Introduction

From the Noctua website:

Noctua comes from a cooperation of the Austrian Rascom Computerdistribution Ges.m.b.H. with the Taiwanese cooling specialist Kolink International Corporation, pooling more than ten years of experience in the development, manufacturing and marketing of high-end cooling components. Established in 2005, Noctua took the international silent enthusiasts' hearts by storm and quickly developed into one of the most acclaimed suppliers of premium quality quiet cooling products. Today, Noctua is present in more than 30 countries across the globe and working with several hundred sales partners. Chosen by noise conscious PC users, system integrators and industry clients alike, Noctua has become synonymous with impeccable quality, excellent customer service and class leading quiet cooling performance.

With a reputation forged by amazing performance, exceptional quality, and ultra-low noise levels, Noctua stands out as one of the premier manufacturers of PC-cooling products. Their fans, while not exactly the most pleasing to look at, are some of the highest quality you can buy. The same can also be said of their heatsinks. Offering warranty and support that is second-to-none, the company definitely stand alone in regards to customer support. If you have a Noctua cooler and a new socket comes out that it does not support, they will send you mounting hardware for it. From purchase to installation and on to after-sales support, Noctua is the perfect example of a company that truly offers a great customer experience. They have truly forged a reputation for excellence with enthusiasts around the world.

Noctua's fans, while expensive, remain favorites of many enthusiasts for their extremely low noise output. Meanwhile, the NH-U12S and NH-U14S have proven to be popular heatsinks with the NH-U14S being especially so because it offers near NH-D14 performance while smaller, lighter, and more affordable. That said, every Noctua cooler and fan tends to fit specific needs. Another such example is the NH-L12: While it may struggle with larger CPUs, its small size and low profile make it a perfect fit in today's increasingly popular mini-ITX system. Granted, Noctua's choice of colors might not appeal to everyone, but the quality of each product has kept PC enthusiasts coming back again and again.

In today's review, I will be looking at the Noctua NH-D15. This new super heavyweight of a dual-tower heatsink replaces the stalwart NH-D14 in Noctua's lineup. Considering their history of excellence and the many changes and improvements, I expect great things. The only question is whether its performance will be enough to beat the competition. Let us get down to the nitty and gritty to find out!

Packaging and Contents

The box Noctua uses measures in at roughly 23.5 cm in length, 19 cm in width, and 27 cm in height. The front lists a few features and makes sure to point out that the NH-D15 is based on the award winning NH-D14. A short paragraph on the left side details the cooler and some features in nine languages. The back of the box again lists features, but this time, many more are mentioned, such as the six heatpipes, widened fin stack, SecuFirm 2 mounting system, and high RAM compatibility in single-fan mode, to list a few.


The right side of the box lists the heatsink- and fan specifications in an easy-to-follow format and mentions the scope of delivery (what's included inside the box). The box itself shows the product name, a close-up of the Noctua logo, and some heatpipes.

Contents

Upon opening the box, I am once again greeted by Noctua's exceptional packaging. Accessories and mounting hardware are placed on top, in marked boxes of their own. The heatsink and fan are held in place by cardboard. Overall, packaging is superb, as it should be for such an expensive cooler.


Noctua's SecuFirm 2 mounting system supports most sockets out of the box. However, sockets LGA775 and LGA1336 are only compatible if you purchase Noctua's optional NM-I3 mounting kit. Other than that, everything one would need has been included, along with a few nice extras that make installing this cooler much easier.

Common parts supplied for mounting include:

• 4x Rubber fan mounts
• 4x Fan screws
• 4x LGA2011 mounting screws
• 4x AMD mounting screws
• 4x AMD spacers (white)
• 4x Intel spacers (black)
• 4x Thumb screws
• 4x Fan clips
• 2x AMD mounting arms
• 2x Intel mounting arms
• 2x 140 mm x 150 mm x 25 mm NF-A15 fans
• 2x L.N.A adapters
• 1x Intel backplate
• 1x Tube of NT-H1 thermal paste
• 1x Phillips screwdriver
• 1x Metal Noctua badge
• 1x PWM Y-cable