I'd like to stick to the theme.

it might be a 33% drop in airflow but that doesn't necessarily translate to 33% higher temperatures, right?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irev*
> 
> haha - well yes it's a much worse fan but as I said its only cooling a Ryzen 1700 chip so its not going to be a problem - the whole build including mobo has RGB so I'd like to stick to the theme.
> 
> it might be a 33% drop in airflow but that doesn't necessarily translate to 33% higher temperatures, right?


By arguably the most expensive air cooler on the market .. one that does not even look nice, and replace some of the best fans made with fans as close to being junk as they can be and still work and rationalize it because you want RGB lightign and the fans will keep it cool enough.







With rational like that I have nothing more to say.


----------



## Irev

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> By arguably the most expensive air cooler on the market .. one that does not even look nice, and replace some of the best fans made with fans as close to being junk as they can be and still work and rationalize it because you want RGB lightign and the fans will keep it cool enough.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> With rational like that I have nothing more to say.


don't give up on me just yet - I got the nhd15 3 years ago and its been going on my 4790k platform since. works well but struggles to keep my 4790k under 80 degrees @ stock clocks with cpuz stress testing.
This is probably the fault of poor TIM on the 4790k and no the noctua cooler.

I've been re thinking and maybe considering putting the RGB fan above the D15 as top case vent fans and that way they can shine their RGB light down onto the noctua cooler - lighting up the metal and making it look nice while I can still rock the nice noctua fans on the heatsink.

its probably the better option - what do you think?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irev*
> 
> don't give up on me just yet - I got the nhd15 3 years ago and its been going on my 4790k platform since. works well but struggles to keep my 4790k under 80 degrees @ stock clocks with cpuz stress testing.
> This is probably the fault of poor TIM on the 4790k and no the noctua cooler.
> 
> I've been re thinking and maybe considering putting the RGB fan above the D15 as top case vent fans and that way they can shine their RGB light down onto the noctua cooler - lighting up the metal and making it look nice while I can still rock the nice noctua fans on the heatsink.
> 
> its probably the better option - what do you think?


i agree, your temps are either bad TIM seat (heat not getting from CPU to cooler)or bad case airflow (not enough case airflow and/or airflow is heating up before it gets to cooler.).

How can you use fans with lower performance when your CPU is running too hot even with some of the best fans for coolers made.

Running top case vent fans other then the one nearest back of case usually causes higher CPU temps, no lower temps.


----------



## Irev

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> i agree, your temps are either bad TIM seat (heat not getting from CPU to cooler)or bad case airflow (not enough case airflow and/or airflow is heating up before it gets to cooler.).
> 
> How can you use fans with lower performance when your CPU is running too hot even with some of the best fans for coolers made.
> 
> Running top case vent fans other then the one nearest back of case usually causes higher CPU temps, no lower temps.


The cpu running too hot is 4790k which im replacing with a new build ryzen 7

I've decided to use the noctua fans and just do the rgb fan on the top to shine down.....

I think I might run a single fan tho as I want better ram clearance on the new build - Ive read the temp differences are minimal from a single fan to dual fan on the D15, right?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irev*
> 
> The cpu running too hot is 4790k which im replacing with a new build ryzen 7
> 
> I've decided to use the noctua fans and just do the rgb fan on the top to shine down.....
> 
> I think I might run a single fan tho as I want better ram clearance on the new build - Ive read the temp differences are minimal from a single fan to dual fan on the D15, right?


Yes, temperature difference is minimal if even noticeable.

Have you thought of using a RGB light strip instead of a fan? Light strips installed along the top on left side of case are pretty common and work very well at spreading light. Some users use light strips at top an bottom.

Here is an example
http://www.overclock.net/t/1418637/official-case-phanteks-case-club-for-lovers-owners/18260_20#post_26259186


----------



## aaronlwm

So, my NH-D15 finally arrived, and after some tinkering around, I decided to keep both the stock fans given that my case supports coolers up to 190mm.

Here's my build with that bad-arse D15 in all it's glory. Feel free to give your opinions


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aaronlwm*
> 
> So, my NH-D15 finally arrived, and after some tinkering around, I decided to keep both the stock fans given that my case supports coolers up to 190mm.
> 
> Here's my build with that bad-arse D15 in all it's glory. Feel free to give your opinions


Looks good!
If you want better CPU and motherboard components in CPU socket area I suggest lowering the middle fan as far as possible. That way it will move more air through bottom part of D15 and over motherboard instead of above cooler where there is nothing to cool like the fans are doing now.


----------



## AlphaC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irev*
> 
> The cpu running too hot is 4790k which im replacing with a new build ryzen 7
> 
> I've decided to use the noctua fans and just do the rgb fan on the top to shine down.....
> 
> I think I might run a single fan tho as I want better ram clearance on the new build - Ive read the temp differences are minimal from a single fan to dual fan on the D15, right?


LED strips / RGB rings IMO.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811984008
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811999364

The Phanteks Halos RGB rings aren't for sale yet.


----------



## AuraDesruu

Recently moved my matx and changed cpu coolers.
I was wondering if I could get some tips from you guys about optimizing my cooling.
Currently, have to set my cooler vertically because the horizontal position blocks my PCIE 3.0 X16 slot..





Currently have a 200mm fan intaking air from the front, 120mm rear exhaust, two 120mm intaking air from the top, 2x 140mm fans are intaking air from the right side of the case

Would changing any fan positions make a difference in temps?


----------



## aaronlwm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Looks good!
> If you want better CPU and motherboard components in CPU socket area I suggest lowering the middle fan as far as possible. That way it will move more air through bottom part of D15 and over motherboard instead of above cooler where there is nothing to cool like the fans are doing now.


Thanks for the tip, I moved the middle fan lower and it did improve thermals by around 1C, which is pretty decent


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aaronlwm*
> 
> Thanks for the tip, I moved the middle fan lower and it did improve thermals by around 1C, which is pretty decent


Both CPU and motherboard components are 1c lower?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AuraDesruu*
> 
> Recently moved my matx and changed cpu coolers.
> I was wondering if I could get some tips from you guys about optimizing my cooling.
> Currently, have to set my cooler vertically because the horizontal position blocks my PCIE 3.0 X16 slot..
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Currently have a 200mm fan intaking air from the front, 120mm rear exhaust, two 120mm intaking air from the top, 2x 140mm fans are intaking air from the right side of the case
> 
> Would changing any fan positions make a difference in temps?


What components do you have and what are your temps now?
That is the problem with D15. I never understood Noctua releasing the D15 instead of D15S with offset base. The width is just to much for many motherboards and the issue of wide coolers needing to be offset was already being addressed by other cooler companies.
At a glance your airflow is more airblow than airflow. Key is to move cool air to components while moving heated air out of case with as little turbulence as possible.
You might find 'Ways to Better Cooling' link in my sig helpful. 1st post is index click on topic to see it. 5th is a good place to start.

I suggest you start a thread or we continue this in 'Ways to Better Cooling' so we do not clutter up the Noctua thread with case airflow and cooling.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> That is the problem with D15. I never understood Noctua releasing the D15 instead of D15S with offset base. The width is just to much for many motherboards and the issue of wide coolers needing to be offset was already being addressed by other cooler companies.


If you have had both in your hands (as a reviewer I have) you would see how the components relate. Most ATX board have a PCIe x1 in the top slot. For those the NH-D15 is no problem. A few boards inhabit the top slot with a PCIe x16, and only those require an NHJ-D15S. The problem with the D15S is that the fin stack will overhang components at the top of the motherboard. With my test board, for example, putting on the D15S made it difficult to put on fan plugs.


----------



## aaronlwm

I saw a 1-2C drop in temps in the CPU and also VRM's, and that's about it









But 1-2C is not jaw dropping or anything, but it's an improvement overall.

Thanks for the advise
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Both CPU and motherboard components are 1c lower?
> What components do you have and what are your temps now?
> That is the problem with D15. I never understood Noctua releasing the D15 instead of D15S with offset base. The width is just to much for many motherboards and the issue of wide coolers needing to be offset was already being addressed by other cooler companies.
> At a glance your airflow is more airblow than airflow. Key is to move cool air to components while moving heated air out of case with as little turbulence as possible.
> You might find 'Ways to Better Cooling' link in my sig helpful. 1st post is index click on topic to see it. 5th is a good place to start.
> 
> I suggest you start a thread or we continue this in 'Ways to Better Cooling' so we do not clutter up the Noctua thread with case airflow and cooling.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> If you have had both in your hands (as a reviewer I have) you would see how the components relate. Most ATX board have a PCIe x1 in the top slot. For those the NH-D15 is no problem. A few boards inhabit the top slot with a PCIe x16, and only those require an NHJ-D15S. The problem with the D15S is that the fin stack will overhang components at the top of the motherboard. With my test board, for example, putting on the D15S made it difficult to put on fan plugs.


If what you are saying was really true then why are almost all wide Thermalright coolers offset? And why did Thermalright change the Silver Arrow SB-E t0 Silver Arrow IB-E with offset base? Answer is obviously SB-E interference with PCIe sockets and IB-E does not. Same applies to Archon IB-E, HR-22, TRUE Spirit 140 Rev.A and Le Grand Macho having offset bases.

I've helped many users by scaling the PCIe and RAM socket to center CPU clearances, and while I did not keep track of how many are or are not, I do know there are many motherboards that have less then 78mm center CPU to near side of top x16 PCIe socket, not just a few.

While the NH-D15S does overhang components above CPU I've only heard of a few that it actually interfered with components above socket .. and sometimes even case interference .. there are a few, but not many .. way more overhang / blocking of x16 PCIe sockets.









Anyone who doesn't plan ahead when assembling a computer system and doesn't plug in fans before installing cooler if need be isn't paying close enough attention to the installation sequence of things. To me that's like not installing the mount before trying to install the cooler.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *aaronlwm*
> 
> I saw a 1-2C drop in temps in the CPU and also VRM's, and that's about it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But 1-2C is not jaw dropping or anything, but it's an improvement overall.
> 
> Thanks for the advise


If you were running CPU at 90-100% load for more than a few minutes you might see more of a difference. Better to error on the safe side with more airflow than maybe needed but at least it's there if you ever do need it.







Thanks for letting us know the results. +1 rep!


----------



## PAULRYAN52

hi, I'm considering getting this cooler but don't know if it compatible with my system

Case Corsair 400Q
Motherboard Gigabyte Aorus GA-Z270X-Gaming K5
CPU Intel Core i7-7700K
RAM Team Group Dark Pro 16GB 3000MHz
GPU Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Premier Pack


----------



## ehume

Get low profile RAM and you can mount any heatsink that sports a 140mm front fan. In this day of low voltage RAM there is no need for tall heatsinks -- I call them coxcombs, like the ones the roosters have.


----------



## PAULRYAN52

what set,


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PAULRYAN52*
> 
> hi, I'm considering getting this cooler but don't know if it compatible with my system
> 
> Case Corsair 400Q
> Motherboard Gigabyte Aorus GA-Z270X-Gaming K5
> CPU Intel Core i7-7700K
> RAM Team Group Dark Pro 16GB 3000MHz
> GPU Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Premier Pack


Case only has 165mm CPU clearance. This means with a 140mm fan on front of cooler only leaves 30mm for RAM.
On GA-Z270X-Gaming K5 has
89.5mm center CPU to near side of 1st x16 PCIe socket.
67.3mm center CPU to near side of top x4 PCIe socket
54mm center CPU to near side of RAM socket.

You can use NH-D15 with middle fan and maybe mount two fans in pull / pull if components behind CPU are not too tall .. and I do not know how tall they are.
Why not use NH-U14S cooler? It cools almost as good as D15 does.
Or you could look at something that front fan sets behind RAM like Le Grand Macho.


----------



## PAULRYAN52

case has 170mm clearance


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PAULRYAN52*
> 
> case has 170mm clearance


My bad, so you can use RAM up to 35mm tall.

DDR4 PCB is 31.4mm tall .. meaning anything on the PCB like heatspreaders needs to be less the 4mm taller than PCB.

That does open up the cooler selection a lot. R1 Universal is 167-168mm to top of shroud.


----------



## PAULRYAN52

I think my ram is 37 without the top on


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PAULRYAN52*
> 
> I think my ram is 37 without the top on


37mm RAM with a case having 170mm CPU clearance means you have 175mm of case clearance and 177mm RAM and fan height .. 2mm too much RAM and Fan. If you can measure the actual RAM to case you might have enough room.


----------



## spddmn24

Anyone have any experience on how these stack up http://www.phanteks.com/PH-F140HP2.html against the nf-a15's that come with the nh-d15? Kind of tempted to get rid of the ugly noctua fans. On paper they seem inferior but I really don't trust published specs on something like this.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spddmn24*
> 
> Anyone have any experience on how these stack up http://www.phanteks.com/PH-F140HP2.html against the nf-a15's that come with the nh-d15? Kind of tempted to get rid of the ugly noctua fans. On paper they seem inferior but I really don't trust published specs on something like this.


Well, Noctua do not publish the static pressure rating of NF-A15 1500rpm, the NF-A15 1200rpm fan has same specs as NF-A15 1500rpm using LNA at 1200rpm for everything else. The publish specs of PH-F140HP_2 are much lower than CoolingTechnique independent testing got. Their testing shows PH-F140HP_2 (same motor and impeller as PH-F140MP) being very similar in performance. The A15 is slightly higher free airflow while HP2 / MP is slightly higher static pressure .. meaning they balance out. .


----------



## spddmn24

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Well, Noctua do not publish the static pressure rating of NF-A15 1500rpm, the NF-A15 1200rpm fan has same specs as NF-A15 1500rpm using LNA at 1200rpm for everything else. The publish specs of PH-F140HP_2 are much lower than CoolingTechnique independent testing got. Their testing shows PH-F140HP_2 (same motor and impeller as PH-F140MP) being very similar in performance. The A15 is slightly higher free airflow while HP2 / MP is slightly higher static pressure .. meaning they balance out. .


Thanks for the info, that's exactly what I was looking for. And am I correct in assuming the hp II / MP is better than the HP? On paper the HP is superior, but from what I've read the specs are embellished on it.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spddmn24*
> 
> Thanks for the info, that's exactly what I was looking for. And am I correct in assuming the hp II / MP is better than the HP? On paper the HP is superior, but from what I've read the specs are embellished on it.


Could you post links to where you read the 'specs are embelished"? I'm curious what was actually written.









HP 2 is better then older HP.

All specifications are 'embellished' because even if they are 100% accurate they are CFM rating recorded in special test chambers where pressure on intake and exhaust side of fan are identical .. not possible is normal use, even in a room hanging from stings there will be slightly more pressure on exhaust side then intake side.
So all CFM ratings are not applicable to our uses.
Then there is static pressure which is the pressure measured when fan is pushing air into a sealed box .. the maximum pressure fan makes when air stops flowing .. while possible in our uses, not a condition anyone with an IQ equal to or higher than ambient room temperature would do.
To top that all off they are almost always only done at full speed. I don't know about you but my fans almost never run full speed. In fact I can't remember the last time my fans did run full speed. I want fan performance at 300, 500, 800, 1000, 1100, 1200rpm etc. Mine done run above 1200rpm (even 1100rpm is rare).


----------



## spddmn24

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Could you post links to where you read the 'specs are embelished"? I'm curious what was actually written.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HP 2 is better then older HP.
> 
> All specifications are 'embellished' because even if they are 100% accurate they are CFM rating recorded in special test chambers where pressure on intake and exhaust side of fan are identical .. not possible is normal use, even in a room hanging from stings there will be slightly more pressure on exhaust side then intake side.
> So all CFM ratings are not applicable to our uses.
> Then there is static pressure which is the pressure measured when fan is pushing air into a sealed box .. the maximum pressure fan makes when air stops flowing .. while possible in our uses, not a condition anyone with an IQ equal to or higher than ambient room temperature would do.
> To top that all off they are almost always only done at full speed. I don't know about you but my fans almost never run full speed. In fact I can't remember the last time my fans did run full speed. I want fan performance at 300, 500, 800, 1000, 1100, 1200rpm etc. Mine done run above 1200rpm (even 1100rpm is rare).


I could have sworn I read it on this website, or maybe I just drew that conclusion because the hp's have better specs on paper. I'm running an overclocked 7700k so the cpu fans do ramp up to 100% when its under heavy load. It looks like the PH-TC14PE cooler actually comes with those fans now. http://www.phanteks.com/PH-TC14PE.html I'll probably just do a whole cooler swap since I prefer the looks of that over the noctua anyway vs spending $30 on fans.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spddmn24*
> 
> I could have sworn I read it on this website, or maybe I just drew that conclusion because the hp's have better specs on paper. I'm running an overclocked 7700k so the cpu fans do ramp up to 100% when its under heavy load. It looks like the PH-TC14PE cooler actually comes with those fans now. http://www.phanteks.com/PH-TC14PE.html I'll probably just do a whole cooler swap since I prefer the looks of that over the noctua anyway vs spending $30 on fans.


I originally changed my PH-F140HP to TY-147A fans and then to PH-F140HP2 when they came out. I found the T:Y-147A to be better than old HP and HP2 to preform about the same as TY-147A up to 1200-1300rpm, although I normally only use about 1100rpm max, but HP2 has more reserve being a 1600rpm vs TY-147A's 1300rpm max speed.


----------



## spddmn24

Well that was short lived. The Phanteks TC14PE was a solid ~4-5c warmer than my nh-d15. Not sure if I got a dud or what. The fins are also 1 piece and I can't find any solder on them. The reviews I saw showed 2 piece fins soldered on, so maybe they cheapened up the production on them?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spddmn24*
> 
> Well that was short lived. The Phanteks TC14PE was a solid ~4-5c warmer than my nh-d15. Not sure if I got a dud or what. The fins are also 1 piece and I can't find any solder on them. The reviews I saw showed 2 piece fins soldered on, so maybe they cheapened up the production on them?


Can you post images of what you are describing? My TC14PE is a couple years old now but I have not heard anyone else who bought a new one complaining about it's performance.


----------



## spddmn24

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Can you post images of what you are describing? My TC14PE is a couple years old now but I have not heard anyone else who bought a new one complaining about it's performance.


Split fin design + solder is what I've seen in every review.


The one I just bought. It's hard to get a good pic with my cell phone camera, but I couldn't see any visible solder on the bottom fins. There might be some a few fins in, but it's hard to tell with the cell phone camara. They do have the cutout of the solder though. I was just pointing out the design changes with the split fin and single fin. I know in theory a single fin should be better than a split fin design all esle being equal.


----------



## Irev

decided to replace my NOCTUA NHD15 fans with Cryorig fans... ahhhh sorry noctua I just cant handle that colour anymore.... wanting to have a stealth Black build (with RGB)


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spddmn24*
> 
> Split fin design + solder is what I've seen in every review.
> 
> 
> The one I just bought. It's hard to get a good pic with my cell phone camera, but I couldn't see any visible solder on the bottom fins. There might be some a few fins in, but it's hard to tell with the cell phone camara. They do have the cutout of the solder though. I was just pointing out the design changes with the split fin and single fin. I know in theory a single fin should be better than a split fin design all esle being equal.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [


Checking into it for you. Could you start a new thread with this change?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irev*
> 
> decided to replace my NOCTUA NHD15 fans with Cryorig fans... ahhhh sorry noctua I just cant handle that colour anymore.... wanting to have a stealth Black build (with RGB)


In my experience the Cryorig fans are not near as good as Noctua or others.


----------



## Irev

sorry noctua fans but I replaced the fans on my NH-D15

ahhhh that looks better.

https://s26.postimg.org/7ax1qvsxl/image.jpg


----------



## zaodrze244

Not at all, a thing of taste. I personally like the noctua fans and their coloring.

I own the NH-D14 + 2x NF-A15, NF-A14 on the back of the case and NF-A20 on the side. I'm going to replace the front and top fan on the NF-A20, soon.


----------



## Irev

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *zaodrze244*
> 
> Not at all, a thing of taste. I personally like the noctua fans and their coloring.
> 
> I own the NH-D14 + 2x NF-A15, NF-A14 on the back of the case and NF-A20 on the side. I'm going to replace the front and top fan on the NF-A20, soon.


Yes of course personal opinion, but one can't deny that a full black stealth build like mine - the brown/tan colour of the noctua fans would be an eye sore.


----------



## Agalpaf

It's huge and I love it.
Replaced a NH D14 I got in 2012.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Agalpaf*
> 
> It's huge and I love it.
> Replaced a NH D14 I got in 2012.


Outstanding. For one thing, you have three fans mounted to the heatsink. Now remove your rear grill. See item 2 in my sig.


----------



## Melcar

Hey guys, I did not know this. Apparently there are fan clips for square frame 140mm fans for the NH-D15.
Quote:


> Can I install a 140mm fan with a square frame (e.g. NF-A14)? Yes, fan clips for installing square frame 140mm fans (such as the NF-A14) are available on request via our customer support.


Source NH-D15 FAQ

Has anyone tried it?


----------



## Mega Man

Does this club include the dh15s?, it does not say anything in the op


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Melcar*
> 
> Hey guys, I did not know this. Apparently there are fan clips for square frame 140mm fans for the NH-D15.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Can I install a 140mm fan with a square frame (e.g. NF-A14)? Yes, fan clips for installing square frame 140mm fans (such as the NF-A14) are available on request via our customer support.
> 
> 
> 
> Source NH-D15 FAQ
> 
> Has anyone tried it?
Click to expand...

The same clips that install the 140mm round fans and 120mm square frame fans can be used to install 140mm square frame fans. You just have to stretch them out a bit and latch them onto a notch closer to the fan.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mega Man*
> 
> Does this club include the dh15s?, it does not say anything in the op


I don't see why not. They are essentially the same except the dh 15s is offset a bit.


----------



## Melcar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> The same clips that install the 140mm round fans and 120mm square frame fans can be used to install 140mm square frame fans. You just have to stretch them out a bit and latch them onto a notch closer to the fan.


Yeah, but then they become a real pain to get off (I tried it and it wasn't fun). The point is that Noctua does provide clips for 140mm square fans. I remember reading the FAQ when I got the cooler (a couple of years ago) and I'm pretty sure it said you could only install round frame 140mm or square frame 120mm fans with on it.


----------



## taem

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Get low profile RAM and you can mount any heatsink that sports a 140mm front fan. In this day of low voltage RAM there is no need for tall heatsinks -- I call them coxcombs, like the ones the roosters have.


Is high speed DDR4 considered low voltage? At 3k+ speeds they run 1.35v and on my x370 board at least I have to up SOC voltage to 1.15 for stability also. That doesn't seem low to me. I still don't know that heat spreaders are necessary though. Does provide a neat platform for more rgb.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Melcar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> The same clips that install the 140mm round fans and 120mm square frame fans can be used to install 140mm square frame fans. You just have to stretch them out a bit and latch them onto a notch closer to the fan.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, but then they become a real pain to get off (I tried it and it wasn't fun). The point is that Noctua does provide clips for 140mm square fans. I remember reading the FAQ when I got the cooler (a couple of years ago) and I'm pretty sure it said you could only install round frame 140mm or square frame 120mm fans with on it.
Click to expand...

Curious, I tried it and had no problems getting the clips on an off. Now, if you are hooking the clips on the cooler in the same place for both, then yeah, you're going to have problems.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *taem*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Get low profile RAM and you can mount any heatsink that sports a 140mm front fan. In this day of low voltage RAM there is no need for tall heatsinks -- I call them coxcombs, like the ones the roosters have.
> 
> 
> 
> Is high speed DDR4 considered low voltage? At 3k+ speeds they run 1.35v and on my x370 board at least I have to up SOC voltage to 1.15 for stability also. That doesn't seem low to me. I still don't know that heat spreaders are necessary though. Does provide a neat platform for more rgb.
Click to expand...

1.35v is low voltage. When I first looked at RAM, we were running DDR3 at 1.5v nominal, and a RAMset I had was a nominal 1.65v, and it wasn't particularly high (1600 was fast RAM back then).

The last DDR4 Corsair LPX 4000 I looked at was 1.35v. To me, that's low voltage.


----------



## Melcar

DDR2 was like 1.8v and DDR like 2.5v if I remember right.


----------



## xkm1948

Anyone tried these new Noctua Chromax heatsinks cover yet?

https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NA-HC4-chromax-black-heatsink-NH-D15S/dp/B07656PY4C/ref=sr_1_41?ie=UTF8&qid=1508873512&sr=8-41&keywords=noctua+chromax
https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NA-HC4-chromax-white-heatsink-NH-D15S/dp/B076575LND/ref=sr_1_39?ie=UTF8&qid=1508873512&sr=8-39&keywords=noctua+chromax


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> Anyone tried these new Noctua Chromax heatsinks cover yet?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NA-HC4-chromax-black-heatsink-NH-D15S/dp/B07656PY4C/ref=sr_1_41?ie=UTF8&qid=1508873512&sr=8-41&keywords=noctua+chromax
> https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NA-HC4-chromax-white-heatsink-NH-D15S/dp/B076575LND/ref=sr_1_39?ie=UTF8&qid=1508873512&sr=8-39&keywords=noctua+chromax


Probably not since they aren't going to be available until the 27th. I haven't found any other vendors besides Amazon for them yet (I trust Amazon as far as I can throw an elephant). You also missed the good one:

https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NA-HC3-chromax-black-swap-heatsink-NH-D15S/dp/B076569Y8X/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1508877732&sr=1-1&keywords=NA-HC3+chromax.black.swap+heatsink+cover

It's darned well past time these came out since Noctua has been promising them for almost three years!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Newegg now has them for the NH-D15 & NH-D15S:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAADY6HY3860&cm_re=noctua_cooler_cover-_-9SIAADY6HY3860-_-Product

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAADY6HY3860&cm_re=noctua_cooler_cover-_-9SIAADY6HY3860-_-Product

I just ordered mine.


----------



## xkm1948

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Newegg now has them for the NH-D15 & NH-D15S:
> 
> https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAADY6HY3860&cm_re=noctua_cooler_cover-_-9SIAADY6HY3860-_-Product
> 
> https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAADY6HY3860&cm_re=noctua_cooler_cover-_-9SIAADY6HY3860-_-Product
> 
> I just ordered mine.


Definitely do some performance/appearance review!


----------



## steelbom

I've got one. Love it. Using it without fans on my i5 6500K.


----------



## xkm1948

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *steelbom*
> 
> I've got one. Love it. Using it without fans on my i5 6500K.


I have been wondering whether the fan clips will get in the way. Do they fit with fans on?

Also can get post some pics? Would love to see!


----------



## yuppicide

I've got the NH-D15 running with an I7 6700K not overclocked. It's pretty quiet. Once in awhile I hear a noise that I've never heard before.. sounded like waves in the ocean kind of, or some kind of breeze. I realized it was the Noctua. Still was pretty quiet.

I am curious as to what temps are considered good?

CPUID shows me 28-38 degrees celsius per core.. with the average being 32-33 degrees celsius most of the time. It's high was 56 degrees celsius.


----------



## steelbom

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> I have been wondering whether the fan clips will get in the way. Do they fit with fans on?
> 
> Also can get post some pics? Would love to see!


With the case I have?

They do fit on. The bottom one is pretty easy to fit (though it touches the case window, but that isn't an issue) however the middle one was really tricky to get in. Doable though, if you've got the time. Also watch out for tall RAM.



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *yuppicide*
> 
> I've got the NH-D15 running with an I7 6700K not overclocked. It's pretty quiet. Once in awhile I hear a noise that I've never heard before.. sounded like waves in the ocean kind of, or some kind of breeze. I realized it was the Noctua. Still was pretty quiet.
> 
> I am curious as to what temps are considered good?
> 
> CPUID shows me 28-38 degrees celsius per core.. with the average being 32-33 degrees celsius most of the time. It's high was 56 degrees celsius.


No expert but it sounds pretty good to me.


----------



## MooMoo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *steelbom*
> 
> With the case I have?
> 
> They do fit on. The bottom one is pretty easy to fit (though it touches the case window, but that isn't an issue) however the middle one was really tricky to get in. Doable though, if you've got the time. Also watch out for tall RAM..


I think he thought you have Noctua NA-HC4 chromax.black heatsink covers. Atleast I thought so when read it.


----------



## steelbom

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> I think he thought you have Noctua NA-HC4 chromax.black heatsink covers. Atleast I thought so when read it.


Ohhhhh yeah that seems to make sense LOL!
I didn't read the post above mine -- I meant I've got an NH-D15. Though I'm interested in checking out this one with black heatsink covers


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Once I get them, I'll take some photos and do a trial fitting on my NH-D15S to see how they look. I don't have it installed on the MOBO yet. I seriously doubt they would affect performance one way or the other and are probably just cosmetic.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *yuppicide*
> 
> I've got the NH-D15 running with an I7 6700K not overclocked. It's pretty quiet. Once in awhile I hear a noise that I've never heard before.. sounded like waves in the ocean kind of, or some kind of breeze. I realized it was the Noctua. Still was pretty quiet.
> 
> I am curious as to what temps are considered good?
> 
> CPUID shows me 28-38 degrees celsius per core.. with the average being 32-33 degrees celsius most of the time. It's high was 56 degrees celsius.


Using TRUE Spirit 140 Direct on my 6700k stock setting and idling like now at about 2-3c above room ambient with full load being about 60c. Max fan speed is 1100rpm, never hear the fan. Right now room is 20.5c and CPU is moving from 22-25c.


----------



## Melcar

Man, it looks like my AM4 adapter will never get here. Noctua shipped using standard air mail which links to Mexico's regular national post service, and it sucks. Been close to a moth now. Any other way to get those adapters?


----------



## AlphaC

Noctua NM-AM4

https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NM-AM4-Mounting-coolers-platforms/dp/B01MTEFT52

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13C-0005-00114


----------



## Melcar

Does Newegg do international shipping? Last I checked it was no. May try Amazon.


----------



## xkm1948

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Melcar*
> 
> Man, it looks like my AM4 adapter will never get here. Noctua shipped using standard air mail which links to Mexico's regular national post service, and it sucks. Been close to a moth now. Any other way to get those adapters?


I broke one the fan mounting clip. It took them 2 months to get a set of fan clip to me in US. So yeah, Noctua customer service is definitely great, but their shipping time is meh.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Melcar*
> 
> Man, it looks like my AM4 adapter will never get here. Noctua shipped using standard air mail which links to Mexico's regular national post service, and it sucks. Been close to a moth now. Any other way to get those adapters?
> 
> 
> 
> I broke one the fan mounting clip. It took them 2 months to get a set of fan clip to me in US. So yeah, Noctua customer service is definitely great, but their shipping time is meh.
Click to expand...

Curious. I received the fan clips I requested less than two weeks after I asked.


----------



## xkm1948

I guess living in a small town in the middle of nowhere out in the corn fields of midwest really doesn't help in terms of USPS delivery speed.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> I guess living in a small town in the middle of nowhere out in the corn fields of midwest really doesn't help in terms of USPS delivery speed.


It shouldn't make that big of a difference.


----------



## jologskyblues

Any tips on how to remove white stains on the aluminum surface of the D15?

I mistakenly used Brasso and I think that worsened the problem.


----------



## MooMoo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jologskyblues*
> 
> Any tips on how to remove white stains on the aluminum surface of the D15?
> 
> I mistakenly used Brasso and I think that worsened the problem.


Where that white stain came from?


----------



## jologskyblues

I'm guessing it's oxidation on the aluminum surface of the heat sink. The climate in my place is hot and humid.

I realized Brasso is an abrasive solution so it must have rubbed off the protective coating of the aluminum and made the white stains worse after a while.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> I broke one the fan mounting clip. It took them 2 months to get a set of fan clip to me in US. So yeah, Noctua customer service is definitely great, but their shipping time is meh.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Curious. I received the fan clips I requested less than two weeks after I asked.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> I guess living in a small town in the middle of nowhere out in the corn fields of midwest really doesn't help in terms of USPS delivery speed.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> It shouldn't make that big of a difference.


The most common culprit in USA is US Customs interrupting delivery time by days and sometimes weeks. Years ago Phanteks in Netherlands sent me a PWM to variable voltage adapter for their first cooler fans to me here in UK. About a week later it hadn't arrive so I asked about it, and they sent me another. About 4 weeks later I got the original in a taped up envelope that had claerly been cut open with a razor knife as well as the heatshrink on adapter had been cut open to see what was inside it with an attached note from USA customs saying it had been damaged by 'US |Post Service mail sorting equipment' .







Being a US citizen I questioned this and found out there was literally nothing I could do to get reimbursed for the damages they did. In my case it was not a big deal but it made no difference what value was, if they damaged it there was no normal recourse to get compensation. All of this on a envelope package from Netherlands address to UK address that somehow managed to get into USA Customs hands.







Totally unreal, but true.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jologskyblues*
> 
> Any tips on how to remove white stains on the aluminum surface of the D15?
> 
> I mistakenly used Brasso and I think that worsened the problem.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jologskyblues*
> 
> I'm guessing it's oxidation on the aluminum surface of the heat sink. The climate in my place is hot and humid.
> 
> I realized Brasso is an abrasive solution so it must have rubbed off the protective coating of the aluminum and made the white stains worse after a while.


Bummer.
Was cooler in use at the time?

Noctua fins are just brushed aluminum so even finger prints are hard to remove. Brasso is a polishing compound. I'm assuming the white spots are from moisture being on fins that didn't dry off fast enough and caused oxidation. Not easy to clean off. I've used an old tooth brush with hot soap and water, and if that didn't clean the spots of I use white / distilled vinegar on a rag. If that doesn't do it try soaking cooler in a mix of 1 part white vinegar to 10 parts hot water for about 10 minutes. Check to see if it's coming off and soak some more. When done, put it n a mix of a couple tablespoons of baking soda in water to be sure the vinegar's acidic action is neutralized, then distilled water for final rinse and dry in front of a space heater, air dryer, even a warm oven. Just don't get it too hot.







No idea what to suggest to avoid it happening again but keep it dry.


----------



## ehume

The other issue in delays is that they run out of things from time to time, and the delay comes from making more. You can try to stay ahead of demand, but that doesn't always work.


----------



## ErrantPigeon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Probably not since they aren't going to be available until the 27th. I haven't found any other vendors besides Amazon for them yet (I trust Amazon as far as I can throw an elephant).


They're available over here in EU-land for over a week now. Got them and slapped on my NH-D15S - I'm quite happy with them (though I admit that it's a bit overpriced given it's just aesthetics).


----------



## xkm1948

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ErrantPigeon*
> 
> They're available over here in EU-land for over a week now. Got them and slapped on my NH-D15S - I'm quite happy with them (though I admit that it's a bit overpriced given it's just aesthetics).


Thank you for sharing! Any cooling performance loss you noticed? Or gains?


----------



## steelbom

Dang those look cool as!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Mine was delivered to my mail service yesterday but I won't be able to pick it up before Friday. I ordered the fancier version, the one with chevron shaped cutouts that one can have a colored card showing through.


----------



## Mr.N00bLaR

I'm curious about how to best use the NH-D15 in my Corsair Air 740 - I'm looking for more cooling power.

The following is in addition to the stock 2x 140mm intake fans and 1x 140mm exhaust

I have tried:
Dual 140mm 70+ cfm fans as just intake in the bottom
Dual 140mm exhaust fans just at the top (same fan)
Both bottom intake and top exhaust

Slightly different:
3x 120mm ~100CFM fans as intakes in the front + stock exhaust

All configurations result in higher CPU temps (into the 90s (C) under load vs the stock NH-D15 and 3x 140mm case fans included in the air 740. I'm cooling an overclocked i7-5820k which is currently at 1.265v vcore and 1.26v ram. I'm starting to wonder if I need to move into a higher end CLC or custom water cooling. Any tips for the D15 or am I just at the limit here?


----------



## TeslaHUN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> I'm curious about how to best use the NH-D15 in my Corsair Air 740 - I'm looking for more cooling power.
> 
> The following is in addition to the stock 2x 140mm intake fans and 1x 140mm exhaust
> 
> I have tried:
> Dual 140mm 70+ cfm fans as just intake in the bottom
> Dual 140mm exhaust fans just at the top (same fan)
> Both bottom intake and top exhaust
> 
> Slightly different:
> 3x 120mm ~100CFM fans as intakes in the front + stock exhaust
> 
> All configurations result in higher CPU temps (into the 90s (C) under load vs the stock NH-D15 and 3x 140mm case fans included in the air 740. I'm cooling an overclocked i7-5820k which is currently at 1.265v vcore and 1.26v ram. I'm starting to wonder if I need to move into a higher end CLC or custom water cooling. Any tips for the D15 or am I just at the limit here?


I have 5820k @4,5ghz 1,3V with Noctua D15S cooler . ( with 2x Thermalright TY 147A fan ) .Before i had Corsair H105 CLC and had the same temps , but much more noise (pump) .
All u need is front to back airflow. I have TY147A fans on front panel and 1 at back , no top and bottom fans








Also i sealed the top of the case to prevent air escaping from front fans before reaching the CPU cooler.


----------



## ErrantPigeon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> Thank you for sharing! Any cooling performance loss you noticed? Or gains?


No, seems to be performing just the same as before. Not a big surprise, of course.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TeslaHUN*
> 
> I have 5820k @4,5ghz 1,3V with Noctua D15S cooler . ( with 2x Thermalright TY 147A fan ) .Before i had Corsair H105 CLC and had the same temps , but much more noise (pump) .
> All u need is front to back airflow. I have TY147A fans on front panel and 1 at back , no top and bottom fans
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also i sealed the top of the case to prevent air escaping from front fans before reaching the CPU cooler.


Do you notice any difference in performance or sound with TY-147A instead of stock NF-A15 fan?


----------



## TeslaHUN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Do you notice any difference in performance or sound with TY-147A instead of stock NF-A15 fan?


I cant really compare since i had only 1x NF A15 on the cooler and now i have 2x TY147A .
Sound is the same on load and temps are 1-2C better with 2 TY fan.
Idle now its more quiet , since the Noctua fan's min rpm was 700 (with lna) , on the other hand I can run the TY147A fans on 300 rpm .


----------



## ErrantPigeon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TeslaHUN*
> 
> Idle now its more quiet , since the Noctua fan's min rpm was 700 (with lna) , on the other hand I can run the TY147A fans on 300 rpm .


That seems... rather high for minimum RPM. I can run my NF-A15 at 250rpm-ish as minimum and the Noctua spec sheet (quoting the black version, as it's closer to the one delivered with the heat sink) quotes 300rpm +/- 20% (so 240-360rpm) as minimum speed.

However, if the TY147A works for you, no need to change it, of course.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TeslaHUN*
> 
> I cant really compare since i had only 1x NF A15 on the cooler and now i have 2x TY147A .
> Sound is the same on load and temps are 1-2C better with 2 TY fan.
> Idle now its more quiet , since the Noctua fan's min rpm was 700 (with lna) , on the other hand I can run the TY147A fans on 300 rpm .


What ErrantPigeon said. NF-A15 should idle at about same speed as TY-147A.
Your results are what I found when comparing NF-A15 to TY-147A .. very similar performance and noise levels, but TY-147A costs less and looks better.








NH-D15S with 2x TY-147A is a very good all around choice. Good PCIe socket clearance with offset base and good looking fans that perform better than single NF-A15


----------



## NewType88

That cover looks great, going to be my next cooler. Is that metal looking hinge pulling up on the fin ? Looks like it, but it could be just the angle.


----------



## Mr.N00bLaR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TeslaHUN*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> I'm curious about how to best use the NH-D15 in my Corsair Air 740 - I'm looking for more cooling power.
> 
> The following is in addition to the stock 2x 140mm intake fans and 1x 140mm exhaust
> 
> I have tried:
> Dual 140mm 70+ cfm fans as just intake in the bottom
> Dual 140mm exhaust fans just at the top (same fan)
> Both bottom intake and top exhaust
> 
> Slightly different:
> 3x 120mm ~100CFM fans as intakes in the front + stock exhaust
> 
> All configurations result in higher CPU temps (into the 90s (C) under load vs the stock NH-D15 and 3x 140mm case fans included in the air 740. I'm cooling an overclocked i7-5820k which is currently at 1.265v vcore and 1.26v ram. I'm starting to wonder if I need to move into a higher end CLC or custom water cooling. Any tips for the D15 or am I just at the limit here?
> 
> 
> 
> I have 5820k @4,5ghz 1,3V with Noctua D15S cooler . ( with 2x Thermalright TY 147A fan ) .Before i had Corsair H105 CLC and had the same temps , but much more noise (pump) .
> All u need is front to back airflow. I have TY147A fans on front panel and 1 at back , no top and bottom fans
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also i sealed the top of the case to prevent air escaping from front fans before reaching the CPU cooler.
Click to expand...

I have now 300cfm entering the front of the case and my load temps arent better than with ~140cfm. I think the ram on the right side of the tower is just blocking too much air flow. Im thinking about movong to a water kit - read too many mixed reveiws on AIOs.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> I have now 300cfm entering the front of the case and my load temps arent better than with ~140cfm. I think the ram on the right side of the tower is just blocking too much air flow. Im thinking about movong to a water kit - read too many mixed reveiws on AIOs.


I assume '300cfm entering the front' the fans' rated cfm? If so and fans are running at half their maximum speed you might have 130cfm of intake airflow .. which if is all the case intake airflow exactly the same amount as you have exhaust airflow because intake and exhaust flow is the same .. that the physics of it.

What case fans do you have and where are they located.

The RAM may be a slight part of the problem, but most likely the real problem is your case is not flowing cool air to coolers and hot air away from coolers and out the back of case. You might find 'Ways to Better Cooling' link in my sig of interest. 1st post is index, click on topic to see it. 5th is a good place to start.

Probably best to start a thread or post in 'Ways to Better Cooling' so we don't clutter this NH-D15 thread.


----------



## ErrantPigeon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NewType88*
> 
> That cover looks great, going to be my next cooler. Is that metal looking hinge pulling up on the fin ? Looks like it, but it could be just the angle.


Yes, it is, ever so slightly - this is following the instructions precisely. Though the block on top actually sits quite tightly around the heat pipes, so you could get away with a pressure fit or some double-sided tape if that bothers you.


----------



## NewType88

Right on, good info - thanks. Could you take some shots that shows the whole case ?


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ErrantPigeon*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *NewType88*
> 
> That cover looks great, going to be my next cooler. Is that metal looking hinge pulling up on the fin ? Looks like it, but it could be just the angle.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, it is, ever so slightly - this is following the instructions precisely. Though the block on top actually sits quite tightly around the heat pipes, so you could get away with a pressure fit or some double-sided tape if that bothers you.
Click to expand...

Is there any reason why those clips couldn't be inserted from the center space side of each tower? If not, the fan would pretty much hide the clip.


----------



## Mr.N00bLaR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> I have now 300cfm entering the front of the case and my load temps arent better than with ~140cfm. I think the ram on the right side of the tower is just blocking too much air flow. Im thinking about movong to a water kit - read too many mixed reveiws on AIOs.
> 
> 
> 
> I assume '300cfm entering the front' the fans' rated cfm? If so and fans are running at half their maximum speed you might have 130cfm of intake airflow .. which if is all the case intake airflow exactly the same amount as you have exhaust airflow because intake and exhaust flow is the same .. that the physics of it.
> 
> What case fans do you have and where are they located.
> 
> The RAM may be a slight part of the problem, but most likely the real problem is your case is not flowing cool air to coolers and hot air away from coolers and out the back of case. You might find 'Ways to Better Cooling' link in my sig of interest. 1st post is index, click on topic to see it. 5th is a good place to start.
> 
> Probably best to start a thread or post in 'Ways to Better Cooling' so we don't clutter this NH-D15 thread.
Click to expand...

There are 3x Silverstone FM121 fans. They are rated for 110cfm each at full RPM. I power them by 4pin molex connectors so hopefully they run at max rpm. I have an Air 740 so there is nothing impeding airflow except for the ram. The dimms do not have tall heatsinks but the heatsinks do block the base / bottom of the cold pipes.

My exhaust is no where near the intake - there is 1 exhaust fan as I was generally seeing worse temperatures with matching exhaust fans which I wrote in my previous post. I read someone else had this issue with the D15 and top exhaust (Google search).

This is the D15 thread and my questions center around the D15 usage.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> There are 3x Silverstone FM121 fans. They are rated for 110cfm each at full RPM. I power them by 4pin molex connectors so hopefully they run at max rpm. I have an Air 740 so there is nothing impeding airflow except for the ram. The dimms do not have tall heatsinks but the heatsinks do block the base / bottom of the cold pipes.
> 
> My exhaust is no where near the intake - there is 1 exhaust fan as I was generally seeing worse temperatures with matching exhaust fans which I wrote in my previous post. I read someone else had this issue with the D15 and top exhaust (Google search).
> 
> This is the D15 thread and my questions center around the D15 usage.


3x FM121 (2x intakes) even at full speed with front grill and filter restriction 2x intake are likey moving about 110cfm at full speed .. which is likely not enough case airflow

While you are using D15, your questions about airflow is what I suggested not cluttering up this thread with.


----------



## Mr.N00bLaR

You are assuming the airflow is low, fine, lets assume its low. It is much higher than the stock fan setup - paper test. The real issue is that the air flow is significantly greater through the case than it was with the stock 140mm Corsair fans yet the core and package temperatures have not changed, possibly increased by 1-3c over stock.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> You are assuming the airflow is low, fine, lets assume its low. It is much higher than the stock fan setup - paper test. The real issue is that the air flow is significantly greater through the case than it was with the stock 140mm Corsair fans yet the core and package temperatures have not changed, possibly increased by 1-3c over stock.


If you read the guide I suggested earlier when I suggested posting up in a thread that is not sidetracking this D15 thread I'll try and help.


----------



## jura11

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> I'm curious about how to best use the NH-D15 in my Corsair Air 740 - I'm looking for more cooling power.
> 
> The following is in addition to the stock 2x 140mm intake fans and 1x 140mm exhaust
> 
> I have tried:
> Dual 140mm 70+ cfm fans as just intake in the bottom
> Dual 140mm exhaust fans just at the top (same fan)
> Both bottom intake and top exhaust
> 
> Slightly different:
> 3x 120mm ~100CFM fans as intakes in the front + stock exhaust
> 
> All configurations result in higher CPU temps (into the 90s (C) under load vs the stock NH-D15 and 3x 140mm case fans included in the air 740. I'm cooling an overclocked i7-5820k which is currently at 1.265v vcore and 1.26v ram. I'm starting to wonder if I need to move into a higher end CLC or custom water cooling. Any tips for the D15 or am I just at the limit here?


Hi there

These temperatures are way too high for NH-D15

I have run on my i7-5820k OC to 4.5Ghz and 1.279v for gaming or rendering or 1.29v for OCCT stress testing and my temperatures never been such high

4.5Ghz










4.6Ghz OC










These temperatures are high that's for sure for such voltage on yours

What ambient temperatures do you have?

Did you used Noctua NT-H1 TIM or did you used something else and how did you applied TIM, on 5820k in my case best TIM application is small blob less than grain of rice in middle

I have run my Noctua NH-D15 in Phanteks Enthoo Primo

Hope this helps

Thanks, Jura


----------



## Mr.N00bLaR

My ambient temperatures are probably 27-29c so probably higher than the average persons setup. I was using NT-H1 but switched to kryonaut. I noticed no temp difference. Ive read the third fan option isn't needed normally but maybe I do need more exhaust flow.

Also, im testing with the memory settings recomended in the Intel memory thread in P95.


----------



## jura11

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> My ambient temperatures are probably 27-29c so probably higher than the average persons setup. I was using NT-H1 but switched to kryonaut. I noticed no temp difference. Ive read the third fan option isn't needed normally but maybe I do need more exhaust flow.
> 
> Also, im testing with the memory settings recomended in the Intel memory thread in P95.


Hi there

Can you rather try OCCT 4.4.2 than P95?
And can you post temperature, if you cam have opened as well SIV64 or HWiNFO

I did use like Noctua NT-H1 and Kryonaut,with Kryonaut my temps dropped by 1-2°C as max on load

Yes yours ambient temperatures are higher than most of us, usually at such ambient my load temperatures will be higher as well,how much hard to say

I would rather try OCCT 4.4.2 for stress testing

Hope this helps

Thanks, Jura


----------



## ErrantPigeon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NewType88*
> 
> Right on, good info - thanks. Could you take some shots that shows the whole case ?


Sure, though I had to move it from its spot to get good shots to get the whole exterior in (my desk obscures the lower part of the case in its usual spot), so some of them won't have the lighting on.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Is there any reason why those clips couldn't be inserted from the center space side of each tower? If not, the fan would pretty much hide the clip.


No reason, so when I took the extra shots for NewType88, I did just that and took a picture. Works perfectly - great idea, thanks!


----------



## xkm1948

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ErrantPigeon*
> 
> Sure, though I had to move it from its spot to get good shots to get the whole exterior in (my desk obscures the lower part of the case in its usual spot), so some of them won't have the lighting on.
> No reason, so when I took the extra shots for NewType88, I did just that and took a picture. Works perfectly - great idea, thanks!


DAMUN! That is one THICC machine yo got there!


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ErrantPigeon*
> 
> Sure, though I had to move it from its spot to get good shots to get the whole exterior in (my desk obscures the lower part of the case in its usual spot), so some of them won't have the lighting on.
> No reason, so when I took the extra shots for NewType88, I did just that and took a picture. Works perfectly - great idea, thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [


What fan is that on your D15S?


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ErrantPigeon*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *NewType88*
> 
> Right on, good info - thanks. Could you take some shots that shows the whole case ?
> 
> 
> 
> Sure, though I had to move it from its spot to get good shots to get the whole exterior in (my desk obscures the lower part of the case in its usual spot), so some of them won't have the lighting on.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Is there any reason why those clips couldn't be inserted from the center space side of each tower? If not, the fan would pretty much hide the clip.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> No reason, so when I took the extra shots for NewType88, I did just that and took a picture. Works perfectly - great idea, thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ..
Click to expand...

No worries. I'll just send you a bill at the end of the month.









Truth be told, the clip wasn't that obvious (then again, I'm old and don't see as well as I used to). I never noticed it until someone brought it up.


----------



## ErrantPigeon

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> What fan is that on your D15S?


The new Chromax version of the NF-A15. Performs just like the original (unsurprisingly). Quite happy with it, however, and meant I could donated the original fan into my partner's rig (she got a Corsair 250D) as replacement for the lousy 140mm stock intake fan.

I was actually on the lookout for a TY-147 in the past (as you recommended them highly) but couldn't really find them in stock in the UK.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ErrantPigeon*
> 
> The new Chromax version of the NF-A15. Performs just like the original (unsurprisingly). Quite happy with it, however, and meant I could donated the original fan into my partner's rig (she got a Corsair 250D) as replacement for the lousy 140mm stock intake fan.
> 
> I was actually on the lookout for a TY-147 in the past (as you recommended them highly) but couldn't really find them in stock in the UK.


I figured it was either Chromax A15 or TY-147A. Hard to tell which you had in the pic.








Chromax NF-A15 is only 1500rpm accessory fan. The brown accessory A-15 is 1200rpm. Should work very well in 250D as an intake.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Pity you can't buy the new Chromax fan in the SSA except at Amazon (which I'm boycotting).


----------



## Mr.N00bLaR

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jura11*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> My ambient temperatures are probably 27-29c so probably higher than the average persons setup. I was using NT-H1 but switched to kryonaut. I noticed no temp difference. Ive read the third fan option isn't needed normally but maybe I do need more exhaust flow.
> 
> Also, im testing with the memory settings recomended in the Intel memory thread in P95.
> 
> 
> 
> Hi there
> 
> Can you rather try OCCT 4.4.2 than P95?
> And can you post temperature, if you cam have opened as well SIV64 or HWiNFO
> 
> I did use like Noctua NT-H1 and Kryonaut,with Kryonaut my temps dropped by 1-2°C as max on load
> 
> Yes yours ambient temperatures are higher than most of us, usually at such ambient my load temperatures will be higher as well,how much hard to say
> 
> I would rather try OCCT 4.4.2 for stress testing
> 
> Hope this helps
> 
> Thanks, Jura
Click to expand...

The goal is to let this pc encode for days or weeks at a time - I dont believe OCCT for 8 hours is a good enough test so I have been using prime for 24+ hours when testing a new configuration. I know I cant get below ambient wifh WC but Im considering an EKWB kit now despite the cost to remove more heat.


----------



## jura11

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mr.N00bLaR*
> 
> The goal is to let this pc encode for days or weeks at a time - I dont believe OCCT for 8 hours is a good enough test so I have been using prime for 24+ hours when testing a new configuration. I know I cant get below ambient wifh WC but Im considering an EKWB kit now despite the cost to remove more heat.


Hi there

Did you tried at least to try encode for few hours and what temperatures you will get after few hours?

I usually rendered in 3DS Max up to 12-16 hours per day when I run NH-D15 and temperatures in my case has been pretty constant and varied only by ambient temperature

Prime95 will put unnecessary heat on the CPU which not sure of you will see,I know in my case such temperatures which I saw in OCCT or in other application or stress tests I never saw in rendering

If you want go put yours CPU under water,water cooling can be noisy if you are thinking to running only single radiator for loop, currently running 4*360mm radiators and my fans are spinning at 700-900RPM as max under load, with previous setup 360mm and 240mm radiator I needed to run fans lot faster usually at 1200-1350RPM if I wanted to have low water delta T

I would recommend creating separate thread on this there and post there yours pictures and yours results etc

Hope this helps

Thanks, Jura


----------



## NewType88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ErrantPigeon*
> 
> Sure, though I had to move it from its spot to get good shots to get the whole exterior in (my desk obscures the lower part of the case in its usual spot), so some of them won't have the lighting on.
> No reason, so when I took the extra shots for NewType88, I did just that and took a picture. Works perfectly - great idea, thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ]


Thanks. Looks awesome, very attractive build. The heat sink covers sorta reminds me of a engine head cover.


----------



## jpm888

I like the chromax covers but it adds 5mm to the height and makes it compatible with my case


----------



## Brightmist

Looking for a couple of 140mm fans with 120mm mounting holes to use on D15 heatsink, pull/pull setup that won't whine like stock A15s do. Can't fit them in push/push since my RAM has tall heatsinks(Trident Z) so can't close the case.
A15s don't whine when mounted as push/push but I feel my A14 does also whine when used as top intake so I'm thinking about changing that too.
I see T147A name thrown around a lot, can anyone comment if they whine when mounted as pull/pull? Thanks.


----------



## AlphaC

You need to decouple with a fan gasket or something them when used in pull at full RPM.


----------



## TeslaHUN

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brightmist*
> 
> Looking for a couple of 140mm fans with 120mm mounting holes to use on D15 heatsink, pull/pull setup that won't whine like stock A15s do. Can't fit them in push/push since my RAM has tall heatsinks(Trident Z) so can't close the case.
> A15s don't whine when mounted as push/push but I feel my A14 does also whine when used as top intake so I'm thinking about changing that too.
> I see T147A name thrown around a lot, can anyone comment if they whine when mounted as pull/pull? Thanks.


+

TY 147A pull - pull they are just perfect ,no whine .


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brightmist*
> 
> Looking for a couple of 140mm fans with 120mm mounting holes to use on D15 heatsink, pull/pull setup that won't whine like stock A15s do. Can't fit them in push/push since my RAM has tall heatsinks(Trident Z) so can't close the case.
> A15s don't whine when mounted as push/push but I feel my A14 does also whine when used as top intake so I'm thinking about changing that too.
> I see T147A name thrown around a lot, can anyone comment if they whine when mounted as pull/pull? Thanks.


Good input already given.
Noctua supplies thicker fan vibration pads / spacers for pull fan on NH-U14S.

The cause of the noise is the fan impeller is closer to surface when mounted in pull mode then when mounted in push mode. This is because the fan motor mounting frame adds about 3mm to the space between impeller and what fan is mounted on.

What @TeslaHUN said. I've not noticed this problem with TY-147A .. or any other TY-14x sereis fan.


----------



## Brightmist

Thanks!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Pity you can't buy the new Chromax fan in the SSA except at Amazon (which I'm boycotting).


Newegg has started stocking the Noctua NF-A15 HS-PWM Chromax fan.


----------



## Melcar

Shame they are too damn expensive.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

I wonder if Noctua will ever sell the NH-D15 and NH-D15s with the black fans? Or with any fans so one can put any fan they want in the cooler without paying for an unwanted fan.


----------



## AlphaC

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Melcar*
> 
> Shame they are too damn expensive.


They shouldn't be including so many corners









Most of the corners will be unused in many instances. I bet most people will go for black or white corners.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I wonder if Noctua will ever sell the NH-D15 and NH-D15s with the black fans? Or with any fans so one can put any fan they want in the cooler without paying for an unwanted fan.


I'd imagine they'd spin it like so: _Presenting Noctua *Black Edition* CPU coolers. Now with black fans and black corners_









edit: like so

(source http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Noctua_NFA15_HS_PWM_Chromax_black_swap_140%20mm_Review.html#Noctua_NFA15_HS_PWM_4)


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AlphaC*
> 
> They shouldn't be including so many corners


Too many colored corner pieces.








I would be in heaven if that was the biggest problem we had with products for our computers.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *AlphaC*
> 
> They shouldn't be including so many corners
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Too many colored corner pieces.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I would be in heaven if that was the biggest problem we had with products for our computers.
Click to expand...

I agree but I can't help but wonder how much all those vibration dampeners add to the cost of the fan? A pkg. of 16 single color dampeners cost $7.00 USD. A variety of 48 of them come with each fan.

Newegg has added a few more fans (120mm and 140MM square fans) to the Chromax lineup they carry.

Yesterday, I picked my new fans and the Chromax covers I ordered (the covers I got have the chevron cutouts). They look nice but I haven't the time or energy to take any photos yet (I was running errands yesterday and was up too late last night working on a related project so I'm destroyed today).


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I agree but I can't help but wonder how much all those vibration dampeners add to the cost of the fan? A pkg. of 16 single color dampeners cost $7.00 USD. A variety of 48 of them come with each fan.
> 
> Newegg has added a few more fans (120mm and 140MM square fans) to the Chromax lineup they carry.
> 
> Yesterday, I picked my new fans and the Chromax covers I ordered (the covers I got have the chevron cutouts). They look nice but I haven't the time or energy to take any photos yet (I was running errands yesterday and was up too late last night working on a related project so I'm destroyed today).


My guess is about a penny each. Once the enjection moid is made and setup to run a color, any color, the cost of production is insignificant.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I agree but I can't help but wonder how much all those vibration dampeners add to the cost of the fan? A pkg. of 16 single color dampeners cost $7.00 USD. A variety of 48 of them come with each fan.
> 
> Newegg has added a few more fans (120mm and 140MM square fans) to the Chromax lineup they carry.
> 
> Yesterday, I picked my new fans and the Chromax covers I ordered (the covers I got have the chevron cutouts). They look nice but I haven't the time or energy to take any photos yet (I was running errands yesterday and was up too late last night working on a related project so I'm destroyed today).
> 
> 
> 
> My guess is about a penny each. Once the enjection moid is made and setup to run a color, any color, the cost of production is insignificant.
Click to expand...

"...enjection moid..." ? Man, and I thought _I_ was wasted this morning.

I wish I did drink. Then I would have a goof good excuse for feeling so lousy this morning. Methinks I'll go back to bed.

_Reason for edit: Goof should have been Good. I told you I was wasted!_


----------



## Melcar

RGB corners. Wait for it...


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Melcar*
> 
> RGB corners. Wait for it...


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> "...enjection moid..." ? Man, and I thought _I_ was wasted this morning.
> 
> I wish I did drink. Then I would have a goof excuse for feeling so lousy this morning. Methinks I'll go back to bed.


How about mold colored RGB corners?


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Melcar*
> 
> RGB corners. Wait for it...
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> "...enjection moid..." ? Man, and I thought _I_ was wasted this morning.
> 
> I wish I did drink. Then I would have a goof excuse for feeling so lousy this morning. Methinks I'll go back to bed.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> How about mold colored RGB corners?
Click to expand...

Well heck, we might as well go for various other colors, such as acid green, puke green, gang green...

Wait! White vibration dampeners that can be custom dyed!

One nice touch that comes with the fan is the ultra short stub of a fan cable. The fan comes with a fan cable extension attached but one can always substitute a custom length and custom sleeved cable without blowing the fan warranty (some of us actually care about warranties).


----------



## Brightmist

I put dual TY-147Bs in pull/pull on D15 heatsink and it's gloriously quiet now. Stock A15s were unusable in any pull configuration.
Same thing also goes for the TY-147B I put in as top intake compared to A14.
A15(1500RPM) as top intake wasn't as bad as A14 but I feel it still made more noise compared to TY-147B.


----------



## jura11

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brightmist*
> 
> I put dual TY-147Bs in pull/pull on D15 heatsİnk and it's gloriously quiet now. Stock A15s were unusable in any pull configuration.
> Same thing also goes for the TY-147B I put in as top intake compared to A14.
> A15(1500RPM) as top intake wasn't as bad as A14 but I feel it still made more noise compared to TY-147B.


Hi there

I would agree there, have tried and used on my NH-D15 as well Thermalright TY-147A and these fans has been my favourite fans with TY-143

A15 are not bad fans but agree on NH-D15 they're bit noisy for my liking and prefer Thermalright fans on NH-D15

Hope this helps

Thanks, Jura


----------



## GunnzAkimbo

Conductonaut

or

Kyronaut

?

Staying with AIR for now - NHD15S with 5960X OC, dont like any of the AIO right now, unless EK release the new AIO series.


----------



## jura11

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GunnzAkimbo*
> 
> Conductonaut
> or
> Kyronaut
> ?
> 
> Staying with AIR for now - NHD15S with 5960X OC, dont like any of the AIO right now, unless EK release the new AIO series.


Hi there

I used Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut on my NH-D15 and been very happy,I would use normal TIM if you are planning RMA chip in future

Noctua NT-H1 is not bad as well

Hope this helps

Thanks,Jura


----------



## doyll

What jura11 paste.
Stock TIM is might be 2c warmer with a serious overclcok .. and that would be extreme. Spreadability of TIM for god seat is way more import than the heat transfer abiltiy of TIM. Liquid metal (gallium based)TIMs are a couple degrees better than normal TIMs .. and the next 50 TIMs are with 2c of each other .. in fact the next 78 TIMs are all within 4c of each other. Worry about getting a good seat with TIM only filling voids between CPU and cooler .. and make sure your case airflow is supplying cooler with air no more than 4-5c warmer than room temp and you are golden.

Differences in TIM data.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/0_20#post_22646705

How to get a good TIM seat:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/0_20#post_22335323

How to optimize case airflow for best cooling.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data/0_20#post_22319249


----------



## NewType88

Can I join ? ;p Which color do you guys like the best ?


----------



## xkm1948

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NewType88*
> 
> Can I join ? ;p Which color do you guys like the best ?


Black one seems better. Sexy!

Have you noticed any performance penalty using these shrouds?


----------



## MooMoo

My vote goes for the white ones


----------



## NewType88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *xkm1948*
> 
> Black one seems better. Sexy!
> 
> Have you noticed any performance penalty using these shrouds?


I bought the cooler an the covers at the same time, so I couldn't tell ya. I don't think it does though.


----------



## NewType88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> My vote goes for the white ones


I'm partial to the white as well.


----------



## AshBorer

I also like the white better. Though personally i'd just settle for the black fans and leave the shrouds off of the end of the fin arrays - i like seeing the heatpipes


----------



## claes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NewType88*
> 
> I bought the cooler an the covers at the same time, so I couldn't tell ya. I don't think it does though.


I like the white, too, helps give weight to the white cabling.

But please also test without shroud


----------



## NewType88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AshBorer*
> 
> I also like the white better. Though personally i'd just settle for the black fans and leave the shrouds off of the end of the fin arrays - i like seeing the heatpipes


Yeah I think the bare metal looks good too. When I bought my u12s I thought it looked better in person than in pictures.


----------



## NewType88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *claes*
> 
> I like the white, too, helps give weight to the white cabling.
> 
> But please also test without shroud


Honestly I would love too, but that's to much effort for me, especially because I'm disabled - you don't wanna know how long this whole build took me







. Maybe the other user on here with them can run a test for ya ? Errantpigeon has a set on his D15s. One of those tech channels was talking to that noctua Austrian guy with the long blond hair at the tech shows and he said that it doesn't.


----------



## doyll

While I have not tested the these covers I have made and used covers on several coolers in the past and found little to no difference in CPU temps, but a couple of times I did notice lower motherboard component temps .. but I found that difference was probably because I lowered fans so tops were flush with cooler top and I had more airflow over motherboard.


----------



## AlphaC

https://www.hwcooling.net/en/d15-is-elite-but-theres-room-for-improvement/
Quote:


> Due to the centimetre gap between the rotor and the tower, the suction effect is very weak, which is confirmed by the thermal images. But everything bad is good for something, and thanks to this slit, the noise of the cooler at the same flow is definitely lower than if the fan was attached right to the ribs. The second tower simply creates less flow resistance. The proof that it works is the comparison of the measured noise with coolers that have only one tower.
> 
> However, the mentioned above is more or less trivial. Cooling efficiency (in terms of power/ noise) is the domain of Noctua, no doubt about that. It is the heatsink is not that excellent (in terms of effectiveness/weight ratio). That is not 100% supported by our tests yet, but we will prove and explain everything once we get our hands on Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E again. This cooler, by the way, has the most effective heatsink we have ever seen (during some previous work). Its 250g lighter and has a very similar efficiency as D15. Unfortunately, TR has buried the series some time ago.


https://www.hwcooling.net/en/noctua-nh-d15-austrian-dual-tower/8/
Quote:


> NH-D15 probably still remains (even after three and a half years after the release) the most efficient commercially available CPU cooler. That sounds like a courageous claim, but it is based on my previous work - the great comparison of CPU coolers on ExtraHardware.cz. There are practically all competitors who had the ambition to endanger the position of Noctua, including Raijintek Thisis and Cryorig R1 Ultimate.
> The cooling performance is very high even at low noise levels. And even though the fans can go really wild, the cooler is optimized for exceptionally quiet operation. This is supported by the fact that the temperature variation between the maximum noise level (48 dBA) and really silent 33 dBA is only about 4 degrees Celsius (180 W). The cooling performance decreases linearly as well as the noise level according to the speed/airflow. Compared with cheaper coolers (for example, SilentiumPC Fera 3), it is clear that D15 is dominant with a lower airflow rate, because the big heatsink makes a difference.


----------



## fvbounty

I just got NH-D15S for my Asus X299 Apex build with the White covers and just love it, I had a 12S on my 4790K and always loved the performance but the 15S is just absolutely silent, and of coarse the temps are Great, I have a 7820X running stock (I know but its fast enough for what I do at stock)....just wanted to put my 2 cents in, Love Noctua stuff!


----------



## LostParticle

I love my NH-D15S, as well. Absolutely love it! The only "issue" that bugs me is that due to my tall RAM, I cannot place the first fan as low as the middle fan can be set. And in my case, with my G.Skill set, I have not managed to remove the RAM heat-sinks, no matter what I've tried







G.Skill was offering a service, to send them the DRAM kit to remove the heat-spreaders, but then I'd have to send my RAM to another country, so I am not doing it. My next DRAM kit will be short, for sure.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> I love my NH-D15S, as well. Absolutely love it! The only "issue" that bugs me is that due to my tall RAM, I cannot place the first fan as low as the middle fan can be set...


You could replace the 140mm fans with 120mm. With the 140mm fan being set so high, it's probably not moving much more air through the fin stack than a 120mm anyways.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> I love my NH-D15S, as well. Absolutely love it! The only "issue" that bugs me is that due to my tall RAM, I cannot place the first fan as low as the middle fan can be set...
> 
> 
> 
> You could replace the 140mm fans with 120mm. With the 140mm fan being set so high, it's probably not moving much more air through the fin stack than a 120mm anyways.
Click to expand...

And then he would have an NH-D14, not such a bad cooler.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> I love my NH-D15S, as well. Absolutely love it! The only "issue" that bugs me is that due to my tall RAM, I cannot place the first fan as low as the middle fan can be set...
> 
> 
> 
> You could replace the 140mm fans with 120mm. With the 140mm fan being set so high, it's probably not moving much more air through the fin stack than a 120mm anyways.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> And then he would have an NH-D14...
Click to expand...

Close but not exactly. Besides, he already has the NH-D15S.

And thanks for the comment. Through a completely left-handed thought process, it gave me an idea on how to possibly fix an almost totally unrelated problem.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> I love my NH-D15S, as well. Absolutely love it! The only "issue" that bugs me is that due to my tall RAM, I cannot place the first fan as low as the middle fan can be set...
> 
> 
> 
> You could replace the 140mm fans with 120mm. With the 140mm fan being set so high, it's probably not moving much more air through the fin stack than a 120mm anyways.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> And then he would have an NH-D14...
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Close but not exactly. Besides, he already has the NH-D15S.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but the point is that using a 120mm fan in front will still net him a good heatsink. Add to that the fact that the NF-A15 uses the same screw-holes as a 120mm fan and you see that there is nothing in the way of using a 120mm fan in front.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> I love my NH-D15S, as well. Absolutely love it! The only "issue" that bugs me is that due to my tall RAM, I cannot place the first fan as low as the middle fan can be set...
> 
> 
> 
> You could replace the 140mm fans with 120mm. With the 140mm fan being set so high, it's probably not moving much more air through the fin stack than a 120mm anyways.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> And then he would have an NH-D14...
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Close but not exactly. Besides, he already has the NH-D15S.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yeah, but the point is that using a 120mm fan in front will still net him a good heatsink. Add to that the fact that the NF-A15 uses the same screw-holes as a 120mm fan and you see that there is nothing in the way of using a 120mm fan in front.
Click to expand...

Uh...yes? I think we are on the same page, just saying it differently.


----------



## ehume

Just adding to what you were saying, not disagreeing at all.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> I love my NH-D15S, as well. Absolutely love it! The only "issue" that bugs me is that due to my tall RAM, I cannot place the first fan as low as the middle fan can be set. And in my case, with my G.Skill set, I have not managed to remove the RAM heat-sinks, no matter what I've tried
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> G.Skill was offering a service, to send them the DRAM kit to remove the heat-spreaders, but then I'd have to send my RAM to another country, so I am not doing it. My next DRAM kit will be short, for sure.


Having front fan mounted a little above center does't hurt performance by much if any.

I assume you know the retail version of NF-A15 is 1200rpm versuin while the NF-A15 that comes with coolers is 1500rpm version .. new Chromax NF-A15 is 1500rpm version


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> I love my NH-D15S, as well. Absolutely love it! The only "issue" that bugs me is that due to my tall RAM, I cannot place the first fan as low as the middle fan can be set. And in my case, with my G.Skill set, I have not managed to remove the RAM heat-sinks, no matter what I've tried
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> G.Skill was offering a service, to send them the DRAM kit to remove the heat-spreaders, but then I'd have to send my RAM to another country, so I am not doing it. My next DRAM kit will be short, for sure.
> 
> 
> 
> Having front fan mounted a little above center does't hurt performance by much if any.
Click to expand...

A little above center is one thing. With high ram, we are talking about quite a bit above.


----------



## LostParticle

Thank you all, for your concern!

@doyll, is right: a front NF-A15 placed higher, due to tall RAM, does not hurt a lot but...it still hurts. Not that I have faced any issue with the system shown in my sig_rig, but it is not pleasant to feel I'm not getting the maximum this fine cooler can offer.

According to my personal and subjective opinion, I cannot get that maximum performance because my front NF-A15 --1500 RPM (already owned from my previous NH-U14S), is not blowing in the area inside the red rectangle, like the middle fan does.



There, I believe is what is missing, but I'm no master in these matters, of course.

Placing a 120mm fan in the front sounds like a good idea, and I have a Noctua NF-P12 which might fit for the purpose but...it is not such a good idea, after all... Because I would have to connect them in separate motherboard fan_headers, because I would have to calculate their speeds differently. In order to gain the full potential they would have to spin in different speeds, in cooperation with one another.

So, I just place 2 x NF-A15 (both 1500 RPM), and whine, now and then, about my tall RAM.

Thank you.


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> Thank you all, for your concern!
> 
> @doyll, is right: a front NF-A15 placed higher, due to tall RAM, does not hurt a lot but...it still hurts. Not that I have faced any issue with the system shown in my sig_rig, but it is not pleasant to feel I'm not getting the maximum this fine cooler can offer.
> 
> According to my personal and subjective opinion, I cannot get that maximum performance because my front NF-A15 --1500 RPM (already owned from my previous NH-U14S), is not blowing in the area inside the red rectangle, like the middle fan does.
> 
> 
> 
> There, I believe is what is missing, but I'm no master in these matters, of course.
> 
> Placing a 120mm fan in the front sounds like a good idea, and I have a Noctua NF-P12 which might fit for the purpose but...it is not such a good idea, after all... Because I would have to connect them in separate motherboard fan_headers, because I would have to calculate their speeds differently. In order to gain the full potential they would have to spin in different speeds, in cooperation with one another.
> 
> So, I just place 2 x NF-A15 (both 1500 RPM), and whine, now and then, about my tall RAM.
> 
> Thank you.


Actually, an NF-P12 is about perfect for that use. And the RPM will be managed by PWM -- if you have an NF-P12 PWM fan. Otherwise, just let it spin.

The NF-F12 which replaced the P12 is really a rad fan. The P12 was evolved for the D14. It works well with the D15. I have both kinds of heatsink and both both kinds of fan, so I have been able to observe them.

The main problem comes from tall RAM. I buy ultra-low profile RAM when I can find it, low profile when I have to. Remember that medium tall RAM was fine when we had DDR3 at 1.65v. Low profile was fine at 1.5v. Ultra-low profile was fine for 1.5v. Now we have 1.2v. Think we need coxcombs for RAM heatsinks? I'll bet when you buy RAM again you'll buy the low stuff.


----------



## LostParticle

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> *Actually, an NF-P12 is about perfect for that use.* And the RPM will be managed by PWM -- if you have an NF-P12 PWM fan. Otherwise, just let it spin.
> 
> The NF-F12 which replaced the P12 is really a rad fan. The P12 was evolved for the D14. It works well with the D15. I have both kinds of heatsink and both both kinds of fan,c so I have been able to observe them.
> 
> The main problem comes from tall RAM. I buy ultra-low profile RAM when I can find it, low profile when I have to. Remeber that medium tall RAM was fine when we had DDR3 at 1.65v. Low profile was fine at 1.5v. Ultra-low profile was fine for 1.5v. Now we have 1.2v. Think we need coxcombs for RAM heatsinks? I'll bet when you buy RAM again you'll buy the low stuff.


Okay, I will give it a try when I'll install my NH-D15S again, soon. My NF-P12 is 3-pin, non-PWM, just checked it.

One question:

- My motherboard has 2 CPU fan headers. CPU and CPU_opt. How should I connect these two fans, the NF-P12 and the NF-A15 --1500 RPM? The 120mm will be my front fan and the other will go in the middle. But how should I connect them? Together, using a Noctua Y-cable? Or, one on CPU and the other on CPU_opt fan headers, and if so, which on which?

When I will finally install the cooler back, I'll perform two tests: NF-P12 + NF-A15_1500 vs 2 x NF-A15_1500.

@doyll, what is your opinion?

Thank you.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LostParticle*
> 
> Okay, I will give it a try when I'll install my NH-D15S again, soon. My NF-P12 is 3-pin, non-PWM, just checked it.
> 
> One question:
> 
> - My motherboard has 2 CPU fan headers. CPU and CPU_opt. How should I connect these two fans, the NF-P12 and the NF-A15 --1500 RPM? The 120mm will be my front fan and the other will go in the middle. But how should I connect them? Together, using a Noctua Y-cable? Or, one on CPU and the other on CPU_opt fan headers, and if so, which on which?
> 
> When I will finally install the cooler back, I'll perform two tests: NF-P12 + NF-A15_1500 vs 2 x NF-A15_1500.
> 
> @doyll, what is your opinion?
> 
> Thank you.


I can only give educated guesses.

I don't think the P12 will be any help. It's flowrate is less then A15 and may even give warmer temps. I don't know if CPU and CPU_opt are sme or if CPU_opt may be variable voltage. Depends on motherboard. I can't remember any mobo that allows different temp to speed curves on CPU / CPU_opt.
I have not tested NH-D15S, but on D15 I found 1x vs 2x fans made minimal differences.

Honestly, I don't think temp differences between 2x fans vs 1x fan on D15 is worth worrying about. In reviews where both were tested the results 0c to 3c depending on test. My guess is most of the higher numbers are differences in system airflow and not D15/D15S cooling differences with 1 vs 2 fans.

I am curious to see what you find out.


----------



## LostParticle

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I can only give educated guesses.
> 
> I don't think the P12 will be any help. It's flowrate is less then A15 and may even give warmer temps. I don't know if CPU and CPU_opt are sme or if CPU_opt may be variable voltage. Depends on motherboard. I can't remember any mobo that allows different temp to speed curves on CPU / CPU_opt.
> I have not tested NH-D15S, but on D15 I found 1x vs 2x fans made minimal differences.
> 
> Honestly, I don't think temp differences between 2x fans vs 1x fan on D15 is worth worrying about. In reviews where both were tested the results 0c to 3c depending on test. My guess is most of the higher numbers are differences in system airflow and not D15/D15S cooling differences with 1 vs 2 fans.
> 
> I am curious to see what you find out.


Thank you, doyll, I agree with you.

Back when I purchased this cooler, I remember testing it with up to 3 NF-A15! I've posted pictures and screenshots of my results, perhaps here or in your thread. What I recall from all this, is that 3 fans is definitely not worth it. Now, when it comes to two NF-A15, it might worth it I recall, but after a short period of time I removed the front fan from mine and kept using it with its default middle fan. I always used this Noctua cooler on an open-air rig. This period, though, I will have to install it inside my chassis, so...we will see! I might be able to get away with it, without installing any other chassis fans (and all the panels removed from my Air 540). If this won't work I'll add 3 Noctuas as front -intakes, like I had it in the past (see sig_rig).

The only "significant" difference I, personally, recall during all that testing, last year or so, was when I managed to install a front NF-A15 as low as the middle fan is installed (see picture in my previous post). ONLY then I observed a significant Core temperature drop, meaning like 4 -5 Celsius. I think I managed to install it after removing one RAM stick, to run the stress-test just out of curiosity.

Right now I'll clean install Win 10 and one of these days I'll install the Noctua (*because my H110 needs cleaning).

Thank you.


----------



## moodlover

Anyone using Noctua NH-D15s in S340 Elite? Does it cover up your RGB ram?


----------



## NewType88

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *moodlover*
> 
> Anyone using Noctua NH-D15s in S340 Elite? Does it cover up your RGB ram?


This was posted on pcpp recently. Not rgb, but Corsair rgb ram looks similar. So I guess it depends on the looking angle of the case.


----------



## moodlover

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NewType88*
> 
> This was posted on pcpp recently.


Awesome, how did you find such a specific case + cooler combo so fast?


----------



## NewType88

You can search for specific parts on pcpartpicker.com. I went to the search for specific parts and chose D15s and it pulls up every build with that cooler. Then to the left you can see all the cases that have used that cooler, I scrolled down and ticked all the s340 cases that showed up.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *moodlover*
> 
> Anyone using Noctua NH-D15s in S340 Elite? Does it cover up your RGB ram?


Most motherboards have nearest RAM socket about 50-55mm from center of CPU
Front of NH-D15S is 67.5mm center of base (center CPU) to front of cooler fins.
This mean any RAM closer than 67.5mm will be under D15S fins.

There are several coolers that do not cover RAM. NH-U14S does not cover RAM,but it is 75mm toward PCIe sockets from center of base / CPU .. and sometimes this will block top PCIe socket for GPU.

Smaller NH-U12S clears both RAM and GPU sockets, but can't cool hotter CPUs as well / as quietly.

There are many others too, like Le Grand Macho RT, R1 Universal, Archon IB-E X2, H5, etc, but this being NH-D15 club thread I don't feel comfortable discussing them here. Start a thread if you want to discuss these others.


----------



## GeneO

Add me to the club, just replaced my nh-d14 with an nh-d15. Got a 10c drop on prime95 4790k @ 4.7 GHz/1.23v, down from 82c to 72c max. I always thought that there was something not right with my nh-d14. Maybe that is part of it. I can now OC 4.8 GHz/1.27v at 77c max. Happy camper.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GeneO*
> 
> Add me to the club, just replaced my nh-d14 with an nh-d15. Got a 10c drop on prime95 4790k @ 4.7 GHz/1.23v, down from 82c to 72c max. I always thought that there was something not right with my nh-d14. Maybe that is part of it. I can now OC 4.8 GHz/1.27v at 77c max. Happy camper.


I agree, either something was wrong with your D14 .. maybe a bad TIM print / bad mounting.

Not picking on you, but if you hadn't clearified by saying something wrong with your D14 your post would be a perfect example of how mistaken conclusions were drawn. I see this kind of thing all the time so can't resist pointing it out, sorry.








NH-D15 and NH-D14 cool almost identically with same fans and D14 is only a couple degrees less with it's stock fans, but only because the D15 has 1500rpm fans and D14 has one 1200rpm and one 1300rpm fans .. less rpm is less airflow is warmer temps.


----------



## GeneO

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I agree, either something was wrong with your D14 .. maybe a bad TIM print / bad mounting.
> 
> Not picking on you, but if you hadn't clearified by saying something wrong with your D14 your post would be a perfect example of how mistaken conclusions were drawn. I see this kind of thing all the time so can't resist pointing it out, sorry.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NH-D15 and NH-D14 cool almost identically with same fans and D14 is only a couple degrees less with it's stock fans, but only because the D15 has 1500rpm fans and D14 has one 1200rpm and one 1300rpm fans .. less rpm is less airflow is warmer temps.


Well, even without my clarification I didn't draw any connclusions, just stated fact, so I don't think that would be the kind of example you are imagining.

The TIM and mount were fine on the d14. My suspiicon is the junction between the heat pipes and plate was faulty. I think you are drawing conclusions here, no?









.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GeneO*
> 
> Well, even without my clarification I didn't draw any connclusions, just stated fact, so I don't think that would be the kind of example you are imagining.
> 
> The TIM and mount were fine on the d14. My suspiicon is the junction between the heat pipes and plate was faulty. I think you are drawing conclusions here, no?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


No your post is not a bad post.
I was jsut saying how some peeps read a post like yours and then misquoting it sayng the 10c difference was because of cooler changetand starting a rash of additional posts of miss-information / gossip. We see it happening all the time .. even with peeps miss-quoting things I say to meet their false beliefs.

I suggest you contact Noctua and explain how your D14 had a good TIM print you have wondered all along about it not performing as expected with the change to D15 pretty much verifying the D14 is likely defective. Might get you freebie of some sort.


----------



## GeneO

A work in progress, Will have blacked out fans or Chromax and replaced/fixed HDD cage by the time I replace the guts with a 9700k.

Speed from from top front intake, top intake, synced with CPU fan speed curve. Back exhaust and bottom intake have their own curves based on CPU temp (turn off at low temps).. NVME drive small fan constant.


----------



## jologskyblues

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GeneO*
> 
> A work in progress, Will have blacked out fans or Chromax and replaced/fixed HDD cage by the time I replace the guts with a 9700k.
> 
> Speed from from top front intake, top intake, synced with CPU fan speed curve. Back exhaust and bottom intake have their own curves based on CPU temp (turn off at low temps).. NVME drive small fan constant.


Our rigs look very similar. lol


----------



## Brightmist

1600X, 4.0 GHz @ 1.381V in BIOS
RAM set to 3466C14 @ 1.4V
GTX970 FTW @ Stock
Corsair 400C with front panel and back PCI-E covers removed
D15 with dual T147-B in pull/pull and 2x T147-B as case intake, no exhaust fans.
~875 RPM on CPU fans and CPU-case intake(annoying to PWM these since AMD temp. offset so constant speed 65% on Speedfan)
PWM on GPU-side case intake, both GPU fan and that fan is ~800 RPM



So grabbed a cheap thermometer with a probe:

Ambient Temp: 24.9C
Air into D15: 26.7C
CPU: 48.8C
GPU: 69C

This is during mining Monero on CPU & GPU at reduced intensity and light desktop usage(watching a stream, tons of tabs on Firefox, Discord, Steam etc.) at the same time.
CPU physical cores and GPU pegged @ 100% usage yet not as stressfull as an AVX load.
Fans are barely audible.
So even in a relatively warm room, I think my system is cool & quiet.

Thanks @doyll for all the help.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brightmist*
> 
> 1600X, 4.0 GHz @ 1.381V in BIOS
> RAM set to 3466C14 @ 1.4V
> GTX970 FTW @ Stock
> Corsair 400C with front panel and back PCI-E covers removed
> D15 with dual T147-B in pull/pull and 2x T147-B as case intake, no exhaust fans.
> ~875 RPM on CPU fans and CPU-case intake(annoying to PWM these since AMD temp. offset so constant speed 65% on Speedfan)
> PWM on GPU-side case intake, both GPU fan and that fan is ~800 RPM
> 
> 
> 
> So grabbed a cheap thermometer with a probe:
> 
> Ambient Temp: 24.9C
> Air into D15: 26.7C
> CPU: 48.8C
> GPU: 69C
> 
> This is during mining Monero on CPU & GPU at reduced intensity and light desktop usage(watching a stream, tons of tabs on Firefox, Discord, Steam etc.) at the same time.
> CPU physical cores and GPU pegged @ 100% usage yet not as stressfull as an AVX load.
> Fans are barely audible.
> So even in a relatively warm room, I think my system is cool & quiet.
> 
> Thanks @doyll for all the help.


1.8c difference is very good!









Did you check the air temp going into GPU?


----------



## Brightmist

Nope, I didn't

Not sure where to put the probe for the GPU really, suggestions are welcome

I put the probe directly infront of D15 with the help of a zip-tie on top of the case


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brightmist*
> 
> Nope, I didn't
> 
> Not sure where to put the probe for the GPU really, suggestions are welcome
> 
> I put the probe directly infront of D15 with the help of a zip-tie on top of the case


Why can't you use the same air temp monitor you used to figure out the 1.8c difference between room and CPU cooler intake air temp?


----------



## Brightmist

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Why can't you use the same air temp monitor you used to figure out the 1.8c difference between room and CPU cooler intake air temp?


No, I mean I can use the same thing, I'm just not sure where and how exactly to place it and keep it there.
GPU has like 2x 100mm fans. Do I put it under first or second or whatever.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Brightmist*
> 
> No, I mean I can use the same thing, I'm just not sure where and how exactly to place it and keep it there.
> GPU has like 2x 100mm fans. Do I put it under first or second or whatever.


I usually try it under/in front of each one and do something that works GPU to extreme for as long as it takes for air to reach maximum temp, same as in front of CPU cooler fan.


----------



## crpcookie

nevermind


----------



## overheatisbad

Anyone use 2 fans configuration with rgb ram ?
Can we set 2nd fan elevation in high ram ?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> Anyone use 2 fans configuration with rgb ram ?
> Can we set 2nd fan elevation in high ram ?


Would really help to know wht RGB RAM you are asking about. There is not just one RGB RAM out there.


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Would really help to know wht RGB RAM you are asking about. There is not just one RGB RAM out there.


My RAM is corsair RGB cmr16gx4m2c3000c15 i use 2 of 4


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> My RAM is corsair RGB cmr32gx4m2c3000c15 i use 2 of 4


my bad it's 32 not 16


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> my bad it's 32 not 16


I believe they are 44mm tall, so top is 47mm above surface of motherboard.

Your case would need to have 179mm CPU clearance or more to fit a 140mm fan over RAM.


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I believe they are 44mm tall, so top is 47mm above surface of motherboard.
> 
> Your case would need to have 179mm CPU clearance or more to fit a 140mm fan over RAM.


Thanks for answer. My case have that clearance(phanteks enthoo pro). And my nh-d15 will come in 2 days. If i cannot set elevation of 2nd fan will use single fan configuration. But with your answer i think i can us 2 fans configuration


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> Thanks for answer. My case have that clearance(phanteks enthoo pro). And my nh-d15 will come in 2 days. If i cannot set elevation of 2nd fan will use single fan configuration. But with your answer i think i can us 2 fans configuration


Indeed, Enthoo Pro has plenty of clearance. Just be sure the 150mm width of D15 doesn't block needed PCIe socket.

Best to replace the 200mm fan that came in front of your case (assume they still come with 200mm) with a couple fans like rear case fan. I'm assuming the rear case fan has no model number on it, so it is a PH-F140SP housing and motor with a PH-F140MP impeller. Good fan, but you cannot buy another like it.


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Indeed, Enthoo Pro has plenty of clearance. Just be sure the 150mm width of D15 doesn't block needed PCIe socket.
> 
> Best to replace the 200mm fan that came in front of your case (assume they still come with 200mm) with a couple fans like rear case fan. I'm assuming the rear case fan has no model number on it, so it is a PH-F140SP housing and motor with a PH-F140MP impeller. Good fan, but you cannot buy another like it.


i'll do that later maybe with 2 140mm fan pwm. The problem in here very rare seller for good quality fans(with pwm pin)
And about pci clearance i think no problem with that too since i alredy use tower cooler but only single tower not dual like nh-d15


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> i'll do that later maybe with 2 140mm fan pwm. The problem in here very rare seller for good quality fans(with pwm pin)
> And about pci clearance i think no problem with that too since i alredy use tower cooler but only single tower not dual like nh-d15


Tell me what motherboard you have and I can tell you if it will fit without blocking PCIe sockets.


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Tell me what motherboard you have and I can tell you if it will fit without blocking PCIe sockets.


asus x370 strix f-gaming


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> asus x370 strix f-gaming


I'm not at my computer so can't access my files now.
I'll try to remember and do in in about 12 hours when I get home.


----------



## honegod

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> I'm not at my computer so can't access my files now.
> I'll try to remember and do in in about 12 hours when I get home.


If you looked at the rog strix h270i too I would like to know if I
Can put a d15 on it, sideways, blowing on the video card.
I read on the Noctua qvl that it should fit 'normally' but sideways???


----------



## MooMoo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *honegod*
> 
> If you looked at the rog strix h270i too I would like to know if I
> Can put a d15 on it, sideways, blowing on the video card.
> I read on the Noctua qvl that it should fit 'normally' but sideways???


Why would you want to put airflow down when heat rises up?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> asus x370 strix f-gaming


Asus X370 Strix F-Gaming
79.8mm to near side of nearest 16x PCIe
59.5mm to near side of x1 PCIe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *honegod*
> 
> If you looked at the rog strix h270i too I would like to know if I
> Can put a d15 on it, sideways, blowing on the video card.
> I read on the Noctua qvl that it should fit 'normally' but sideways???


Asus ROG Stri8x H270I Gaming is about 87mm center CPU to near side of x16 PCIe socket

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> Why would you want to put airflow down when heat rises up?


To nit-pick, heat does not rise, but when air is warmed it expands and becomes lighter then surrounding air and will then rise if there is nothing else effecting airflow.

The fans in our cases are many times more powerful, so end result is the 'warmed air rises' has no place in our cases using fans.


----------



## claes

The better question is: why would you want to blow hot air at your GPU instead of exhausting it out of the chassis?


----------



## honegod

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MooMoo*
> 
> Why would you want to put airflow down when heat rises up?


My case holds the motherboard flat, not on edge, so the weight pushes
The heatsink more firmly into the CPU, instead of trying to twist the heatsink
Off the motherboard.

I actually only described the airflow that way to better illustrate which way
I want the radiators pointed.

Next up is ram clearance, conflict with the heatpipes.

I have a pair of G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series with the heatspreader
That looks to be close to the memory side heatpipes as they head up and out.

I downloaded several photos of the d15 that I hope to Photoshop enough to get a decent idea of where the
heatpipes go relative to the memory.

Or I could ask

Will I experience conflict between G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series and D15 heatpipes on my rog strix h270i ?


----------



## honegod

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *claes*
> 
> The better question is: why would you want to blow hot air at your GPU instead of exhausting it out of the chassis?


I don't, that would be silly.

The first time I saw a twin tower hs with a fan in the middle sucking cold air through part
Of one Tower, and then blowing that SAME now heated air through part of the other Tower,
I was all what???

Obviously there should be a shroud enclosing the middle space, ducted to a beefy case exhaust fan.
That way both towers see fresh air, the air is drawn evenly through the entire fin stacks
And all the CPU heat is directly blown out of the case.

My case has a 120mm exhaust fan right above the IO panel so all I need to do is rotate the D15 90 degrees to point
The gap at the fan and build the shroud/duct to direct the air.

Unless I can't fit memory under the heat pipes.


----------



## claes

I'm afraid I don't understand - did you forget a duct in that post?







As in "duct fresh air to D15" and then duct air out?

If not, what do you mean when you say "both towers see fresh air?"


----------



## honegod

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *claes*
> 
> I'm afraid I don't understand - did you forget a duct in that post?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As in "duct fresh air to D15" and then duct air out?
> 
> If not, what do you mean when you say "both towers see fresh air?"


I am working on fitting a 200mm fan in the front of the case as intake with
Two 120s as exhaust, one on the CPU, the other on the GPU.

The idea is to have the front fan flooding the case with a large volume of turbulent fresh air,
While the other fans get rid of the main sources of hot air, venting them directly outside the case.

The psu and harddrives are in the bottom bay getting air from the front fan, overhang like
The chipset gets air from the part of the oversize fan that extends beyond the heatsink in a normal setup.

I wish Noctua made an industrial 1500 rpm 200mm fan.


----------



## ehume

Sorry.


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Asus X370 Strix F-Gaming
> 79.8mm to near side of nearest 16x PCIe
> 59.5mm to near side of x1 PCIe


Is that clear to use nh-d15 ?


----------



## claes

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *honegod*
> 
> I am working on fitting a 200mm fan in the front of the case as intake with
> Two 120s as exhaust, one on the CPU, the other on the GPU.
> 
> The idea is to have the front fan flooding the case with a large volume of turbulent fresh air,
> While the other fans get rid of the main sources of hot air, venting them directly outside the case.


Hi!

This is a recently interesting idea, but might I suggest:

Instead of using a single 200mm intake, which likely has low pressure and is unable to overcome the impedance of filters, why not use two 120mm/140mm intakes?

This way, you could duct _more_ fresh air, and also provide _more_ direct air to both components. If only because 120mm/140mm fans offer higher pressure and greater CFM to overcome infiltration and push air than 200mm fans (when 2x120mm/2x140mm are compared to a single 200mm fan).

This way you might be able to provide more intake volume to components than you might with a 200mm fan. Coupled with similar exhaust fans, it might be an effective solution.

What chassis are you using? I am curious to see how you mount exhaust fans over the PCIe range!









Edit: I have to admit that, IMO, this might be worth less in desired results than the labor involved. Chassis are tiny spaces, and quality fans are pretty effective at moving air efficiently. Overall, and particularly with more energy efficient production measures used in components, this should make the extra work in ducting less relevant to performance. But, hey, totally interested in the project and it's results either way, even if only for the sake of theory!


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *honegod*
> 
> I am working on fitting a 200mm fan in the front of the case as intake with
> Two 120s as exhaust, one on the CPU, the other on the GPU.
> 
> The idea is to have the front fan flooding the case with a large volume of turbulent fresh air,
> While the other fans get rid of the main sources of hot air, venting them directly outside the case.
> 
> The psu and harddrives are in the bottom bay getting air from the front fan, overhang like
> The chipset gets air from the part of the oversize fan that extends beyond the heatsink in a normal setup.
> 
> I wish Noctua made an industrial 1500 rpm 200mm fan.


While most 200mm fans are not much good there are a few that a good. 2x 140mm fans move half again as much air as 2x 120mm fans of same design, usually at lower speed .. and a 180/200mm fan moves about the same as 2x 140mm fans.
In other words
3x 120mm fans move about the same amount of air as 2x 140mm fans
2x 140mm fans move about the same amount of air about the same as 1x 200mm fan.

*Airflow is simply displacement; for air to come into case, air must be leaving case .. or .. for air to leave the case, air must be coming into case.*
Think of the air around us as water and we are divers in it and a sunken van is a computer case.

We can't move more water into the van (case) through an open window (vent) unless we have another open window (vent) somewhere else in the van (case) moving the same amount of water (air) out through a window on other side of van (case).
We can't take any water out of van unless we have the same amount of water coming in at the same time.
This means we have to have as many open windows flowing water into van as we have open windows flowing water out.
This is exactly how airflow works. Intake fan pushing / flowing air into case is pushing / flowing the same amount of air out of case.
Adding an exhaust fan can help case airflow, same as adding a back fan on some coolers.
But with good case intake fans we don't need exhaust fans, same as good cooler / radiator fans don't need pull fans.








This is why I used to always change stock intake fans. Now some cases are finally coming with intake fans that have high enough pressure ratings to not need 'helper' (exhaust) fans.








Using good pressure rated fans and blocking/sealing any unused vents and holes in sides off case we have intakes fans in (so none of the air they are pushing into case leaks out) we generally don't even need exhaust fans. Almost all of my builds have no exhaust fans.

The key to having a cool quiet system is tuning / optimizing case airflow. You might find 'Ways to Better Cooling' link in my sig of interest. 1st post is index, click on topic to see it. 5th is a good place to start.


----------



## honegod

Quote ] What chassis are you using? I am curious to see how you mount exhaust fans over the PCIe range! smile.gif

http://www.overclock.net/forum/newestpost/1641116

Quote ] While most 200mm fans are not much good there are a few that a good

Plan A is a Noctua pwm 200, where can I read about superior options??

I emailed Noctua about my heatpipes conflict concern, I will post their response here.

A advantage the D15 has over the silverstone is lots more surface area for the air to be drawn through


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *honegod*
> 
> Quote ] What chassis are you using? I am curious to see how you mount exhaust fans over the PCIe range! smile.gif
> 
> http://www.overclock.net/forum/newestpost/1641116
> 
> Quote ] While most 200mm fans are not much good there are a few that a good
> 
> Plan A is a Noctua pwm 200, where can I read about superior options??
> 
> I emailed Noctua about my heatpipes conflict concern, I will post their response here.
> 
> A advantage the D15 has over the silverstone is lots more surface area for the air to be drawn through


Silverstone has better but they are 180mm
AP181 & AP182 are good. I think the FM181 is too.

But 2x 140mm fans will deliver similar airflow.


----------



## overheatisbad

Anyone here have experience use nh-d15 in am4 asus rog with am3 mounting hole ?


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> Anyone here have experience use nh-d15 in am4 asus rog with am3 mounting hole ?


Do you have AM4 mount for your NH-D15?


----------



## ehume

The 200x30mm Noctua fan is very good. I kept my review copies.


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Do you have AM4 mount for your NH-D15?


yes i have, but my mobo have hole for am3 too


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> yes i have, but my mobo have hole for am3 too


Not sure what you are trying to determine. I don't think it makes any difference which holes you use, AM3 or AM4 should both work equally well .. unless there is something I don't know, and that is always a possiblity.


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Not sure what you are trying to determine. I don't think it makes any difference which holes you use, AM3 or AM4 should both work equally well .. unless there is something I don't know, and that is always a possiblity.


Just curious about compatibility with am3 mounting hole


----------



## overheatisbad

Use nh-d15 at my ryzen 5 1600 oc at 3.85ghz. Max temp at stress test 67 C before at 74 C.
Because rgb ram i put fan at center and rear


----------



## honegod

The response from Noctua regarding ram clearance for D15 in "b" orientation. On h270i Asus.

""The NH-D15 will interfere with your RAM modules (even with removed heat spreader)
and the NH-D15S will most likely not clear the VRM heatsink/shroud (There's sadly not enough info available on this topic).""

I offered to make measurements needed to find out about the D15s clearance.


----------



## overheatisbad

Heatsink is clear for rgb ram but fan will be to high for my case if i use A configuration. About my rog vrm it need little higher position about 2 or 3 space in heatsink but it still good


----------



## overheatisbad

Just try to get my 3rd fan clips from noctua...i hope i can get so i can use nf-f12 for my front side


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> Just try to get my 3rd fan clips from noctua...i hope i can get so i can use nf-f12 for my front side


Trying to understand this .. you want to use the 2x stock 140mm fans as pull / pull on your D15, and add an NF-F12 on the front?

What you would end up with is
a NF-F12 with a maximum flow rate of 93,4 m³/h @ 1500rpm
supplying NF-A15 with a flow rate of 140,2 m³/h @ 1500rpm ..
even at 1200rpm NF-A15 flows 115,5 m³/h

Don't bother plugging in the NF-F12 because it will still spin like a windmill, just a little slower.









You are wasting your time and money .. unless all you are jjust trying to do it for for looks.


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Trying to understand this .. you want to use the 2x stock 140mm fans as pull / pull on your D15, and add an NF-F12 on the front?
> 
> What you would end up with is
> a NF-F12 with a maximum flow rate of 93,4 m³/h @ 1500rpm
> supplying NF-A15 with a flow rate of 140,2 m³/h @ 1500rpm ..
> even at 1200rpm NF-A15 flows 115,5 m³/h
> 
> Don't bother plugging in the NF-F12 because it will still spin like a windmill, just a little slower.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You are wasting your time and money .. unless all you are jjust trying to do it for for looks.


just want try ... if not work well i can put on another spot in my case
One more think, i still not satisfied with my cooling at idle(with pwm lower than 300rpm) i hope can get lower idle temperature with 3 fans configuration at lower rpm...i get around 41 celcius at idle


----------



## ehume

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *overheatisbad*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *doyll*
> 
> Trying to understand this .. you want to use the 2x stock 140mm fans as pull / pull on your D15, and add an NF-F12 on the front?
> 
> What you would end up with is
> a NF-F12 with a maximum flow rate of 93,4 m³/h @ 1500rpm
> supplying NF-A15 with a flow rate of 140,2 m³/h @ 1500rpm ..
> even at 1200rpm NF-A15 flows 115,5 m³/h
> 
> Don't bother plugging in the NF-F12 because it will still spin like a windmill, just a little slower.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You are wasting your time and money .. unless all you are jjust trying to do it for for looks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> just want try ... if not work well i can put on another spot in my case
> One more think, i still not satisfied with my cooling at idle(with pwm lower than 300rpm) i hope can get lower idle temperature with 3 fans configuration at lower rpm...i get around 41 celcius at idle
Click to expand...

The advantage of using 3 fans is that you can operate them more slowly than using 2 fans. The trouble comes, as doyll has pointed out, from using a 120mm fan in a 140mm setup. Try getting low-profile RAM and use a 140mm front fan instead. Also, to use three fans you must cut out the rear grill and eschew an exhaust fan. See item 2 in my sig.


----------



## doyll

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> The advantage of using 3 fans is that you can operate them more slowly than using 2 fans. The trouble comes, as doyll has pointed out, from using a 120mm fan in a 140mm setup. Try getting low-profile RAM and use a 140mm front fan instead. Also, to use three fans you must cut out the rear grill and eschew an exhaust fan. See item 2 in my sig.


Honestly on most coolers like D15 the difference in fan speed for same performance is marginal .. like so little it is hard to determine if the 3x fans do run slower maintaining same temps as 2x fans do.

But the real problem with usign NF-A15 and NF-F12 is slowing down the NF-15 fans to move air at the same feet/minute speed as NF-F12, but I suppose plugging the L.N.A. adapters onto the A15s' would do that .. but then maximum performance would be reduced dramatically.


----------



## overheatisbad

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ehume*
> 
> The advantage of using 3 fans is that you can operate them more slowly than using 2 fans. The trouble comes, as doyll has pointed out, from using a 120mm fan in a 140mm setup. Try getting low-profile RAM and use a 140mm front fan instead. Also, to use three fans you must cut out the rear grill and eschew an exhaust fan. See item 2 in my sig.


The problem today ddr4 is so expensive


----------



## doyll

While there is definitely a degree or 2, maybe even 3c difference between 1x fan and 2x fans, the differences going from 2 fans to 3 fans most (maybe all) twin tower coolers is so little it's hard to even know if is really any difference at all. Noctua did not include a 3rd set of fan clips on D15 because 3rd fan was counterproductive to cooling and noise .. only reason they give peeps fan clips is to avoid having to deal with idiots who argue with them about how much better their system works with 3rd fan and get all pissed off at Noctua for not giving them 3rd set of clips.


----------



## Binong

my cooler since 2015 and happy with it.

anyone would like to help me how to overclock. 
thank you


----------



## one-shot

I just in my NH D15 into my 400Q and the fans are too tall for the doors to go on. Has anyone had to experience this with smaller cases?


----------



## specialedge

one-shot said:


> I just in my NH D15 into my 400Q and the fans are too tall for the doors to go on. Has anyone had to experience this with smaller cases?


Noctua's product specifications indicate the product dimensions on the website, the packaging, and the documentation. Similar for the case. If the clearance is not given, or is not made apparent, you will have to measure it yourself. 

Presumably dozens or hundreds of consumers have likely run into this problem throughout the years. As an alternate, maybe you'll be able to fit a Noctua c14s?


----------



## tbob22

one-shot said:


> I just in my NH D15 into my 400Q and the fans are too tall for the doors to go on. Has anyone had to experience this with smaller cases?


If it's just the fans you could use some 120mm fans on the D15 instead and use the included fans in your case. I ended up doing that on my D15S because I have taller modules.


----------



## Brightmist

one-shot said:


> I just in my NH D15 into my 400Q and the fans are too tall for the doors to go on. Has anyone had to experience this with smaller cases?


Considering 400C and 400Q are pretty much the same case with slight differences, I can say that I can close the side door on my 400C when fans are mounted on pull/pull. Both cases have 170 mm CPU clearance according to Corsair.
I can't close side door when they're mounted push/push since my DIMMs were 44mm tall(Trident Z).
I can close the side door when I place the fans as push push on my Dark Base 700 which has 180mm CPU Cooler clearance.

The problem with D15 is A15s make too much noise when they're mounted as pull/pull so your best option would be to use 1 of the A15s as front intake and mount the other one in push configuration on D15.

Another option is to replace A15s and get TY-147A/Bs and use them in pull/pull. I find them superior to A15s anyway.

You can just get another case but that's not really practical.

400C/Q is a nice little case if you don't have many 2.5"/3.5" drives unlike me but cooling potential is limited because of its dimensions since you can't fit 3x 140mms in front or a bottom intake. I found best air cooling performance when using 2x140mm square front intakes in front. My 147Bs in front were leaking back a lot of cool air since they were not square.


----------



## doyll

one-shot said:


> I just in my NH D15 into my 400Q and the fans are too tall for the doors to go on. Has anyone had to experience this with smaller cases?


Corsair 400Q specs say 170mm CPU clearance.
NH-D15 spec is 160mm with fan.

That is 10 mm more case clearance than D15 with fan needs. 

I can understand how with tall RAM the front fan might not fit, but the middle fan should fit with no problem at all.


----------



## stillsurfn

*a 120mm and 140mm instead of two 140mm fans ?*

Man, is the Noctua D15 a fantastic CPU cooler !!

It is amazingly quiet and the overclocked CPU stays soooo cool !

I'm wondering if others have found that going with one 140mm and one 120mm fan instead of the two 140mm fans performs slightly better.

Instead of installing the 2nd 140mm fan that came with the D15, I use a 120mm noctua fan. 

I had to create a couple clips to hold the 120mm fan since it has a lower profile than the 140mm one, but seems to push a little more air since it's centered on the fin stack. 

From the couple tests i've done the the combo of the 140mm and 120mm fans kept the overclocked 8700K a couple degrees cooler than with the 2 original 140mm fans.

But, it may have something to do with the overall case design since it is an open air design.

The motherboard, gpu and cpu are actually separated from the PSU and hard drives with long PSU and SATA extension cables .................. with the motherboard, GPU and CPU sitting on a shelf and the PSU & storage drives hidden under a table. The monitor is on a desk about 8' away from the GPU.

......sorry the 2nd photo is sideways, for some reason when uploading the system often won't load the jpg correctly. Even when it is rotated prior to uploading it loads sideways !! I wish I knew the reason !! ......


Has anybody else found using a 120mm/140mm combo to be slightly better for cooling performance ?


----------



## mitna

Hello, I have a question. If I buy a NOCTUA NH-D15 SE-AM4 cooler, but then sometime down the line decide to build an intel system, can i get a mounting kit for it? Or is that not possible. I'm getting mixed results from googling.


----------



## doyll

mitna said:


> Hello, I have a question. If I buy a NOCTUA NH-D15 SE-AM4 cooler, but then sometime down the line decide to build an intel system, can i get a mounting kit for it? Or is that not possible. I'm getting mixed results from googling.


While Noctua gives free upgrade for mounting newer CPU then cooler came with, it does not do free updates/upgrades to special edition cooler like NH-D14 SE-AM4. So if I was buying a new NH-D15 for AM4 I would get normal NH-D15 and fill out the form for free upgrade/update to AM-4 instead of buying NH-D15-(Special Edition) AM4 and then having to buy normal mount if I ever need it. 
https://noctua.at/en/noctua-offers-upgrade-kits-for-amd-s-ryzen-platform-free-of-charge


----------



## dspx

doyll said:


> Corsair 400Q specs say 170mm CPU clearance.
> NH-D15 spec is 160mm with fan.


It's 165mm *with* fan

https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/specification


----------



## mitna

I see, thanks for the answer. Getting a normal D15 would be a wise choice then, only problem for me is that they only have the SE AM4 version in stock locally.

But just to confirm, if i get the NH-D15 SE-AM4, I can still use mounting kits for other (future)sockets with it, the only difference is i would need to purchase the mounting kit myself and not get one for free? 
I am not physically locking myself to AM4 forever?


----------



## doyll

mitna said:


> I see, thanks for the answer. Getting a normal D15 would be a wise choice then, only problem for me is that they only have the SE AM4 version in stock locally.
> 
> But just to confirm, if i get the NH-D15 SE-AM4, I can still use mounting kits for other (future)sockets with it, the only difference is i would need to purchase the mounting kit myself and not get one for free?
> I am not physically locking myself to AM4 forever?


If you buy the NH-D15 SE-AM4 you will have to buy the normal mounting kit/s .. and while they are not terribly expensive, there are several different kits. There is NM-i115x kit, NM-i2011, NM-i3, etc. .. but I don't know if any of these will work on all other CPU mount configurations .. in other words I don't know of accessory universal mounting kit for special edition coolers.


----------



## Cryptedvick

Count me in! 
Currently its cooling my 2600k at 4.8Ghz with 1.45v with temps at about 80C under IBT with open window ambient temps. Doesn't get over 65-68C in games even in Mafia III or Crysis 3 with 95% CPU usage with normal ambient temps of ~22C. 

The cooler barely fits my case. With the fans pushed all the way towards the motherboard, touching the rams, i have maybe a couple mm to spare to the side cover.


----------



## mitna

doyll said:


> If you buy the NH-D15 SE-AM4 you will have to buy the normal mounting kit/s .. and while they are not terribly expensive, there are several different kits. There is NM-i115x kit, NM-i2011, NM-i3, etc. .. but I don't know if any of these will work on all other CPU mount configurations .. in other words I don't know of accessory universal mounting kit for special edition coolers.


Ok, thank you for the info.


----------



## abso

Also Installed my NH-D15 today. With my [email protected] runs at 60°C now under load (IBT AVX). With my previous NH-U12P it was 70°C. I have one question though. There is not much clearence between the cooler and graphics card. So the cooler is now basically covering the clip that locks your graphics card in place. Anyone knows of a trick how to undo the clip in case I have to switch my graphicscard?

Also in idle my fans are running at 600rpm. The datasheet says they should run at 300rpm in idle. I already set PWM/silent profile in BIOS.


----------



## specialedge

Nothing like some good, old-fashioned manual dexterity for you! Turn your palm up, back of handbag against the gpu backplate. Then you will be able to unhitch it.


AND BY the way i purchased the se-a4 unit and Noctua sent me an am3+ bracket for free when I gave proof of purchase. Unfortunately, it was shipped free first class from Austria so it took almost a month to get to Texas. And I have been loyal ever since lol


----------



## doyll

abso said:


> Also Installed my NH-D15 today. With my [email protected] runs at 60°C now under load (IBT AVX). With my previous NH-U12P it was 70°C. I have one question though. There is not much clearence between the cooler and graphics card. So the cooler is now basically covering the clip that locks your graphics card in place. Anyone knows of a trick how to undo the clip in case I have to switch my graphicscard?
> 
> Also in idle my fans are running at 600rpm. The datasheet says they should run at 300rpm in idle. I already set PWM/silent profile in BIOS.


I often use end of wooden chopstick to reach in and trip the clip .. that even rhymes. 

I also made a tool that looks like a miniature hockey stick to reach in and trip latches .. and a chopstick with a 'v' notch in end to clip/unclip fan clips .. but I am a tool junkie anyway.


----------



## Brightmist

I was using the L shaped screwdriver that comes D15 to trip the PCI-E clip but chopstick or miniature hockey stick both make more sense


----------



## AshBorer

i apologized if this has been asked before (checked the OP, and skimmed the last 10 pages or so) but what is the height of the NH-D15S? Their spec sheet says 160mm with fan, but reviews and retailers list it as 165mm.


----------



## doyll

AshBorer said:


> i apologized if this has been asked before (checked the OP, and skimmed the last 10 pages or so) but what is the height of the NH-D15S? Their spec sheet says 160mm with fan, but reviews and retailers list it as 165mm.


Believe Noctua, not review and retailers. 

When NH-D15 came out Noctua said 165mm with fan, 160mm without fan. The 165mm is with fan not mounted as low as it can be. 

When NH-D15S came out Noctua said 160mm with or without fan. 

They are both 160mm with fan mounted flush with top of heatpipes.


----------



## Brightmist

When you mount the front fan above high profile RAM, something like my G.Skill Trident Z kit, it's like 175 mm or smth.
It does fit in my 180 mm clearance Dark Base 700.


----------



## doyll

Brightmist said:


> When you mount the front fan above high profile RAM, something like my G.Skill Trident Z kit, it's like 175 mm or smth.
> It does fit in my 180 mm clearance Dark Base 700.


Indeed, case CPU cleaarance plus 5mm equal RAM height plus fan size.

Case CPU Clearance + 5mm = RAM height + fan size


----------



## abso

AshBorer said:


> i apologized if this has been asked before (checked the OP, and skimmed the last 10 pages or so) but what is the height of the NH-D15S? Their spec sheet says 160mm with fan, but reviews and retailers list it as 165mm.


D15S is 160mm, D15 is 165mm. My D15 fits fine in my define xl r2 (170mm clearence) with both fans installed. I have Corsair LPX ram though which is a pretty low profile.


----------



## doyll

abso said:


> D15S is 160mm, D15 is 165mm. My D15 fits fine in my define xl r2 (170mm clearence) with both fans installed. I have Corsair LPX ram though which is a pretty low profile.


170mm case CPU clearance + 5mm top of CPU to bottom of RAM socket = 175mm
140mm fan + 33.5mm LPX RAM = 173.5mm clearance needed for RAM & fan -5mm = minimum CPU clearance of 168.5mm
You have about 1.5mm of clearance with 140m tall fan over RAM. 

Noctua specifications say NH-D15 is 160mm tall without fan (to top of heatpipes) and 165mm with fan in middle, but fan can be lowered to be same 160mm height as top of heatpipes.


----------



## AlphaC

NH-D15 provides respectable temps even vs 360 radiators when normalized in an open air environment with similar fan speeds


http://blog.livedoor.jp/wisteriear/archives/1070075181.html


----------



## doyll

AlphaC said:


> NH-D15 provides respectable temps even vs 360 radiators when normalized in an open air environment with similar fan speeds
> 
> 
> http://blog.livedoor.jp/wisteriear/archives/1070075181.html


Nice comparison. :thumb:
Too bad they haven't tested more top tier air coolers because NH-D15 is just one of many tier coolers with similar cooling and noise levels .. at least a dozen.


----------



## xkm1948

I was tempted to go for a EKWB MLC, but for the cost I will stay with my D15 for now.


----------



## drm8627

doyll said:


> Nice comparison. :thumb:
> Too bad they haven't tested more top tier air coolers because NH-D15 is just one of many tier coolers with similar cooling and noise levels .. at least a dozen.


im actually trying to find anything that outperforms the d15, because im in the market for an air cooler and the d15 seems like its the best that i can find at least, could you link?


----------



## Melcar

drm8627 said:


> im actually trying to find anything that outperforms the d15, because im in the market for an air cooler and the d15 seems like its the best that i can find at least, could you link?


Hard to outperform. More like perform similarly. It all comes down to price and availability (and looks, if that is your thing).


----------



## doyll

Melcar said:


> Hard to outperform. More like perform similarly. It all comes down to price and availability (and looks, if that is your thing).


"Out perform" is easy if you are willing to use fans make 2-4 times as much noise.  

But you are correct, D15 is as good or so close to being as good as anything out there that we cannot say there is anything definitely better, but there are several as good at significantly lower prices.


----------



## drm8627

doyll said:


> "Out perform" is easy if you are willing to use fans make 2-4 times as much noise.
> 
> But you are correct, D15 is as good or so close to being as good as anything out there that we cannot say there is anything definitely better, but there are several as good at significantly lower prices.


so , not counting fans, what do you guys think would do better, the prolimatech megahalems or d15?


----------



## ehume

drm8627 said:


> so , not counting fans, what do you guys think would do better, the prolimatech megahalems or d15?


D15, as I covered in my most recent comparison ( I actually had both in it).


----------



## Abula

Wondering if anyone could confirm if the NH-D15S with the AM4 mount overlaps with the first PCIe slot on X370 mobos?


----------



## doyll

Abula said:


> Wondering if anyone could confirm if the NH-D15S with the AM4 mount overlaps with the first PCIe slot on X370 mobos?


Exactly what X370 motherboard?


----------



## Abula

doyll said:


> Exactly what X370 motherboard?


 AsRock X370 Taichi


----------



## doyll

Abula said:


> AsRock X370 Taichi


About 81mm center CPU to near side of x16 PCIe socket. NH-D15S is only 67mm center CPU to PCIe side of fins.


----------



## Abula

doyll said:


> About 81mm center CPU to near side of x16 PCIe socket. NH-D15S is only 67mm center CPU to PCIe side of fins.


 Thanks doyll, by your comment im assuming the first PCIe slot (the 1x) is overlaped by the D15S right?


----------



## Brightmist

Abula said:


> AsRock X370 Taichi


I own and use them both, X370 Taichi and D15, no issues.

I'm not using PCIE1 tho, it's a PCI-E 2.0 1x slot, that one is covered.


----------



## Mega Man

Melcar said:


> drm8627 said:
> 
> 
> 
> im actually trying to find anything that outperforms the d15, because im in the market for an air cooler and the d15 seems like its the best that i can find at least, could you link?
> 
> 
> 
> Hard to outperform. More like perform similarly. It all comes down to price and availability (and looks, if that is your thing).
Click to expand...

Custom loop.


----------



## doyll

Mega Man said:


> Melcar said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> drm8627 said:
> 
> 
> 
> im actually trying to find anything that outperforms the d15, because im in the market for an air cooler and the d15 seems like its the best that i can find at least, could you link?
> 
> 
> 
> Hard to outperform. More like perform similarly. It all comes down to price and availability (and looks, if that is your thing).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Custom loop.
Click to expand...

That pretty well sums it up. 

NH-D15 and NH-D15S (could add NH-U14S & NH-D14) all have similar performance.

Thermalright Le Grand Macho is slightly better than NH-D15. 

The best AIOs like Swiftech Hxxx X2 series are a little better and seem to be lasting well but cost much more. A couple of the new 360mm CLCs are similar, but won't last near as long and cost way more as well.


----------



## asdkj1740

a12x25 is coming very soon, as a replacement of d15 first fan is simply perfect!

recently the dark rock pro 4 is out, and its performance is very close to d15, looking forward to see some review comparing them.


----------



## ehume

asdkj1740 said:


> a12x25 is coming very soon, as a replacement of d15 first fan is simply perfect!
> 
> recently the dark rock pro 4 is out, and its performance is very close to d15, looking forward to see some review comparing them.


We'll have to see if the 120mm NF-A12x25 is as good as a 1500rpm 140mm NF-A15. In my latest look at the 1500rpm A15 vs the 2000rpm A14 (the only difference is the flanges on the A15) the A15 cooled a lot better (I can't link to it directly but the review is on the other Overclockers).

Edit: the D15 is still the top heatsink.


----------



## asdkj1740

ehume said:


> We'll have to see if the 120mm NF-A12x25 is as good as a 1500rpm 140mm NF-A15. In my latest look at the 1500rpm A15 vs the 2000rpm A14 (the only difference is the flanges on the A15) the A15 cooled a lot better (I can't link to it directly but the review is on the other Overclockers).
> 
> Edit: the D15 is still the top heatsink.


you mean dual a15 1500rpm vs dual a14 ippc 2000rpm on d15? 

i am using d15s with two a15 1500rpm, and i have two a14 1500rpm too.
in the past i tried to replace the dual a15 1500rpm in d15 with dual a14 1500rpm (i bought the c14s fan mounting clips) and i didnt noctice any difference on cpu temp. at that time i need dual a15 to push pull my gpu aio 120mm rad.
would like to read that review, sadly i dont have a14 ippc so i cant test it.


----------



## arcadeforest

Add me to the list of Noctua D15 owners. Just ordered the NH-D15s. Looking forward to getting back to using Noctua after having a be quiet! Dark Rock 3 (not the pro version) in my system for the last year. No real complaints with the Dark Rock 3 outside of the atrocious mounting system. Its a beautiful cooler that matched my system well but looking at adding more ram (slot one blocked with fan) and I really do not want to mess with offsetting fan heights to make it work. Plus looking at possibly upgrading processor and really do not want to reinstall this. Looks like the Dark Rock 4 solved the mounting problem but the owl has pulled me back in. Ordered the Chromax fan and heat sink covers as well - should look good and will post a photo once I get it in.

With all that said I'm curious to see what my temps do. More surface area on the D15s heatsink but I was running a 2 fan push/pull operation with the Dark Rock 3. I suspect I may get a degree or two better with the Noctua but not sure. Hoping to stick with the single fan on the Noctua.


----------



## ehume

arcadeforest said:


> Add me to the list of Noctua D15 owners. Just ordered the NH-D15s. Looking forward to getting back to using Noctua after having a be quiet! Dark Rock 3 (not the pro version) in my system for the last year. No real complaints with the Dark Rock 3 outside of the atrocious mounting system. Its a beautiful cooler that matched my system well but looking at adding more ram (slot one blocked with fan) and I really do not want to mess with offsetting fan heights to make it work. Plus looking at possibly upgrading processor and really do not want to reinstall this. Looks like the Dark Rock 4 solved the mounting problem but the owl has pulled me back in. Ordered the Chromax fan and heat sink covers as well - should look good and will post a photo once I get it in.
> 
> With all that said I'm curious to see what my temps do. More surface area on the D15s heatsink but I was running a 2 fan push/pull operation with the Dark Rock 3. I suspect I may get a degree or two better with the Noctua but not sure. Hoping to stick with the single fan on the Noctua.


The NH-D15S is an excellent choice, but I do recommend getting as low profile RAM as you can find. Good low profile RAM allows you to put a 140mm fan on top of it. I use Corsair LPX (low profile) on my test rig. I'd use Crucial ULP (ultra low profile) except I could find no better than 2400 at the time.


----------



## arcadeforest

Well I'm currently running Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) - looking at adding another set to fill out all four slots. I believe these are around 34 mm in height so I should be good. The fan on the Dark Rock 3 sits just a little to low and blocks the slot closest to the processor. Don't want to offset the fan to squeeze the ram underneath. Besides I may upgrade from a 7600k to a 7700k (I know not a huge bump but I have a friend thinking of moving to Coffee Lake and he will sell it to me pretty cheap). If that does happen I want no part of reinstalling that Dark Rock 3. I've always been an air cooling guy and Noctua had been my goto heatsink / fan going back to 2008. Built my first window case last year and really liked the look of be quiet (the Noctua brown really clashed with what I was trying to accomplish). With Chromax those issues should not be a problem and I get to go back to Noctua which makes me happy.


----------



## arcadeforest

Well I installed the NH-D15s this morning and have to say I'm very happy to be back running a Noctua cooler. First off my idle temps dropped 15 degrees coming from the Dark Rock 3. I imagine it was my poor installation of the Dark Rock 3 that was giving such bad idle temps (43 to 47 degrees). As I mentioned above had a hell of a time getting the Dark Rock on - I set and reset it multiple times I never really felt like I got a good seat on it. The Gigabyte board i'm currently using has a set of transistors just outside the CPU slot that I believe were impacting the Dark Rock mounting bracket. In hindsight I think I may not have had a perfect seal. I imagine the constant attempts wrecked havoc on the thermal paste as well.

Back to the NH-D15s. Very easy installation of the heatsink. It was actually pleasurable (if installing a heatsink can be that). Only issue I had was getting the fans on because I installed in case and the Fractal Design Define-C is a pretty compact case. Thankfully I plugged the fans in before placing the heatsink. My outside fan is resting ever so slightly on the ram but I imagine it will be fine - not concerned about it. I went with the equivalent Chromax fans and black heatsink covers. They look awesome in the case - that Dark Rock 3 looked really nice but I honestly believe this Chromax dressed Noctua looks better. Anyways very happy with this. Will eventually change the front intake and exhaust fans with Noctuas as well. No issues with Silent Wings 3 I've got in those spots but I'm the type of person that wants everything to match so . . . plus I'm looking at changing this Define-C window (Plexiglas) to one of their newer tempered glass versions at some point. I've attached a photo with the case front and lights off. To much glare in the house at this time of day to do otherwise. If I can I will post another photo this evening when the sun is not so bad I will.


----------



## merlin__36

Are these Good enought to keep OC temps down on the 8700k?


----------



## doyll

That looks really nice arcadeforest. :specool:

What was total cost of D15, Chromax fans and shrouds?


----------



## arcadeforest

I probably spent more than I should have to get this setup:

NH-D15s $79.99
2 Chromax NF-A15 Fans $53.80
Chromax NA-HC4 Heatsink Covers $29.90

All together it came to $163.69. Yeah I admit that is crazy for an air cooler. I could have went with a stock D15s and saved half but I've grown to love having a windowed case and enjoyed the aesthetics that the "black" Dark Rock 3 provided. Had always been a Noctua guy so I was happy to go back - no interest in AIO but would like to do a custom setup one day (maybe). As I previously mentioned, and I do not believe that this due to the fact I just installed it / trying to justify my purchase, I believe this looks incredible and probably just beats out the Dark Rock 3 in looks (that cooler looks great in a case as well - I just had issues with it). I had a few hundred dollars in my Ibotta account plus a credit at Newegg so I was willing to give this a go.

As far as the 8700k I imagine you would be OK but I really do not know that chip. Everything I've read about this cooler is that its one of the better air coolers out there. There are many reviews out there giving cooling specs - I know cause I've watched just about all of them - they OC in all the reviews and it seems to hold its own.


----------



## ehume

Idle temps are never an issue; you want your active temps to be lower. That's what I and every other reviewer measures.

Glad you like the D15S.


----------



## arcadeforest

You are correct in reference to idle temps. It was just the first thing I looked at when I got this up and running and while not totally surprised by the lower numbers as this is a substantially bigger cooler I thought it was noteworthy to mention. I imagine the active temps will show a proportional decrease as well. I think the Dark Rock 3 could probably do better than what mine did - I think I just jacked up the installation.

Gotta love Totoro


----------



## doyll

arcadeforest said:


> You are correct in reference to idle temps. It was just the first thing I looked at when I got this up and running and while not totally surprised by the lower numbers as this is a substantially bigger cooler I thought it was noteworthy to mention. I imagine the active temps will show a proportional decrease as well. I think the Dark Rock 3 could probably do better than what mine did - I think I just jacked up the installation.
> 
> Gotta love Totoro


It really looks great! 

Your 43-47c idle temps (in 23c room) are 15-18c higher than they should have been. With half decent coolers all will idle at about same temp .. maybe couple 3 degrees difference between best and a stock cooler. Even overclocked it's rarely more the 5-6c. So yeah, there was something seriously wrong with Dark Rock 3, probably the mounting. From your saying "the constant attempts" I'm guessing you re-mounted Dark Rock 3 without cleaning and applying new paste .. something that should never ever be done! For future reference, any time you remove a cooler clean base and CPU and apply new paste! I'll also suggest being careful to not use too much paste. I always use a grain of rice size dob in middle of CPU. We only need TIM to spread into a round print just reaching the edges of CPU. We do not want a layer of TIM between CPU and cooler base. We only what TIM to fill all the tiny spaces where there is not metal to metal contact. 

Again, I would have to have a lot of extra money before buying Chromax accessories, but it really does look fantastic!:specool:


----------



## xero|out

Sup guys. New to the forum. Chromax covers modded with RGB over the weekend.


----------



## doyll

xero|out said:


> Sup guys. New to the forum. Chromax covers modded with RGB over the weekend.


Looks very nice! :specool:


----------



## sonic2911

Hi guys, I want to ask that can I replace the noctua fan on d15se am4 by the ty-147 ? using the noctua clip


----------



## Abula

sonic2911 said:


> Hi guys, I want to ask that can I replace the noctua fan on d15se am4 by the ty-147 ? using the noctua clip


 It should, the NF-A15 and TY147 are 140mm fans on 120 mounting frame, both match the placement of the holes so the included clips should mount fine on either fan, i have mounted TY147B on a NH-U14 TR4 and was fine.


----------



## sonic2911

Abula said:


> It should, the NF-A15 and TY147 are 140mm fans on 120 mounting frame, both match the placement of the holes so the included clips should mount fine on either fan, i have mounted TY147B on a NH-U14 TR4 and was fine.


Oh nice, thanks. Also TY-147A and B, what's the difference?


----------



## doyll

sonic2911 said:


> Hi guys, I want to ask that can I replace the noctua fan on d15se am4 by the ty-147 ? using the noctua clip


Shouldn't be a problem. TY-147 A is 1300rpm while A15 on coolers is 1500rpm so not quite as much airflow .. or noise at full speed.


----------



## sonic2911

doyll said:


> Shouldn't be a problem. TY-147 A is 1300rpm while A15 on coolers is 1500rpm so not quite as much airflow .. or noise at full speed.




But better color for me


----------



## Abula

sonic2911 said:


> Oh nice, thanks. Also TY-147A and B, what's the difference?


 Its almost the same fan, the difference is the packing comes with extra stuff like rubber screws, adapters, etc. It has supposedly an upgrade bearing and the frame has two empty channels that according to thermalright help lower the noise.... 1db, its very similar, i bought the B because A was out of stock, buy which ever is cheaper.


----------



## sonic2911

Abula said:


> Its almost the same fan, the difference is the packing comes with extra stuff like rubber screws, adapters, etc. It has supposedly an upgrade bearing and the frame has two empty channels that according to thermalright help lower the noise.... 1db, its very similar, i bought the B because A was out of stock, buy which ever is cheaper.




Oh I see, thanks


----------



## doyll

sonic2911 said:


> Oh nice, thanks. Also TY-147A and B, what's the difference?


Same basic fan with slots around shroud center ring nearest fan impeller. Performance is so close I couldn't tell any difference. Thermalright said the TY-147B is almost 1dB quieter, but I my sound meter didn't show an difference while testing, and it takes 3 dB for our ears to hear a difference. I've tried several times to find any differences in sound, airflow pressure, etc in system use and can't find any.


----------



## blauand

Hello,

Joining the club 
Need a bit of advice with fan positioning.
My question is with what i own is there anything than can be done to improve airflow?

System
Fractal Design Meshify C
Asus Crosshair VII Hero (Bios 0702)
AMD 2700x (stock speed)
Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4
Gskill Trident Z 16GB 3200 14CL
Power Plan Balanced (5% min processor)
Fan speed controlled by motherboard - Standard profile

Temperatures (HWinfo)
Ambient 29º~32º (summer and no air conditioning)
Idle (0.8% load) 35º~38º + peaks to 46º~50º
5% load ~46º

Actual fan setup:
2x NF-A15 front intake
1x NF-A15 + 1x Corsair ML 120 Pro on Noctua (the ML due to ram height)
1x Dynamic X2 GP-12 rear exhaust

Also a spare X2 GP-12 getting dust in a box

Thanks for reading!


----------



## doyll

blauand said:


> Hello,
> 
> Joining the club
> Need a bit of advice with fan positioning.
> My question is with what i own is there anything than can be done to improve airflow?
> 
> System
> Fractal Design Meshify C
> Asus Crosshair VII Hero (Bios 0702)
> AMD 2700x (stock speed)
> Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4
> Gskill Trident Z 16GB 3200 14CL
> Power Plan Balanced (5% min processor)
> Fan speed controlled by motherboard - Standard profile
> 
> Temperatures (HWinfo)
> Ambient 29º~32º (summer and no air conditioning)
> Idle (0.8% load) 35º~38º + peaks to 46º~50º
> 5% load ~46º
> 
> Actual fan setup:
> 2x NF-A15 front intake
> 1x NF-A15 + 1x Corsair ML 120 Pro on Noctua (the ML due to ram height)
> 1x Dynamic X2 GP-12 rear exhaust
> 
> Also a spare X2 GP-12 getting dust in a box
> 
> Thanks for reading!


Sounds like a nice system. Sounds like it's running a little warm. What is case and cooler fan's speed at 46c? Is that spike temp or average temp?


----------



## blauand

doyll said:


> Sounds like a nice system. Sounds like it's running a little warm. What is case and cooler fan's speed at 46c? Is that spike temp or average temp?


Here's a capture of HWinfo sensors:
https://imgur.com/a/NghbEhF

Chassis Fan 1 is the rear exhaust and Chassis Fan 2 controls the 2 intakes NF-A15 connected with a 4-Pin Y-Cable and LNA cables
Also CPU Fan uses a 4-Pin Y-Cable for the NF-A15, this one also with a LNA cable and the ML120.

It goes from ~43º to 52º then falls back to 49º.. 43º rinse and repeat, tho sometimes it gets at ~43º for a minute.
This ups and downs are, I think, normal for ryzen technology and its XFR2 and Precision Boost doing its thing.


----------



## Goa80

hi guys,
what's the best TIM for this superb cooler??
I have both the NH-T1 and the MX-4
Which one is more indicated for our nH.D15?


----------



## doyll

Goa80 said:


> hi guys,
> what's the best TIM for this superb cooler??
> I have both the NH-T1 and the MX-4
> Which one is more indicated for our nH.D15?


Both are fine. Quality of TIM seat/print is much more important than which TIM is being used. Use the one you have used the most and know how to get a good seat/print.


----------



## Goa80

doyll said:


> Both are fine. Quality of TIM seat/print is much more important than which TIM is being used. Use the one you have used the most and know how to get a good seat/print.


Thanks doyll,

i usually use dot center application ( not too much not too less quantity even tough who can say if its the correct quantity), the problem is that when re-seating the heatsin onto the socket sometimes the 2 screws of the cooler are not perfectly alligne and dont want to get screwd in so I have to move it left and right or up/down in order to center the 2 screws so they fit in and get screwd,

Do you suggest a better TIM application??


----------



## ciarlatano

Goa80 said:


> hi guys,
> what's the best TIM for this superb cooler??
> I have both the NH-T1 and the MX-4
> Which one is more indicated for our nH.D15?


Both are excellent. The difference between them is incredibly negligible.


----------



## doyll

Goa80 said:


> Thanks doyll,
> 
> i usually use dot center application ( not too much not too less quantity even tough who can say if its the correct quantity), the problem is that when re-seating the heatsin onto the socket sometimes the 2 screws of the cooler are not perfectly alligne and dont want to get screwd in so I have to move it left and right or up/down in order to center the 2 screws so they fit in and get screwd,
> 
> Do you suggest a better TIM application??


Do application is fine. Just remember the print does not need to cover entire IHS, but only the area where CPU chip is under IHS. Size of IHS is to spread load of cooler onto CPU PCB so it does not flex/ push down hard in middle and damage the 1000+ connections between CPU and motherboard. Here are links to TIM application and how different TIMs perform:
https://www.overclock.net/forum/22335323-post10.html
https://www.overclock.net/forum/22646705-post13.html

Moving it a little is okay as long as you don't rock or pick it up and get air in. 

If we remove liquid metal TIM variants from top 40 TIMs the difference is only a few degrees. Most of the time we can get much lower CPU temps by making sure case airflow is delivering air at or near room ambient. If case airflow is not optimized the air temp into cooler is easily 5-10c and can be 20-30c if GPU is working hard gaming. Do yourself a favor and make sure your case airflow is flowing cool air to cooler. Link to basic guide to optimizing case airflow: https://www.overclock.net/forum/22319249-post5.html


----------



## Goa80

doyll said:


> Do application is fine. Just remember the print does not need to cover entire IHS, but only the area where CPU chip is under IHS. Size of IHS is to spread load of cooler onto CPU PCB so it does not flex/ push down hard in middle and damage the 1000+ connections between CPU and motherboard. Here are links to TIM application and how different TIMs perform:
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/22335323-post10.html
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/22646705-post13.html
> 
> Moving it a little is okay as long as you don't rock or pick it up and get air in.
> 
> If we remove liquid metal TIM variants from top 40 TIMs the difference is only a few degrees. Most of the time we can get much lower CPU temps by making sure case airflow is delivering air at or near room ambient. If case airflow is not optimized the air temp into cooler is easily 5-10c and can be 20-30c if GPU is working hard gaming. Do yourself a favor and make sure your case airflow is flowing cool air to cooler. Link to basic guide to optimizing case airflow: https://www.overclock.net/forum/22319249-post5.html


Thanks for your last,
I am currently running my system on a fractal design r6 with following setup:

2 noctua NF-A14 as intake , 1 fractal design X2-GP140mm as exhaust, 1 Noctua NF-P14r redux-1500 as bottom intake to cooldown the cpu,

I am thinking about adding 1 more fn at bottom to cool a bit more the cpu, what do you think?


----------



## doyll

Goa80 said:


> Thanks for your last,
> I am currently running my system on a fractal design r6 with following setup:
> 
> 2 noctua NF-A14 as intake , 1 fractal design X2-GP140mm as exhaust, 1 Noctua NF-P14r redux-1500 as bottom intake to cooldown the cpu,
> 
> I am thinking about adding 1 more fn at bottom to cool a bit more the cpu, what do you think?


What are yourCPU and GPU temps under heavy load .. better yet what are your air temps into CPU cooler and GPU cooler? 

I've found Define R series cases all work very well with 2x front and 1x bottom intakes speed controlled to cycle with cooler fans and not end up running above about 1000-1100rpm with both CPU and GPU under heavy load. At those speeds they are audible but not at all loud to me. A 2nd bottom fan may allow for lower case fan speed. Removing back and bottom grills lower temps as well as noise levels. If you have a fan you could try it and see. Experimentation is key to knowledge.


----------



## Dark Side

Before many years in my ex build I had D14 and now I came back to Noctua again with D15s model 

Before this D15s I use Megahalems who did a great job, but this 8700K chip definitely should be delidded for better temperatures.
My 8700K is undervolt to 1.20V, MCE Disabled, CPU VCCIO(0.950V), System Agent(1.050V), IA AC/DC Load Line(0.01), LLC lvl 6.
With this set i have ~ 63C for cpu in gaming and 32C idle. I'm not overclock anything yet, this is a stock temps.


----------



## doyll

Dark Side said:


> Before many years in my ex build I had D14 and now I came back to Noctua again with D15s model
> 
> Before this D15s I use Megahalems who did a great job, but this 8700K chip definitely should be delidded for better temperatures.
> My 8700K is undervolt to 1.20V, MCE Disabled, CPU VCCIO(0.950V), System Agent(1.050V), IA AC/DC Load Line(0.01), LLC lvl 6.
> With this set i have ~ 63C for cpu in gaming and 32C idle. I'm not overclock anything yet, this is a stock temps.


Nice looking build!
While your temps are good 63c seems kinda warm, you have no reserve case airflow to push system any harder. Not a problem now, but you might need a bigger case in the future. 2x NB Eloop B12-PS are decent fans, but 2x 120mm fans is likely not moving as much cool air into case as is needed by 1x 140mm fan of airflow on CPU cooler and 2/3x 80/90mm fans on GPU cooler. If you ever have temperature issues changing your 2x NB Eloops to 2x 140mm similar fans would increase airflow by about 50% .. 2x 140mm fans flow as much air as 3x 120mm fans of similar design and speed.


----------



## Dark Side

Thank you for suggestions! Sorry, I didn't update all parts in my signature. I already have 2x NB-B14-3 on the front, 2x A15 on D15s, 1x NF-A12x15 rear and NB-B12-PS on top.
My fans is auto-controled from bios with silent profile. I'll try some aggressive fan curves.
H400 is very interesting case but I'm itx big fan


----------



## doyll

Then you are probably fine. Problem with top exhaust venting is once near front are pulling cool air coming in front intakes right out the top and moving the heated air coming out of GPU up in the path going to your D15. But as the back of your case has only about 1/3rd to 1/2 as much vent are as your front intakes you pretty much have to use top vents as exhaust. Maybe try unplugging the front most one and see what if anything that does to component temps. 

With ITX cases only having 2 PCIe back slots I'm guessing both are filled with your GPU, so possible way of improving back exhaust around GPU  More PCIe slots is good reason to use mATS instead of ITX case, 
because removing 3x unused slot covers in mATX case gives us another rear vent in GPU area which improves front to back airflow and helps move heated air coming off of GPU back and out of case.


----------



## Dark Side

Thanks for explanation!
I know that, I had big cases before few years but small form factor or itx cases is a very interesting challenges for me 

I'll definitely try some different scenario with my fans and fan curves and post new results here


----------



## doyll

Dark Side said:


> Thanks for explanation!
> I know that, I had big cases before few years but small form factor or itx cases is a very interesting challenges for me
> 
> I'll definitely try some different scenario with my fans and fan curves and post new results here


I suspect you knew much of what I posted, but just in case explained it all. 

I thought about ITX and decided they were too small for most of my use. HTPC is exception. I like mATX because while being much smaller than full size gives me most of the same versatility and airflow. After all in a build like yours the difference between ITX cases and small mATX is only about 70mm for the 3x extra PCie slots. 

I really wish GPU cooling was upgraded to improve heated exhaust separation from cool air going to their fans and CPU cooler. That is the biggest problem we face these days.

Couple years ago I helped build a full on gaming system in RVZ01 case. It took lots of planning and research, and even then was a month in building with having to change a couple fans to get better airflow/lower noise levels, but it ended up being a very cool and quiet build. But it was definitely a challenge, and nothing can be changed/upgraded without doing a complete new build project of it.


----------



## Doubletap1911

Has anyone tried the NF-A12x25 (Sterrox) fans on a D15 or D15s?

I have a D15s with 2 Noctua 140mm PWM fans and they start to get pretty audible over about 1000rpm

Under gaming loads, my CPU spikes up and the fans go to max speed which is just too loud.

I have a pair of the new A12x25 fans on my GPU Heatsink and they're extremely quiet and push a ton of air even at 1300-1500rpm

I'm wondering if anyone has found them to be a quieter alternative to the 140mms on a hot CPU?


----------



## ehume

Doubletap1911 said:


> Has anyone tried the NF-A12x25 (Sterrox) fans on a D15 or D15s?
> 
> I have a D15s with 2 Noctua 140mm PWM fans and they start to get pretty audible over about 1000rpm
> 
> Under gaming loads, my CPU spikes up and the fans go to max speed which is just too loud.
> 
> I have a pair of the new A12x25 fans on my GPU Heatsink and they're extremely quiet and push a ton of air even at 1300-1500rpm
> 
> I'm wondering if anyone has found them to be a quieter alternative to the 140mms on a hot CPU?


While I have not tested Sterrox fans on the D15, I note that they are square 120mm fans. When I tested two 140mm square fans (Noctua A14's) even at 2000 rpm, they cooled least well of the various fan combinations I tried. The review is on the other Overclockers (by the forum rules I am not allowed to link to my own work) 2018-07-25.


----------



## jirachijirachi

Has anyone had any experiences about the actual height of the Noctua D15(S)? With only one A15 fan, is the heat pipe tip the tallest point or the fan itself is as tall (or even taller)? I am modding a SG13 and for what I see, I can actually fit a Noctua D15S as long as it's the tip that reaches 160mm. I am currently using a D9L and can use the A15 as a middle fan - it's not seated perfectly though due to intereference with the mounting screw.


----------



## doyll

jirachijirachi said:


> Has anyone had any experiences about the actual height of the Noctua D15(S)? With only one A15 fan, is the heat pipe tip the tallest point or the fan itself is as tall (or even taller)? I am modding a SG13 and for what I see, I can actually fit a Noctua D15S as long as it's the tip that reaches 160mm. I am currently using a D9L and can use the A15 as a middle fan - it's not seated perfectly though due to intereference with the mounting screw.


I haven't used NH-D15/D15S in some time but as I remember it the fan will fit down enough to be flush with top of heatpipes .. and Noctua specifications reaffirm this for NH-D15S with 160mm height with and without fan. But does SG13 have 160mm top of CPU to top of case wihtout PSU? Case spec is 181mm (H) and motherboard with standoffs, CPU and 160mm cooler totals up to 176mm.


----------



## jirachijirachi

doyll said:


> I haven't used NH-D15/D15S in some time but as I remember it the fan will fit down enough to be flush with top of heatpipes .. and Noctua specifications reaffirm this for NH-D15S with 160mm height with and without fan.



Thanks for the confirmation. Allow me to ask a further question. Do you know how much lower it can go compared to the tip of the heat pipe? Ideally, I can deal with just a few heat pipes protruding - I can just drill holes on the case and make little cap to cover the heatpipe tip (much like a be quiet cooler). If the fan also tops out at 160mm, I guess it will be too much to clear.


----------



## doyll

jirachijirachi said:


> Thanks for the confirmation. Allow me to ask a further question. Do you know how much lower it can go compared to the tip of the heat pipe? Ideally, I can deal with just a few heat pipes protruding - I can just drill holes on the case and make little cap to cover the heatpipe tip (much like a be quiet cooler). If the fan also tops out at 160mm, I guess it will be too much to clear.


Sorry, no I do not. I still have NH-D15 but not NH-D15S so can't check it either. What is the distance from surface of motherboard to case top? Or surface of motherboard mounting plate to case top?


----------



## jirachijirachi

doyll said:


> Sorry, no I do not. I still have NH-D15 but not NH-D15S so can't check it either. What is the distance from surface of motherboard to case top? Or surface of motherboard mounting plate to case top?



I believe the top part of D15S and D15 are identical. From the CPU IHS, I measured 157mm till the same level of the inner frame. The panel is perforated and can be slightly bent which might get me anything from 1-3mm hopefully. I might bend the perforated part further with a mallet if necessary. 



Here's an Imgur album that shows my A15 resting on my D9L. 

https://imgur.com/a/WEWd3hg


I have checked the dimension in X and Y. The cooler will fit just fine. It's the Z (height) dimension that I couldn't be sure right now.


----------



## doyll

jirachijirachi said:


> I believe the top part of D15S and D15 are identical. From the CPU IHS, I measured 157mm till the same level of the inner frame. The panel is perforated and can be slightly bent which might get me anything from 1-3mm hopefully. I might bend the perforated part further with a mallet if necessary.
> 
> 
> 
> Here's an Imgur album that shows my A15 resting on my D9L.
> 
> https://imgur.com/a/WEWd3hg
> 
> 
> I have checked the dimension in X and Y. The cooler will fit just fine. It's the Z (height) dimension that I couldn't be sure right now.


NH-D15S has an offset base, meaning the spring loaded mounting screws on crossbar are not centered in middle of fin-packs. So while fan can be set down flush with tip of heatpipes, it might need to be moved off center of fin packs to fit lower. Hope that makes sense. There are other coolers equally as good as D15 / D15S costing less and not standing any taller.  Scythe Fuma comes to mind, but there are other short coolers as well. Might be worth keeping in mind what airflow paths are best suited for your modified intake and exhaust vents will be used in your SG13. Good cooling is all about creating airflow paths/channels through the case that keep heated components' exhaust airflow from mixing with cool intake airflow going to components. I've seen more than one case (no pun) where a smaller cooler allowed better airflow paths resulting in lower temps and noise than a bigger cooler did.


----------



## jirachijirachi

doyll said:


> NH-D15S has an offset base, meaning the spring loaded mounting screws on crossbar are not centered in middle of fin-packs. So while fan can be set down flush with tip of heatpipes, it might need to be moved off center of fin packs to fit lower. Hope that makes sense. There are other coolers equally as good as D15 / D15S costing less and not standing any taller.  Scythe Fuma comes to mind, but there are other short coolers as well. Might be worth keeping in mind what airflow paths are best suited for your modified intake and exhaust vents will be used in your SG13. Good cooling is all about creating airflow paths/channels through the case that keep heated components' exhaust airflow from mixing with cool intake airflow going to components. I've seen more than one case (no pun) where a smaller cooler allowed better airflow paths resulting in lower temps and noise than a bigger cooler did.



Ah yes. The offset could mean different fan height. Let me see what I can figure out. I am indeed checking out the Scythe coolers as well, the Fuma and the Mugen 5. I know that Mugen 5 (155mm) can fit but would wish to explore other options. Perhaps the U12S (158mm) can be an alternative, too. I believe I have had the air flow sorted out. Intake will come from behind (ATX PSU cut-out) and I have made holes at the front-top of the case with a dedicated 92mm fan as exhaust.


In any case, thanks for your advice!


----------



## doyll

jirachijirachi said:


> Ah yes. The offset could mean different fan height. Let me see what I can figure out. I am indeed checking out the Scythe coolers as well, the Fuma and the Mugen 5. I know that Mugen 5 (155mm) can fit but would wish to explore other options. Perhaps the U12S (158mm) can be an alternative, too. I believe I have had the air flow sorted out. Intake will come from behind (ATX PSU cut-out) and I have made holes at the front-top of the case with a dedicated 92mm fan as exhaust.
> 
> 
> In any case, thanks for your advice!


In my oppinion the NH-U12S while a good cooler is over-priced for what it is. There are all kinds of 5x heatpipe coolers similar in size and performance for less money.


----------



## jirachijirachi

doyll said:


> In my oppinion the NH-U12S while a good cooler is over-priced for what it is. There are all kinds of 5x heatpipe coolers similar in size and performance for less money.



I think the U12S is expensive for its F12 fan, which was class-leading when first released.


On second thought, if you can check the height difference between the fan (at lowest position) and the heatpipe tip on your D15, it would help my case as well. My A15 is currently resting right smack in the middle of my D9L - which is the exact same situation as a D15. If your lowest position is only 2-3mm off the heatpipe tip, that means I will indeed have 160mm clearance and can fit a D15S (since the A15 can fit under 160mm - as confirmed by Noctua rep).


----------



## doyll

jirachijirachi said:


> I think the U12S is expensive for its F12 fan, which was class-leading when first released.
> 
> 
> On second thought, if you can check the height difference between the fan (at lowest position) and the heatpipe tip on your D15, it would help my case as well. My A15 is currently resting right smack in the middle of my D9L - which is the exact same situation as a D15. If your lowest position is only 2-3mm off the heatpipe tip, that means I will indeed have 160mm clearance and can fit a D15S (since the A15 can fit under 160mm - as confirmed by Noctua rep).


I'll need to dig out the cooler as it's stored at the moment. Have you seen my long thread about case airflow?
https://www.overclock.net/forum/246...s-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data.html
1st post is index by post number. 
3rd post is basic guide to case airflow for tower cases, but basic concepts are the same. 
6th post is cooler size and clearance but is out of date
15th is grill and filter effect on airflow and noise
21st is how vent close together effect each other​You might find some of those of interest. Sorry, they used to all link to post by clicking on topic in 1st post, but forum move destroyed that feature.


----------



## Doubletap1911

ehume said:


> While I have not tested Sterrox fans on the D15, I note that they are square 120mm fans. When I tested two 140mm square fans (Noctua A14's) even at 2000 rpm, they cooled least well of the various fan combinations I tried. The review is on the other Overclockers (by the forum rules I am not allowed to link to my own work) 2018-07-25.


It turned out to be moot.

I moved my system to a larger case with more airflow, delidded my 7700K and I'm using the stock fan config with excellent results.

I've seen a 20C++ reduction in temps which are in the 50s most of the time. 

Running a CPU stress test at 5.0Ghz will push it to 75C but I have not yet seen it go higher, much less throttle.


----------



## doyll

Doubletap1911 said:


> It turned out to be moot.
> 
> I moved my system to a larger case with more airflow, delidded my 7700K and I'm using the stock fan config with excellent results.
> 
> I've seen a 20C++ reduction in temps which are in the 50s most of the time.
> 
> Running a CPU stress test at 5.0Ghz will push it to 75C but I have not yet seen it go higher, much less throttle.


While it's hard to say how much of your temperature improvement is case and how much is delidding I think it's fair to say both contributed to better temps.


----------



## Aenra

Ever since Google changed their algorithms so as to show me 'what others _wanted_ to read' when --i-- am searching with --my-- criteria ... 
So just in case i've missed something, am looking for a third fan clip for the NH-D15. Does anyone know of any second-hand place/retailer/ebay seller that sells any? If not apparent, have checked but found nothing.

(since we have people like Doyll dutifully policing all the air cooling threads, don't start please; what they call 'minimal difference' may well apply at 1500 RPM, but it sure won't with what i'm going for; am also rather loath to email Noctua and just lie, would rather purchase one if available anywhere)

Or alternatively, should anyone be willing to sell me one, by all means. Extra tip included, goes without saying.
Thanks for reading folks 

* have also come across mention of those Megahalem dedicated fan mounts from Prolimatech, i know the 25mm thick version fits the older model (D14), but not sure if so with the D15; plus, fans i'm after are 26.5mm thick, so.. but if anyone has actually tried this, do tell. It's not the money, it's getting them here that's a drag, i'd rather (if possible) know in advace.


----------



## ciarlatano

Aenra said:


> Ever since Google changed their algorithms so as to show me 'what others _wanted_ to read' when --i-- am searching with --my-- criteria ...
> So just in case i've missed something, am looking for a third fan clip for the NH-D15. Does anyone know of any second-hand place/retailer/ebay seller that sells any? If not apparent, have checked but found nothing.
> 
> (since we have people like Doyll dutifully policing all the air cooling threads, don't start please; what they call 'minimal difference' may well apply at 1500 RPM, but it sure won't with what i'm going for; am also rather loath to email Noctua and just lie, would rather purchase one if available anywhere)
> 
> Or alternatively, should anyone be willing to sell me one, by all means. Extra tip included, goes without saying.
> Thanks for reading folks


I _believe_ (I could be entirely wrong, but I recall doing this) you can purchase them through Noctua customer service. No need to lie, just say you want to buy some fan clips.


----------



## Aenra

ciarlatano said:


> I _believe_ (I could be entirely wrong, but I recall doing this) you can purchase them through Noctua customer service. No need to lie, just say you want to buy some fan clips.


They gave them for free during the D14 'era', all it took was proof of ownership, but not anymore 
I too _believe_ (will try anyway.. why not) that if you mention D15 and 'extra fan clip', you get the middle finger. Company policy and all, product-specific. But you mentioned 'purchase', so here goes.
* Will update when i have a response.

And thanks for replying!
(if you're wondering, i've changed some things and can no longer fit El Polo Grande Fluffo Magnifico.. sad panda; so am gravitating towards a D15s)


----------



## ehume

Aenra said:


> They gave them for free during the D14 'era', all it took was proof of ownership, but not anymore
> I too _believe_ (will try anyway.. why not) that if you mention D15 and 'extra fan clip', you get the middle finger. Company policy and all, product-specific. But you mentioned 'purchase', so here goes.
> * Will update when i have a response.
> 
> And thanks for replying!
> (if you're wondering, i've changed some things and can no longer fit El Polo Grande Fluffo Magnifico.. sad panda; so am gravitating towards a D15s)


Instead of believing, do some reading. Somewhere on the Noctua site I suspect there is info about extra clips. If not, then emailing to Noctua tech support will get you a 3d set of fan clips for the D15, for free or for a nominal fee.


----------



## doyll

Aenra said:


> Ever since Google changed their algorithms so as to show me 'what others _wanted_ to read' when --i-- am searching with --my-- criteria ...
> So just in case i've missed something, am looking for a third fan clip for the NH-D15. Does anyone know of any second-hand place/retailer/ebay seller that sells any? If not apparent, have checked but found nothing.
> 
> (since we have people like Doyll dutifully policing all the air cooling threads, don't start please; what they call 'minimal difference' may well apply at 1500 RPM, but it sure won't with what i'm going for; am also rather loathe to email Noctua and just lie, would rather purchase one if available anywhere)
> 
> Or alternatively, should anyone be willing to sell me one, by all means. Extra tip included, goes without saying.
> Thanks for reading folks


With 2nd set of fan clips for NH-U14S Noctua supplies thicker anit-vibration pads to use on intake side of fan when used on back of NH-U14S so fan is mounted 5mm farther way from U14S fins to lower noise. Reason is all fans I've looked at have more space between impeller and surface of fan housing on intake side than on exhaust side of fan housing. This few mm of added space lower noise. More space 10-15mm often lowers noise levels even more. I made and still have several unused 9mm spacers (thickness of material I had on hand) and mounting screws to use on case intake fans on inside of case front panel for this very reason .. to lower fan noise.  



> Anti-vibration pads and fan-clips for second NF-A15 (optional)
> For users who want to achieve even better performance by adding a second, optional NF-A15 fan to create a push/pull setup, the NH-U14S includes fan clips and an extra set of custom-designed anti-vibration pads that allow to off-set the rear fan by 5mm to improve acoustics in dual-fan mode.


From Noctua website NH-U14S details
https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail/nh-u14s

Just a thought


----------



## ENTERPRISE

Cleaned. Please do not resort to insults of any kind !


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Aenra said:


> ...Now on topic, i've heard back from Noctua support. No automated 'queue', no talking to a machine, no forcing me to repeat what i'd already stated in my initial email; spoke to a nice and proper human being from the get go, no delays either. The man was extremely polite to me, said that NH-D15 policy _notwithstanding_, they'd ship me two extra clips (and i only wanted one mind), but could you please send us a proof of purchase first?
> I was only contemplating a D15s purchase, hence my initial enquiry. But given both their willingness to accommodate me and the rep's politeness, i went ahead and bought one right there and then; forwarded him the relevant screenshot and thanked him profusely
> I don't know if they get to reply to me again, notify me on having shipped the clips or whatever, but i'll update accordingly when appropriate.
> 
> They really do have excellent service..


You will probably get the clips in less than a couple of weeks, the actual time depending on where you are located. I'm in AZ and I got mine in a little less than a week (Chinese vendors take note).


----------



## Aenra

Lady Fitzgerald said:


> I'm in AZ and I got mine in a little less than a week


Have long since moved, but i'd assume it works the same way(?), closest distr. being in charge of mailing them to you; not rushing anyway, but definitely good to know 

As to the Chinese taking note, sadly they are, lol, just.. not _quite_ the way we'd want them to ^^
(to some extent it's actually fascinating, as a phenomenon i mean, if you could isolate it; purely academically speaking; this obsessive compulsion to emulate everything and worse still, to do it poorly, in a seemingly purposefully denigrating a manner.. you think of it in the context of evolution, where we're heading, tech, AI, etc.? That's some scary stuff right there)


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Aenra said:


> Have long since moved, but i'd assume it works the same way(?), closest distr. being in charge of mailing them to you; not rushing anyway, but definitely good to know
> 
> As to the Chinese taking note, sadly they are, lol, just.. not _quite_ the way we'd want them to ^^
> (to some extent it's actually fascinating, as a phenomenon i mean, if you could isolate it; purely academically speaking; this obsessive compulsion to emulate everything and worse still, to do it poorly, in a seemingly purposefully denigrating a manner.. you think of it in the context of evolution, where we're heading, tech, AI, etc.? That's some scary stuff right there)


My comment about Chinese vendors referred to how long it takes them to ship anything to the SSA (Squabbling States of America). It's absurd.


----------



## Aenra

Lady Fitzgerald said:


> My comment about Chinese vendors referred to how long it takes them to ship anything to the SSA (Squabbling States of America). It's absurd.


I know dear; and i agree 
It's not just the freedom(tm) land either, whomsoever i've discussed this with, same thing really; i read somewhere that their customs are a nightmare, anything bound for "abroad" has to be first cleared internally and they have like 2 or 3 different waystations it has to go through; again, all internal, before it even reaches the loading dock. 
All those state/municipal employees, gotta find something for them to do huh. It's a wonderful thing, red tape, and people don't even realise why we need it so badly ^^

[last time i bought from the land of copy(tm), i chose their deluxe-express-much secure(tm) version of shipping; being finally allowed to track the parcel, i pretty much noticed exactly that.. it would sit in 'x' customs office for a few days, then move one to 'y' office for yet some more days and so on..]

Oh and since i'm at it, final update; got another mail from the same Noctua rep to inform me they're shipping them and before i even got a chance to thank him, anozer mail from ze Austwian Pozt Offize to inform me zey haf already shipped, ja? Zo quick!
Hochzufrieden!


----------



## premierpark

Hi!


I would like to buy a black fan for my noctua NH-D15s. What do you reccomend?


----------



## jirachijirachi

premierpark said:


> Hi!
> 
> 
> I would like to buy a black fan for my noctua NH-D15s. What do you reccomend?


Noctua has black fans, released under the Chromax brand. You can get the A15 Chromax - which is essentially same fan that comes with D15 but in black.


----------



## Dark Side

or just buy black color spray.


----------



## doyll

premierpark said:


> Hi!
> I would like to buy a black fan for my noctua NH-D15s. What do you reccomend?


What has already been said.

As far as I know NF-A15 Chromax is the only25-27mm thick black fan with 105mm (120mm fan) mounting holes .. and they are quite expensive. 

If you are handy with a can of spray paint, that is what I would do. If not, maybe practice on some old fan you don't want to get used to spray painting a fan. Must be careful to not spray paint into the crack between fan hub and frame .. space between what turns and what doesn't.


----------



## postem

Hi, im in the process of going back from AIO to noctua, just a question:
About top exaust, do you think should i have some fans or nothing at all? I can manage to put up to 2 200mm fans on top of my case.

Until recently i had good enough temps with lower rpm on aio, top mounted, this with 1080 fe SLI, blowers.
Since i installed a new 2080 ti zotac, i came back to axial fans, so the heat is being dumped into case; i noticed around 3-4c extra on my AIO coolant. 

Im decided to return to air cooling, im in a middle of summer with room temps of 32c, and i cant deal anymore with this much noise of 1800rpm fans. Cpu temps are excellent, 8700k delidded, 71c max. My coolant reaches constantly 40-42. Its not an issue itself, but im not willing to keep this noise AIO.

Also, someone can contribute about what can be done regarding hot air blowed by gpus?

thanks


----------



## ehume

postem said:


> Hi, im in the process of going back from AIO to noctua, just a question:
> About top exaust, do you think should i have some fans or nothing at all? I can manage to put up to 2 200mm fans on top of my case.
> 
> Until recently i had good enough temps with lower rpm on aio, top mounted, this with 1080 fe SLI, blowers.
> Since i installed a new 2080 ti zotac, i came back to axial fans, so the heat is being dumped into case; i noticed around 3-4c extra on my AIO coolant.
> 
> Im decided to return to air cooling, im in a middle of summer with room temps of 32c, and i cant deal anymore with this much noise of 1800rpm fans. Cpu temps are excellent, 8700k delidded, 71c max. My coolant reaches constantly 40-42. Its not an issue itself, but im not willing to keep this noise AIO.
> 
> Also, someone can contribute about what can be done regarding hot air blowed by gpus?
> 
> thanks


Here in the US you should bed able to get sheet plastic to partition your CPU zone from your GPU zone. Try looking at a hobby store (model railroad construction material) or a craft store.


----------



## doyll

premierpark said:


> Hi!
> 
> 
> I would like to buy a black fan for my noctua NH-D15s. What do you reccomend?





postem said:


> Hi, im in the process of going back from AIO to noctua, just a question:
> About top exaust, do you think should i have some fans or nothing at all? I can manage to put up to 2 200mm fans on top of my case.
> 
> Until recently i had good enough temps with lower rpm on aio, top mounted, this with 1080 fe SLI, blowers.
> Since i installed a new 2080 ti zotac, i came back to axial fans, so the heat is being dumped into case; i noticed around 3-4c extra on my AIO coolant.
> 
> Im decided to return to air cooling, im in a middle of summer with room temps of 32c, and i cant deal anymore with this much noise of 1800rpm fans. Cpu temps are excellent, 8700k delidded, 71c max. My coolant reaches constantly 40-42. Its not an issue itself, but im not willing to keep this noise AIO.
> 
> Also, someone can contribute about what can be done regarding hot air blowed by gpus?
> 
> thanks


Generally top case fans are not helpful, especially if directly above or in front of CPU cooler because they are drawing cool air coming to CPU cooler up and out of case and that is pulling air up from GPU below that airflow. 

I have used dividers between motherboard and case side from front intakes back to front CPU cooler fan to keep heated air coming off of GPU from mixing with cool air supply to CPU cooler. 

What case do you have? Fan / vent configuration is very dependent on what case and case are being used. You might find link below to how airflow works and how to optimize case airflow of interest. 
https://www.overclock.net/forum/22319249-post5.html


----------



## TwilightRavens

Hmm this might actually be the perfect cooler for my QX9650 and its quest to 4.2GHz. But to find a case that it’ll fit in is the real question.


----------



## CelticGamer

Any chance any of you have the NH-D15 fit inside a Corsair 570X? Any issues closing the glass side panel?


----------



## doyll

CelticGamer said:


> Any chance any of you have the NH-D15 fit inside a Corsair 570X? Any issues closing the glass side panel?


NH-D15 is 160mm tall w/o fans, 165mm tall w/ fans. Corsair 570X has 170mm CPU clearance. That means 5mm more room than you need .. assuming your RAM is not more than 35mm tall.


----------



## CelticGamer

doyll said:


> NH-D15 is 160mm tall w/o fans, 165mm tall w/ fans. Corsair 570X has 170mm CPU clearance. That means 5mm more room than you need .. assuming your RAM is not more than 35mm tall.


Damn. My Adata XPG ram is 44mm high, so I guess I would have to go with the Noctua NH-D15S, then buy an extra fan, and mount it on the left side in a pull position. My MSI x470 gaming pro carbon only has ram slots on the right side, so the left side would be free.

EDIT Looks like there is a Noctua NH-D15 SE that comes with 2 fans.


----------



## doyll

CelticGamer said:


> Damn. My Adata XPG ram is 44mm high, so I guess I would have to go with the Noctua NH-D15S, then buy an extra fan, and mount it on the left side in a pull position. My MSI x470 gaming pro carbon only has ram slots on the right side, so the left side would be free.
> 
> EDIT Looks like there is a Noctua NH-D15 SE that comes with 2 fans.


You can use NH-D15 with fans pull / pull instead of push / push or jsut run one fan. 

The biggest difference between NH-D15 and NH-D15S is the D15S has base offset so it only reaches 67mm 
toward PCIe socket instead of 75mm. The fin packs are the same. 

The NH-D15 SE is a Special Edition with mounting hardware for AM4 CPUs only. 

If you don't already have your cooler, there are several others easily as good as NH-D15/NH-D15S, but as this is D15 thread I won't go into it.


----------



## postem

doyll said:


> You can use NH-D15 with fans pull / pull instead of push / push or jsut run one fan.
> 
> The biggest difference between NH-D15 and NH-D15S is the D15S has base offset so it only reaches 67mm
> toward PCIe socket instead of 75mm. The fin packs are the same.
> 
> The NH-D15 SE is a Special Edition with mounting hardware for AM4 CPUs only.
> 
> If you don't already have your cooler, there are several others easily as good as NH-D15/NH-D15S, but as this is D15 thread I won't go into it.


One thing that was good purchasing the D15 is that my local retailer was selling the D15S for same price. I brought the D15, because if somehow i manage to put the second fan later, its already with me for free. 
Besides that D15S has the offset, but apart from this they have same size.


----------



## NewType88

D15s in my S2 from mini c.


----------



## Dude970

I'm in


----------



## Owterspace

NewType88 said:


> D15s in my S2 from mini c.


Looks good in there with the black fans. Classy.


----------



## briank

*SE-AM4 Expensive*

I'm planning ahead for a 3950X build. I'm currently using a NH-D15 on my 7700K.

I was planning on using the D15 with the 3950X and buying the $12 AM4 mounting kit from Noctua. However, when looking at prices I saw the standard NH-D15 sells for $90, while the SE-AM4 edition sells for $120. 

I couldn't find any differences between those two other than the AM4 mounting hardware. Why wouldn't someone just buy a standard NH-D15 + AM4 mounting kit for a total of $102 rather than $120? 

And this gets to the question that affects me most: Is there something different about the coolers that will make my OG NH-D15 not fit on the 3950X and X570 motherboard?


----------



## ErrantPigeon

briank said:


> I was planning on using the D15 with the 3950X and buying the $12 AM4 mounting kit from Noctua.?


Why don't you just request a free AM4 kit from Noctua?

As long as you have proof-of-purchase of the cooler and some AM4 hardware (CPU or motherboard), you can request it for free here: https://noctua.at/en/nm-am4-mounting-kit-order-form



briank said:


> And this gets to the question that affects me most: Is there something different about the coolers that will make my OG NH-D15 not fit on the 3950X and X570 motherboard?


No, the SE-AM4 version is the same as the regular one, so it should fit - with the caveat that the cooler might block the first PCI-E slot on a few motherboards (only the NH-D15S has the asymmetric layout that adds extra clearance).

Noctua has a compatibility list, though, so you can check whether it will block the top-most slot or not.


----------



## doyll

briank said:


> I'm planning ahead for a 3950X build. I'm currently using a NH-D15 on my 7700K.
> 
> I was planning on using the D15 with the 3950X and buying the $12 AM4 mounting kit from Noctua. However, when looking at prices I saw the standard NH-D15 sells for $90, while the SE-AM4 edition sells for $120.
> 
> I couldn't find any differences between those two other than the AM4 mounting hardware. Why wouldn't someone just buy a standard NH-D15 + AM4 mounting kit for a total of $102 rather than $120?
> 
> And this gets to the question that affects me most: Is there something different about the coolers that will make my OG NH-D15 not fit on the 3950X and X570 motherboard?


As ErrantPigeon suggested, Noctua will give you new mount. 



Some AM4 mounted chips have much bigger CPU die area and correspondingly a much bigger IHS than most other CPUs. The NH-D15 SE-AM4 base is modified for these bigger IHS CPUs. 



Ryzen 9 3900X is normal size base so no need to have NH-D15 SE-AM4 cooler. 



Without knowing motherboard model number we don't know for sure your D15 will clear the nearest PCIe sockets. Most ATX AM4 motherboards have CPU socket set far enough away from PCIe sockets to not be a problem, but not the smaller mobos.


----------



## Brightmist

@doyll
@briank

D15 and D15 SE-AM4 are exactly the same heatsink.
AM4 version just comes with AM4 mounting brackets.
You can also purchase AM4 mounting brackets for D15 separately(or do what ErrantPigeon suggested and ask for a free bracket from Noctua).
All AM4 CPUs have the same size IHS.

You're confusing TR4 with AM4 here, D15 doesn't have a TR4 version, U14 does.
TR4 IHS is significantly bigger than AM4.


----------



## jamexman

Oh, and by the way, the regular 15 now comes with AM4 mounting kit too (as long as it’s newer and no an old stock) making the am4 se irrelevant. I just got a newer regular and it came with both intel and am4 mounting kits included....just FYI 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## doyll

Brightmist said:


> @*doyll*
> @*briank*
> 
> D15 and D15 SE-AM4 are exactly the same heatsink.
> AM4 version just comes with AM4 mounting brackets.
> You can also purchase AM4 mounting brackets for D15 separately(or do what ErrantPigeon suggested and ask for a free bracket from Noctua).
> All AM4 CPUs have the same size IHS.
> 
> You're confusing TR4 with AM4 here, D15 doesn't have a TR4 version, U14 does.
> TR4 IHS is significantly bigger than AM4.


I may be wrong and you may be correct about D15. But I believe you are mistaken about no Noctua TR4 cooler versions. I believe NH-U9 TR4-SP3, NH-U12S TR4-SP3, and NH-U14S TR4-SP3 all have larger bases to cover large TR4 IHS.

There are others with larger bases for TR4 too, but not relevent on D15 thread

I agree the best way for @*briank *to go is getting new mount from Noctua.




jamexman said:


> Oh, and by the way, the regular 15 now comes with AM4 mounting kit too (as long as it’s newer and no an old stock) making the am4 se irrelevant. I just got a newer regular and it came with both intel and am4 mounting kits included....just FYI
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Indeed, all new coolers come with AM4 mount. But as you said, always check the box / source to be sure it is new stock and does have AM4 mount. There is still a lot of older cooler stock that do not have AM4 mount.


----------



## briank

Thanks for the help Overclock.net peeps!


----------



## Brightmist

@doyll

Yes, Noctua has multiple base redesigns on their existing coolers to fit TR4 socket, I haven't stated otherwise. U14s TR4 was just an example.

Older D15 packages didn't include AM4 mounts when Ryzen was just launched. It's nice to learn that they now include that too on all D15.
D15 AM4 is surely pointless if they're charging more than a D15 with an AM4 mount.


----------



## doyll

Brightmist said:


> @*doyll*
> 
> Yes, Noctua has multiple base redesigns on their existing coolers to fit TR4 socket, I haven't stated otherwise. U14s TR4 was just an example.
> 
> Older D15 packages didn't include AM4 mounts when Ryzen was just launched. It's nice to learn that they now include that too on all D15.
> D15 AM4 is surely pointless if they're charging more than a D15 with an AM4 mount.


 Okay, my bad. 



I agree with just getting mount upgrade for NH-D15 (or for any other Noctua cooler). After all it's one of the reasons buyers go Noctua over other companies. 


But I will say if anyone is going to be cooling TR4 / Threadripper they need to use a cooler with base sized for fit TR4 IHS. I would not use a smaller AM4 IHS CPU based cooler base because it does not distrute the mounting pressure to edges of CPU IHS which are just outside the connection area of socket. This is the reason IHS's are the size the are .. to limit mounting pressure by having edges of IHS outside of contact area. CPU die sizes are a fraction of IHS size.


----------



## Toine3

Guys I’m in the middle of an upgrade to an i7-9700KF and into the selection of the right cooler.
I would like to know if the Noctua D15 can handle this CPU while being overclocked to >5Ghz.


----------



## Dude970

Yes it can.


----------



## doyll

Toine3 said:


> Guys I’m in the middle of an upgrade to an i7-9700KF and into the selection of the right cooler.
> I would like to know if the Noctua D15 can handle this CPU while being overclocked to >5Ghz.


Stock i7 9700X in turbo mode uses about 165-170w of power. 

While i7-9700KF is rated at 95w TDP, that is at 3.6GHz, not the power it comsumes when in turbo mode running at about 4.7GHz. That sustained processing power (trubo mode) consumes more like 210w TDP .. Intel's PL2 value is 210w. This is the spec'ed power consumption of all cores at peak turbo speed (4.7GHz). 

In actual use reviewers found stock i7-9700 in turbo mode used about 165-170w. Not surfe what software they were running to generate maximum CPU load.

Short answer is yest. D15 will cool it as long as you don't OC too high and optimize your cas airflow. There are a few other coolers you might consider, like Le Grand Macho RT (generally similar price) and TRUE Spirit 140 Power (generally significantly lower priced).

If you plan to oveclock much, I suggest you use high performance / high speed (loud at high speed) cooler and case fans. Rrunning fans at 2500rpm rather htan 1200rpm on i7 [email protected] is over 9c (65.25c vs 74.55c) .. but higher speed is also much, much louder.


----------



## Toine3

doyll said:


> Stock i7 9700X in turbo mode uses about 165-170w of power.
> 
> While i7-9700KF is rated at 95w TDP, that is at 3.6GHz, not the power it comsumes when in turbo mode running at about 4.7GHz. That sustained processing power (trubo mode) consumes more like 210w TDP .. Intel's PL2 value is 210w. This is the spec'ed power consumption of all cores at peak turbo speed (4.7GHz).
> 
> In actual use reviewers found stock i7-9700 in turbo mode used about 165-170w. Not surfe what software they were running to generate maximum CPU load.
> 
> Short answer is yest. D15 will cool it as long as you don't OC too high and optimize your cas airflow. There are a few other coolers you might consider, like Le Grand Macho RT (generally similar price) and TRUE Spirit 140 Power (generally significantly lower priced).
> 
> If you plan to oveclock much, I suggest you use high performance / high speed (loud at high speed) cooler and case fans. Rrunning fans at 2500rpm rather htan 1200rpm on i7 [email protected] is over 9c (65.25c vs 74.55c) .. but higher speed is also much, much louder.


Right now my i7-7700k is running on a Therminaltight True spirit 140, did get (the same) extra fan for an pushpull combination and is now capable to run at 5,1Ghz. But about the Noctua it have to run at high OCsettings, while I always believed the both 140mm fans were very good. 
Can I run that i7-9700k highly OC using an third fan at the exit of the D15?


----------



## doyll

Toine3 said:


> Right now my i7-7700k is running on a Therminaltight True spirit 140, did get (the same) extra fan for an pushpull combination and is now capable to run at 5,1Ghz. But about the Noctua it have to run at high OCsettings, while I always believed the both 140mm fans were very good.
> Can I run that i7-9700k highly OC using an third fan at the exit of the D15?


Your TRUE Spirit 140 is just TRUE Spirit 140? It is not TRUE Spirit 140 Power, not TRUE Spirit 140 Direct? I ask because the Power model is easily as good if not better tha D15 while normal ise not as good and Direct even worse.  

D15 comes with I think 200rpm faster fan/s .. meaning a couple degrees more cooling not because it's a beter cooler, it just has more airflow .. and this is all assuming your case is flowing air at or near room temp to cooler .. most stock cases do not so the airflow into cooler can be anywhere from 3c to 15c, even higher, than room is after gaming for 20-30 minutes. And every degree warmer the airflow going into cooler translated into same number of degrees hotter the CPU will be (same applies to GPU).

Much of above I already told you. 

Bottom line is every CPU chip heats differently when overclocked, and depending on how good yours is at staying cool is all up to what is called 'the silicone lottery. 

Putting more fans on cooler makes only 1-2c difference from 1000rpm on up. It will make more difference at idle than at full speed but that is easily corrected by running fan about 100rpm faster. 

Fans don't cool. Airflow is what cools. What is important is having good fans in the right places so they improve case airflow.


----------



## jamexman

doyll said:


> I may be wrong and you may be correct about D15. But I believe you are mistaken about no Noctua TR4 cooler versions. I believe NH-U9 TR4-SP3, NH-U12S TR4-SP3, and NH-U14S TR4-SP3 all have larger bases to cover large TR4 IHS.
> 
> There are others with larger bases for TR4 too, but not relevent on D15 thread
> 
> I agree the best way for @*briank *to go is getting new mount from Noctua.
> 
> 
> 
> Indeed, all new coolers come with AM4 mount. But as you said, always check the box / source to be sure it is new stock and does have AM4 mount. There is still a lot of older cooler stock that do not have AM4 mount.




Yep. I got mine sold and shipped by amazon by the way, they clearly state it’s the newer ones with the am4 kit included, and indeed it came with it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Lexi is Dumb

when you spend way too much on accessories for your cooler. :doh:


----------



## Dude970

Looks great!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Lexi is Dumb said:


> when you spend way too much on accessories for your cooler. :doh:


Yeah, that kitten was over the top.


----------



## Lexi is Dumb

Lady Fitzgerald said:


> Yeah, that kitten was over the top.


hang on, do you mean Ghost sitting on the speaker. that's no kitty


----------



## postem

Hi people good people i have a question.
I had several other air coolers in the past, all the same had the same issue, same happened with my noctua.
I mounted the noctua 4 months ago and forgot. Today i was looking inside the case, the top fin now have some digital inprints, surely its the result of my fingers when i installed the cooler. 
It really bugs me out why aluminium become opaque over time, and places where i touched with bare hands now have my digitals all over.

It really dont make any difference temp wise, i dont even have windows to look at the cooler, visually it doesnt matter much, and there isnt any aluminium oxide build up like a granular material. It just looks stained and dull. 
where i lives half of the year humiity is very low.

I always see pics of noctuas over, without those stains, and this only leads me to believe these photos are of bare new products. Every aluminium cooler seen to suffer this dulling over time.

Below a random image i found out, it seen like every air cooler i had over the last 20 years after years of use.

There is any preventive measure to avoid this happening to the fins?


----------



## Melcar

Mine is around 4-5 years old and also has a dull appearance. Dust accumulation and fingerprints. No loss in performance, but it just looks bad. It just happens. I also have and older Frio Extreme that looks the same now. 

There are ways of cleaning them to get them back to (or close to) looking like new. However, it's something that you can't avoid, unless you have your PC in a 100% clean room.


----------



## 414347

After 10 or so years of Watercooling and having obscenely expensive dual loop system I decided to go back to air again. I already have NH-D15S in my other systems cooling 4960X at 4.5GHz and I love it, I'm going to get another one for my main system to cool my 6950X.

Noctua coolers, especially the big boys are something else, the only thing I might do is wait for their new 7 heat pipe new NH-D16 to come out which should be anytime soon.

Now I’m Noctua fan boy


----------



## postem

Melcar said:


> Mine is around 4-5 years old and also has a dull appearance. Dust accumulation and fingerprints. No lose in performance, but it just looks bad. It just happens. I also have and older Frio Extreme that looks the same now.
> 
> There are ways of cleaning them to get them back to (or close to) looking like new. However, it's something that you can't avoid, unless you have your PC in a 100% clean room.


Sincerely, if it doesnt affect performance, im not willing to have all the hassle or bathing the cooler in some solution to just remove stains.


----------



## Aenra

Assuming proper, semi..regular PC blowing/dusting (and no smoking near the PC, this is important), you won't ever get to see it like that; sole exception is high humidity, helps dust particles settle real good.

Same thing with fans, you might have noticed that the more stuff accumulates on them, the harder it is to get it off with blowing.
In a good cooler though? Rinse it. I put it under the faucet and gently scrub it with a toothbrush while cold water runs all over it;_ gently_. And i always pick a warm sunny day to do it, because i can then leave it outside for 5 minutes (on top of a table or chair) and it dries out. When do i do this? Same time i re-apply my paste, 'bout once every 18 months.
Two minutes work 
* Toothbrushes are awesome for cleaning so, so many hardware components; just pick the old school type, straight, no guiding fins, weird shapes and trendy crap; They reach between the cooler's fins easily, do no damage. 

( in a brand-agnostic thread, i'd also mention non nickel-plated contact plates, which do require some extra love. See here: https://shop.aquacomputer.de/product_info.php?products_id=2016 )


----------



## postem

Aenra said:


> Assuming proper, semi..regular PC blowing/dusting (and no smoking near the PC, this is important), you won't ever get to see it like that; sole exception is high humidity, helps dust particles settle real good.
> 
> Same thing with fans, you might have noticed that the more stuff accumulates on them, the harder it is to get it off with blowing.
> In a good cooler though? Rinse it. I put it under the faucet and gently scrub it with a toothbrush while cold water runs all over it;_ gently_. And i always pick a warm sunny day to do it, because i can then leave it outside for 5 minutes (on top of a table or chair) and it dries out. When do i do this? Same time i re-apply my paste, 'bout once every 18 months.
> Two minutes work
> * Toothbrushes are awesome for cleaning so, so many hardware components; just pick the old school type, straight, no guiding fins, weird shapes and trendy crap; They reach between the cooler's fins easily, do no damage.
> 
> ( in a brand-agnostic thread, i'd also mention non nickel-plated contact plates, which do require some extra love. See here: https://shop.aquacomputer.de/product_info.php?products_id=2016 )


I saw some reports that washing an aluminium tower lead to some sort of over oxidation, it doesnt seen legit, as aluminium shouldnt react with water, even tap.
This case:
https://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/740073-Heatsink-corroded-BADLY-after-washing


----------



## Owterspace

I remember that, I also remember thinking what the heck is in his water. I’ve washed my Ultra120 Extreme, True Spirit 140 Power, and Le Grand Macho RT in water, no real precautions, and shake to dry and never had that problem. I’ve also done it with Zalman, and something else.. oh yeah my old D14 lol. I don’t make a habit of it, but every now and then they go in for a rinse.


----------



## Elrick

postem said:


> I saw some reports that washing an aluminium tower lead to some sort of over oxidation, it doesnt seen legit, as aluminium shouldnt react with water, even tap.
> This case:
> https://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/740073-Heatsink-corroded-BADLY-after-washing



Use to live in Darwin/NT a few years ago and all my Noctua's and Thermalright's looked like that. The moisture content in the air will affect these air coolers as they start the process of oxidation. It won't destroy the cooler completely unless you use it for another 12 years or so, then some of the soldered pipes to the fins might start to degrade hence losing transfer of heat.

YES, we all happen to live in a corrosive environment here, unless you live somewhere with Dry Heat and enjoy the metal saving condition's :thumb:


----------



## Brightmist

Leaving it to dry overnight is probably what did it in. Just dry it using a hair dryer and maybe some paper towels, should be fine.


----------



## Aenra

@postem First of all, we're talking nickel-plated coolers here; so no chance of that happening either way.
(this is the Noctua thread, all their coolers come plated)

Lastly, my fault for neglecting an important piece.. sorry about that :S
After the copious cold water/toothbrush treatment and prior to leaving it for a few minutes to dry, blow it. They're good dryers as well, same principle as with drying your hands; will take almost the entirety of the water out right away, the sun exposure immediately after just for good measure. 

I don't have smart phones, iphones, ipads or anything with which i can take a digital picture, but i have nickel-plated coolers dating to about a decade and i promise you, their condition is such that, had i told you they're still brand new, you'd have believed me. Toothbrushes; a wonderful thing


----------



## postem

Aenra said:


> @postem First of all, we're talking nickel-plated coolers here; so no chance of that happening either way.
> (this is the Noctua thread, all their coolers come plated)
> 
> Lastly, my fault for neglecting an important piece.. sorry about that :S
> After the copious cold water/toothbrush treatment and prior to leaving it for a few minutes to dry, blow it. They're good dryers as well, same principle as with drying your hands; will take almost the entirety of the water out right away, the sun exposure immediately after just for good measure.
> 
> I don't have smart phones, iphones, ipads or anything with which i can take a digital picture, but i have nickel-plated coolers dating to about a decade and i promise you, their condition is such that, had i told you they're still brand new, you'd have believed me. Toothbrushes; a wonderful thing


Thanks for the reply. 
AFAIK noctuas are only heatpipe/base copper/nickel plated, the whole of the fins are just aluminium, otherwise also the cooler would probably double the weight, and the price.


----------



## doyll

postem said:


> Thanks for the reply.
> AFAIK noctuas are only heatpipe/base copper/nickel plated, the whole of the fins are just aluminium, otherwise also the cooler would probably double the weight, and the price.


That is my understanding as well. Same applies to Thermalright.


----------



## 414347

Work in progress, love my Noctua


----------



## Aenra

postem said:


> AFAIK noctuas are only heatpipe/base copper/nickel plated, the whole of the fins are just aluminium, otherwise also the cooler would probably double the weight, and the price.


I know that.. partly a possible cultural gap, partly my never bothering to cover the basics, though it appears i once again should have. Surprise.
Where liquid -could- harm your cooler, _could_, it will not; because it is plated and soldered. Shall we frame it thus and finally call it a day?

Anyway, i've never had rust, discoloration or any other issue with cleaning air coolers the way i have been. As stated in fact, they still look brand new; despite their age and in some cases (chipset coolers, particularly my HR-55), heavy usage in adverse conditions, as i used to smoke in the office. Even so.
But you guys are obviously free to discount it.

Here, i'll help. Coolers get grey and rusty in a few years, nothing we can do about it. To quote another poster here, it's only natural.


----------



## doyll

Aenra said:


> I know that.. partly a possible cultural gap, partly my never bothering to cover the basics, though it appears i once again should have. Surprise.
> Where liquid -could- harm your cooler, _could_, it will not; because it is plated and soldered. Shall we frame it thus and finally call it a day?
> 
> Anyway, i've never had rust, discoloration or any other issue with cleaning air coolers the way i have been. As stated in fact, they still look brand new; despite their age and in some cases (chipset coolers, particularly my HR-55), heavy usage in adverse conditions, as i used to smoke in the office. Even so.
> But you guys are obviously free to discount it.
> 
> Here, i'll help. Coolers get grey and rusty in a few years, nothing we can do about it. To quote another poster here, it's only natural.


You, like most users haven't had flinsh develop a patina, but it does happen quite often. As for oxidation developing into white corrosion, that is usually the resust of a damp cooler being stored is an air-tight place, like in box. That kind of oxidation doesn't happen over night. 

I have washed coolers, even motherboards and GPU in hot soapy water to clean heavy smoke buildup. I then rinse with distilled water and blow-dry with wife's hair dryer. For motherboards of GPUs I often warm up the oven and set them in for a few more hours. Reasons for usign distilled water final rinse is it has no impurities in it to react with anything and it does not conduct electricity. 

To remove patina try using a silver cleaning cloth like used to clean silverware or jewelry. I've done this a few times on cooler fins.


----------



## Aenra

Agreed, can help if the situation requires it i suppose, but assuming a good blowing prior to letting it out, even that is too much.
Of course, OK, depends on location too; am in southern EU, so a few minutes in the sun for me is.. yeah.. again though, always blow it first; nothing takes water out like a good blower.
(and semi-unrelated, but by blower i mean the garden variety; no "PC-specialised" crap, no chemicals, no replaceable air cans; good 'ole traditional air blower)

Where it's a must is on copper surfaces; there yeah, after coating with a proper paste and wiping it out, you do need a thorough, consistent rub with a cloth; consistent, not hard


----------



## Pedros

Hello everyone,

Did anyone tried or know of anyone who did, to use the Thermalright TY-143 fans instead of the stock fans? If yes, what kind of improvements can we expect from a push/pull with TY-143s? ( I know that 2500rpm == moarr noise ... xD ).

Bottom line, my AIO is dead and I'm having second thoughts going to AIOs again ... I have 2 of those fans here and I remember that on the NH-D14 there was a 8º improvement... curious about D15.

Thank you all!


----------



## ciarlatano

Pedros said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> Did anyone tried or know of anyone who did, to use the Thermalright TY-143 fans instead of the stock fans? If yes, what kind of improvements can we expect from a push/pull with TY-143s? ( I know that 2500rpm == moarr noise ... xD ).
> 
> Bottom line, my AIO is dead and I'm having second thoughts going to AIOs again ... I have 2 of those fans here and I remember that on the NH-D14 there was a 8º improvement... curious about D15.
> 
> Thank you all!


 @doyll has done this. You should similar performance gains with the D15 as the D14.


----------



## doyll

Pedros said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> Did anyone tried or know of anyone who did, to use the Thermalright TY-143 fans instead of the stock fans? If yes, what kind of improvements can we expect from a push/pull with TY-143s? ( I know that 2500rpm == moarr noise ... xD ).
> 
> Bottom line, my AIO is dead and I'm having second thoughts going to AIOs again ... I have 2 of those fans here and I remember that on the NH-D14 there was a 8º improvement... curious about D15.
> 
> Thank you all!





ciarlatano said:


> @*doyll* has done this. You should similar performance gains with the D15 as the D14.


 What ciarlatano said. D15, D15S and D14 all perform almost exactly the same with same fans, if anything the D14 is maybe 1c better. If it was me and you can't fit 171mm tall by 155mm wide TRUE Spirit 140 Power in, them D14 or D15S would be good choice. D15S has offset fin packs so does not reach as far down toward PCie sockets. It is also less money with only one fan that you plan replacing with TY-143's anyway. :thumb:
But TRUE Spirit 140 Power with TY-14e's is even better if it will fit.


----------



## Pedros

doyll said:


> What ciarlatano said. D15 and D15 perform almost exactly the same with same fans, if anything the D14 is maybe 1c better. If it was me and you can't fit 171mm tall by 155mm wide TRUE Spirit 140 Power in, them D14 or D15S would be good choice. D15S has offset fin packs so does not reach as far down toward PCie sockets. It is also less money with only one fan that you plan replacing with TY-143's anyway. :thumb:
> But TRUE Spirit 140 Power with TY-14e's is even better if it will fit.


Really, True Spirit > NH-D15? I've been out so of the air cooling scene so I always go by the rule of thumb of the NH-D14 and NH-D15 being the top dogs


----------



## doyll

Pedros said:


> Really, True Spirit > NH-D15? I've been out so of the air cooling scene so I always go by the rule of thumb of the NH-D14 and NH-D15 being the top dogs


 It beat D14 by 1-2c on i7 920 @ 4.3GHz, and D14 is as good if not a little better than D15, so yeah it is better .. also about $50 which is a steal for how well it performs.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/22111036-post22.html


----------



## spddmn24

I swapped from my darkrock pro 4 back to my NH-d15. One unintended side effect was the NH-d15 helping my case airflow. The front fan sticking up to clear the ram has the side effect of helping case airflow and forcing the gpu heat out the back of the case. My cpu temps are down ~3c and the gpu is down ~2c. I can physically feel the air off the front fan exiting the back of the gas against the glass side panel. This is why open test bench test results aren't always indicative of real world performance.


----------



## ehume

spddmn24 said:


> I swapped from my darkrock pro 4 back to my NH-d15. One unintended side effect was the NH-d15 helping my case airflow. The front fan sticking up to clear the ram has the side effect of helping case airflow and forcing the gpu heat out the back of the case. My cpu temps are down ~3c and the gpu is down ~2c. I can physically feel the air off the front fan exiting the back of the gas against the glass side panel. This is why open test bench test results aren't always indicative of real world performance.


Now, if you really want to improve your case airflow you will take some tin snips and cut away the rear "grill" of your case. It is really not a grill but a perforated wall. See #2 in my sig for an old trial of this. You cover the cut edges with Gorilla tape, and if you have a problem with little fingers, there are finger guards for sale: you use fan screws and #10 nylon license plate nuts (available from auto supply stores) to hold them on.

I love the D15, but I also love the D14 with new fans.


----------



## TELVM

ehume said:


> Now, if you really want to improve your case airflow you will take some tin snips and *cut away the rear "grill" of your case*. It is really not a grill but a perforated wall ...



^ Wise words from ehume there.


----------



## ehume

*Empty rear window.*

I leave my rear windows untenanted after I remove the grill. Instead, I use the pull fan on whatever heatsink I am using to entrain case air and exhaust the case. Item 2 in my sig illustrates the method. But one thing I have learned over the years: Gorilla tape will do a fine job of covering the cut edges.


----------



## TELVM

Interestingly I always do almost exactly the opposite of what you describe in item 2 of your sig, ehume.

I cover and seal air tight each and every opening in the case, except those in front of intake fans and those behind exhaust fans, which I clear to the utmost. And I'd never left the back or the top rear exhaust fan positions unpopulated, nope nope.

More than one way to skin the cat I guess  .


My 2600X with an NH-D15 ontop maxes out @ 54C / 129F running Cinebench R15 _(22C / 72F ambient)_:


----------



## ehume

I just did that experiment in item 2 . . . as an experiment. I wanted to see what a push-pull could do. Since then, I suck from the front and let the air find its own way out the back. The experiment only showed that the pull fan of a heatsink could evacuate a case.


----------



## Captain Mayhem

Hey guys, long time. I picked up an LTT edition NHD15 and I managed to shoehorn it into the Prodigy.

All fans are controlled by an NZXT Grid+ V3


----------



## 8051

ehume said:


> I leave my rear windows untenanted after I remove the grill. Instead, I use the pull fan on whatever heatsink I am using to entrain case air and exhaust the case. Item 2 in my sig illustrates the method. But one thing I have learned over the years: Gorilla tape will do a fine job of covering the cut edges.


You can grind off the sharp edges w/a dremel.


----------



## shilka

Captain Mayhem said:


> Hey guys, long time. I picked up an LTT edition NHD15 and I managed to shoehorn it into the Prodigy.
> 
> All fans are controlled by an NZXT Grid+ V3


The black Noctua coolers looks really good i have an NH-U12S LTT edition myself

By the way you need a better PSU because what you have in there is 10 years old and its god awful 
https://www.overclock.net/forum/31-...ooler-master-extreme-power-plus-tomahawk.html


----------



## Captain Mayhem

shilka said:


> https://www.overclock.net/forum/31-...ooler-master-extreme-power-plus-tomahawk.html


It _is_ ten years old. Gotta give it points for longevity.


----------



## chibi

Hi there, does anyone have the newer Noctua NH-U12A cooler paired with a 9900K(S) at 5.0 GHz? If so, can you run Realbench 2.56 with fans at 1000 rpm for me? I would like to know the temps, thank you.

I used to be a custom loop only builder but now things changed and I don't have the time to tinker with acrylic tubing and water. Looking to move over to air cooling only now. I already have a D15S, but don't like the dual tower aesthetic as it covers up my ram kit.


----------



## Shenhua

Edit.


----------



## doyll

chibi said:


> Hi there, does anyone have the newer Noctua NH-U12A cooler paired with a 9900K(S) at 5.0 GHz? If so, can you run Realbench 2.56 with fans at 1000 rpm for me? I would like to know the temps, thank you.
> 
> I used to be a custom loop only builder but now things changed and I don't have the time to tinker with acrylic tubing and water. Looking to move over to air cooling only now. I already have a D15S, but don't like the dual tower aesthetic as it covers up my ram kit.


 From what I'm seeing NH-U12A is as good as D15, but obviously much of it's because of the NF-A12x25 fans. And I've seen no U12A testing with one fan vs 2 fans. 

I hesitate to say it here in NH-D15 thread, but D15's width often also overhangs PCie sockets while NH-D15S is offset to less of a problem .. and for less money if you have room TRUE Spirit 140 Power has equal performance at 200rpm lower fan speed (1300rpm vs 1500rpm). It will clear RAM 55mm from center CPU but fins are 77.5mm toward PCIe sockets and it stands 171mm tall so won't fit in all cases.


----------



## chibi

doyll said:


> From what I'm seeing NH-U12A is as good as D15, but obviously much of it's because of the NF-A12x25 fans. And I've seen no U12A testing with one fan vs 2 fans.
> 
> I hesitate to say it here in NH-D15 thread, but D15's width often also overhangs PCie sockets while NH-D15S is offset to less of a problem .. and for less money if you have room TRUE Spirit 140 Power has equal performance at 200rpm lower fan speed (1300rpm vs 1500rpm). It will clear RAM 55mm from center CPU but fins are 77.5mm toward PCIe sockets and it stands 171mm tall so won't fit in all cases.



Hey doyll, another user linked me the anandtech review (Link), and it looks like the U12A is only comparable at loads under 150W and start to lose traction by a large margin. From my experience, overclocking a 9900K to 5.0 GHz all core with hyperthreading will land me in the 145 amp / 195 watt range during a full run of ASUS Realbench v2.56. This was tested on a full custom loop with dual 360 rads and max temp of 85 degrees with 1k rpm fans in push.

The case I'm now considering is the Meshify C as I'm no longer interested in custom watercooling the P600S or Meshify S2. From my understanding, the Meshify C is best utilized with dual intake 140 fans in the front panel. 

Would the following fans be best for the intended use case?

2x Intake 140 mm fans, front panel: NF-A14 industrialPPC-2000 PWM
2x D15S Stock Fan Replacement: NF-F12 industrialPPC-2000 PWM


----------



## ciarlatano

chibi said:


> Hey doyll, another user linked me the anandtech review (Link), and it looks like the U12A is only comparable at loads under 150W and start to lose traction by a large margin. From my experience, overclocking a 9900K to 5.0 GHz all core with hyperthreading will land me in the 145 amp / 195 watt range during a full run of ASUS Realbench v2.56. This was tested on a full custom loop with dual 360 rads and max temp of 85 degrees with 1k rpm fans in push.
> 
> The case I'm now considering is the Meshify C as I'm no longer interested in custom watercooling the P600S or Meshify S2. From my understanding, the Meshify C is best utilized with dual intake 140 fans in the front panel.
> 
> Would the following fans be best for the intended use case?
> 
> 2x Intake 140 mm fans, front panel: NF-A14 industrialPPC-2000 PWM
> 2x D15S Stock Fan Replacement: NF-F12 industrialPPC-2000 PWM


The iPPC fans are nothing special. Performance is average, and they have a rather grating tonality. There would be no upgrade from an NF-A14 at like speeds, and the NF-A14 has a smoother sounding bearing. Also, the D15S uses 140mm fans, not 120mm fans.

If you want to upgrade the performance in rpm ranges you will actually use, look at something along the lines of a be quiet Silent Wings 3.


----------



## Shenhua

chibi said:


> Hey doyll, another user linked me the anandtech review (Link), and it looks like the U12A is only comparable at loads under 150W and start to lose traction by a large margin.


I've anticipated that, and people treated ne like crazy. That is completely normal, and the same effect will appear in a well cooled case, because the dependence on the cooler fans decreases more, and the u12a hits the wall sooner. That's why i always said, bench testing is at best incomplete (ppl still treat me like crazy on that one too).

by the way, i think optimum tech compared the u12a vs u12s with same fans, if you are interested.

Sent from my Redmi K20 Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## ehume

ciarlatano said:


> The iPPC fans are nothing special. Performance is average, and they have a rather grating tonality. There would be no upgrade from an NF-A14 at like speeds, and the NF-A14 has a smoother sounding bearing. Also, the D15S uses 140mm fans, not 120mm fans.
> 
> If you want to upgrade the performance in rpm ranges you will actually use, look at something along the lines of a be quiet Silent Wings 3.


From my last review (published 2019-07-15 at Overclockers.COM) I found that the NH-D14 with 2 NF-A14's cooled the best of them all. The NH-D15 with 2 NF-A14's cooled the worst of the major league heatsinks (air coolers) I tested. But in my experience, 2x120 and larger (2x140, 3x120, etc.) cool better than the best heatsinks. You pay for this with greater noise, of course.


----------



## ehume

chibi said:


> Hey doyll, another user linked me the anandtech review (Link), and it looks like the U12A is only comparable at loads under 150W and start to lose traction by a large margin. From my experience, overclocking a 9900K to 5.0 GHz all core with hyperthreading will land me in the 145 amp / 195 watt range during a full run of ASUS Realbench v2.56. This was tested on a full custom loop with dual 360 rads and max temp of 85 degrees with 1k rpm fans in push.
> 
> The case I'm now considering is the Meshify C as I'm no longer interested in custom watercooling the P600S or Meshify S2. From my understanding, the Meshify C is best utilized with dual intake 140 fans in the front panel.
> 
> Would the following fans be best for the intended use case?
> 
> 2x Intake 140 mm fans, front panel: NF-A14 industrialPPC-2000 PWM
> 2x D15S Stock Fan Replacement: NF-F12 industrialPPC-2000 PWM


From my last review (published 2018-07-15 at Overclockers.COM) I found that the NH-D14 with 2 NF-A14's cooled the best of them all. The NH-D15 with 2 NF-A14's cooled the worst of the major league heatsinks (air coolers) I tested. But in my experience, 2x120 and larger (2x140, 3x120, etc.) cool better than the best heatsinks. You pay for this with greater noise, of course.


----------



## doyll

chibi said:


> Hey doyll, another user linked me the anandtech review (Link), and it looks like the U12A is only comparable at loads under 150W and start to lose traction by a large margin. From my experience, overclocking a 9900K to 5.0 GHz all core with hyperthreading will land me in the 145 amp / 195 watt range during a full run of ASUS Realbench v2.56. This was tested on a full custom loop with dual 360 rads and max temp of 85 degrees with 1k rpm fans in push.
> 
> The case I'm now considering is the Meshify C as I'm no longer interested in custom watercooling the P600S or Meshify S2. From my understanding, the Meshify C is best utilized with dual intake 140 fans in the front panel.
> 
> Would the following fans be best for the intended use case?
> 
> 2x Intake 140 mm fans, front panel: NF-A14 industrialPPC-2000 PWM
> 2x D15S Stock Fan Replacement: NF-F12 industrialPPC-2000 PWM


Interesting review. I notice they only give results with fans at full speed and even at 340w of heat delta is 51.2c so aout 73.2-76.2c with 22-25c air into cooler. Not sure, but I don't see how some of the coolers they tested (like AR07 w/ only 3x 8mm heatpipes) could keep 340w at 51.2c delta, or TRUE Spirit 140 Direct rated 200w TDP cooling 340w to 38.4c delta. That's only 60.4c with 22c air into cooler, 64.2 with 27c air into cooler. Doesn't make any sense to me.


----------



## chibi

ciarlatano said:


> The iPPC fans are nothing special. Performance is average, and they have a rather grating tonality. There would be no upgrade from an NF-A14 at like speeds, and the NF-A14 has a smoother sounding bearing. *Also, the D15S uses 140mm fans, not 120mm fans*.
> 
> If you want to upgrade the performance in rpm ranges you will actually use, look at something along the lines of a be quiet Silent Wings 3.



I want to change out the D15S stock NF-A15 brown fans for something darker. I looked at the NF-A15 specs and it utilizes 120mm fan holes for the mounting bracket so I assumed I could use the 120mm replacement fans. Is this not the case? If not, what black frame Noctua fan should I order to replace the stock fan with?


----------



## TK421

doyll said:


> Interesting review. I notice they only give results with fans at full speed and even at 340w of heat delta is 51.2c so aout 73.2-76.2c with 22-25c air into cooler. Not sure, but I don't see how some of the coolers they tested (like AR07 w/ only 3x 8mm heatpipes) could keep 340w at 51.2c delta, or TRUE Spirit 140 Direct rated 200w TDP cooling 340w to 38.4c delta. That's only 60.4c with 22c air into cooler, 64.2 with 27c air into cooler. Doesn't make any sense to me.


Neither the D15 or Drive x3 360mm (3x AP15) were able to cool my 220w 5820K. Always around 88-89c.


----------



## Shenhua

TK421 said:


> Neither the D15 or Drive x3 360mm (3x AP15) were able to cool my 220w 5820K. Always around 88-89c.


Setup?(case/fans/rpm/delid or stock). You can't blame always the cooler.


----------



## doyll

chibi said:


> I want to change out the D15S stock NF-A15 brown fans for something darker. I looked at the NF-A15 specs and it utilizes 120mm fan holes for the mounting bracket so I assumed I could use the 120mm replacement fans. Is this not the case? If not, what black frame Noctua fan should I order to replace the stock fan with?


Cooler may not perform the same with120mm fans because they have smaller flow pattern than 140mm fans. But there are other 140mm fans with 105mm (120mm fan) mounting holes. Phanteks PH-F140HP II, Thermalright TY-147, 143, and a few other TY-14x models all have round housings with 120m fan mounting holes.


----------



## ehume

Noctua is now selling black fans, so-called 'chromax' fans. While Noctua does not yet sell black NF-A15 fans (the kind engineered for the NH-D15 and 15S), they will sell more black fans in mid-2020. Maybe then.


----------



## chibi

ehume said:


> Noctua is now selling black fans, so-called 'chromax' fans. While Noctua does not yet sell black NF-A15 fans (the kind engineered for the NH-D15 and 15S), they will sell more black fans in mid-2020. Maybe then.



They have the NF-A15 HS-PWM Chromax Black available now. :thumb:


----------



## Melcar

Yeah, but at $26? The NF-A15 is a good fan, but personally for me that price is insane. I have been meaning to buy a pair just to even out the color scheme inside my rig, but $52 just for a cosmetic change is a bit nuts to me.

Sent from my Redmi 4A using Tapatalk


----------



## TK421

doyll said:


> Interesting review. I notice they only give results with fans at full speed and even at 340w of heat delta is 51.2c so aout 73.2-76.2c with 22-25c air into cooler. Not sure, but I don't see how some of the coolers they tested (like AR07 w/ only 3x 8mm heatpipes) could keep 340w at 51.2c delta, or TRUE Spirit 140 Direct rated 200w TDP cooling 340w to 38.4c delta. That's only 60.4c with 22c air into cooler, 64.2 with 27c air into cooler. Doesn't make any sense to me.





TK421 said:


> Neither the D15 or Drive x3 360mm (3x AP15) were able to cool my 220w 5820K. Always around 88-89c.





Shenhua said:


> Setup?(case/fans/rpm/delid or stock). You can't blame always the cooler.





doyll said:


> Cooler may not perform the same with120mm fans because they have smaller flow pattern than 140mm fans. But there are other 140mm fans with 105mm (120mm fan) mounting holes. Phanteks PH-F140HP II, Thermalright TY-147, 143, and a few other TY-14x models all have round housings with 120m fan mounting holes.



Phanteks Enthoo Luxe, 2x NF-A14 front, 1x NF-A14 rear

Drive x3 with 3 GT 2150
NH D15 with 2x NF A15, top section 3x NF-A14 exhaust

Assumes all fans run at max speed. Side panel off, top mesh off.


i7 5820K, Grizzly Kryonaut paste. 
Either coolers cannot handle more than 210-220w, package temperature nearing 89c.


----------



## Owterspace

TK421 said:


> doyll said:
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting review. I notice they only give results with fans at full speed and even at 340w of heat delta is 51.2c so aout 73.2-76.2c with 22-25c air into cooler. Not sure, but I don't see how some of the coolers they tested (like AR07 w/ only 3x 8mm heatpipes) could keep 340w at 51.2c delta, or TRUE Spirit 140 Direct rated 200w TDP cooling 340w to 38.4c delta. That's only 60.4c with 22c air into cooler, 64.2 with 27c air into cooler. Doesn't make any sense to me.
> 
> 
> 
> Neither the D15 or Drive x3 360mm (3x AP15) were able to cool my 220w 5820K. Always around 88-89c.
Click to expand...

IIRC D14/15 is only rated for up to 220w. Thermalright makes coolers in the 320-360w range.

I could be mistaken on the 220w, Noctua used to list it, but old reviews are still up.

There maybe truth to that, my TS140P does a better job on my x5690 than my D14 did.


----------



## D-EJ915

Owterspace said:


> IIRC D14/15 is only rated for up to 220w. Thermalright makes coolers in the 320-360w range.
> 
> I could be mistaken on the 220w, Noctua used to list it, but old reviews are still up.
> 
> There maybe truth to that, my TS140P does a better job on my x5690 than my D14 did.


You always have to keep in mind that the ratings given to coolers are more of a maximum theoretical dissipation and you'll never get anywhere near that. In my experience the D15 cools better with low speed fans (stock) and the 140 Power cools better with high speed fans (TY-143) if you were trying to decide between the two.


----------



## Owterspace

Indeed, salt has been thrown, because it was not very much of a difference.


----------



## GeneO

chibi said:


> They have the NF-A15 HS-PWM Chromax Black available now. :thumb:


For some time now!


----------



## ehume

GeneO said:


> For some time now!


Not only the NF-A15 but the NF-A14 as well. And the max rating on the chromax NF-A15 is 1500 RPM, where the max RPM on the premium NF-A15 is 1200.


----------



## GeneO

ehume said:


> Not only the NF-A15 but the NF-A14 as well. And the max rating on the chromax NF-A15 is 1500 RPM, where the max RPM on the premium NF-A15 is 1200.


Yep. I have been running the A15 Chromax on my d15 and A14 in my case for 2 years now.


----------



## Shenhua

TK421 said:


> Phanteks Enthoo Luxe, 2x NF-A14 front, 1x NF-A14 rear
> 
> 
> 
> Drive x3 with 3 GT 2150
> 
> NH D15 with 2x NF A15, top section 3x NF-A14 exhaust
> 
> 
> 
> Assumes all fans run at max speed. Side panel off, top mesh off.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i7 5820K, Grizzly Kryonaut paste.
> 
> Either coolers cannot handle more than 210-220w, package temperature nearing 89c.


Well, to me, it looks like you could still squeeze at least 3-4°C more from the noctua in a proper setup.

Sent from my Redmi K20 Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## TK421

Shenhua said:


> Well, to me, it looks like you could still squeeze at least 3-4°C more from the noctua in a proper setup.
> 
> Sent from my Redmi K20 Pro using Tapatalk


Literally how?

In testing the side panel was off, so both coolers have perfect situation where they can perform.


----------



## Shenhua

TK421 said:


> Literally how?
> 
> 
> 
> In testing the side panel was off, so both coolers have perfect situation where they can perform.


Side panel off isn't perfect situation. You need a case with FULL front intake, mesh, no PSU shroud and only one exhaust at rear or none, and pcie brackets removed, so the hot air from GPU doesn't climb up.

Sent from my Redmi K20 Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## doyll

TK421 said:


> Phanteks Enthoo Luxe, 2x NF-A14 front, 1x NF-A14 rear
> 
> Drive x3 with 3 GT 2150
> NH D15 with 2x NF A15, top section 3x NF-A14 exhaust
> 
> Assumes all fans run at max speed. Side panel off, top mesh off.
> 
> 
> i7 5820K, Grizzly Kryonaut paste.
> Either coolers cannot handle more than 210-220w, package temperature nearing 89c.


What do you mean by "Assumes all fans run at max speed"?? Your listing seems to be all components you have, but you can't use all at same time, at least not effectivel so no idea what you are trying to say. What is air temp into coolers when stress testing system? You might find guide to airflow and how to optimize case airflow of interest:
https://www.overclock.net/forum/22319249-post5.html




Owterspace said:


> IIRC D14/15 is only rated for up to 220w. Thermalright makes coolers in the 320-360w range.
> 
> I could be mistaken on the 220w, Noctua used to list it, but old reviews are still up.
> 
> There maybe truth to that, my TS140P does a better job on my x5690 than my D14 did.


 TDP ratings are not much good. After looking at them for awhile they seem to be some sort of rating based on what the 6mm and 8mm heatpipes used in coolers are rated at, not actually cooler ratings.




D-EJ915 said:


> You always have to keep in mind that the ratings given to coolers are more of a maximum theoretical dissipation and you'll never get anywhere near that. In my experience the D15 cools better with low speed fans (stock) and the 140 Power cools better with high speed fans (TY-143) if you were trying to decide between the two.


In my experience with both D15 and TRUE Spirit 140 Power with TY-143 fan/s both cool 7-8c better at 2500rpm than at 1300rpm.




TK421 said:


> Literally how?
> 
> In testing the side panel was off, so both coolers have perfect situation where they can perform.


 Air temp into cooler is the key. A system with airflow setup properly so air temp into coolers is only 2-3c warmer than room ambient into case is about as good as it gets. Running with side cover off changes airflow from what it is with side cover on and this often increase air temp into coolers. Best way to know if system has good airflow is monitor air temp into coolers.


Edit: Added test graphs from Optimum Tech youtube video. His testing shows NH-U12A cooling about the same as other top tier coolers. Click on image to enlarge.


----------



## Speedster159

Is there such a thing as fan clips for square fans? Or is that the same thing as the ones that come with the cooler?

https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/faq


----------



## 414347

Speedster159 said:


> Is there such a thing as fan clips for square fans? Or is that the same thing as the ones that come with the cooler?
> 
> https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/faq


They are the same.


----------



## TK421

Shenhua said:


> Side panel off isn't perfect situation. You need a case with FULL front intake, mesh, no PSU shroud and only one exhaust at rear or none, and pcie brackets removed, so the hot air from GPU doesn't climb up.
> 
> Sent from my Redmi K20 Pro using Tapatalk






doyll said:


> What do you mean by "Assumes all fans run at max speed"?? Your listing seems to be all components you have, but you can't use all at same time, at least not effectivel so no idea what you are trying to say. What is air temp into coolers when stress testing system? You might find guide to airflow and how to optimize case airflow of interest:
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/22319249-post5.html
> 
> 
> 
> TDP ratings are not much good. After looking at them for awhile they seem to be some sort of rating based on what the 6mm and 8mm heatpipes used in coolers are rated at, not actually cooler ratings.
> 
> 
> 
> In my experience with both D15 and TRUE Spirit 140 Power with TY-143 fan/s both cool 7-8c better at 2500rpm than at 1300rpm.
> 
> 
> 
> Air temp into cooler is the key. A system with airflow setup properly so air temp into coolers is only 2-3c warmer than room ambient into case is about as good as it gets. Running with side cover off changes airflow from what it is with side cover on and this often increase air temp into coolers. Best way to know if system has good airflow is monitor air temp into coolers.
> 
> 
> Edit: Added test graphs from Optimum Tech youtube video. His testing shows NH-U12A cooling about the same as other top tier coolers. Click on image to enlarge.






All fans are run at 100% speed, including pump

Though with the side panel off and top exhaust grille off there's not much improvement to be made


GPU is idle.



Think the problem is just the solder tim not being able to transport heat quick enough.


----------



## doyll

Speedster159 said:


> Is there such a thing as fan clips for square fans? Or is that the same thing as the ones that come with the cooler?
> 
> https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/faq


 If it was me I would go to a hobby/crafts shop and get some piano wire about the same diameter as stock fan clip wire and make my own fan clips .. or use zip-ties like Ehume did in below link:
https://www.overclock.net/forum/246-air-cooling/753254-ziptie-screw.html


----------



## 8051

doyll said:


> If it was me I would go to a hobby/crafts shop and get some piano wire about the same diameter as stock fan clip wire and make my own fan clips .. or use zip-ties like Ehume did in below link:
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/246-air-cooling/753254-ziptie-screw.html


Ziptie screws to attach powerful fans to heatsinks don't work too well -- that's how the fins came off my PHTC14PE. I'm guessing the torque of my 120x38mm PFC1212DE-F00 was too much. The zipties seemed to be loose by the time I uninstalled the fan too, maybe they stretched out?


----------



## doyll

8051 said:


> Ziptie screws to attach powerful fans to heatsinks don't work too well -- that's how the fins came off my PHTC14PE. I'm guessing the torque of my 120x38mm PFC1212DE-F00 was too much. The zipties seemed to be loose by the time I uninstalled the fan too, maybe they stretched out?


Well, I use normal fans and have no problems. Even with spring steel fan clips your PFC1212DE-F00 will probably pop fins off of 2-pc finned PH-TC14PE.


----------



## ehume

Speedster159 said:


> Is there such a thing as fan clips for square fans? Or is that the same thing as the ones that come with the cooler?
> 
> https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/faq


As I noted in my final review (2018-07-25 on overclockers.com) clips for the NF-A15 do not fit the NF-A14. However, NH-D15 fan clips for the NF-A14 can be stretched to fit the NH-D14. 

That review is worth looking at, because the NH-D15 with two 2000-RPM NF-A14 fans cooled 5c less well than the NH-D14 with the same two NF-A14 fans.

This makes sense because the NF-A15 fan skirts go out to 150mm, where the NF-A14 go out only to 140mm. Apparently, the wider reach of the NF-A15 makes a difference on the NH-D15.


----------



## doyll

I have noticed temp differences using 140mm square fans instead of 140mm round ones from Thermalright and Phanteks giving warmer temps at same fan speed like Ehume noted in review and above. Came to same conclusion he did. :thumb: Round design gives different airflow pattern than square design.


----------



## Owterspace

Indeed, I have used zip ties many times on my old true with dual 120x38s with no problems. If I were to guess those fins on the Phantek are not very good if you broke them off. I’ve dropped my true from the top closet shelf a few times, just had to bend the fins back.


----------



## Falkentyne

Speedster159 said:


> Is there such a thing as fan clips for square fans? Or is that the same thing as the ones that come with the cooler?
> 
> https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/faq


You have to get them from Noctua.
That's what I did for my iPPC 3000 RPM fans. You just have to send them a proof of purchase and they'll mail them to you from Germany. With Love. Over Mother Russia.
You *can* use the default clips that come with the round fans, they do work but you will have to bend them. 

BTW What's with the hate with using 2x Noctua NF-F14 industrial iPPC-3000 RPM fans on a D15 ?
I've seen a lot of hate for those fans. Why are the round 1500 RPM or the square 2000 rpm fans liked more?


----------



## NewType88

Speedster159 said:


> Is there such a thing as fan clips for square fans? Or is that the same thing as the ones that come with the cooler?
> 
> https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/faq



They do not come with the cooler, that's why you have to request for them. The NF-A15 has 105 x 105mm spacing and the (square) NF-A14 have 124.5 x 124.5mm spacing.

You just show them your proof of purchase and they will send them to you for free.


----------



## D-EJ915

Falkentyne said:


> You have to get them from Noctua.
> That's what I did for my iPPC 3000 RPM fans. You just have to send them a proof of purchase and they'll mail them to you from Germany. With Love. Over Mother Russia.
> You *can* use the default clips that come with the round fans, they do work but you will have to bend them.
> 
> BTW What's with the hate with using 2x Noctua NF-F14 industrial iPPC-3000 RPM fans on a D15 ?
> I've seen a lot of hate for those fans. Why are the round 1500 RPM or the square 2000 rpm fans liked more?


The iPPC 2000 and 3000 use the same blade design as the A15 so probably fan noise from high RPM. They both have the fancy dimpling on the inside of the frame as well, being so similar I doubt there is really any difference if they had same RPM. Mine is an iPPC 2000 below with A15 HS Chromax from D15 Chromax cooler.

https://noctua.at/en/nf-a14-industrialppc-3000-pwm/specification

https://noctua.at/en/nf-a15-hs-pwm-chromax-black-swap/specification


----------



## ehume

Falkentyne said:


> BTW What's with the hate with using 2x Noctua NF-F14 industrial iPPC-3000 RPM fans on a D15 ?
> I've seen a lot of hate for those fans. Why are the round 1500 RPM or the square 2000 rpm fans liked more?


I actually tried using 2000rpm NF-A14's on a D15. Turns out, you would do better with stock fans. With 3000rpm fans, you get lots more noise. Sorry: if I'd known I was going to revisit the D14, I would have kept me NF-A14 3000 fans.


----------



## spice003

so i'm gonna be picking up a cooler this black friday, i need to know if the D15 chromax is better then a 360 AIO i was looking at DEEPCOOL Castle 360EX. and Whats gonna be quieter? its a for a Ryzen 2700x but i will be upgrading later on to probably a 12 core.

edit: did some reading on ocn, and everyone is saying to just stick with a heatsink cooler. so i guess i'm gonna be getting the D15.


----------



## 414347

I run D15S with additional 120mm fan on my 6950X at 4.2 I also have custom dual loop with the same CPU at 4.2 and tbh. D15 is so darn good in comparison. 

Check some of the temps, CPU fan RPM is at min. RPM and temps of CPU on Idle are 24C and with OCCT small files at 4.2 my temps never go beyond 58C at MAX and cooler runs very quiet.

D15 is still the King. Keep in mind my setup is in S8S with very good airflow


----------



## Multiplectic

NewUser16 said:


> D15 is still the King.












I had an old D14 a few years ago. Then I had a 120mm AIO, and then I went back to Noctua with the D15.
Only if I ever build a custom WC with a 360 rad I'll give up my D15.


----------



## doyll

NH-D15 has equals and a few slightly betters, but not by much. We are talking +/-2c for top air coolers, CLCs, and AIOs .. and dependablity of air beats AIO/CLC hands down.


----------



## Owterspace

You can’t say that in this thread! 😄


----------



## Abula

doyll said:


> NH-D15 has equals and a few slightly betters, but not by much. We are talking +/-2c for top air coolers, CLCs, and AIOs .. and dependablity of air beats AIO/CLC hands down.


 Any you know are slightly better? i would like to test them.


----------



## doyll

Abula said:


> Any you know are slightly better? i would like to test them.


Thermalright Le Grand Macho and TRUE Spirit 140 Power for starters. They cool as well as D15 running 1500rpm fans with a single 1300rpm fan. Cryorig R1 Ultimate, Silver Arrow IB-E (depending what review you look at) and old NH-D14 cool are all as good as well. Again, some of these are running slower speed fans than D15 has, and we are only talking a couple degrees difference so within test results margin of error.


----------



## postem

doyll said:


> NH-D15 has equals and a few slightly betters, but not by much. We are talking +/-2c for top air coolers, CLCs, and AIOs .. and dependablity of air beats AIO/CLC hands down.


Cant say more of that.
H110 i had was a loud mess, now on D15 i can run 9900KS 5ghz realbench 80-81 sustained.

This thing is a massive block, the only issue, but so far i have complete peace of mind of leakage and much less noise.

As far as more fans, i put the second fan on my D15, it cut only 2C on average, i think this cooler will probably perform very well even passive if you have enough case ventilation.


----------



## postem

doyll said:


> Thermalright Le Grand Macho and TRUE Spirit 140 Power for starters. They cool as well as D15 running 1500rpm fans with a single 1300rpm fan. Cryorig R1 Ultimate, Silver Arrow IB-E (depending what review you look at) and old NH-D14 cool are all as good as well. Again, some of these are running slower speed fans than D15 has, and we are only talking a couple degrees difference so within test results margin of error.


true spirit with only one tower? is that is so good?


----------



## Owterspace

postem said:


> true spirit with only one tower? is that is so good?


It’s also got 6x8mm pipes vs 6x6mm on the D14/15. Ive got one on my X5690 and get better results than with my old D14. It is a beast. D14 is still a nice cooler no doubt, but for me there were a few trade offs I was not willing to live with if I continued to use it. I have a Le Grand Macho RT on my main system and it’s a brute. Very effective, especially with a TY-143 on it. I haven’t run that system with a D14, I sold it to a friend years ago when I switched to an H100. Should have kept the D14 if I were to be honest lol. But then I wouldn’t have been reunited with Thermalright.. so maybe it was for the best 😄


----------



## chibi

So I just took my D15S out from storage and it looks like the heatsink isn't as shiny as I remember. It has a bit of a dull tone to it and is "spotty" with the dullness. Is this normal? I haven't used it in a good 2-3 years. I noticed when I put it away, I didn't clean it as thoroughly as I could have and the dust from the fan is kind of caked onto the cooler. Is it safe to dunk it in a water bath with some mild dish soap? 

I'm highly debating going back to air cooling this time around. With the Apex XI dimm.2 slot populated, I will only have room for the center fan. I suppose this is good enough, but darn I wanted to run both fans.


----------



## 8051

Owterspace said:


> It’s also got 6x8mm pipes vs 6x6mm on the D14/15. Ive got one on my X5690 and get better results than with my old D14. It is a beast. D14 is still a nice cooler no doubt, but for me there were a few trade offs I was not willing to live with if I continued to use it. I have a Le Grand Macho RT on my main system and it’s a brute. Very effective, especially with a TY-143 on it. I haven’t run that system with a D14, I sold it to a friend years ago when I switched to an H100. Should have kept the D14 if I were to be honest lol. But then I wouldn’t have been reunited with Thermalright.. so maybe it was for the best 😄


Ty-143 seems to work well on my DH15s too. Is the Le Grand Macho RT wider than the DH15 and DH15s?


----------



## 8051

Owterspace said:


> Indeed, I have used zip ties many times on my old true with dual 120x38s with no problems. If I were to guess those fins on the Phantek are not very good if you broke them off. I’ve dropped my true from the top closet shelf a few times, just had to bend the fins back.


It took a while for the damage to be done -- a couple of years. I noticed the fan and shroud on the heatsink were rattling and noticed the fins had popped off and that the ziptie screws were now loose. I'm not sure if the shroud that was glued on the output side of the 120x38mm fan affected the failure of the heatsink fins and zip ties.


----------



## doyll

postem said:


> true spirit with only one tower? is that is so good?


As pointed out, it has 6x *8mm *heatpipes. 8mm heatpipes can transfer 25-33% more heat than 6mm heatppes. More details in below link:

https://celsiainc.com/heat-pipe-performance-calculator/
And yes, TRUE Spirit 140 Power is if not the very best right up there with the very best. We tested it and D14 (easily as good as D15) and TS140P was 2.9-3.05c cooler than D14 at all speeds w/ 1x and 2x fans .. and it only cost about $50/£50/55€ so much lower priced.https://www.amazon.de/Thermalright-...s=true+spirit+140+power&qid=1574436909&sr=8-1




chibi said:


> So I just took my D15S out from storage and it looks like the heatsink isn't as shiny as I remember. It has a bit of a dull tone to it and is "spotty" with the dullness. Is this normal? I haven't used it in a good 2-3 years. I noticed when I put it away, I didn't clean it as thoroughly as I could have and the dust from the fan is kind of caked onto the cooler. Is it safe to dunk it in a water bath with some mild dish soap?
> 
> I'm highly debating going back to air cooling this time around. With the Apex XI dimm.2 slot populated, I will only have room for the center fan. I suppose this is good enough, but darn I wanted to run both fans.


Yes, you can wash it no problem. Just be sure it dries rather quickly like in a warm oven or with hairdryer. Some of the discoloring may be acids from skin etching / tarnishing the factory finish. They are almost impossible to remove to get original finished look back.


----------



## NewType88

What do you guys think this dark spot is ? Admittedly it was near a beaker with 90% iso alcohol,so maybe the vapors discolored it ? the other marks are when I wiped it with 70% iso alcohol wipes. Is there no way to "buff" it out ?


----------



## Captain Mayhem

ehume said:


> I actually tried using 2000rpm NF-A14's on a D15. Turns out, you would do better with stock fans. With 3000rpm fans, you get lots more noise. Sorry: if I'd known I was going to revisit the D14, I would have kept me NF-A14 3000 fans.


Hey ehume (long time), what fans came close or performed better than the stock fans?


----------



## umeng2002

Anyone run one of these in a Silverstone RL06 case?

I'm tired of the noise from my H80i and was looking at the D15.


----------



## Gunderman456

In the club!

Refer to my new Build Log: Fast n' Cheap https://www.overclock.net/forum/18082-builds-logs-case-mods/1737250-build-log-fast-n-cheap.html


----------



## umeng2002

Eh... after dong a lot of measurements, the D15S seems like a better option.

my RAM will cause the normie D15's front fan to be too tall for my case.

The D15S with 2 fans, however, seems to perform better than the D15... from the reviews I've read.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> Eh... after dong a lot of measurements, the D15S seems like a better option.
> 
> my RAM will cause the normie D15's front fan to be too tall for my case.
> 
> The D15S with 2 fans, however, seems to perform better than the D15... from the reviews I've read.


 Any reveiw claiming D15S with 2x fans is better than D15 is not doing accurate testing. 

Noctua says "_base performance of the NH-D15 and NH-D15S heatsinks is identical" _and I believe them before I'll believe some review sit. 

_ "Performance_: While the base _performance_ of the _NH_-_D15_ and _NH_-_D15S_ heatsinks is identical, the dual fan configuration of the _NH_-_D15_ can provide 1-3°C better _performance_" 

https://noctua.at/en/whats-the-difference-between-nh-d15-and-nh-d15s


----------



## ciarlatano

umeng2002 said:


> The D15S with 2 fans, however, seems to perform better than the D15... from the reviews I've read.





doyll said:


> Any reveiw claiming D15S with 2x fans is better than D15 is not doing accurate testing.
> 
> Noctua says "_base performance of the NH-D15 and NH-D15S heatsinks is identical" _and I believe them before I'll believe some review sit.
> 
> _ "Performance_: While the base _performance_ of the _NH_-_D15_ and _NH_-_D15S_ heatsinks is identical, the dual fan configuration of the _NH_-_D15_ can provide 1-3°C better _performance_"
> 
> https://noctua.at/en/whats-the-difference-between-nh-d15-and-nh-d15s


As stated by @doyll, that claim is an absolute farce and completely discredits any site that would publish it.


----------



## ehume

Having both the D15 and the D15S in my hands simultaneously, I can confirm that they are identical, except that the fin stack of the D15S is moved to the side to make sure its clips do not run afoul of hardware in the top PCIe slot. The two heatsinks cool as close as inevitable variations will let them. 

If a reviewer gets consistent differences; he either has not gotten his TIM application consistent, or he is running the D15S on single-fan stock and his description is misleading.


----------



## doyll

While it is highly improbable, it is possible to have defective cooler or cooler base is same and giving a different CPU to cooler heat transfer. But like I said, highly improbable. I've been using / testing coolers for longer than heatpipes have been used and know of only one cooler that was defective with a bad heatpipe. All other defects were obvious to the eye.


----------



## chibi

A few weeks ago, I was in debate regarding a CLC for looks, or D15 for performance to noise. I ended up getting both, a Corsair H100i Pro & already had a D15S in storage. Running both at full tilt was noticeably louder for the H100i Pro. 

With the noise came better performance though. My 9900KS + CLC topped out at 76 degrees in a bread board config. Same test with the D15S (single fan) topped out at 80 degrees. In the end, I went with the D15S as it was way less noisy compared to the CLC.

Did a full run and my 9900KS is happy and purring along.


----------



## ThrashZone

Hi,
Why only one fan ?


----------



## chibi

Case, Ram and Dimm.2 slot limitations unfortunately.


----------



## ehume

There ain't no free. AiO's and WC rigs perform better because they expose cooling fluid to more air. This takes fannage, and they are louder than the quiet heatsinks. But they cool more. What do you value more? That will decide what you use.


----------



## umeng2002

In either case (D15 or D15S), I'll have to run a 120mm fan over the ram sticks because of my case.

I'm just so sick of the H80i noise whenever there is the slightest CPU load (using custom curves via my mobo).

My 2700x with 8x XFR scalar under LinpacXtreme AVX (not the 1.1.2 AVX2 version that doesn't really load gen one and two Ryzens that well) and P95 is around 73° or 74° (Tdie) with H80i (fan speeds around 1950 rpm).

I know the D15 will be much quieter, but are lower temps asking to much?


----------



## Falkentyne

umeng2002 said:


> In either case (D15 or D15S), I'll have to run a 120mm fan over the ram sticks because of my case.
> 
> I'm just so sick of the H80i noise whenever there is the slightest CPU load (using custom curves via my mobo).
> 
> My 2700x with 8x XFR scalar under LinpacXtreme AVX (not the 1.1.2 AVX2 version that doesn't really load gen one and two Ryzens that well) and P95 is around 73° or 74° (Tdie) with H80i (fan speeds around 1950 rpm).
> 
> I know the D15 will be much quieter, but are lower temps asking to much?


Well I'm using 2x3000 RPM industrial A14 fans on my NH-D15. At 3000 RPM. Fear my jet engines!


----------



## Shenhua

ehume said:


> There ain't no free. AiO's and WC rigs perform better because they expose cooling fluid to more air. This takes fannage, and they are louder than the quiet heatsinks. But they cool more. What do you value more? That will decide what you use.


However they are not releasing heat at the same rate, with air cooling being far superior in that aspect. Also, you can slightly increase the air that one fan can move if you put several in line. That will artificially increase the maximum air intake a single fan can move. You can't do that with an AIO.

AiOs and WC cool is better, not only because they are not size limited, but also because they are LESS dependant of air than tower coolers ( even today we still have most cases sucking at cooling), and one of their main and best characteristic that lately started to shine, as we started getting heavier CPUs on the thermal density side and lesser on the power consumption side, and gave them the upper hand (because at least AiOs didn't really had it until now): water cooling it's just simply, MUCH BETTER at sucking heat........

The problem isn't anymore dissipating the heat, but rather sucking it.

You can get a LGMRT and a kraken x72, and place them on top of a 2700k at 250w and the air cooler will beat the crap out of the AIO.

Now get them both and place it on a 130-140w ryzen 3700x. The air cooler will probably not be able to handle it, while the x72 will stay into the 70's.


----------



## doyll

The few degrees difference 2 fans will make over one is not enough to make any real difference. If you want more cooling from NH-D15S use a fan like TY-143 in middle of cooler and as case intake (so case flows as much air as cooler uses) and have twice as much air at full speed giving you 6-9c lower temps.


----------



## ehume

umeng2002 said:


> In either case (D15 or D15S), I'll have to run a 120mm fan over the ram sticks because of my case.
> 
> I'm just so sick of the H80i noise whenever there is the slightest CPU load (using custom curves via my mobo).
> 
> My 2700x with 8x XFR scalar under LinpacXtreme AVX (not the 1.1.2 AVX2 version that doesn't really load gen one and two Ryzens that well) and P95 is around 73° or 74° (Tdie) with H80i (fan speeds around 1950 rpm).
> 
> I know the D15 will be much quieter, but are lower temps asking to much?


The best core temps I got on the D15 were using three A15 1200 RPM fans: net 58.7c @5.5 dBA (from 1m), averaged over 3 runs. (Since the ambients ranged from 19-22c, I reported net temps. To get actual temps, add ambient to net temp. Of course, this varied run by run.) 

D15 with stock fannage: net core temps were 59.3c @8 dBA, using two NF-A15 1500 RPM fans. 

D14 (note that it was not a D15) with nonconventional NF-A12x25 + A15 1500: [email protected] With the same mount, the D14 had net temps of [email protected] using 2 A15 1500 RPM.

IOW you don't give up much when you go to a 120mm push fan. There is more data in my review but i neglected to include this last result in it.


----------



## ThrashZone

doyll said:


> *The few degrees difference 2 fans will make over one is not enough to make any real difference*. If you want more cooling from NH-D15S use a fan like TY-143 in middle of cooler and as case intake (so case flows as much air as cooler uses) and have twice as much air at full speed giving you 6-9c lower temps.


Hi,
Thought it said Celsius which would be worth it.


----------



## umeng2002

I'm definitely leaning towards the D15S... it's either that or a Corsair h115i or EVGA 280 clc.

I'm assuming the D15 performance is about the same but much quieter?


----------



## 414347

If case is no limitation, you can very easily run second 120mm fan on D15S, even with RAM as tall is Dominator the additional 120mm fan will be almost on par in height with the org. fan with no additional noise increase, It is dead silent, that's the beauty with Noctua, beats most CLC. 

In my case because I have 4x 6TB 7200rpm HDDs right in front of the cooler I needed the second fan and I see 3C difference on idle and load between single and 2 fan config in ambient of 24C.


----------



## doyll

ThrashZone said:


> Hi,
> Thought it said Celsius which would be worth it.


 Not really a lot of difference. 80c is 176f, 81c is 177.8f so 1c is 1.8f. 83c is 181.4f, 86c is 186.8f so 3c is 5.4f difference. If system is running that hot most of the time it's because of poor case airflow being pre-heated 10-20c above room ambient before entering cooler, and if it is improved so it's only 2-5c above room temp CPU temp is 8-15c lower. 




umeng2002 said:


> I'm definitely leaning towards the D15S... it's either that or a Corsair h115i or EVGA 280 clc.
> I'm assuming the D15 performance is about the same but much quieter?


D15S or other top tier air cooler will cool as well as quiet or quieter than either of those CLCs or any other CLC .. and be still be cooling as good as new after 2 or 3 CLCs have died from worn out pumps.


----------



## ThrashZone

doyll said:


> Not really a lot of difference. 80c is 176f, 81c is 177.8f so 1c is 1.8f. 83c is 181.4f, 86c is 186.8f so 3c is 5.4f difference. If system is running that hot most of the time it's because of poor case airflow being pre-heated 10-20c above room ambient before entering cooler, and if it is improved so it's only 2-5c above room temp CPU temp is 8-15c lower.


Hi,
I'd take and do what ever for 3c anytime over 3 degrees Fahrenheit


----------



## doyll

ThrashZone said:


> Hi,
> I'd take and do what ever for 3c anytime over 3 degrees Fahrenheit


I'll take metric over imperial. So much simpler solution to dump fahrenheit and only use celcius and at same time dump imperial measurements and only use metric. Makes life so much simplier.  0c is freezing and 100c is boiling point .. all measurements are units of 10 not 12 to, 1 to 3, 5280, etc. Like I said, so much simplier.


----------



## PAULRYAN52

can anyone tell me if the following setup is compatible 

Case	Fractal Design Meshify C
Motherboard	MSI X570 MEG Unify
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-D15
RAM	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3600MHz
GPU	Gigabyte 2080 Ti Aorus Xtreme Waterforce
SSD	Gigabyte AORUS 1TB
PSU	Corsair HX850i


----------



## dropin_biking

Is it even worth upgrading from my D15?


----------



## Iconoclast

PAULRYAN52 said:


> can anyone tell me if the following setup is compatible
> 
> Case	Fractal Design Meshify C
> Motherboard	MSI X570 MEG Unify
> CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
> CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-D15
> RAM	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3600MHz
> GPU	Gigabyte 2080 Ti Aorus Xtreme Waterforce
> SSD	Gigabyte AORUS 1TB
> PSU	Corsair HX850i


Cooler height is 165mm. The Meshify C allows 172mm. You should be good. Even if you have to pop up a fan a bit for ram clearance.

Newegg usually has a line on their case specs page for Max CPU Cooler Height Allowance that I use when window shopping cases.


----------



## Falkentyne

doyll said:


> The few degrees difference 2 fans will make over one is not enough to make any real difference. If you want more cooling from NH-D15S use a fan like TY-143 in middle of cooler and as case intake (so case flows as much air as cooler uses) and have twice as much air at full speed giving you 6-9c lower temps.


BTW @doyll

You flamed me earlier for suggesting that a 760T would not fit with a NH-D15 even though I gave you the dimensions and mentioned the 140mm fan.
https://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/corsair_graphite_760t_review_fcbe,8.html

NH-D15 is 165mm
760T can accomodate up to 180mm.
I told you in my reply that i looked and there was space even with my first Noctua Industrial 140mm sitting higher up because of the RAM it was resting on.



> If you’re planning to go down the air cooling route there is more than adequate space for flagship CPU coolers as you can see above. Units which are 180mm tall can be housed within 760T – we’ve installed Noctua NH-D14 which is 160mm in height and you can clearly see there is copious amounts of clearance before it touches the side pan


NH-D15 is 165mm.
So I was right in my reply.


----------



## doyll

Falkentyne said:


> BTW @*doyll*
> 
> You flamed me earlier for suggesting that a 760T would not fit with a NH-D15 even though I gave you the dimensions and mentioned the 140mm fan.
> https://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/corsair_graphite_760t_review_fcbe,8.html
> 
> NH-D15 is 165mm
> 760T can accomodate up to 180mm.
> I told you in my reply that i looked and there was space even with my first Noctua Industrial 140mm sitting higher up because of the RAM it was resting on.
> 
> 
> 
> NH-D15 is 165mm.
> So I was right in my reply.


 Sorry. I don't understand how I could have got it so wrong. 

Could you give me link to my post or post number so I can review what I did? I looked back several pages and can't find it.


----------



## umeng2002

Got the D15S installed. Even with one fan, it's quieter and cools better than my old H80i. Very impressed.


----------



## 414347

umeng2002 said:


> Got the D15S installed. Even with one fan, it's quieter and cools better than my old H80i. Very impressed.


I love the looks of D15S


----------



## elzhi

i remember thinking dual tower coolers are for crazy people, now i have one of my own, DH-D15 chromax, it was the final piece of the puzzle to help my pc to run cooler and quieter 

on a sidenote i wonder why Noctua never tried making a GPU cooler...


----------



## GeneO

elzhi said:


> i remember thinking dual tower coolers are for crazy people, now i have one of my own, DH-D15 chromax, it was the final piece of the puzzle to help my pc to run cooler and quieter
> 
> on a sidenote i wonder why Noctua never tried making a GPU cooler...


Nice rig. Love my Noctua NH-D15. 

I expect there is too much variation in video cards to design a profitable air cooler, and also a smaller market since card makers have pretty decent air-coolers out of the box. There is a market for water coolers, but Noctua isn't water. Not so with CPU, they have , in general, poor air coolers out of the box.


----------



## bluechris

FYI to who ever want to cool his ram and mosfet with the noctua. I just grabbed the metal things that hold the right fan in place, by creating a degree and it is working flowlesly with my bdies that are pretty cool at 1.45v atm.
Great heatsink.


----------



## doyll

elzhi said:


> i remember thinking dual tower coolers are for crazy people, now i have one of my own, DH-D15 chromax, it was the final piece of the puzzle to help my pc to run cooler and quieter
> on a sidenote i wonder why Noctua never tried making a GPU cooler...


Dual tower coolers are not any better than top tier single tower coolers like Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 Power, Le Grand Macho RT, HR-22, Reeven Ouranos, and others, but they do have a unique look that draws attenion to them. 

Looks good, but I think you could improve case airflow by disconnecting top vent fans and removing all unused PCie back slot covers. This will increase rear vent area around GPU and thus improve front to back airflow and have lower temps on CPU and GPU at same and lower fan speeds.




umeng2002 said:


> Got the D15S installed. Even with one fan, it's quieter and cools better than my old H80i. Very impressed.


 Wecome to air cooling!
You have found out what some of us have been saying from the beginning of CLC sales. Top tier air cooling is usually quieter, costs less, is way more dependable, can be repaired if needed (fan do occasionally go bad) and take less maintenance.


----------



## ciarlatano

doyll said:


> Wecome to air cooling!
> You have found out what some of us have been saying from the beginning of CLC sales. Top tier air cooling is usually quieter, costs less, is way more dependable, can be repaired if needed (fan do occasionally go bad) and take less maintenance.


This fact makes a sad Pooh


----------



## Shenhua

elzhi said:


> i remember thinking dual tower coolers are for crazy people, now i have one of my own, DH-D15 chromax, it was the final piece of the puzzle to help my pc to run cooler and quieter
> 
> 
> 
> on a sidenote i wonder why Noctua never tried making a GPU cooler...


You can always take 2 more of those noctua case fans and slap them on the GPU with zip ties. The performance/sound improvement it's crazy if you take into consideration you can even do it with 5 bucks fans.

It might not look good, but my god it sounds so much better. With 2 nf a12x25 you can easily keep the temps in check with 800-1000rpm depending on the load (might need 1200-1300 for stress test, just to not go over 70°C).


----------



## doyll

Shenhua said:


> You can always take 2 more of those noctua case fans and slap them on the GPU with zip ties. The performance/sound improvement it's crazy if you take into consideration you can even do it with 5 bucks fans.
> 
> It might not look good, but my god it sounds so much better. With 2 nf a12x25 you can easily keep the temps in check with 800-1000rpm depending on the load (might need 1200-1300 for stress test, just to not go over 70°C).


If GPU had radiator with fin-pack big enough for 90-120mm fan/s and nothing in PCIe sockets is too close there are many decent fans that work way better than stock GPU cooler fans. Even Arctic F series 80mm & 90mm cool way better with much less noise than stock GPU fans.


----------



## ehume

doyll said:


> . . . Looks good, but I think you could improve case airflow by disconnecting top vent fans and removing all unused PCie back slot covers. This will increase rear vent area around GPU and thus improve front to back airflow and have lower temps on CPU and GPU at same and lower fan speeds.


I quite agree, but I would add one thing: cut out that rear "grill" (it is treally nothing more than a perforated wall). That way you can do without the noise of an exhaust fan. If you really need help exhausting your case, a pull fan on your heatsink entrains case air. BTW -- the cut edges of a rear exhaust hole are best covered with Gorilla Tape.


----------



## bluechris

In my gigabyte 1070ti where it has 3 stupid noise fans, i disassembled them and i have a 120mm noctua hitting air on the heatsink sideways from the end of the card to the case slots.
I used a motherboard temp sensor that went on the heatsink and that fan is controlled from there.
The end result is 10c lower gpu temps and 1/3 of the noise.
The reason for the above is that this box is an htpc with madvr where i watch mainly movies and the damn thing was noisy as hell. Im a happy pappy now.


----------



## Shenhua

doyll said:


> If GPU had radiator with fin-pack big enough for 90-120mm fan/s and nothing in PCIe sockets is too close there are many decent fans that work way better than stock GPU cooler fans. Even Arctic F series 80mm & 90mm cool way better with much less noise than stock GPU fans.


I don't understand what you mean in the first sentence. I do agree with the second one.

And yes, even if i become annoyingly repetitive, the GPU mod thing cannot be stressed enough. The level of improvement over stock fans, even on top models is almost unreal.


----------



## doyll

Shenhua said:


> I don't understand what you mean in the first sentence. I do agree with the second one.
> 
> And yes, even if i become annoyingly repetitive, the GPU mod thing cannot be stressed enough. The level of improvement over stock fans, even on top models is almost unreal.


 I said: _"If GPU had radiator with fin-pack big enough for 90-120mm fan/s and nothing in PCIe sockets is too close there are many decent fans that work way better than stock GPU cooler fans."_
If you GPU has a big enough stock cooler and you remove the stock shroud and fans, then replace them with normal 25mm thick 80mm, 90mm or 120mm fans like done in images below:








My KFA GTX 770 fan mod.










Modded stock GPU cooler with 2x 90mm fans












Another with 2x 90mm fans

Google images for:
"change stock gpu cooler fans to 25mm thick fans"
without quotes and you should get lots of images of this mod.


----------



## umeng2002

Got a NF-A12x25 on the front of the D15S, just now.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> Got a NF-A12x25 on the front of the D15S, just now.


 Any change in temps?
If you remove all unused PCIe back slot covers you will increase rear vent area around GPU and this improves front to back airflow which will result in lower air temp entering coolers, thus lower component temps at same fan speed.


----------



## umeng2002

doyll said:


> Any change in temps?
> If you remove all unused PCIe back slot covers you will increase rear vent area around GPU and this improves front to back airflow which will result in lower air temp entering coolers, thus lower component temps at same fan speed.


I messed around with the other fan configurations and I'm still dialing in the fan profiles, but it seems to be cooler than with just one fan.

I don't plan on removing the slot covers because they're really open already and I don't like the look of open holes in the case.

My GPU never gets to 70° C... mainly says around 65° C even when overclocked.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> I messed around with the other fan configurations and I'm still dialing in the fan profiles, but it seems to be cooler than with just one fan.
> 
> I don't plan on removing the slot covers because they're really open already and I don't like the look of open holes in the case.
> 
> My GPU never gets to 70° C... mainly says around 65° C even when overclocked.


 Obviously you can do whatever you want, but vented PCIe slot covers cut airflow at least in half of what no grill vent will flow .. maybe even 1/4th or less what open slot will flow. Even round wire ring grills are restrict about 30% of flow. Punched metal grills are much worse flowing 40-70% of what open hole does. Below link has more data showing airflow through different grills and just how restrictive they are:
https://www.overclock.net/forum/22657923-post15.html


----------



## bluechris

I personally always have in the lowest slot this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004ZSC0XS/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_rgpcEbNR8NJ9Q

And i never have temperature rising in bottom left of the case. I set the switch off it to medium that equivalents to 25-30cfm and is not noisy at all.


----------



## Dogzilla07

Arctic Cooling P8 are starting to show up , means P9 are probably close behind, and even better GPU cooling possibilities soon


----------



## 8051

doyll said:


> Any change in temps?
> If you remove all unused PCIe back slot covers you will increase rear vent area around GPU and this improves front to back airflow which will result in lower air temp entering coolers, thus lower component temps at same fan speed.


Couldn't this allow more dust into a case?


----------



## umeng2002

I don't know why people are so obsessed with dust prevention. Just clean your case out more often. You'll never keep all the dust out anyways.


----------



## ehume

8051 said:


> Couldn't this allow more dust into a case?


I live with parrots, and they make lots of dust. I also have removed my rear "grill" (it is actually a perforated steel wall) as well as the PCIe slot covers. The dust I have accrued is no more than anyone else's. I think it is a bootless issue: intake fans blow air out the back; dust with it.


----------



## 414347

umeng2002 said:


> I don't know why people are so obsessed with dust prevention. Just clean your case out more often. You'll never keep all the dust out anyways.


+1
I know it sounds weird, but more dust its seems like It's more fun to clean, use datavac...5 min. like new again


----------



## ehume

NewUser16 said:


> +1
> I know it sounds weird, but more dust its seems like It's more fun to clean, use datavac...5 min. like new again


Datvac FTW.


----------



## umeng2002

Interestingly, with my fan speeds at 900 rpm or 1400 rpm, the cpu temps are the same.


----------



## Owterspace

ehume said:


> Datvac FTW.


Indeed, I just got one for Christmas, and I love it.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> Interestingly, with my fan speeds at 900 rpm or 1400 rpm, the cpu temps are the same.


What is the temp and what is CPU load?


----------



## umeng2002

doyll said:


> What is the temp and what is CPU load?


Linpack Xtreme v1.1.1 (version v1.1.2 is borked for first gen and second gen Ryzen)

About 75° C after heat-soak gets in - (PBO level 6 or 7, RAM at 3333 MT/s, SoC voltage is elevated for mem OC).


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> Linpack Xtreme v1.1.1 (version v1.1.2 is borked for first gen and second gen Ryzen)
> 
> About 75° C after heat-soak gets in - (PBO level 6 or 7, RAM at 3333 MT/s, SoC voltage is elevated for mem OC).


 How long for it to 'heat-soak'? What is idle temp? Seems strange and I can't think of easy explaination. 

My builds reach max temp and fan speed in about 3 minutes. Most of that is not just cooler but also case fans coming up to speed and case airflow stabilizing. When high load run is over it takes about the same 3 minutes to cool everything and drop back to idle speed. 

What is your temp to fan speed curve? I have mine & about 600rpm @ 25c going up to about 1150rpm @ 65c, then at 70c fans go to full speed.
What is air temp into cooler and does it change from idle to higher loads and speeds?


----------



## umeng2002

doyll said:


> How long for it to 'heat-soak'? What is idle temp? Seems strange and I can't think of easy explaination.
> 
> My builds reach max temp and fan speed in about 3 minutes. Most of that is not just cooler but also case fans coming up to speed and case airflow stabilizing. When high load run is over it takes about the same 3 minutes to cool everything and drop back to idle speed.
> 
> What is your temp to fan speed curve? I have mine & about 600rpm @ 25c going up to about 1150rpm @ 65c, then at 70c fans go to full speed.
> What is air temp into cooler and does it change from idle to higher loads and speeds?


I tried it with my case fans at max and my case fans under 900 rpm... it didn't affect the CPU temp. Then I tried it with the D15S fans at max and then at 900 rpm... it didn't matter either.

It takes about a minute or two to heat soak to build... temp rises to about 69 or 70 quickly, then after a few minutes it tops out at 74 to 76.

With my Asus mobo, once the cpu hits 75, it maxes out the CPU fans... when that happens the temp stays between 74 and 76.

In the default config, I didn't do much testing... with Linpack Xtreme, at least.

When I put a second fan on the D15S, I reconfigured more case fans and fine tuned the profiles... no need to spin the fans up, imho... I might do more testing though... in open air to test the real limit of the cooler, then adjust case fans as necessary.


----------



## ehume

I find your results on heat soaking to be quite interesting. Before I retired, I tested a number of heatsinks -- fewer AIO's -- on two different systems, an i7 4790k and an i7 8700k. The stress test software was the same in both cases: LinX 0.6.5, which is a frontend for Linpack wth AVX2 libraries. In both cases, the test system involved a MB tray set on its side, to replicate how a MB sits in a case. Because Intel by then was including an iGPU with the CPU, no dGPU was needed, so no dGPU card was attached. In essence, I tried to take the case and a graphics card out of the equation so the coolers could be compared with each other.

I found that it consistently took 7-8 minutes for the core temperatures to reach their maxima -- heat-soaking, if you will. At 2-3 minutes the temps would still be climbing.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> I tried it with my case fans at max and my case fans under 900 rpm... it didn't affect the CPU temp. Then I tried it with the D15S fans at max and then at 900 rpm... it didn't matter either.
> 
> It takes about a minute or two to heat soak to build... temp rises to about 69 or 70 quickly, then after a few minutes it tops out at 74 to 76.
> 
> With my Asus mobo, once the cpu hits 75, it maxes out the CPU fans... when that happens the temp stays between 74 and 76.
> 
> In the default config, I didn't do much testing... with Linpack Xtreme, at least.
> 
> When I put a second fan on the D15S, I reconfigured more case fans and fine tuned the profiles... no need to spin the fans up, imho... I might do more testing though... in open air to test the real limit of the cooler, then adjust case fans as necessary.


 I assume 2nd image is how it is now? I would remove all unused PCIe back slot covers to give more rear vent area around GPU. I know the PCIe slot covers are vented, but they still block over 60% of the air they will flow when removed. 

Maybe get yourself a cheap remote sensor thermometer and monitor air temp into coolers (check both CPU and GPU). I use little wired sensor digital indoor/outdoor themometers or similar aquarium/terrarium thermometers setup as in link below:
https://www.overclock.net/forum/22319171-post2.html


Edit: Below graphs is how mine run


----------



## umeng2002

Mmmm... when my new SSD gets here Friday and I get my case open, I'll test it in open air. Maybe remount the cooler too.

I did the credit card spread method with MX-4 instead of the normal pea-sized dot, but it took some wrangling to get the cooler on. Maybe I smeared some off in the process.

I can't imagine putting a second fan on it would hurt the temps.

The fact that the temperature didn't change with improved case fan speed leads me to believe that opening the slot covers won't to anything either. There is a hex grill just next to the slots anyways.

I do have a thermistor stuck in the GPU heatsink fins, when gaming, it's never above 45° C.

Is that graph for CPU temps or air temps?


----------



## bluechris

umeng2002 said:


> I tried it with my case fans at max and my case fans under 900 rpm... it didn't affect the CPU temp. Then I tried it with the D15S fans at max and then at 900 rpm... it didn't matter either.
> 
> 
> 
> It takes about a minute or two to heat soak to build... temp rises to about 69 or 70 quickly, then after a few minutes it tops out at 74 to 76.
> 
> 
> 
> With my Asus mobo, once the cpu hits 75, it maxes out the CPU fans... when that happens the temp stays between 74 and 76.
> 
> 
> 
> In the default config, I didn't do much testing... with Linpack Xtreme, at least.
> 
> 
> 
> When I put a second fan on the D15S, I reconfigured more case fans and fine tuned the profiles... no need to spin the fans up, imho... I might do more testing though... in open air to test the real limit of the cooler, then adjust case fans as necessary.


You are exactly like me in the second picture of yours but i have 3 nf12 infront and in rear and top the 3 140mm that the Corsair air 740 had.
I don't know when the heat soak comes in my setup and i will see it tomorrow.
Now i have the same setup like you with the right top fan stopped but i wonder if that fan positioned in reverse to bring air inside, it will be good? I will test also that tomorrow for sure.
Now what i see in your setup is that your rear fan is 120mm so if i was you i would had that fan setup to run 20-30% faster than everything else and i explain.
The front fans bring air inside, then the cpu fans sent it to back and there is now my ocd problem, the air is divided from the back and top fan to get out, breaking the right to left flow.
I know maybe its nothing and i sense ghosts but i will try with nothing at the top and 2x140mm in the left to take the air out fast in straight manner perfectly alined to the heatsink fins.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> Mmmm... when my new SSD gets here Friday and I get my case open, I'll test it in open air. Maybe remount the cooler too.
> 
> I did the credit card spread method with MX-4 instead of the normal pea-sized dot, but it took some wrangling to get the cooler on. Maybe I smeared some off in the process.
> 
> I can't imagine putting a second fan on it would hurt the temps.
> 
> The fact that the temperature didn't change with improved case fan speed leads me to believe that opening the slot covers won't to anything either. There is a hex grill just next to the slots anyways.
> 
> I do have a thermistor stuck in the GPU heatsink fins, when gaming, it's never above 45° C.
> 
> Is that graph for CPU temps or air temps?


The temperature in graph are CPU temps. When case airflow is set up properly it only takes a couple minutes for temps to peak when CPU jumps to full load or back to idle. Most of the time when a case with airflow setup properly will run cooler with closed then with side cover off.


----------



## 8051

umeng2002 said:


> I don't know why people are so obsessed with dust prevention. Just clean your case out more often. You'll never keep all the dust out anyways.


You have filtered central A/C don't you? I don't, dust is a problem.


----------



## doyll

8051 said:


> You have filtered central A/C don't you? I don't, dust is a problem.


I agree, dust is a problem. It's even a problem when room are on filtered HVAC systems. It's so much easier to vacuum case filters each time vacuuming house and not have to ever clean anything inside of case. My oldest system is i7-920 with all filtered intakes it stays clean that's been running for years with just cleaning filters every month or two. Still clean inside.


----------



## 414347

Dust isn't a major issue as you guys making it sound, yes it settles on your components, but It's not doing the damage to the heat dissipation as much as you tend to believe. 

I personality and relatives of mine who are unfortunately too lazy to look inside their case that have no window haven't clean their systems for 2 straight years and the only reason I know thins when I was giving one of my nephews my older Titans and after looking inside of his case, it was literally 1/2 inch of dust, still his 5960X OC to 4.3 was at no alarming temps.

In fact one of my workstations running constant 24/7 in different part of the city at my wife's office for the second year now and it's no issues, Its Caselabs s5 with no dust filters and last checked was the same temps the day I set it up.

I'm not saying keep your system dirty, but today's components are not as they were years ago prone to electrical static, easy to damage and would choke on heat, so the emphasis on dust and its negative effect is blown whey out of proportion.

I have several systems at home in Caselabs cases with no filters what so ever and my house has good amount of dust, between new homes going up creating enormous amount of dirt and I'm to busy to clean there is never issue I don't believe in them, unless you live in desert, dust filters alone are restrict to the air and they gets dusty within minutes, so unless you clean them every hour, they are useless.


Have you ever let dust accumulate on modern PC and check temps, then clean it and check temps again, you will see very small difference in tempo and performance.


----------



## doyll

NewUser16 said:


> Dust isn't a major issue as you guys making it sound, yes it settles on your components, but It's not doing the damage to the heat dissipation as much as you tend to believe.
> 
> I personality and relatives of mine who are unfortunately too lazy to look inside their case that have no window haven't clean their systems for 2 straight years and the only reason I know thins when I was giving one of my nephews my older Titans and after looking inside of his case, it was literally 1/2 inch of dust, still his 5960X OC to 4.3 was at no alarming temps.
> 
> In fact one of my workstations running constant 24/7 in different part of the city at my wife's office for the second year now and it's no issues, Its Caselabs s5 with no dust filters and last checked was the same temps the day I set it up.
> 
> I'm not saying keep your system dirty, but today's components are not as they were years ago prone to electrical static, easy to damage and would choke on heat, so the emphasis on dust and its negative effect is blown whey out of proportion.
> 
> I have several systems at home in Caselabs cases with no filters what so ever and my house has good amount of dust, between new homes going up creating enormous amount of dirt and I'm to busy to clean there is never issue I don't believe in them, unless you live in desert, dust filters alone are restrict to the air and they gets dusty within minutes, so unless you clean them every hour, they are useless.
> 
> Have you ever let dust accumulate on modern PC and check temps, then clean it and check temps again, you will see very small difference in tempo and performance.


 You are entitled to believe what you want .. and maybe in your enviroment what you say is true. 



It seems rather obvious your enviroment is not very dirty. Definitely not anywhere close to as dirty as many I've seen over the years. Some of the extremely dirty ones, like machine shops or small rooms used by a couple of heavy smokers can really get manky.



Some of us have years of experience with computers and dust related issues. Everything from simple dust bunnys to gooey dark gunk from machines used by heavy smokers. 



You are not going to convince us that dust buildup can not and will not dramatically reduce system cooling. 



I have seen a fair few so bad that required way more than could be blown out, often requiring hot soapy water to clean, and some requiring much stronger cleaning agents. 



True, in some enviroments it can take years to become a problem, but there are quite a few other enviroments where systems will plug up in less than a year and be overheating.


----------



## Shawnb99

doyll said:


> You are entitled to believe what you want .. and maybe in your enviroment what you say is true.
> 
> 
> 
> It seems rather obvious your enviroment is not very dirty. Definitely not anywhere close to as dirty as many I've seen over the years. Some of the extremely dirty ones, like machine shops or small rooms used by a couple of heavy smokers can really get manky.
> 
> 
> 
> Some of us have years of experience with computers and dust related issues. Everything from simple dust bunnys to gooey dark gunk from machines used by heavy smokers.
> 
> 
> 
> You are not going to convince us that dust buildup can not and will not dramatically reduce system cooling.
> 
> 
> 
> I have seen a fair few so bad that required way more than could be blown out, often requiring hot soapy water to clean, and some requiring much stronger cleaning agents.
> 
> 
> 
> True, in some enviroments it can take years to become a problem, but there are quite a few other enviroments where systems will plug up in less than a year and be overheating.




That’s mostly due to the smoking though. That tar really gunks up with the dust.


----------



## Owterspace

It really just depends where you live. Housekeeping helps, but if it’s dusty where you live then you can’t escape it. I lived on the top floor of an apt for 5 years and had a church parking lot across from me. My apartment got very dusty. I now live in a house and my dust is not nearly as bad as it used to be.


----------



## 414347

doyll said:


> You are entitled to believe what you want .. and maybe in your enviroment what you say is true.
> 
> 
> 
> It seems rather obvious your enviroment is not very dirty. Definitely not anywhere close to as dirty as many I've seen over the years. Some of the extremely dirty ones, like machine shops or small rooms used by a couple of heavy smokers can really get manky.
> 
> 
> 
> Some of us have years of experience with computers and dust related issues. Everything from simple dust bunnys to gooey dark gunk from machines used by heavy smokers.
> 
> 
> 
> You are not going to convince us that dust buildup can not and will not dramatically reduce system cooling.
> 
> 
> 
> I have seen a fair few so bad that required way more than could be blown out, often requiring hot soapy water to clean, and some requiring much stronger cleaning agents.
> 
> 
> 
> True, in some enviroments it can take years to become a problem, but there are quite a few other enviroments where systems will plug up in less than a year and be overheating.


Don't misinterpreted what I'm saying, that's why I said, "unless you live in the desert", even then that is questionable in reality, unless you will leave your system unintended for a very long time.

One of my systems is in Tool & Die machine shop doing demanding, very heavy 3D design work, Its full of dust and other dirt and its running 24/7 without filters, no thermal issues, but, It has a good airflow as all caselabs cases do, so dust it's not an issue, Its your air flow.

If you take e.g. case with very min. airflow, you facing issues to begin with and than yap, small dust might affect your system, but that is irrelevant because you have issues to begin with.

I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else in that matter, but dust and its side effects is blown to be much bigger issues in theory than it is in reality and If you have thermal issues after some dust accumulation on your components, you have bigger issues with your air flow.... period.


----------



## doyll

NewUser16 said:


> Don't misinterpreted what I'm saying, that's why I said, "unless you live in the desert", even then that is questionable in reality, unless you will leave your system unintended for a very long time.
> 
> One of my systems is in Tool & Die machine shop doing demanding, very heavy 3D design work, Its full of dust and other dirt and its running 24/7 without filters, no thermal issues, but, It has a good airflow as all caselabs cases do, so dust it's not an issue, Its your air flow.
> 
> If you take e.g. case with very min. airflow, you facing issues to begin with and than yap, small dust might affect your system, but that is irrelevant because you have issues to begin with.
> 
> I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else in that matter, but dust and its side effects is blown to be much bigger issues in theory than it is in reality and If you have thermal issues after some dust accumulation on your components, you have bigger issues with your air flow.... period.


No misinterpretation. 

You blanket statements about dust in air cooling envrioments are hogwash. Things are not that black & white. You think you know it all or at least that is how your posts sound. 

Tool & Die shop and other 1st World work environments like your Tool & Die shop are probably cleaner than many home environments, even in 1st world countries. Go into a windy dry environment or working 3rd world countries and things are much different. Sooner or later you will most likely learn enough to kno when air cooling things environmental contaminates (dust is one) are problematic .. sometimes in less than a year, sometimes it takes years.


----------



## 414347

Let me just say this and I won't respond to any more of your strong opinions that obviously you will stick by and like you said " You are entitled to believe what you want" right back at you.

My opinion when comes to dust and its effect on air-cooled PC performance is not based on month or two of observation, In fact I can assure you I am much older person then you who've been in much worse place then you ever will or can imagine and over decades of experiments and experience I say what is to be real fact, not what you think you ever discovered over few years of your elaborations. 

I haven't always lived in air cooled environment, In fact I won't dispute your experience of living in dusty area and the need of dust filters, but as I said before, unless you live near desert, that is a different story so what am I disagree with! but if your airflow is poor, dust is the least of your issue and if you don't or can't get case with exceptional airflow, it's easy to put the blame on dust. 

I lived near coal minds in Europe Germany, worse coal polluted place on the planet where was nasty, you can't even imagine the dust and smoke I lived near, so don't tell me I don't know what is like to be in dusty area and have air-cooled PC and its experience with and without filters the least to say. 

I don't know your age, but from the sound of it and your judgment and quick assumptions I can ask you " You think you know it all or at least that is how your posts sound" who sounds to know all


----------



## doyll

NewUser16 said:


> edited In fact I can assure you I am much older person then you who've been in much worse place then you ever will or can imagine and over decades of experiments and experience I say what is to be real fact,Edited


That one sentence from your last post proves my point quite nicely. :thumb:


----------



## 414347

doyll said:


> Just proves you don't know
> 
> 
> 
> 
> G
> 
> M
> 
> T
> 
> Y
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Detect languageAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIri****alianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu
> AfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIri****alianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Text-to-speech function is limited to 200 characters
> 
> 
> Options : History : Feedback : DonateClose



Don't you find tiring to live with such strong conviction to prove your opinions

Why am I wasting my time...have a good disagreements with someone less busy, take care


----------



## doyll

Something glitched when I posted. 

You posting quote of glitch not only proves you didn't mean what you said in previous post about not replying to me any more, it also show how far you will go trying to be something you are not.


----------



## 8051

doyll said:


> I agree, dust is a problem. It's even a problem when room are on filtered HVAC systems. It's so much easier to vacuum case filters each time vacuuming house and not have to ever clean anything inside of case. My oldest system is i7-920 with all filtered intakes it stays clean that's been running for years with just cleaning filters every month or two. Still clean inside.


Do you have somewhere I could see pics of your build? I'd like to see how its filtered, the fans installed, the kind of case and if that kind of case is still available for purchase.

When I had an unfiltered case the dust build up was terrible. I still get fine dust all over everything inside my case, just not the dust bunnies I used to get.

I still hope you can get Noctua to make a more powerful version of their NF-A20 and someone to utilize the oscillating heatpipe technology you discovered (uncovered[?]).


----------



## bluechris

Guys can we move on please, i mean we all read your opinions.


----------



## doyll

8051 said:


> Do you have somewhere I could see pics of your build? I'd like to see how its filtered, the fans installed, the kind of case and if that kind of case is still available for purchase.
> 
> When I had an unfiltered case the dust build up was terrible. I still get fine dust all over everything inside my case, just not the dust bunnies I used to get.
> 
> I still hope you can get Noctua to make a more powerful version of their NF-A20 and someone to utilize the oscillating heatpipe technology you discovered (uncovered[?]).


Sorry, don't have many pics and none of newer builds. "Ways to Better Cooling" thread this forum post 5 is basic guide to case airflow and how to optimize it. Post 48 is old Define R2 modified to 140mm fans with Silverstone filters. Wife is using R2 now. I use mostly Phanteks, Fractal Design and be quiet! cases. 

But we should move this to another thread and stop cluttering up D15 thread.


----------



## 414347

If I'm not mistaking, shilka was one of the first forum users whom got the new, black Noctua cooler when they first released it and at the time, there was a small issues with their black coating coming off, can anyone with recent purchase of Noctua black cooler confirm If that has been rectified or if this is still an issue. 

Thanks


----------



## bluechris

NewUser16 said:


> If I'm not mistaking, shilka was one of the first forum users whom got the new, black Noctua cooler when they first released it and at the time, there was a small issues with their black coating coming off, can anyone with recent purchase of Noctua black cooler confirm If that has been rectified or if this is still an issue.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks


I have the chromax and really i tried to scratch it and its very rigid.
Also since i do things in my memory, the right fan i have take it out 10 times at least and where the clips of the fan hold in the heatsink no paint had came out.


----------



## 414347

Thanks for your input. I'm excited about the new D16 I think that's what they will name it, It should be out within 1-3 months if things go well


----------



## outofmyheadyo

I hope when they launch it chromax black is the only option.


----------



## ciarlatano

outofmyheadyo said:


> I hope when they launch it chromax black is the only option.


Yeah. Heck with the people who want silver, they don't deserve a cooler like this. :doh:


----------



## 414347

Sorry guys to disappoint you, but personally I still prefer much better the traditional aluminum look, It's for my son who want the black


----------



## ciarlatano

NewUser16 said:


> Sorry guys to disappoint you, but personally I still prefer much better the traditional aluminum look, It's for my son who want the black


Which is why they should offer both. I have no idea why someone would think they should offer fewer choices.


----------



## 414347

I'm sure Noctua will always have both to chose from. Strangely, but not uncommon there is many people that prefer the aluminum look, the black is great, but not always goes well with certain components color scheme


----------



## Owterspace

Polished metal makes everything look better, black makes it look like it’s plastic. Though I could see if you were into rainbow lights you might not like the reflections. When it’s time for me to build, I hope I can do it with no rainbows 🌈


----------



## TK421

nh d15 3950x/3900x any noticeable temp difference under load between CCD0 and CCD1 with hwinfo64 monitoring?


----------



## meridius

Hi all i Just got the black version for my 3900x system build so ill get some pictures done when i get the thing built but have a cold at the moment and can not be bothered, lol I did also get the white covers as it will match my case so ill take some images with and witout them.

I Also have a DR PRO4 but never fitted it as i was not keen on the mounting system and herd of the black noctua so i waited.


----------



## Aenra

About fewer choices;
They mentioned a long time back that the new one will be like the D15-S, angled. Had therefore inferred that as such we should only be getting one version of the "new" one. 
But then we got the whole 'blacked out' thing going, so make that two total now, as one will almost definitely be a 'blacked out' variant. Which leads to inferring some more, namely that delays notwithstanding, what we'll be seeing at launch is the plated version.

If you want the D "16" _and_ in black, i'd say you've got about a year more of waiting. Let's hope i'm wrong


----------



## doyll

Aenra said:


> About fewer choices;
> They mentioned a long time back that the new one will be like the D15-S, angled. Had therefore inferred that as such we should only be getting one version of the "new" one.
> But then we got the whole 'blacked out' thing going, so make that two total now, as one will almost definitely be a 'blacked out' variant. Which leads to inferring some more, namely that delays notwithstanding, what we'll be seeing at launch is the plated version.
> 
> If you want the D "16" _and_ in black, i'd say you've got about a year more of waiting. Let's hope i'm wrong


My guess is you are .. wrong.  Probably be years before D "16" is released and then years more before a black version is.


----------



## 414347

doyll said:


> My guess is you are .. wrong.  Probably be years before D "16" is released and then years more before a black version is.


Ooo I hope you darn wrong I'm waiting for that new cooler hoping to be out soon

" We hoping to be out first quarter of 2020" 

I'm wonder how close they are with that statement


----------



## Aenra

doyll said:


> My guess is you are .. wrong.


Could be honestly, yeah.. or, put diffrently, i certainly wouldn't discount _that_ as a possibility. Am just keeping it optimistic, lol
(next build is for end of '20/early '21, ideally with the new Noctua in; 'cause no way i'll take stuff apart just to change a cooler, not for a couple of Cs difference at best)


----------



## doyll

I hope I am wrong and we have a new Noctua out sooner. But I'm not very optimistic.


----------



## Aenra

Can't blame you.. The only good thing out of all this is that with so many revisions and iterations one can ..with moderation.. hope for a good product eventually, lol

Unrelated to this thread, but am also wondering *** happened with their TRX coolers; they were announced well in advance, showcased, and then, nothing. It's an important window to lose, as they only release once a year and whomever needed a TR4/X cooler already has one by now. So best case scenario is sometime near end of next year (next -and last within the 'Zen' arc- TRX launch).

* Jeesus almighty, the site now censors W-T-F? Just how much more are we to culturally backtrack for the sake of post-millennial offendotrons?


----------



## umeng2002

Does anyone know or can measure the height difference between the white AM3 and down spacers compared to the grey AM4 spacers?

I'm trying to increase the mounting pressure on my AM4 system.


----------



## Aenra

umeng2002 said:


> Does anyone know or can measure the height difference between the white AM3 and down spacers compared to the grey AM4 spacers?
> 
> I'm trying to increase the mounting pressure on my AM4 system.


If that's all you want, why over-complicate?
Get some good quality, sturdy plastic round washers and voila; though it does need be said that by default, it's more than adequate, ergo if you really do have mounting issues, they're 100% unrelated to the total newtons applied to the IHS.
Your toys, your responsibility.
(and if you insist pressure is what's lacking _and_ that it isn't your fault, washers are all you need)


----------



## umeng2002

I'm thinking it's mounting pressure, because my thermals are the same whether the fans are at 900 rpm or max.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> I'm thinking it's mounting pressure, because my thermals are the same whether the fans are at 900 rpm or max.


What is your TIM print like? Maybe you are using too much TIM? We what as much metal to metal contact as possible with TIM only filling tiny voids in and between surfaces. We do not want a layer of TIM between them.


----------



## Aenra

umeng2002 said:


> I'm thinking it's mounting pressure, because my thermals are the same whether the fans are at 900 rpm or max.


That's not the D15's mounting mechanism applying insufficient mounting pressure; i'll be frank and say it outright, i don't even know how you reached that conclusion, given all the variables you'd have had to exclude to reach it.. but it's not that.
With a right mounting, the D15 applies close to 500 Newtons of force on that IHS. Says everything that needs to be said in regard to that.

Unmount (and i mean _unmount_, backplate too), clean both, check your fans, their cabling, whatever's driving them, check your paste, remount/re-apply paste.


----------



## GeneO

Aenra said:


> That's not the D15's mounting mechanism applying insufficient mounting pressure; i'll be frank and say it outright, i don't even know how you reached that conclusion, given all the variables you'd have had to exclude to reach it.. but it's not that.
> With a right mounting, the D15 applies close to 500 Newtons of force on that IHS. Says everything that needs to be said in regard to that.
> 
> Unmount (and i mean _unmount_, backplate too), clean both, check your fans, their cabling, whatever's driving them, check your paste, remount/re-apply paste.


I would add that because of this, it is also not a problem of too much TIM. Any excess will get squeezed out by the pressure. Putting too little TIM would be more likely.


----------



## doyll

GeneO said:


> I would add that because of this, it is also not a problem of too much TIM. Any excess will get squeezed out by the pressure. Putting too little TIM would be more likely.


 I dissagree. 

While it depends on may variables including TIM density / consistency and mounting pressure, too much TIM will not spread / be pushed out from between IHS and cooler base. Years ago Hardware secrets did testing with 5 different amounts of TIM and found less was better. Of course TIM print has to cover area of IHS that has CPU chip under it. Link below is their results. 
https://www.overclock.net/forum/22335323-post10.html
You can see they found 3c of difference, and their TIM was not a very high density / thick in consistancy either. 

As I said before, key to a good seat and heat transfer is direct metal to metal contact with TIM only filling microscopic voids in surfaces. We do not want a layer of of TIM because TIM does not transfer heat near as well as metal.Normal TIM is rated 3.5-12.5W/m K
Liquid Metal TIM is . 32-50W/m K
Copper is rated at . 400W/m K
Air is only rated . . 0.024W/m K​So you can see while TIM is a many times better than air, it's still 8-114 times worse than copper .. in other words if our mount ends up with a layer of TIM between IHS and CPU over CPU die heat transfer is going to be very poor.

Also keep in mind the IHS on our CPUs is not really a heat spreader. It's too thin to spread heat more than maybe a mm. What it really does is spread the mounting load of cooler to it's edges which are outside of the area of the 1000+ contacts between CPU and motherboard. This is so the area with all these contacts does not flex and damage them. 

This is why I determine how big and where CPU die is under IHS and use a dob in middle of it that spreads to a TIM print that covers all of CPU die. 

As for the 500 newtons thing, the definition of newton is _"A *newton* is a unit of force that will accelerate one kilogrqam of mass one meter per second squared. Just as meters measure distance, newtons measure force." _ One newton = 0.00014503773800722psi, so 500 newton would only be 0.72psi. So either my definition of newton is wrong or there is much more than 500 newton of force involved here. 


​


----------



## GeneO

doyll said:


> I dissagree.
> 
> While it depends on may variables including TIM density / consistency and mounting pressure, too much TIM will not spread / be pushed out from between IHS and cooler base. Years ago Hardware secrets did testing with 5 different amounts of TIM and found less was better. Of course TIM print has to cover area of IHS that has CPU chip under it. Link below is their results.
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/22335323-post10.html
> You can see they found 3c of difference, and their TIM was not a very high density / thick in consistancy either.
> 
> As I said before, key to a good seat and heat transfer is direct metal to metal contact with TIM only filling microscopic voids in surfaces. We do not want a layer of of TIM because TIM does not transfer heat near as well as metal.Normal TIM is rated 3.5-12.5W/m K
> Liquid Metal TIM is . 32-50W/m K
> Copper is rated at . 400W/m K
> Air is only rated . . 0.024W/m K​So you can see while TIM is a many times better than air, it's still 8-114 times worse than copper .. in other words if our mount ends up with a layer of TIM between IHS and CPU over CPU die heat transfer is going to be very poor.
> 
> Also keep in mind the IHS on our CPUs is not really a heat spreader. It's too thin to spread heat more than maybe a mm. What it really does is spread the mounting load of cooler to it's edges which are outside of the area of the 1000+ contacts between CPU and motherboard. This is so the area with all these contacts does not flex and damage them.
> 
> This is why I determine how big and where CPU die is under IHS and use a dob in middle of it that spreads to a TIM print that covers all of CPU die.
> 
> As for the 500 newtons thing, the definition of newton is _"A *newton* is a unit of force that will accelerate one kilogrqam of mass one meter per second squared. Just as meters measure distance, newtons measure force." _ One newton = 0.00014503773800722psi, so 500 newton would only be 0.72psi. So either my definition of newton is wrong or there is much more than 500 newton of force involved here.
> 
> 
> ​



no, way off. pressure = force/unit area. So a chip of 38mmx38mm = .00144 square meter. Pressure in Pascal for 500N applied across the chip = 500N/.00144 m**2 = 347,143 PA. Converted to psi = 50 psi.

However, I don't know where that 500N of force comes from. The only reference I could find was a site that measured the force on an NH-D15 to be 270N, which would be equivalent of about 27 psi,


----------



## doyll

GeneO said:


> no, way off. pressure = force/unit area. So a chip of 38mmx38mm = .00144 square meter. Pressure in Pascal for 500N applied across the chip = 500N/.00144 m**2 = 347,143 PA. Converted to psi = 50 psi.
> 
> However, I don't know where that 500N of force comes from. The only reference I could find was a site that measured the force on an NH-D15 to be 270N, which would be equivalent of about 27 psi,


Assuming you missed it in post #1927 .. a couple of posts before your last one.


Aenra said:


> ....
> With a right mounting, *the D15 applies close to 500 Newtons of force on that IHS.* Says everything that needs to be said in regard to that.
> .....


Are you saying my quote of definition of Newton is incorrect or my math is incorrect?

My point really has nothing to do with Newtons of force calculation, but with the fact the pressure our cooler mounting kits apply (you say 27PSI) may not enough to force all of a large amount of stiff/thick TIM between IHS and cooler base out so we end up with metal to metal contact with TIM only filling microscopic voids. 


If OP is using some thick / stiff TIM it could easily end up creating a layer between IHS and cooler base and seriously lower heat transfer from IHS to cooler base.

I've tried to find CPU chip specs published by AMD or Intel about what mounting pressure should be and couldn't find any. If anyone finds them please post links so we can seel. :thumb:


----------



## GeneO

doyll said:


> Assuming you missed it in post #1927 .. a couple of posts before your last one.
> 
> 
> Are you saying my quote of definition of Newton is incorrect or my math is incorrect?
> 
> My point really has nothing to do with Newtons of force, but with the fact the pressure our cooler mounting kits apply is not enough to force all TIM between IHS and cooler base out so we end up with metal to metal contact with TIM only filling microscopic voids.
> 
> If OP is using some thick / stiff TIM it could easily end up creating a layer between IHS and cooler base and seriously lower heat transfer from IHS to cooler base.
> 
> I've tried to find CPU chip specs published by AMD or Intel about what mounting pressure should be and couldn't find any. If anyone finds them please post links so we can seel. :thumb:


No I meant the actual source of that 500N. Just because someone says it doesn't make it true. Noctua apparently does not publish this information, and I found one site that saifd they measured 270N, but they didn't say how they measured that. 

Your definition and math are both incorrect. You are right in your definition of unit of force, but incorrect in how you interpret it as a pressure - Newton is a unit of force not pressure ans you are mising them up. Pressure is force per unit area. So the pressure from 500N spread uniformly over the area of the chip = 500N / area of chip (in square meters) = pressure in units Pascal. You have to divide by the area. 

50 psi will squeeze most TIM out fine, like thermal grizzly, Noctua paste etc. I use to follow the "thinnest is best" so used a size of a grain of rice or less. I get better results using a bit more now. I agree there is a limit and you don't want a lot of paste oozing out either.

EDIT: I did find one review that said the Noctua spring mounting system limits the force to 50 lbf (force pounds) which corresponds to 222N or ~ 22 PSI, Maybe they got that from Noctua


----------



## 8051

Wouldn't the vibration of a fan(s) that is transferred to the IHS-heatsink have a tendency to pump out TIM?


----------



## Aenra

doyll said:


> Are you saying my quote of definition of Newton is incorrect or my math is incorrect?


No, i'm saying that a correctly mounted D15 applies more than enough pressure; so much so that one:
i) does NOT need modifications to increase it further.
ii) does NOT need to give a crap about how much paste they apply; they could drown the mobo in paste if they wanted. Once the D15's _correctly_ mounted, excess will leave on its own. That's sufficient force for you.
iii) does NOT need to worry about "vibrations" from the fan affecting the IHS, paste or backplate, no.. we're talking _a lot_ of pressure here.

Rule of thumb guys, don't over-complicate unless: i) you need to, ii) you're certain you grasp what you're talking about. Not being offensive, am just being, well, literal i guess. 
You canot draw conclusions when you lack the basics. I think that's a logical thing to say.

(and to doyll again in specific) All of which i've already typed, so not sure why repeating any of this would help. The rest is.. just you... and although i could given your follow up posts, i'm not going to start an argument with you either; you're free to accept or disregard


----------



## umeng2002

I'm using MX-4. I've mounted it twice. Used the spread method. I was thinking there is some weird variation in my mobo causing the mounting hardware not to function correctly.

Using prime95, thermals will go to mid 70s when it hits 75, the mobo automatically turns the fans to 100%, yet the CPU doesn't cool down. It just stays around 75 to 77.


----------



## Aenra

@*8051* since you mentioned it (unfortunately as it may confuse things further, lol), vibrations are a 'no'. Resonance however is possible, but that is a different phenomenon altogether, it has to do with amplification and oscillation (because it needs a certain frequency, doesn't always get to happen); it lastly has nothing to do with 'force' as the other poster meant it, but rather with the material's actual composition/chemical structure itself. And even so, you can't have resonance down there.
Some people confuse the two, some people confuse either or both with "coil whine", which is yet a different, _third_, thing.

Until you (in plural) have read enough to grasp more than the basics, stick to the facts as we know them empirically. Or, start a new thread so that we don't get to cover the same stuff every odd post.
Again, no offense meant


----------



## Aenra

umeng2002 said:


> I'm using MX-4. I've mounted it twice. Used the spread method. I was thinking there is some weird variation in my mobo causing the mounting hardware not to function correctly.
> 
> Using prime95, thermals will go to mid 70s when it hits 75, the mobo automatically turns the fans to 100%, yet the CPU doesn't cool down. It just stays around 75 to 77.


Man you've been here since 2010.. you still don't know how to do this? 
I don't know if you're talking about the CPU in your sig or another; i don't know which and how many fans you're using; i don't know if your mobo drives them correctly (always an issue); i don't know your ambients; i don't know if your paste is ten years old; i don't know "Prime", i know FTTs, i know large and small, i know ranges for thermals and ranges for power and you're not saying which; i don't know why for the love of God you'd test something like that with the fan revolutions changing, automatically at that.. you need them set to something stable; i don't know about your airflow; i don't know about the backplate itself, maybe you've stripped a thread; there's so much i don't know.

But the procedure is covered in advance and then some. Do stuff in the right order, then post something more concrete 'cause right now? Who knows honestly?


----------



## GeneO

Aenra said:


> No, i'm saying that a correctly mounted D15 applies more than enough pressure; so much so that one:
> i) does NOT need modifications to increase it further.
> ii) does NOT need to give a crap about how much paste they apply; they could drown the mobo in paste if they wanted. Once the D15's _correctly_ mounted, excess will leave on its own. That's sufficient force for you.
> iii) does NOT need to worry about "vibrations" from the fan affecting the IHS, paste or backplate, no.. we're talking _a lot_ of pressure here.
> 
> Rule of thumb guys, don't over-complicate unless: i) you need to, ii) you're certain you grasp what you're talking about. Not being offensive, am just being, well, literal i guess.
> You canot draw conclusions when you lack the basics. I think that's a logical thing to say.
> 
> (and to doyll again in specific) All of which i've already typed, so not sure why repeating any of this would help. The rest is.. just you... and although i could given your follow up posts, i'm not going to start an argument with you either; you're free to accept or disregard


Not being offensive either, but I am certain I grasp what I am talking about and believe me I certainly do not lack the basics. Where did you get the 500N figure from and what do you think it means when you say "this is plenty enough force"? Can you actually put that into a context of what amount of force is good or bad? Force does not have much relevance when talking about the interface between the IHS and cooler. Pressure does.


----------



## Aenra

GeneO said:


> Force does not have much relevance when talking about the interface between the IHS and cooler. Pressure does.


Not offended , not at all 
If anything, i'm the one that usually gets to offend folks, lol, due to how i express myself.. though not the intention, i do tend to..

When talking Newtons, we're talking force; applied. There is nothing unrelated between newtons the unit, and force, as the [W]ork applied.
Second law of motion derived, classical mechanics. I'm talking just fine.

Now how others talk, and whether they mean what i -think- they mean or not.. that's a different page and not in my book. I cannot know how they write their own book.
Ergo, again, may we please stick to the basics?


----------



## umeng2002

Aenra said:


> Man you've been here since 2010.. you still don't know how to do this?
> I don't know if you're talking about the CPU in your sig or another; i don't know which and how many fans you're using; i don't know if your mobo drives them correctly (always an issue); i don't know your ambients; i don't know if your paste is ten years old; i don't know "Prime", i know FTTs, i know large and small, i know ranges for thermals and ranges for power and you're not saying which; i don't know why for the love of God you'd test something like that with the fan revolutions changing, automatically at that.. you need them set to something stable; i don't know about your airflow; i don't know about the backplate itself, maybe you've stripped a thread; there's so much i don't know.
> 
> But the procedure is covered in advance and then some. Do stuff in the right order, then post something more concrete 'cause right now? Who knows honestly?


What are you on about? I know I know more than almost anyone on this board about testing and thermodynamics. I've tested it in all the proper ways. What I don't know is the height of the of the grey stand offs since I don't feel like taking the cooler off again right now to measure.

I don't live in a 3rd world country so assume I live in a house with air conditioning. That means my ambient is in the low 70°s F.

If there was some significant information, I'd mention it... like small FFTs being a degree hotter than smallest FFTs in Prime95... which it isn't significant, so I didn't mention it.

As I said, higher fan speeds aren't helping the cooler, since I know what I'm doing, I tested it with the case open and fans at constant speeds as well as my custom fan curve. Given that, other than a broken or overwhelmed heat pipe, mounting pressure might cause that behavior. I am expecting the cooler to scale better with increased airflow than it is.


----------



## GeneO

Aenra said:


> Not offended , not at all
> If anything, i'm the one that usually gets to offend folks, lol, due to how i express myself.. though not the intention, i do tend to..
> 
> When talking Newtons, we're talking force; applied. There is nothing unrelated between newtons the unit, and force, as the [W]ork applied.
> Second law of motion derived, classical mechanics. I'm talking just fine.
> 
> Now how others talk, and whether they mean what i -think- they mean or not.. that's a different page and not in my book. I cannot know how they write their own book.
> Ergo, again, may we please stick to the basics?


Basics? You brought up the 500N, and got this going with your snarky comment in #1934.

You haven't answered my questions: 

1. Where did you get the 500N number
2. What does 500N mean is that good or bad? I don't want to know what the definition of Newton is. I know all of that, I have a degree in Physics. 

I'll put it in a way I think you will understand. Cooler manufacturers are given a spec on what kind of pressure (or force) a chip can have applied. According to that, they design the cooler mounting with springs that will apply a this force when clamped down tightened on the IHS. That is why the manufacturers talk about force (if they specify anything at all). That is why the review I found said that the springs are designed to deliver about 222N. That means tightened down the chip will be exerting 222N upward. with P=F/A that gives you about 22 psi assuming uniform pressure. And I also assume that his 222N is the total for both springs. Otherwise it may be 444N and 44 psi. That is one reason I asked about your source of the 500N. The other reason I asked where you got this 500N is because the pressure may not quite be uniform sue to curvatures of the IHS and cooler, though Noctua designs 
their coolers to minimize this. 

Pressure is "basic" when talking about mating cooling *surfaces*, and the units (psi) are familiar to most people. Force is more relevant to manufacturers.


----------



## Aenra

To umeng:
You got pissed off which i find unfortunate as folks were wasting _their_ time to _help_ *you*, not offend you, but.. that's your prerogative. You were being a touch nonspecific and as you may have noticed, wasn't the only one having asked you for details; since you didn't seem capable of grasping the implications of that on your own, i posted yet again and subsequently explained. The explanation being so simple (too many variables, tell us more or good luck to you), one would have thought you'd have grasped it; by now at least. 
And yet here you are. So.. good luck i guess?

To everyone else:
Guys i put that "tetrapyloctomist" under my name because i do honestly love to split hairs; in theoretical, philosophical, abstract notions or aspects where approach and criteria are allowed to vary, be subjective, or loose..er.
In physics, one only has physics.
And i spoke 100% in terms universally understood, applied and pertaining to physics.

A force of close to 500 Newtons is exactly that. A force of close to 500 newtons.
If you can't get that, too bad. Sorry. Just ignore my posts if it helps.
(as to how/where i got it and why i'm not saying in public? Why not take a wild guess)

Carry on.


----------



## GeneO

The answer is 500N is like having a 112 lb weight sitting on your CPU.


----------



## doyll

GeneO said:


> The answer is 500N is like having a 112 lb weight sitting on your CPU.


No idea why *Aenra* won't say where his 500N came from. While it's hard to find Intel and AMD offical specs it's not like they are some sort of top secret info that public is not allowed to know. 

It only took me 10-15 minutes to find Intel Application Guide for LGA1150 Socket. Below is link to it: 
https://www.intel.com/content/dam/w.../guides/4th-gen-core-lga1150-socket-guide.pdf
ILM static cmpressive load on processor IHS 310N / 70lbf minimum - 600N / 135lbf maximum
Total staic compression load (ILM + heatsink) 311N / 70lbf -822N / 185lbf

Attached image is from above 'Intell LGA1150 Socket Application Guide' is of 'Intel Mechanical Specsifications' showing compression load:


----------



## umeng2002

DP


----------



## meridius

Hi all I have a NH-D15 black fitted to a 3900x what sort of temps should i be looking at idle and max load on the cpu ? as i am half way through the build

thanks


----------



## Elrick

meridius said:


> Hi all I have a NH-D15 black fitted to a 3900x what sort of temps should i be looking at idle and max load on the cpu ? as i am half way through the build
> 
> thanks


You will never know unless you switch it on.

No one here can give you a precise answer because everyone has different setups in regards to fans, cases and how they are situated inside their systems.

So go ahead and start your baby up, to see up close what the temps will be. Run some tests to determine how effective your cooling has been.


----------



## BIRDMANv84

This bad boy showed up the other day, finally got my DDr4 memory in and was able to fire this guy up, I ran the extra NF-A15 up top for more exhaust and added a 120mm chromax up front. No serious benchmarks as of yet, just playing Assasins Creed Odyssey for an hour at 55c, ryzen 3600x on a CH7


----------



## GeneO

Congrats! Looks great.


----------



## Elrick

BIRDMANv84 said:


> This bad boy showed up the other day, finally got my DDr4 memory in and was able to fire this guy up, I ran the extra NF-A15 up top for more exhaust and added a 120mm chromax up front. No serious benchmarks as of yet, just playing Assasins Creed Odyssey for an hour at 55c, ryzen 3600x on a CH7



DAMN that looks sexy as Hell :drool: .


----------



## chrcoluk

does owning a d15s get me entry?


----------



## chrcoluk

doyll said:


> I agree, dust is a problem. It's even a problem when room are on filtered HVAC systems. It's so much easier to vacuum case filters each time vacuuming house and not have to ever clean anything inside of case. My oldest system is i7-920 with all filtered intakes it stays clean that's been running for years with just cleaning filters every month or two. Still clean inside.


r5 case same, pc is on 24/7 and when i did my 9900k i noticed how cleant it stayedm pcb still shiny etc. but tge dust cover at bottom was drenched in dust, first time cleaned in 4 years and i clean front cover every month


----------



## 8051

BIRDMANv84 said:


> This bad boy showed up the other day, finally got my DDr4 memory in and was able to fire this guy up, I ran the extra NF-A15 up top for more exhaust and added a 120mm chromax up front. No serious benchmarks as of yet, just playing Assasins Creed Odyssey for an hour at 55c, ryzen 3600x on a CH7


Birdmanv84 what kind of fan are you running on the front of your DH-15? It looks square not rounded off so it's not the stock fan right?


----------



## ciarlatano

8051 said:


> Birdmanv84 what kind of fan are you running on the front of your DH-15? It looks square not rounded off so it's not the stock fan right?


The post you quoted says "added a 120mm chromax up front".......


----------



## GeneO

ciarlatano said:


> The post you quoted says "added a 120mm chromax up front".......


What clips are those if 120mm?


----------



## doyll

GeneO said:


> What clips are those if 120mm?


Stock fans on D15 have 105mm spaced mounting holes, same As 120mm fans have.


----------



## GeneO

doyll said:


> Stock fans on D15 have 105mm spaced mounting holes, same As 120mm fans have.


Yes, but the fan case for the 120mm is a lot thicker than at the holes made for the A15 and 14 aren't they? Will have to try.


----------



## 8051

ciarlatano said:


> The post you quoted says "added a 120mm chromax up front".......


But why not just use the stock NF-A15?


----------



## GeneO

8051 said:


> But why not just use the stock NF-A15?


I would guess memory clearance and resulting case clearance.


----------



## doyll

GeneO said:


> Yes, but the fan case for the 120mm is a lot thicker than at the holes made for the A15 and 14 aren't they? Will have to try.


Fan clips flex enough to work most of the time. Some people have even mounted square 140mm fans on D14/D15 using original fan clips.


----------



## chibi

chrcoluk said:


> does owning a d15s get me entry?



Heckin' yeah brother! I have the D15s as well and it keeps my 9900KS cool enough at 5.0GHz. Fan needs to be ran at max speed though so it's not dead quiet, but I will live.


----------



## hotripper

Thinking about getting the chromax black. I currently have a thermaltake 140 direct. My system idles between 43 and 51 with an estimated ambient of 22c. On a decent load im at 78-80c. Will it be a worthy upgrade?


PS: It's $99 USD right now, has anyone seen it go on sale for less?


----------



## doyll

hotripper said:


> Thinking about getting the chromax black. I currently have a thermaltake 140 direct. My system idles between 43 and 51 with an estimated ambient of 22c. On a decent load im at 78-80c. Will it be a worthy upgrade?
> 
> 
> PS: It's $99 USD right now, has anyone seen it go on sale for less?


 Is it Thermal_fake_ or actually Thermal_right _.. Big difference! 

If it's Thermalright TRUE spirit 140 Direct, then I suspect it's not the cooler that's the problem. On 100w heat NH-D15 is only a degree or two cooler. On 200w of heat it's 5.4c cooler. That would make your temps 42-50c idle and 72.6-74.6c cooler under load. That's still 15-20c higher idle temp than I would expect with most CPUs. 

I'm guessing your case airflow is not very good, but that's only a guess. That or you have a bad TIM print. 

What case, model of case fans and placement do you have? With that information we might be able to give you a solution that will really lower your temps for much less money than buying D15 and still having high temps.

You might find below link is to basic guide of how airflow works and how to optimize case airflow of interest. Read it and hopefully it will give you some ideas as to why your temps are so high.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/22319249-post5.html


----------



## deskiller

I have a hafx case with great airflow and I get high temps with my D15. but they dont stay high. more like spikes.

so temp is bouncing between 35c -51c when light tasking and 50c - 65c gaming...
it doesnt stay on high temps. it spikes to it but then drops right back down to the lower.

my specx
3800x on asus b350 strix gaming upgraded from a 1700
evga nvidia 2080
32gb ripjaw 3333mhz
corsair 850watt.
d15 fans at 1380 idle and 1500 after cpu reaches 50+ with 2 sec delay speed in bios so it doesnt constantly ramp and down.


----------



## hazium233

hotripper said:


> Thinking about getting the chromax black. I currently have a thermaltake 140 direct. My system idles between 43 and 51 with an estimated ambient of 22c. On a decent load im at 78-80c. Will it be a worthy upgrade?
> 
> 
> PS: It's $99 USD right now, has anyone seen it go on sale for less?


Maybe quantify the load you are referencing, and what settings you are using (ie PBO Enabled or Disabled, voltage or LLC tweaks). This is Tdie? Zen 2 is warm under high-current, all core loads because of process and pushing way up the voltage-frequency curve. 

Since this is the Noctua thread:

"Why is my Ryzen 3000 processor getting so hot?" - Noctua


----------



## doyll

deskiller said:


> I have a hafx case with great airflow and I get high temps with my D15. but they dont stay high. more like spikes.
> 
> so temp is bouncing between 35c -51c when light tasking and 50c - 65c gaming...
> it doesnt stay on high temps. it spikes to it but then drops right back down to the lower.
> 
> my specx
> 3800x on asus b350 strix gaming upgraded from a 1700
> evga nvidia 2080
> 32gb ripjaw 3333mhz
> corsair 850watt.
> d15 fans at 1380 idle and 1500 after cpu reaches 50+ with 2 sec delay speed in bios so it doesnt constantly ramp and down.


Sorry to burst your bubble mate, but HAFX case wtih stock 230mm fans has terrible case airflow. While they are rated 184 m3/h (108.3cfm) may sound like a lot, but they are so slow rpm they have extremely low static pressure rating. Cooler Master 200mm 700rpm fans only have 0.595mmH2O rating .. which is so low even a very open mesh grill will almost stop it's airflow at full speed. Fan spec are only marginally helpful, but a fans static pressure rating means way more than it's free airflow rating. It's a fan's ability to over come airflow resistance that determines how good a fan is, especially as case fan behind restrictive decorative grill and filter, .. and 0.595mmH2O isn't enough to overcome them and flow much air. By comparison a good case fan like Silent Wings 3 140mm high speed has 2.16mmH2O at full speed (1600rpm) and 1.08mmH2O at 1000rpm.

Spikes are normal for modern CPUs.
if you want to find out just how bad / good your case airflow really is read below link and use something like shown there to monitor air temp into cooler. 

https://www.overclock.net/forum/22319249-post5.html


----------



## deskiller

doyll said:


> Sorry to burst your bubble mate, but HAFX case wtih stock 230mm fans has terrible case airflow.
> 
> Spikes are normal for modern CPUs.
> if you want to find out just how bad / good your case airflow really is read below link and use something like shown there to monitor air temp into cooler.
> 
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/22319249-post5.html



was waiting for somebody to say something...lol

oh believe me I know.. but I have replaced/added fans. so its better than what it was. ambient inside case temp is around 26c, which is room temp.


----------



## doyll

deskiller said:


> was waiting for somebody to say something...lol
> 
> 
> oh believe me I know.. but I have replaced/added fans. so its better than what it was. ambient inside case temp is around 26c, which is room temp.


 Then why didn't you originally tell us stock fans were changed and what fans replaced them? 

And you determined this 26c how?


----------



## D-EJ915

Temps shooting up then going back down is pretty typical to be honest since it's impossible to instantly dissipate the heat which is why you get the spike then when the heat is distributed through the cooler it goes back down.


----------



## hotripper

hazium233 said:


> Maybe quantify the load you are referencing, and what settings you are using (ie PBO Enabled or Disabled, voltage or LLC tweaks). This is Tdie? Zen 2 is warm under high-current, all core loads because of process and pushing way up the voltage-frequency curve.
> 
> Since this is the Noctua thread:
> 
> "Why is my Ryzen 3000 processor getting so hot?" - Noctua



I am PBO enabled with a -0.102 offset, XMP enabled, running 1:1 InFabric, no tweaks to scaler nor EDC etc. Using mx4 TIM but I just repasted a week or so ago and got same exact readings and the spread looked good the first time I repasted. It has been warm here in SoCal so I defineitely see the difference from january when I was getting 30-42c idle and pretty much the same 70c on load, maybe even 65c in "winter". Load is during gaming, The division 2, Halo, Seige, Horizon4, Yuzu/CEMU emulator and some p95(87c) and CBr20 tests.


From what you guys are saying it sounds like my NZXT h500 case sucks, which I knew going into it as Steve from GN said it was just ok, but back then I just had a 4790k. I am using A couple of Noctua fans, the NF-F12pwm as the rear exhaust, and the NF-S12a as top exhaust. 2x120mm front intakes one stock and one coolermaster sickleflow.
Since its so warm here (usually between 60 and 85F most of the year) I am a bit hesitant that it isnt going to make much difference no matter what I do, or am I wrong about that?


----------



## doyll

hotripper said:


> ......
> From what you guys are saying it sounds like my NZXT h500 case sucks, which I knew going into it as Steve from GN said it was just ok, but back then I just had a 4790k. I am using A couple of Noctua fans, the NF-F12pwm as the rear exhaust, and the NF-S12a as top exhaust. 2x120mm front intakes one stock and one coolermaster sickleflow.
> Since its so warm here (usually between 60 and 85F most of the year) I am a bit hesitant that it isnt going to make much difference no matter what I do, or am I wrong about that?


While NZXT H500 isn't great, with all PCIe back slot covers removed (to increase rear venting and thus improve front to back airflow) and couple of high static pressure rated front intakes and all openings in fan mounting panel blocked so air fan push into motherboard compartment of case cannot leak back in front of fans and go in cirlces it will work okay. This basic setup needs no exhaust fans. If you have the skillset you could cut a vent in front and install aftermarket grill. I would recommend at least 140x280mm or two 140x140mm vents. Once you have filtered grill/s in hand, take motherboard and PSU out of case so no metal shavings can fall into and short them out. Cover front with masking tape so it doesn't get scratched while cutting the hole, draw out total vent cover area and then smaller area to be cut out. Lots of tutorials on YouTube and other places. SilverStone sells some that are magnetic mounting so no need to drill and mount, see link below

https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=394&bno=61&tb=54&area=en
MNPCTECH has lots of guides, templates, grills, etc. so give them a look.


----------



## hazium233

hotripper said:


> I am PBO enabled with a -0.102 offset, XMP enabled, running 1:1 InFabric, no tweaks to scaler nor EDC etc. Using mx4 TIM but I just repasted a week or so ago and got same exact readings and the spread looked good the first time I repasted. It has been warm here in SoCal so I defineitely see the difference from january when I was getting 30-42c idle and pretty much the same 70c on load, maybe even 65c in "winter". Load is during gaming, The division 2, Halo, Seige, Horizon4, Yuzu/CEMU emulator and some p95(87c) and CBr20 tests.
> 
> 
> From what you guys are saying it sounds like my NZXT h500 case sucks, which I knew going into it as Steve from GN said it was just ok, but back then I just had a 4790k. I am using A couple of Noctua fans, the NF-F12pwm as the rear exhaust, and the NF-S12a as top exhaust. 2x120mm front intakes one stock and one coolermaster sickleflow.
> Since its so warm here (usually between 60 and 85F most of the year) I am a bit hesitant that it isnt going to make much difference no matter what I do, or am I wrong about that?


If room temp has swung upwards, that will directly affect your system temps. The ambient for my machine is often near worst on sunny, but mild days (50-65F) because it is on the south wall and heated all day by the sun, but the central air is not running much at all. 

Temps with PBO seem all over the place due to whatever limits people use, undervolting wildcard, differing loads. If you are set on a D15 for whatever reason, the temps may not improve much if either cooler is recirculating air within the case. If you poke about, in good ambient, with good flow it may be 75-80C in synthetics or so.

I don't know if your case has screws or rivets holding on the front panel, or else you could try pulling it to see if temps improve. Otherwise you can try what doyll suggested regarding case flow first.


----------



## doyll

Quick search shows H500 front and top to be one piece pop-riveted to rest of frame, see video in link below.
https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/y...e357b29fc2a69339c6d2fb749e747365&action=click


----------



## hotripper

Thanks, you all have been helpful. I am going to try to seal off the fans, remove the pcie covers (I do not see any dust buildup on them so seems like more air is going out than in and shouldnt require a homemade filter), move the noctuas to intakes with no exhaust and see how that goes. Dont really like the idea of modding the front panel. The front panel and top are one piece. I'll stick with truespirit direct140, if all else fails I was thinking of just getting a Fractal Meshify when it goes on sale.


----------



## pifive

Planning on getting this N15 Noctua ChromeMax Black cooler. My concern is the clearance for the memory on a MSI MEG X570 Unify? Will this GSkill set will work ? https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232861?Item=N82E16820232861

Thanks.


----------



## Chuckclc

Here is my DH-15 Chromax.Black Takes up a lot of space in the Meshify C case. But does a wonderful job.


----------



## pifive

Chuckclc said:


> Here is my DH-15 Chromax.Black Takes up a lot of space in the Meshify C case. But does a wonderful job.


That is a beautiful case. That's the one I am planning on getting as well. 

Thanks for the reply


----------



## Shenhua

pifive said:


> Planning on getting this N15 Noctua ChromeMax Black cooler. My concern is the clearance for the memory on a MSI MEG X570 Unify? Will this GSkill set will work ? https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232861?Item=N82E16820232861
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks.


If it doesn't, you can always remove the front fan of the cooler. Given the case, it should barely make any difference.


----------



## Awsan

Hello everyone I want your help if possible.

Long story short, DHL+ Customs lost my mounting bracket for the D15 chromax and right now its setting on an open bench with zip ties, should I just get this ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTEFT52/ref=emc_b_5_t) ?
And is there a black version of it? + do you know where can I get those fan clips to attach the second the fan to the tower (As that was inside the same box that was lost).

Thanks


----------



## Awsan

pifive said:


> That is a beautiful case. That's the one I am planning on getting as well.
> 
> Thanks for the reply


Seeing you here makes me happy as it looks you wont take an AIO instead of the D15 



pifive said:


> Planning on getting this N15 Noctua ChromeMax Black cooler. My concern is the clearance for the memory on a MSI MEG X570 Unify? Will this GSkill set will work ? https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232861?Item=N82E16820232861
> 
> Thanks.


I have the same exact setup and it works just fine, you will need to mount the fan a little higher over the ram.


----------



## Notbn

Awsan said:


> Seeing you here makes me happy as it looks you wont take an AIO instead of the D15
> 
> 
> 
> I have the same exact setup and it works just fine, you will need to mount the fan a little higher over the ram.



This will not fit in a Meshify C. I have relatively low profile G.Skill Flare X and the front fan on the D15 pushed as close as it can go is still too tall for the side panel to close.


With the fan removed the performance loss is minimal at most. Maybe 1-3 deg.


----------



## doyll

pifive said:


> Planning on getting this N15 Noctua ChromeMax Black cooler. My concern is the clearance for the memory on a MSI MEG X570 Unify? Will this GSkill set will work ? https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232861?Item=N82E16820232861
> 
> Thanks.


Your Neo RAM is 41mm tall so will fit under fins and Meg X570 Unify has about 90mm center CPU to x16 PCIe so D15's 75mm center CPU to side of fins is no problem.


----------



## BTK

how does the d15 do with triple nf a15 fans versus two id assume not much of difference


----------



## 414347

Not only that the 3rd fan will add much more noise and Its going to be high pitch sound, due to the fact that the blades of one of the fans will have to face coolers fins, but also there is absolutely no gain in performance. Although, with 2 fans vs 1 fan, depending on the case and its airflow, it can make 2-5C difference and the db is practically the same, whisper quiet.

I have caselabs S8S which is very well ventilated case and while running any of heavy tasks, my NH-D15S with single fan will run at 12V and with 2 fans at 9.8V and there is around 5C difference. If you will have the same setup say e.g. Fractal R6 I don't think you will see much difference between 1vs 2 fans, unless your side panels will be open.


----------



## BTK

NewUser16 said:


> Not only that the 3rd fan will add much more noise due to the fact that the blades will have to face the fins, but also there is absolutely no gain in performance. Although, with 2 fans vs 1 fan, depending on the case and its airflow, it can make 2-5C difference and the db is practically the same, whisper quiet.


what happens if it do it just for looks because I have a second nf 15 fan with clips from a 14s lying around. The noise doesent bother me.


----------



## 414347

Are you asking what happens if you put 3rd or second fan? my answer below is with 3rd fan 

If this isn't sarcastic question....Nothing will happen, other than extra noise. TBH. I love the beefy looks of D15 and I was thinking of putting 3rd fan as well, but that would be really waste. There is a video somewhere where someone complains about Noctuas fan making noise and while looking at the setup the noise was coming from the fan that blades that were facing fins and the gain was 0 opposed to 2 fans


----------



## BTK

NewUser16 said:


> Are you asking what happens if you put 3rd or second fan? my answer below is with 3rd fan
> 
> If this isn't sarcastic question....Nothing will happen, other than extra noise. TBH. I love the beefy looks of D15 and I was thinking of putting 3rd fan as well, but that would be really waste. There is a video somewhere where someone complains about Noctuas fan making noise and while looking at the setup the noise was coming from the fan that blades that were facing fins and the gain was 0 opposed to 2 fans


I was not trying to be sarcastic. I just wanted the beefy look is all. Thank you for answering my question. My cpu temps are fine so im not looking for better performance


----------



## Owterspace

I put a third fan on my D14.. It looked badass, but I don't think it did much of anything.


----------



## 414347

BTK said:


> I was not trying to be sarcastic. I just wanted the beefy look is all. Thank you for answering my question. My cpu temps are fine so im not looking for better performance


I like the looks of D15 with 3 fans I wont deny that, It has bada...s look, but I'm also silents freak so the extra noise would probably bother me


----------



## Wali764

Anyone tried to pair a NH-D15 with an 10600K??


I guess for normal usage ist ok, but even a morderate OC could be problematic.


----------



## Aenra

BTK said:


> how does the d15 do with triple nf a15 fans versus two id assume not much of difference


Nothing, stop buying (fans in this case) according to brand and start buying according to actual, measurable specs.
Your sole worry right now is replacing these fans with something better.
Somewhere in there lies also the notion that your being active here, does -or should i say should- entail a certain level of awareness. Or lacking that, the incentive to search through our own threads. Same questions, asked time and time again.

Since i'm wasting my time posting however,



NewUser16 said:


> Not only that the 3rd fan will add much more noise ... there is absolutely no gain in performance


Inaccurate.
At high enough speeds and with good enough fans, there is a very slight gain* if* noise isn't a concern.
Running at 2300ish RPM (as near accurate as an Aquaero 6XT can make it) two TY-143 fans versus three makes for a 1,5-1,7 Celsius _average_ Delta drop for me. I should say a clean two degrees here, but i'm being fair and including a one-off worse that i cannot replicate so should exclude, but hey, let's keep it in and bring it down to 1,7 ish.
Above at:
22 degrees steady ambient (no, not like 'Morans Nexus' steady "ambient", i mean really steady and really ambient)
Steady, fixed locations, no drafts, no variations.
3900X running at a steady 1.42 core, 1.25 SoC, all cores, SMT on, manual OC.
Running latest Prime without AVX loads. Multiple runs, temps measured after 40min mark.
Variance being the kind of FFTs run.
Temps measured old school, not through 'HWiNFO'.
All temps measured inside a Caselabs S8.
Intake was four 120mm iPPC industrials, running at 2400 each, through a 15% impedance custom-made air filter. No outtake fan was used.
Margin of error is .5 Celsius. Air conditioner, digital thermometer and probes are highest quality. Japan 

* i said 3900XT in the beginning, lol.. wishful thinking ^^
** am getting one when they come out, so Freudian slip am guessing.


----------



## 414347

Aenra said:


> Nothing, stop buying (fans in this case) according to brand and start buying according to actual, measurable specs.
> Your sole worry right now is replacing these fans with something better.
> Somewhere in there lies also the notion that your being active here, does -or should i say should- entail a certain level of awareness. Or lacking that, the incentive to search through our own threads. Same questions, asked time and time again.
> 
> Since i'm wasting my time posting however,
> 
> 
> 
> Inaccurate.
> At high enough speeds and with good enough fans, there is a very slight gain* if* noise isn't a concern.
> Running at 2300ish RPM (as near accurate as an Aquaero 6XT can make it) two TY-143 fans versus three makes for a 1,5-1,7 Celsius _average_ Delta drop for me. I should say a clean two degrees here, but i'm being fair and including a one-off worse that i cannot replicate so should exclude, but hey, let's keep it in and bring it down to 1,7 ish.
> Above at:
> 22 degrees steady ambient (no, not like 'Morans Nexus' steady "ambient", i mean really steady and really ambient)
> Steady, fixed locations, no drafts, no variations.
> 3900XT running at a steady 1.42 core, 1.25 SoC, all cores, SMT on, manual OC.
> Running latest Prime without AVX loads.
> Variance being the kind of FFTs run.
> Temps measured old school, not through 'HWiNFO'.
> Air conditioner, digital thermometer and probes are highest quality. Japan


We are talking about NF-15's, not some "high enough speeds and with good enough fans”. NF-15's are optimized for this cooler and unless you have tested yourself and can honestly see any gain adding 3rd NF-15 does nothing. I have tested in # of different cases and in different room ambient, even Noctua themselves said.. 3rd fan does absolutely nothing regardless of ambient and type of case is used.


----------



## Aenra

NewUser16 said:


> NF-15's are optimized for this cooler


You probably know i'm not one for tact, too old for our new and overly "sensitive" politically correct tender times.
So with no real offense meant, i'd humbly advise you read some more, and post some less until you have.

Edit: Have also updated my post above with extra info i should have included from the start; my fault. 
Post edit: When someone (me) takes all the trouble to type down all these facts and numbers -and all they imply, you don't exactly start with TY-143s now do you- and what they reply to him is "you haven't measured it, so you cannot know"


----------



## Notbn

Aenra said:


> Nothing, stop buying (fans in this case) according to brand and start buying according to actual, measurable specs.
> Your sole worry right now is replacing these fans with something better.
> Somewhere in there lies also the notion that your being active here, does -or should i say should- entail a certain level of awareness. Or lacking that, the incentive to search through our own threads. Same questions, asked time and time again.
> 
> Since i'm wasting my time posting however,
> 
> 
> 
> Inaccurate.
> At high enough speeds and with good enough fans, there is a very slight gain* if* noise isn't a concern.
> Running at 2300ish RPM (as near accurate as an Aquaero 6XT can make it) two TY-143 fans versus three makes for a 1,5-1,7 Celsius _average_ Delta drop for me. I should say a clean two degrees here, but i'm being fair and including a one-off worse that i cannot replicate so should exclude, but hey, let's keep it in and bring it down to 1,7 ish.
> Above at:
> 22 degrees steady ambient (no, not like 'Morans Nexus' steady "ambient", i mean really steady and really ambient)
> Steady, fixed locations, no drafts, no variations.
> 3900X running at a steady 1.42 core, 1.25 SoC, all cores, SMT on, manual OC.
> Running latest Prime without AVX loads. Multiple runs, temps measured after 40min mark.
> Variance being the kind of FFTs run.
> Temps measured old school, not through 'HWiNFO'.
> All temps measured inside a Caselabs S8.
> Intake was four 120mm IPPC industrials, running at 2400 each, through a 15% impedance custom-made air filter.
> Air conditioner, digital thermometer and probes are highest quality. Japan
> 
> * i said 3900XT in the beginning, lol.. wishful thinking ^^
> ** am getting one when they come out, so Freudian slip am guessing.



1.42 Vcore? jesus.


----------



## hardwarelimits

Wali764 said:


> Anyone tried to pair a NH-D15 with an 10600K??
> 
> 
> I guess for normal usage ist ok, but even a morderate OC could be problematic.


Ill be using it with a 10900kf. @Falkentyne did and still uses it on one of his 10900k . he posted here https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-i...rclocking-10900k-results-bins-discussion.html


----------



## 414347

Aenra said:


> You probably know i'm not one for tact, too old for our new and overly "sensitive" politically correct tender times.
> So with no real offense meant, i'd humbly advise you read some more, and post some less until you have.
> 
> Edit: Have also updated my post above with extra info, as i neglected to mention the chassis used; my fault. And chassis does matter


“You probably know I’m not one for tact" 

I hope that is sarcasm I guess your age is playing tricks on you. I'm not trying to be insensitive or rude and I think I might be older then you based on some of the rationality and commonsense you use in your feedback to a posts, but that's the funniest thing I've heard. Read back some of your comments you've posted throughout OCN forums, you contradicting yourself without even knowing it

Maybe you have mention somewhere in your posts above, maybe not...have you personally done any experiments yourself and whether the 3rd fan and Your theory of gaining anything sticks or you’re one of those that rely on others who's perhaps opinions are nothing more, but just that, so yes I read before I post, perhaps you should do the same


----------



## doyll

NewUser16 said:


> “You probably know I’m not one for tact"
> 
> I hope that is sarcasm I guess your age is playing tricks on you. I'm not trying to be insensitive or rude, but that's the funniest thing I've heard. Read back some of your comments you've posted throughout OCN forums, you contradicting yourself without even knowing it
> 
> Maybe you have mention somewhere in your posts above, maybe not...have you personally done any experiments yourself and whether the 3rd fan and Your theory of gaining anything sticks or you’re one of those that rely on others who's perhaps opinions are nothing more, but just that, so yes I read before I post, perhaps you should do the same and if you referring to your own "added" post, once again, think before your post to avoid misunderstandings...(perhaps)


Can you quote Aenra here with likes to original post so we can see how he is 'contradiction yourself without even knowing it'? My guess is he is not contradicting himself, but that you likely do not know as much as he does and misinterpret what he is saying. But I will reserve judgement until I see what he said.


----------



## 414347

doyll said:


> Can you quote Aenra here with likes to original post so we can see how he is 'contradiction yourself without even knowing it'? My guess is he is not contradicting himself, but that you likely do not know as much as he does and misinterpret what he is saying. But I will reserve judgement until I see what he said.


You obviously don't read some of his posts and feedback to some of the opinions (strong opinions) that he has made and I’m not referring to this thread only as this wouldn't be fair to anyone to make a judgment upon, so “You probably know I’m not one for tact" is one of an examples where he’s not seen himself and that comment is quite opposite to most of his responses.

You can judge me anyway you like, you entitle to, but I do hold back a lot before I make comment of that nature.


----------



## doyll

NewUser16 said:


> You obviously don't read some of his posts and feedback to some opinions (strong opinions) that he has and I'm not referring to only this thread so “You probably know I’m not one for tact" is one of an examples where he’s not seen himself and that comment is quite opposite to most of his responses.


No, I obviously am not taking your word as gospel. This thread or other thread, it's time you back up what you are posting with quotes and links .. or is it you and not him at all? You are trying to put down another member by making claims, but when asked to proof you seem to be trying to weasel out.


----------



## 414347

doyll said:


> No, I obviously am not taking your word as gospel. This thread or other thread, it's time you back up what you are posting with quotes and links .. or is it you and not him at all? You are trying to put down another member by making claims, but when asked to proof you seem to be trying to weasel out.


OK, so if you are not taking my word as gospel, you not understanding or perhaps don't want to understand the meaning of “You probably know I’m not one for tact” and the nature of 90% of his responses not only to me, but to others and I'm not referring only in this thread, so before you think I'm bashing anyone, If you don't know the history of his.. I'm sorry "uncaring" ways of communication go to some of his old threads, maybe even recent and then go ahead and please make a judgment on me.

There are posts in here on OCN and him pretty much trashing other members, must well call them idiots for either asking questions that might be "silly" to him or simply responding to others. If you read this thread and can’t see the contradiction to his' supposedly “You probably know I’m not one for tact" by first arguing something that he might not even tested...what can I say

The last thing I mean to do is to refer to anyone either in here or elsewhere outside of this forum in such negative way, but I think that it goes both ways and I honestly think “Aenra" knows what I'm referring to and his ways of addressing or responding to some comments of his. 

You want to be treated with respect and to be taking seriously, work at it and if you know you are certain way e.g. direct and to the point that's OK, I am the same way, but deal with the fallout, compassion and caring goes a long way.


----------



## doyll

NewUser16 said:


> OK, so if you are not taking my word as gospel, you not understanding or perhaps don't want to understand the meaning of “You probably know I’m not one for tact” and the nature of 90% of his responses not only to me, but to others and I'm not referring only in this thread, so before you think I'm bashing anyone, If you don't known the history of his.. I'm sorry "uncaring" ways of communication, go to some of his old threads, maybe even recent and then go ahead and please make a judgment on me.
> 
> " You are trying to put down another member by making claim" beside the fact that there is so many post in here on OCN and him pretty much trashing other members, must well call them idiots. If you read this thread and can’t see the contradiction to his' supposedly “You probably know I’m not one for tact" by first arguing something that he might not even tested...what can I say
> 
> The last thing I mean to do and refer to anyone either in here or elsewhere outside this forum in such negative way, but I think it goes both ways and I honestly think “Aerna" knows what I'm referring to and his ways of addressing or responding to some comments.
> 
> You want to be treated with respect and to be taking seriously, work at it and if you know you are certain way e.g. direct and to the point that's OK, but deal with the fallout. There is a time in your life when you don't need to pretend to know everything and NO I'm not referring to myself and If you think you do and have to argue something you not sure about..Well, you’re for a big surprise and perhaps disappointment, even in your personal life.


 Nope, just cus you say it doesn't make it a fact.


So "last thing you mean to do" is exactly what you are doing? 



When I make a statement I'm willing to back it up with supporting data and references. You obviously think you don't need to do that, so you are posting lots of stuff with nothing backing it up. Enough with all your 'you', 'you' and time for supporting data and reference links. 



You say Aenra is not being honest and truthful, but instead of posting proof when asked, you instead blab on and on instde of proving your claim.


Time to put the proof where your mouth is. Another way of saying it is put up or shut up.


----------



## 414347

doyll said:


> Nope, just cus you say it doesn't make it a fact.
> 
> 
> So "last thing you mean to do" is exactly what you are doing?
> 
> 
> 
> When I make a statement I'm willing to back it up with supporting data and references. You obviously think you don't need to do that, so you are posting lots of stuff with nothing backing it up. Enough with all your 'you', 'you' and time for supporting data and reference links.
> 
> 
> 
> You say Aenra is not being honest and truthful, but instead of posting proof when asked, you instead blab on and on instde of proving your claim.
> 
> 
> Time to put the proof where your mouth is. Another way of saying it is put up or shut up.


You shouldn't have responded to this last post, until now I thought you were OCN valuable member, someone with more common sense.

Saying and I quote “You say Aenra is not being honest and truthful" Wow! Where on earth I've ever said that? Tbh. It’s comforting thou, at least now I know whom I'm up against and the mentality of the person I’m dealing with

Just to put this to rest and to shot you up, which I hate doing it and make others feel low I said quite opposite I said his ways of speaking his mind and not watching his mouth makes him very uncaring and insensitive to others.

If you can add such blunt comment I am not surprised why you could not see what I was saying to begin with, while someone else would see the "contradiction" I was speaking of right away, furthermore, to make me feel like I'm the bad guy now, you aren’t worth speaking with……

Have a good day


----------



## doyll

You said it post below, #2000 this thread. 


NewUser16 said:


> OK, so if you are not taking my word as gospel, you not understanding or perhaps don't want to understand the meaning of “You probably know I’m not one for tact” and the nature of 90% of his responses not only to me, but to others and I'm not referring only in this thread, so before you think I'm bashing anyone, If you don't know the history of his.. I'm sorry "uncaring" ways of communication go to some of his old threads, maybe even recent and then go ahead and please make a judgment on me.
> 
> There are posts in here on OCN and him pretty much trashing other members, must well call them idiots for either asking questions that might be "silly" to him or simply responding to others. If you read this thread and can’t see the contradiction to his' supposedly “You probably know I’m not one for tact" by first arguing something that he might not even tested...what can I say
> 
> The last thing I mean to do is to refer to anyone either in here or elsewhere outside of this forum in such negative way, but I think that it goes both ways and I honestly think “Aenra" knows what I'm referring to and his ways of addressing or responding to some comments of his.
> 
> You want to be treated with respect and to be taking seriously, work at it and if you know you are certain way e.g. direct and to the point that's OK, I am the same way, but deal with the fallout, compassion and caring goes a long way.


Your words, not mine.


----------



## 414347

You are worse off then I even thought 

Show me exactly where I said he is a liar and dishonest, supposedly you can back that one up

Wow! It’s beyond me how you even succeed in this world, unless you live totally secluded life always from any 1-on-1 human interactions.

Bashing anyone, calling uncaring or saying they contradict themselves doesn't make them liar or untruthful, unaware of locking commonsense maybe, but that is their personality. You have something else going on under that thick head of yours and yes I realize I'm rude now, but man you have some while imagination.

Yes, these words are mine not yours I would be embarrassed if it was the other way around. 

Swallow your pride because that's all it is and move on. You should have kept sitting on the back burner and not open your mouth, unless you've been talk to my friend 

I don’t know why I bother


----------



## Owterspace

There is a good show on Amazon about the moon.. pretty interesting stuff!

I can’t believe the D15 is still in production. What a champ.


----------



## 414347

Owterspace said:


> There is a good show on Amazon about the moon.. pretty interesting stuff!
> 
> I can’t believe the D15 is still in production. What a champ.


That is a good one, thanks


----------



## doyll

NewUser16 said:


> You are worse off then I even thought
> .........
> Show me exactly where I said he is a liar and dishonest, supposedly you can back that one up


I don't need to show you because I didn't say anything like that. So now you are making false statements about me too. It's you making up stories. This only makes me less likely to believe anything you say about anythibg.


----------



## 414347

doyll said:


> You say Aenra is not being honest and truthful, but instead of posting proof when asked, you instead blab on and on instde of proving your claim.
> 
> 
> Time to put the proof where your mouth is. Another way of saying it is put up or shut up.


I could, but you can do it yourself and pull several links where my comments to words Aenra and his insensitive ways of being is plausible, but here are you own words, not mine…. Thank GOD.

So again, you quoting what I said and can't point to where I call him liar and dishonest despite that the quote is right in front of you. 

For whatever is worth I honestly don't mean to make you feel in any harmful way, it’s not my nature

I’m done, I have let this drag far way to long


----------



## Aenra

* forgot to add one important fact in the post detailing my findings, will add it now. My margin of error is .5 Celsius. Important and again, my fault for neglecting to mention 

@*NewUser16* there's no need to derail this thread, it's about the NH-D15, not about me and my many flaws indeed.

I responded to a poster wondering about NH-D15's original fans and whether it was worth stacking a third one; on topic (and needless to say, all that matters; one's free to dismiss my opinion).
I additionally responded to another user, you, claiming that there's no added benefit from adding a third fan; also on topic (and again needless to say, but grain of salt and all, dismiss at will).

You went on and latched yourself to my saying "i'm not one for tact". And i'm not. If i'm thinking something, 99% of the time i'm actually saying it too.
Is this a cultural thing? Have i touched on something, unbeknownst to me as it were? I don't have tact. So i state that. What's the problem, and why do you burden all the other thread readers with this?
PM me if it's of personal import, or ignore me please. They shouldn't be reading all this.

(and since i'm at it, obligatory thanks to @*doyll* . Our disagreements aside, he's proven a number of times he can disassociate the personal from the technical God bless him)


----------



## jayfkay

Has anyone here achieved any thermal gains by exchanging the fans?


----------



## doyll

jayfkay said:


> Has anyone here achieved any thermal gains by exchanging the fans?


Of course we have. Higher airflow fans lower temps 6-10c (depending on how much heat CPU is making). More heat means greater improvement. But it also means much more noise. Owterspace has done several tests on different coolers. I did a bunch of testing using TY-143 fans on a bunch and every one showed similar improvements going for 1200-1300rpm to 2400-2500rpm. Case *must *have same airflow increases so case airflow matches component demands. If case airflow is not increased to match coolers with hi-performance fans end up having to re-used their own heated exhaust airflow, and every degree warmer air is entering cooler becomes same degrees hotter component will be (@ same load / rpm).


----------



## jayfkay

doyll said:


> Higher airflow fans lower temps 6-10c (depending on how much heat CPU is making). But it also means much more noise. Owterspace has done several tests on different coolers. I did a bunch of testing using TY-143 fans on a bunch and every one showed similar improvements going for 1200-1300rpm to 2400-2500rpm. Case *must *have same airflow increases so case airflow matches component demands. If case airflow is not increased to match coolers with hi-performance fans end up having to re-used their own heated exhaust airflow, and every degree warmer air is entering cooler becomes same degrees hotter component will be (@ same load / rpm).


Were the improvements still there with more acceptable noise levels <40dba at speeds of 1800rpm or less?


----------



## doyll

jayfkay said:


> Were the improvements still there with more acceptable noise levels <40dba at speeds of 1800rpm or less?


All depends on individual thinks is "acceptable". To me 40dB(A) is loud. It takes 3dB / 3SPL change for most people to even be able to hear a difference in volume. But that same 3dB increase doubles sound intensity .. while 10dB increase sounds twice as loud to our ears. All of the above is somewhat dependent on person hearing it. 

To compound the problem, is your <40dB(A) in a quiet rural environment late at night in bedroom ambient at about 28dB or in a noisier environment with room at 33-36dB? Without a sound meter (SPL / DB(A)) it's hard to determine what noise levels are (most meters have 30dB minimum reading). I have Wensn WS1361 meter (30dB(A) min). Our normal room ambient is below that with random sounds (keyboard @ 1m shows 31-32dB) registering higher levels. Computer raises volume to 35-37dB when it's working hard.


----------



## Owterspace

TY-143 at 1800 revs isn't too bad.. but if you cant hear your pc when you are next to it you will definitely notice. My 143 is sititng at 1100 revs right now and its fairly quiet. The motor hum from my rear exhaust is the loudest one right now @ 12v, my front fans are at 7v. I cant give you dba readings. My idea of quiet is probably a little different than yours.. Most peoples idea of quiet is silent or somewhere around there.


----------



## jayfkay

40 is quite loud, which is why I usually say 30-36db range is acceptable for day to day use in an airflow case for most people.
You don't want much louder than that usually.
Of course there is differences in sound profile, some fans can sound annoying at that range. 

So what I gather from your responses is, you think on this noise level there is diminishing returns between what fans you choose?

For example, 2x Kaze Flex as front intakes in 500DX case produced 5° lower CPU temperatures at 40db compared to 2x B14-PS at 40db in this test (timestamp included):


Spoiler


----------



## ciarlatano

jayfkay said:


> Were the improvements still there with more acceptable noise levels <40dba at speeds of 1800rpm or less?


I've tested far more fans than I can remember on a D15. In a noise leveled comparison, you really aren't going to get any appreciable gains at lower noise levels over the stock fans. The biggest quantifiable advantage would be the fact that the replacements wouldn't be brown.


----------



## doyll

Indeed, 1150rpm is not too loud. TY-147A on ARO-M14O @ 1150rpm is barely audible.

What ciarlatano said above. A15 fans are good .. and quiet up to 1050-1150rpm. Unless you want higher speed than 1500rpm (& dramatically more noise) there's not reason to change the except for color. 

If system is running on the hot side I suggest monitoring air temp entering cooler to see if it's 3c or less warmer than room ambient. If it is more than 5c above room temp improving case airflow might be best way forward. If air entering cooler when gaming is 13c wamrer than room than optimizing case airflow to get it down to 3c or less will lower CPU 10c at same load and fan speed. 

If you need more airflow / higher fan speeds you will need to change both case and cooler fans so case airflow is increased to match cooler airflow increases. otherwise is at loosing battle.


----------



## umeng2002

Ok, I've installed some washers to increase the mounting pressure of my D15S and switched from MX-4 to Kryonaut and temps dropped about 4 degrees to the low 70s instead of the upper 70s when doing Prime95 small FFTs. Was it mainly the new paste or the washers? I'm not taking it off again to find out.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> Ok, I've installed some washers to increase the mounting pressure of my D15S and switched from MX-4 to Kryonaut and temps dropped about 4 degrees to the low 70s instead of the upper 70s when doing Prime95 small FFTs. Was it mainly the new paste or the washers? I'm not taking it off again to find out.


I'm guessing a combination of more pressure and new TIM more so than difference in TIMs' heat transfer ability.

TomsHardware TIM testing showed Kryonaut 34.8c high pressure vs 35.8 low pressure, but didn't test MX-4. Is this your sig rig? What case and case fan setup do you have?


----------



## ciarlatano

doyll said:


> I'm guessing a combination of more pressure and new TIM more so than difference in TIMs' heat transfer ability.
> 
> TomsHardware TIM testing showed Kryonaut 34.8c high pressure vs 35.8 low pressure, but didn't test MX-4. Is this your sig rig? What case and case fan setup do you have?


Agreed. The difference between Kryonaut and MX-4 is minimal.


----------



## umeng2002

Yeah, my sig rig should be up to day. a NH-D15s with the fan it came with along with an NF-A12 in the front. PBO normally at 2 or 3x scalar settings. Loaded clocks are more stable under Prime too. Never going under 4 GHz like would happen before as the temp rose.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> Yeah, my sig rig should be up to day. a NH-D15s with the fan it came with along with an NF-A12 in the front. PBO normally at 2 or 3x scalar settings. Loaded clocks are more stable under Prime too. Never going under 4 GHz like would happen before as the temp rose.


I don't see your case or case fan setup listed. 1x 120mm fan is not even enough case airflow for D15S, and you also need airflow for GPU.


----------



## umeng2002

SilverStone RL-06.


----------



## doyll

Thanks for the images. 
Look pretty good!  
About all I can see to do is remove the 3x PCIe slot covers to increase vent area in back an thus have better front to back airflow. I would check performance with top back fan unplugged. My guess is it's not helping at all and possible causing a rise in temps. 

The Noctua 120mm fans you have in front are not NF-A12, but NF-P12 which have 1.21mm H2O @ 900rpm up to 1.68mmH2O @ 1300rpm. Your front fan setup will work very well. All you need to do is tape over the openings not covered by fans or used to clip the front on so the air they push into case cannot leak into front and go in circles.

You might be interested in link below to *How airflow works. . . Setting up a case for optimum cooling*








* * Ways to Better Cooling; Airflow, Cooler & Fan...


Got tired of posting instructions and guides over and over and over, so decided to start a thread for them. Please do not post unnecessarily as it will make it harder for others to find what they are looking for. This thread is not for opinions of the data or tutorials. If you have questions...




www.overclock.net


----------



## umeng2002

Front fan mounted on the D15S is the NF-A12.

Actually, those pics were from about a year ago. My setup is the same except I have the grey NF-P12s in there to replace the brown ones along with the larger 140 mm brown one. Those brown NF-P12s were about 10 years old and not PWM. The new ones are.

I did try it with two top exhaust fans and no top fans. The way it is now is the best. The top, front vent is blocked off with clear tape so it doesn't just short circuit air or starve the D15S for air or the D15S doesn't draw in hot exhaust air from the rear, top fan.

The only reason why one of the front fans is 140 mm is that I had it laying around and didn't want to buy another 120 mm.


----------



## Melcar

You should probably take out the top rear fan and just cover the entire top panel. It reduces greatly reduces noise and forces air in a more front to back orientation. Remove the rear exhaust fan too since it is very likely hindering airflow and will draw air in from the vents below.


----------



## doyll

umeng2002 said:


> Front fan mounted on the D15S is the NF-A12.


My bad. I assume "front" was case, not cooler


----------



## Electrosoft

Noctua NH-D15 w/ FE 3090 and Chromax edition before I sold it:


----------



## doyll

Chromax edition definitely looks much nicer. Black cooler is nice, but I think the black Chromax fans improve looks more than black cooler. I don't mind silver fins but can hardly stand the baby poo brown and tan fans. I ran NH-U12S years ago with stock fan for 2 days, then fan turned black over night.


----------



## Electrosoft

doyll said:


> Chromax edition definitely looks much nicer. Black cooler is nice, but I think the black Chromax fans improve looks more than black cooler. I don't mind silver fins but can hardly stand the baby poo brown and tan fans. I ran NH-U12S years ago with stock fan for 2 days, then fan turned black over night.


Agreed, brown and tan are aesthetically troubling.  As soon as I installed the 3090 it was instant clash so I ordered a Chromax to unpoo (?) it. My B&T NH-D15 is on backup status now as I've moved to AIOs atm but it put in a solid 4+ years of service.


----------



## TELVM

Next Generation NH-D15 in Q4 2021.










*Noctua Roadmap*


----------



## Owterspace

Looks good in black.. and that GPU is sexeh AF 🥰


----------



## Electrosoft

TELVM said:


> Next Generation NH-D15 in Q4 2021.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Noctua Roadmap*


I'm real curious to see the next gen NH-D15 and what it can handle as it has hit the end of the road for some of the newer chips with decent OC's.


----------



## doyll

Honestly, CPU cooler / water cooling hasn't changed much in many years .. and I don't see much if any improvement in foreseeable future. Current cooler design is pretty much topped out. Heck, original NH-D14 cools as well as NH-D15 with same fans as D15 uses. And original Silver (only slightly modified IFX-1400 without HR-10 CPU socket cooler from 2006. I think IFX-14 was first twin tower cooler so not much if any change in heatpipe CPU cooling in last 15 years. 

Water cooling hasn't changed much either.


----------



## 8051

@TELVM
Last time I contacted Noctua (to get some NFA14 clips for my D15s, the rep. told me they were working on a more powerful NFA20, according to your roadmap, he lied).


----------



## ciarlatano

8051 said:


> @TELVM
> Last time I contacted Noctua (to get some NFA14 clips for my D15s, the rep. told me they were working on a more powerful NFA20, according to your roadmap, he lied).


"Working on" is far different than being close to completion with manufacturing in line, which is what goes on the road map.


----------



## doyll

What ciarlatano said. 

Not sure what you means with 'NFA20' as only NF-A20 I know of is their 200mm fan. My guess is "Next-Generation NH-D15" will be NH-D15S like cooler, maybe having higher speed / higher airflow fans. Will be interesting to see whatever it is. 

Only cooler I know of in development / early production is passive / fanless cooler previewd at Computex 2019 (shown below):


----------



## Electrosoft

doyll said:


> Honestly, CPU cooler / water cooling hasn't changed much in many years .. and I don't see much if any improvement in foreseeable future. Current cooler design is pretty much topped out. Heck, original NH-D14 cools as well as NH-D15 with same fans as D15 uses. And original Silver (only slightly modified IFX-1400 without HR-10 CPU socket cooler from 2006. I think IFX-14 was first twin tower cooler so not much if any change in heatpipe CPU cooling in last 15 years.
> 
> Water cooling hasn't changed much either.


Outside of flow rates (both volume and saturation), what else is left? You can chill it for better results, delid or go direct die for optimal thermal transfer but I'm hard pressed to think of what is next that will be revolutionary.

Air cooling is in a similar boat but worse at the point of contact for wicking the heat away but yeah, basically what else can they do?

What's next for a revolutionary leap in consumer level, sustainable cooling 24/7?

I'll be curious to see what their "next generation" cooling entails though as the D14 and D15 provided me with years of service from 4th gen up to 10th gen where it finally gave up the ghost with bigger overclocks on 9th and 10th.


----------



## Owterspace

Probably just a fin stack revision to make better use of high speed fans. Also D15 is rated to 260w, which is not far off from top end Intel CPUs dishing up 250w+ during PL2 or with locks off.. To get better from air you need to either add more pipes, or move to a cooler with 8mm pipes rather then 6mm. And definitely add more air because you cant have silence and high performance at the same time with air. You need to move some for it to be effective. My TS140P is a beast with high TDP CPU's. Also if you don't have a big CPU LGMRT is rated to 90w TDP with no fan. Sorry I know this is a Noctua thread, I still think that one looks good in black. Id hit it. Maybe.. if it did as well as mine 

Edit:

D15 looks small compared to LGMRT? 🧐


----------



## TELVM

From the prototypes they've shown, looks like one extra heatpipe (up to 7) plus 10% more fin area.


----------



## Owterspace

TELVM said:


> From the prototypes they've shown, looks like one extra heatpipe (up to 7) plus 10% more fin area.


Good, hopefully they add the other pipe, there are some CPU's that can use it.. Finally catching up to Thermalright.. If they put this out. Not sure about the effectiveness of twin towers though.


----------



## doyll

I agree LGMRT does look bigger, but looks can sometimes be deceiving. LGMRT is actually about 15mm smaller in depth, but has more fin area because it's all in one finpack instead of 2 like D15.
NH-D15 = 150x160x135mm
LGMRT = 150x159x120mm (WxHxD w/o fan/s)


What *TELVM *said about additional heatpipe.
I had seen that but forgotten about it. 😳

in theory 7th heatpipe should raise cooling ability, but the 7x and 8x 6mm heatpipe coolers we now (LGMRT, Silver Arrow IB-E, PH-TC14PE, R1, etc) all cool about the same as current D15 / D15S.


----------



## Owterspace

If they make it I will buy one for sure. I had a D14 so skipped the D15.. went back to Thermalright instead 

Looks good!


----------



## Shenhua

Owterspace said:


> Probably just a fin stack revision to make better use of high speed fans. Also D15 is rated to 260w, which is not far off from top end Intel CPUs dishing up 250w+ during PL2 or with locks off.. To get better from air you need to either add more pipes, or move to a cooler with 8mm pipes rather then 6mm. And definitely add more air because you cant have silence and high performance at the same time with air. You need to move some for it to be effective. My TS140P is a beast with high TDP CPU's. Also if you don't have a big CPU LGMRT is rated to 90w TDP with no fan. Sorry I know this is a Noctua thread, I still think that one looks good in black. Id hit it. Maybe.. if it did as well as mine
> 
> Edit:
> 
> D15 looks small compared to LGMRT? [emoji3166]


I disagree.
That's not exactly true. Take a look at GPUs. Take any high end GPU with a big radiator and 2x120mm fans and you will find no problem disipating 300-400w pretty efficiently. You can expect 60-70°C with 1200rpm at 20°C ambient.

Disipating power or efficiency was never a problem for air cooling, but rather thermal transfer.

Sent from my Redmi K20 Pro using Tapatalk


----------



## Owterspace

What do you disagree with? What isn't exactly true? Which GPU is putting out 300-400w efficiently? I guess I should have said to get better performance from CPU heatsinks. I wasn't talking about GPUs at all. The problem is small cores not using all of the heat pipe available. That's why there is a cold plate first, then the pipe. That nice copper will spread what heat it can to the pipes. But still.. can only do so much..


----------



## Techie007

I have seen numerous assertions that the NH-D15S is good for anywhere between 220w and 250w TDP, which I don't doubt—if—we could get all that heat directly to the heatplate. However, has anyone else noticed that the NH-D15S is really only good for about 150-170w continuous TDP under normal conditions before thermal throttling kicks in with the i7-8700k, i7-9700k, and i7-10700k CPUs? All three of these CPUs are capable of reaching 5 GHz, but this TDP limit keeps it from being an all-core clock. Noctua themselves lists this cooler as having "excellent overclocking headroom" for these CPUs, but that hardly seems to be the case in my experience: With the long-term TDP limit correctly configured in the BIOS to stay just below thermal throttling, I am seeing my heavy all-core clocks drop to the 4.3-4.5 GHz range. Has anybody else run into this limitation with these coolers? If so, what mitigation strategies did you use and how well did they work?

Anybody in this TDP range simply remount the cooler and get a significantly better TDP capacity? What did you get?
Anybody add washers to increase the mounting pressure of the cooler and get a significantly better TDP capacity? How much?
Anybody try adding the (identical) NF-A15 or (smaller) NF-F12 as a second fan? How much did that raise your TDP capacity?
Anybody using a liquid metal instead of regular thermal paste? How much did that raise your TDP capacity? Any long-term problems?
Anybody try delidding/lapping their CPU while using this cooler? How much did that raise your TDP capacity? Any long-term problems?
So many of the online reviews focus on "oh this cooler is 3°C better than that cooler" or "I did XYZ and my temperatures dropped 5°C!". Sure, it's nice to know that the NH-D15S is comparatively at the head of the pack. But, my CPU can jump 5°C from 95°C to 100°C in a half-second just because, so that is rather useless information. However, I do know that on several different computers and CPUs, I am consistently seeing 150-170w max TDP on these things before running out of headroom, which is rather disappointing. Sure, they may be the best (or 2nd best) air cooler on the market right now, but it would sure be nice to have a TDP closer to 200w or 250w!


----------



## snoopycute98

Techie007 said:


> I have seen numerous assertions that the NH-D15S is good for anywhere between 220w and 250w TDP, which I don't doubt—if—we could get all that heat directly to the heatplate. However, has anyone else noticed that the NH-D15S is really only good for about 150-170w continuous TDP under normal conditions before thermal throttling kicks in with the i7-8700k, i7-9700k, and i7-10700k CPUs? All three of these CPUs are capable of reaching 5 GHz, but this TDP limit keeps it from being an all-core clock. Noctua themselves lists this cooler as having "excellent overclocking headroom" for these CPUs, but that hardly seems to be the case in my experience: With the long-term TDP limit correctly configured in the BIOS to stay just below thermal throttling, I am seeing my heavy all-core clocks drop to the 4.3-4.5 GHz range. Has anybody else run into this limitation with these coolers? If so, what mitigation strategies did you use and how well did they work?
> 
> Anybody in this TDP range simply remount the cooler and get a significantly better TDP capacity? What did you get?
> Anybody add washers to increase the mounting pressure of the cooler and get a significantly better TDP capacity? How much?
> Anybody try adding the (identical) NF-A15 or (smaller) NF-F12 as a second fan? How much did that raise your TDP capacity?
> Anybody using a liquid metal instead of regular thermal paste? How much did that raise your TDP capacity? Any long-term problems?
> Anybody try delidding/lapping their CPU while using this cooler? How much did that raise your TDP capacity? Any long-term problems?
> So many of the online reviews focus on "oh this cooler is 3°C better than that cooler" or "I did XYZ and my temperatures dropped 5°C!". Sure, it's nice to know that the NH-D15S is comparatively at the head of the pack. But, my CPU can jump 5°C from 95°C to 100°C in a half-second just because, so that is rather useless information. However, I do know that on several different computers and CPUs, I am consistently seeing 150-170w max TDP on these things before running out of headroom, which is rather disappointing. Sure, they may be the best (or 2nd best) air cooler on the market right now, but it would sure be nice to have a TDP closer to 200w or 250w!


I am using D15S with an extra Arctic P12 on front, and Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut paired with my 11700K at 190W CPU package power (4.7GHz all core OC and -50mv undervolt).. I am getting around 81°C on Cinebench R23, room temperature is around 31 Celsius.

Looks ok to me tbh.


----------



## MikeS3000

snoopycute98 said:


> I am using D15S with an extra Arctic P12 on front, and Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut paired with my 11700K at 190W CPU package power (4.7GHz all core OC and -50mv undervolt).. I am getting around 81°C on Cinebench R23, room temperature is around 31 Celsius.
> 
> Looks ok to me tbh.


When I ran my D15s in dual fan config on my 5900x I too was getting up to 81c on R23. 22-23 ambient. Package power of 190 to 200w range. I think you'd be pushing the limits of the D15 over 200w. I would be near the 90c limit on my 5900x if I went any higher in wattage.


----------



## Shenhua

MikeS3000 said:


> When I ran my D15s in dual fan config on my 5900x I too was getting up to 81c on R23. 22-23 ambient. Package power of 190 to 200w range. I think you'd be pushing the limits of the D15 over 200w. I would be near the 90c limit on my 5900x if I went any higher in wattage.


Case and fan config and fan speed? Is more important than it might seem.
Anyway the numbers look right...


----------



## MikeS3000

Shenhua said:


> Case and fan config and fan speed? Is more important than it might seem.
> Anyway the numbers look right...


Sure, the case is a Phanteks P500A. I'm running the 3 stock 140mm RGB fans in front, 2 more 140 mm top exhaust and another 140mm rear exhaust. I have fan curves setup to ramp to full speed everything over 75c. Basically when running CB23 fans are going full bore.


----------



## snoopycute98

MikeS3000 said:


> When I ran my D15s in dual fan config on my 5900x I too was getting up to 81c on R23. 22-23 ambient. Package power of 190 to 200w range. I think you'd be pushing the limits of the D15 over 200w. I would be near the 90c limit on my 5900x if I went any higher in wattage.


That's nice to know, because I believe Ryzen are a bit harder to cool due to smaller die-area, see FAQ: Why is my Ryzen 3000 processor getting so hot?

When my ambient is at 32 Celsius, with 190W load (4.7GHz OC on a 11700K and -50mv, LLC4/Auto (Asrock) ), I am getting around 84 celsius.. A bit too high for my liking.. Note: It's without GPU, as I sold my GTX1060 and holding on cash for a new GPU.

Case is a old NZXT Phantom 410, modded a 1500rpm case fan at the 5.25" drive bay area.


----------



## tbob22

How would a D15(S) do on an i9 7960x, maybe 4.2-4.4ghz? Been considering one as an upgrade from my 1680v2 as prices have dropped significantly.

Considering the prices these go for I think it could be a good alternative to a 5900x, and it has quad channel ram which may help in certain productivity workloads. Boards may be more tricky to find a good deal on though.


----------



## Multiplectic

95% sure you'll have to add a second fan to the D15S, or get a regular D15.
You'll be at ~200W or more fully loaded, and without the second fan it's very, very likely you'll run into some throttling.


----------



## tbob22

Multiplectic said:


> 95% sure you'll have to add a second fan to the D15S, or get a regular D15.
> You'll be at ~200W or more fully loaded, and without the second fan it's very, very likely you'll run into some throttling.


Yeah, I actually have three fans on it now. The old e5-1680v2 at 4.4ghz hits about 250w under P95 (AVX) according to hwinfo64, peaks around ~80c at max fan speed (TY-147a's ~1300rpm).

How different is the D15 versus the D15S? I thought it just had a different offset.


----------



## ciarlatano

tbob22 said:


> Yeah, I actually have three fans on it now. The old e5-1680v2 at 4.4ghz hits about 250w under P95 (AVX) according to hwinfo64, peaks around ~80c at max fan speed (TY-147a's ~1300rpm).
> 
> How different is the D15 versus the D15S? I thought it just had a different offset.


You are correct, the offset is the only difference. They perform identically with the same fans.


----------



## doyll

As said, D15 and D15S same cooler with D15s heatpipes being shaped to offset finpacks Difference is D15S heatpipes are shaped to offset finpacks 6.5mm away from PCIe sockets. 

Cooler testing by Noctua and others found D15S w/ single fan to cooler now greater than 3c warmer than D15 with 2 fans. I found on i7 920 @ 4.3GHz single fan was 2c warmer w fan at full speed, but 1x fan vs 2x fans at same noise level cooled the same. But 2x fans at same speed make about 2dB more noise than 1x fan at same speed moving a little more air thru cooler which lowers temp slightly (1-2c, 3c max). 2x fans running at same dB move basically same amount of air as 1x fan at same DB .. meaning cooler cools same at same noise level. The only time their is 1-2c, 3c max difference is when fans are running full speed. Any other differences are result of changes in case airflow resulting from changing from 1x to 2x fan / 3x cooler fans.


----------



## Multiplectic

tbob22 said:


> Yeah, I actually have three fans on it now.


Then you should be completely fine.


----------



## tbob22

doyll said:


> As said, D15 and D15S same cooler with D15s heatpipes being shaped to offset finpacks Difference is D15S heatpipes are shaped to offset finpacks 6.5mm away from PCIe sockets.
> --snip--


Good info, thanks. Been running this setup for quite a while, has been solid, can't push the 1680 much past 4.4ghz without overwhelming the cooler.



Multiplectic said:


> Then you should be completely fine.


Great, actually leaning toward the 7920x as it tends to go pretty cheap. Most of the software I use can't really saturate over ~20 threads so I think it would still be a solid jump without going too crazy in power.

Happened to run across this. Totally expecting the pins to be all bent out of shape at this price. 


Spoiler:


----------



## umeng2002

In Cinebench 20 or 23 at max fan speed, the D15S with two fans, keeps my 5800X at like 80 to 82 degrees. At more sensible fan speeds, like 4 or 5 degrees warmer.

That’s with PBO on making around 120 to 130 Watts.

In Linpack or any other AVX load, almost instant thermal limited. PBO keeps the chip at 90 degrees but pulls the clocks down to 4.4 GHz. The CPU is doing about 150 Watts in that case.

Noctua does have room for improvement to address thermal density issues in chiplet based CPUs which even Intel is heading towards. AVX workloads almost instantly take the CPU to its thermal limit with 1x PBO scalar and even a -20 all core curve optimizer offset.

I am using the newest Noctua paste too.


----------



## TeslaHUN

umeng2002 said:


> In Cinebench 20 or 23 at max fan speed, the D15S with two fans, keeps my 5800X at like 80 to 82 degrees. At more sensible fan speeds, like 4 or 5 degrees warmer.
> 
> That’s with PBO on making around 120 to 130 Watts.
> 
> In Linpack or any other AVX load, almost instant thermal limited. PBO keeps the chip at 90 degrees but pulls the clocks down to 4.4 GHz. The CPU is doing about 150 Watts in that case.
> 
> Noctua does have room for improvement to address thermal density issues in chiplet based CPUs which even Intel is heading towards. AVX workloads almost instantly take the CPU to its thermal limit with 1x PBO scalar and even a -20 all core curve optimizer offset.
> 
> I am using the newest Noctua paste too.


PBO is the worst thing you can ever do to ur chip ,when all core OC gives the same fps ,but 10C cooler :


----------



## umeng2002

I want that sweet 4.85 GHz single threaded boost. But I have had this chip since like April or May and haven't really screwed around with it it too much.


----------



## ciarlatano

TeslaHUN said:


> PBO is the worst thing you can ever do to ur chip ,when all core OC gives the same fps ,but 10C cooler :


Aaaaaaaand.....what of you don't care about fps because you don't use your computer as a gaming console and actually use it for computational tasks?


----------



## TeslaHUN

ciarlatano said:


> Aaaaaaaand.....what of you don't care about fps because you don't use your computer as a gaming console and actually use it for computational tasks?


Then you would not register on overclock.net ,OC is a no-no in professional /work enviornmnent where stability is above all. 
Here we are all gamers , maybe 1-2 exception ,u can ignore it as u want ,but u know im right


----------



## Owterspace

TeslaHUN said:


> OC is a no-no in professional /work enviornmnent where stability is above all.
> Here we are all gamers , maybe 1-2 exception ,u can ignore it as u want ,but u know im right


If you know how to OC it is just as stable if not more so than a stock system. You might not know I am right, but I am


----------



## doyll

TeslaHUN said:


> Then you would not register on overclock.net ,OC is a no-no in professional /work enviornmnent where stability is above all.
> Here we are all gamers , maybe 1-2 exception ,u can ignore it as u want ,but u know im right


I know many member do OC, but I would be very surprised if even 1/2 of our members overclock their CPUs these days .. probably even fewer members here on Air Cooling forum. These new CPUs don't OC like older ones did. Some need tweaking to even run stock clocks well. Only system I OC is my cooler test station, and it's 100% stable at 4.0GHz. Like Owterspace said, OC can be just as stable as stock. I used it @ 4.0GHz for years without any problems.


----------



## ciarlatano

TeslaHUN said:


> Then you would not register on overclock.net ,OC is a no-no in professional /work enviornmnent where stability is above all.
> Here we are all gamers , maybe 1-2 exception ,u can ignore it as u want ,but u know im right


More than 1-2 exceptions on this page alone. I OCN the heck out of my work computers. OCN didn't start out as a gaming site, it began as an actual hardware site for enthusiasts. Lots of members here only game casually and actually know how to tweak hardware. You can ignore it all you want, but you know I'm right.


----------



## Owterspace

I have always been an overclocker first, gamer second. And these days I just don't game like I used to. Chasing numbers is far more entertaining than chasing frames.. though in the end they go hand in hand. You can have different levels of OC to suit your mood, or you can just run as fast as the season, and your tolerance for noise will let you. My tolerance for noise for instance, may be greater than yours.. It is true overclocking is different these days, but in the end we still strive to squeeze our hardware. It is very competitive.. check out HWBOT.. there are different classes for different levels of "enthusiasm"


----------



## doyll

I tweaked RAM a little in my 3600 system, but nothing else. But I'm not an overclocker. My forte is airflow, not Oc'ing. 😊


----------



## tbob22

TeslaHUN said:


> PBO is the worst thing you can ever do to ur chip ,when all core OC gives the same fps ,but 10C cooler :
> 
> 
> Spoiler


Something doesn't look right on those PBO results, should be hitting 4.8ghz+. I just opened up Doom Eternal and my 5600x was jumping from 4.825ghz to 4.85ghz on 10-12 threads constantly.

The point of PBO is hitting those higher clocks that a manual OC would be near impossible to hit on air and reasonable voltages. PBO pushing voltages to 1.45v+ is not the same as manually setting those voltages to reach those clocks.


----------



## fateswarm

I reapply liquid metal every ~6 months, because the application appears to deteriorate. Do you think it's because I have a gigantic nh-d15 on a regular vertical case and it makes it easier for vibrations to shake the application off or something (the cpu is delidded by the way and I apply it on both sides)?


----------



## postem

Owterspace said:


> I have always been an overclocker first, gamer second. And these days I just don't game like I used to. Chasing numbers is far more entertaining than chasing frames.. though in the end they go hand in hand. You can have different levels of OC to suit your mood, or you can just run as fast as the season, and your tolerance for noise will let you. My tolerance for noise for instance, may be greater than yours.. It is true overclocking is different these days, but in the end we still strive to squeeze our hardware. It is very competitive.. check out HWBOT.. there are different classes for different levels of "enthusiasm"


I guess the time for heavy oc like i done on my old first gen core 950, 1ghz extra sweet will never happen again, but i keep coming here to better deploy my own hardware, for me working overtime little time to play or OC, especially with intel 12gen, OC gains are low, same as for gpus, i found a more entertainment activity: how to best undervolt hardware keeping it stable


----------



## postem

doyll said:


> As said, D15 and D15S same cooler with D15s heatpipes being shaped to offset finpacks Difference is D15S heatpipes are shaped to offset finpacks 6.5mm away from PCIe sockets.
> 
> Cooler testing by Noctua and others found D15S w/ single fan to cooler now greater than 3c warmer than D15 with 2 fans. I found on i7 920 @ 4.3GHz single fan was 2c warmer w fan at full speed, but 1x fan vs 2x fans at same noise level cooled the same. But 2x fans at same speed make about 2dB more noise than 1x fan at same speed moving a little more air thru cooler which lowers temp slightly (1-2c, 3c max). 2x fans running at same dB move basically same amount of air as 1x fan at same DB .. meaning cooler cools same at same noise level. The only time their is 1-2c, 3c max difference is when fans are running full speed. Any other differences are result of changes in case airflow resulting from changing from 1x to 2x fan / 3x cooler fans.


Im still waiting for a liquid freeze 360, but noctua delivered fast lga 1700 mount.
12700K here, doing on auto crap voltages on CB around 200W, 85c. This up to 4.8ghz. Now going with fixed voltage try for 4.9-5.0ghz. Same cooler was on my 9900KS 5ghz all core, drawing 200-210W. 

Im more surprised that thermal transfer is better on 12gen than before.


----------



## Owterspace

postem said:


> I guess the time for heavy oc like i done on my old first gen core 950, 1ghz extra sweet will never happen again, but i keep coming here to better deploy my own hardware, for me working overtime little time to play or OC, especially with intel 12gen, OC gains are low, same as for gpus, i found a more entertainment activity: how to best undervolt hardware keeping it stable


Sort of, it just does it on its own now. For instance.. on my CPU 3700 is the base clock. I never see that number. Mine will do light threads up to 5150MHz, and all core boosts are usually 4600-4900 depending on what’s going on.. memory tuning is pretty much all we have left once you figure out what it wants for power. Pretty boring actually


----------



## Gamer2021

I currently have this cooler on my 10900k and it does well for me.


----------



## tbob22

The D15S has been working well enough on my "new" 7960x. I use turbo offsets and have it limited to 250w, over that it will hit 90c with extended loads. So it does downclock under certain loads like AVX-512, but under most loads it will will stay around 4.2-4.3ghz and single core boost up to 4.5ghz while staying in the low upper 70's or low 80's.


----------



## Owterspace

tbob22 said:


> I use turbo offsets and have it limited to 250w, over that it will hit 90c with extended loads.


250w on a 220w cooler, can’t say I am surprised..


----------



## tbob22

Owterspace said:


> 250w on a 220w cooler, can’t say I am surprised..


Yeah, I mean it does pretty well all things considered. Open loop would be ideal to really push the 7960x though.


----------



## doyll

I think Noctua TDP ratings are a little conservative. Most companies figure 6mm heatpipe can handle 40w TDP each and 8mm heatpipe are 60w.


----------



## TeslaHUN

Anybody has D15s with tall nvme heatsink and VGA in 1st slot ? I wonder if it would fit or no. I ordered a very big nvme Cooler: HR 09 . I need the best aircooler on market for my 5900x,thats still the D15. If it wont fit then I have to buy a smaller nvme heatsinks ,or arctic 420 AIO instead of the D15s. But I really wanted going full aircooling this time, without compromise on cooling.


----------



## Multiplectic

TeslaHUN said:


> Anybody has D15s with tall nvme heatsink and VGA in 1st slot ? I wonder if it would fit or no. I ordered a very big nvme Cooler: HR 09 . I need the best aircooler on market for my 5900x,thats still the D15. If it wont fit then I have to buy a smaller nvme heatsinks ,or arctic 420 AIO instead of the D15s. But I really wanted going full aircooling this time, without compromise on cooling.


If your M.2 slot is right between the CPU socket and the first PCIe 16x slot... I'm 95% certain that HR09 heatsink *is not* going to fit.


----------



## TeslaHUN

Yea its between . Atm my system CPU is watercooled ,but planning to go back to air.







Not sure how tall M2 heatsink would fit under a D15S Chromax


----------



## Multiplectic

I can bet it's not going to. And probably the only way the D15 is going to fit there is with vertical airflow.


----------



## TeslaHUN

Multiplectic said:


> I can bet it's not going to. And probably the only way the D15 is going to fit there is with vertical airflow.


Im talking about the D15*S *(offset ) , it will fit in normal orientation for sure.


----------



## Multiplectic

This was my PC mid 2020, also AM4 and D15S:







In the normal orientation the heatsink fins were SUPER close to the GPU, and the GPU didn't have a backplate on.
It was so close it made me feel uncomfortable. Had to flip it.


----------



## TeslaHUN

Multiplectic said:


> nk fins were SUPER close to the GPU, and the GPU didn't have a backplate on.
> It was so close it made me feel uncomfortable. Had to flip it.


Intresting ,out of 9 page @pcpartpicker about D15S+AM4 i found only one person who did not install in normal orientation .


----------



## Dogzilla07

@TeslaHUN I don't think it will fit in any orientation, the D15S in the standard offset orientation the coolers ends up slightly behind the end of the ram slot, or just before the first PCI-E slot. (same as the @Multiplectic flipped orientation, or in different no difference in GPU clearance with normal offset orientation and a flipped one when I tested it).

And my M.2 SSD is 1/3rd above the PCI-E slot and well 1/3 directly below the cooler, as the M.2 slot starts with the end of the back I/O. and the RAM cut-out is 65mm if I remember correctly, and the Thermalright M.2 cooler is 74mm high (No dual-tower cooler has that large RAM cut-out, Cooler Master MA624 is top dog with 70mm).

That's just my motherboard, there's no standardization, so a first M.2 slot on another board will fit.


----------



## Multiplectic

TeslaHUN said:


> Intresting ,out of 9 page @pcpartpicker about D15S+AM4 i found only one person who did not install in normal orientation .


It did fit in the normal orientation, but it was really close. And at that distance from the GPU, there's no way that M.2 heatsink is going to fit.


----------



## doyll

TeslaHUN said:


> Anybody has D15s with tall nvme heatsink and VGA in 1st slot ? I wonder if it would fit or no. I ordered a very big nvme Cooler: HR 09 . I need the best aircooler on market for my 5900x,thats still the D15. If it wont fit then I have to buy a smaller nvme heatsinks ,or arctic 420 AIO instead of the D15s. But I really wanted going full aircooling this time, without compromise on cooling.


NH-D15S fanpack reaches 67mm from center of RAM toward PCIe sockets. Thermalright Frost Commander 140 (FC140) is 62mm center CPU toward PCIe sockets. Measure your motherboard to see if that leaves you enough room for HR 09. While PCIe socket placement is standardized, CPU socket placement is not.

If I knew what motherboard you have I could figure out where side of NH-D15S will be and if it will clear HR09.


----------



## TeslaHUN

doyll said:


> NH-D15S fanpack reaches 67mm from center of RAM toward PCIe sockets. Thermalright Frost Commander 140 (FC140) is 62mm center CPU toward PCIe sockets. Measure your motherboard to see if that leaves you enough room for HR 09. While PCIe socket placement is standardized, CPU socket placement is not.
> 
> If I knew what motherboard you have I could figure out where side of NH-D15S will be and if it will clear HR09.


Thanks ! Im @ work ,but tomorrow I can measure the distance.( Aorus b550 pro v2) If it fits then fine ,if not Than I might just buy the Deepcool assasin3 for almost half the price. (D15s chromax plusz one nf a15 : 130$ VS assasin3 75$ ) and a smaller m2 heatsink . Or even I could keep the current big TR m2 Cooler and buy an Arctic 420 AIO for 120$. Hmmm its hard decision.


----------



## Multiplectic

Arctic 420.


----------



## tbob22

Multiplectic said:


> Arctic 420.


Agreed. Especially if you ever decide to go with a 5950x for whatever reason one day. I recently went from a D15S to a L 420 when they went on sale for $70 on their ebay store (_the 240 is $50 right now, that's really solid too but probably not much better compared to the D15)._ The difference is huge on my 7960x, went from throttling in SmallFFT or AIDA64 FPU to about 80c on the hottest core at 4.1-4.4ghz. Hoping to finally delid soon which should allow me to run all cores at higher clocks as the coolest core is under 60c.

Should have read a bit further up.


----------



## mhineareyoubulletproof

this is my ashkani build triple fan nh d15 chromax red devil 5600x


----------



## Multiplectic

Impressive!
I've gotta ask tho... Why did you put the rear fans as intakes?


----------



## doyll

Multiplectic said:


> Impressive!
> I've gotta ask tho... Why did you put the rear fans as intakes?


I think rear cooler fan is same orientation as other two .. all moving air front to back. 
Edit: I think ciarlatano is correct, I was looking at cooler fans not ones on back of case.


----------



## ciarlatano

Multiplectic said:


> Impressive!
> I've gotta ask tho... Why did you put the rear fans as intakes?


The rear fans are Thermalright TL-C12R, which are reverse flow. So, they are actually exhaust.

There are more pics showing this on some of the other 347 sites he posted this build to.


----------



## Multiplectic

ciarlatano said:


> The rear fans are Thermalright TL-C12R, which are reverse flow. So, they are actually exhaust.


Huh, didn't know those existed.


----------



## Raphie

So today I bothered to read the manual of my chromax black and I learned 2 things that I had wrong.
For LGA1700 you need to use the blue washers. I was using the black (as I thought they looked nicer) but the blue ones are actually 1mm shorter in length.  my idle is now 32c instead of 36c….

2nd thing I noticed is that the mounting curves actually have 3 holes, not 2….. I had them aligned on 1 & 3, while in order to be fully centered you need to use 2 & 2 (center position) This one probably being more cosmetic, but still for an autist like me it’s profit


----------



## doyll

Raphie said:


> So today I bothered to read the manual of my chromax black and I learned 2 things that I had wrong.
> For LGA1700 you need to use the blue washers. I was using the black (as I thought they looked nicer) but the blue ones are actually 1mm shorter in length.  my idle is now 32c instead of 36c….
> 
> 2nd thing I noticed is that the mounting curves actually have 3 holes, not 2….. I had them aligned on 1 & 3, while in order to be fully centered you need to use 2 & 2 (center position) This one probably being more cosmetic, but still for an autist like me it’s profit


That would make a difference for sure.


----------



## Raphie

Yup, this is where, “I’ve done this for over 35 years, don’t need a manual” bites you in the ass.


----------



## mhineareyoubulletproof

Multiplectic said:


> Impressive!
> I've gotta ask tho... Why did you put the rear fans as intakes?


sorry for the late reply thats not intake actually its exhaust a reverse fan ....just dont want the ugly back


----------



## mhineareyoubulletproof

Multiplectic said:


> Huh, didn't know those existed.


actually i cooler master but you see back in those old days we have this reversed fan 
so i acctually re introduce it again to all the fanboys out there. really love if noctua have this


----------



## mhineareyoubulletproof

just really luv that air cooled builds now exploring again how to put up a real fan box that cool a whole system ...ambient temps around 37-40. just need to think how to let those positive fans feed real cool air and exhaust it fast...work in progress time is really tight right now


----------



## mhineareyoubulletproof

hope that many air cooled builds will come out


----------



## mhineareyoubulletproof

planning to air cool a 12900k or 12700k .....need more budget waiting out for all the new tech to come out and for ddr5 to simmer down a bit


----------

