Noctua NH-D15S CPU Cooler Review 12

[section_title title=Introduction & Closer Look]

Introduction & Closer Look

  • Manufacturer: Noctua
  • Model: NH-D15S
  • Price: £65.75 (At time of review)

When someone talks about air coolers, a couple of companies spring to mind; be quiet! Cooler Master, Scythe, Thermalright etc.  None, however, seems to strike as much satisfaction and debate as much as Noctua do; fame for performance, but naturally let down by the beige colour of their fans.  Still a hot topic for discussion among users and enthusiasts alike, Noctua aren’t too bothered about “design” so much and primarily focus on performance; they did, however, release their Industrial PPC fans which come in black which did please consumer’s lots.

So as you probably already know, Noctua already has an NH-D15 model which we previously reviewed HERE; so what’s the Noctua NH-D15S all about?  Well Noctua wanted to make things easier for those looking for an epic performing tower cooler without having to worry about PCIe and memory compatibility; those with super large RAM heat sinks will know exactly what I’m talking about here, not often a large air cooler will accommodate them.

So what are the main differences between the NH-D15 and the new D15S?  Well, the D15S features a new offset asymmetrical layout which as mentioned above, is designed to give superior PCIe and RAM compatibility.  The other huge difference is the cooling configuration, the D15 has a dual fan design which was the main reason why memory compatibility was so limited; the D15S alleviates this by using a single Noctua NF-A15 140mm fan, without impacting too much (if at all) on overall cooling performance.

Noctua NH-D15S WM 1

Aside from the dual tower heatsink and singular fan design, Noctua also (in my opinion) offer the best mounting kit in the game; simple, easy to use and so quick, this is also complimented by Noctua’s own NT-H1 thermal paste.  The Noctua NH-D15s comes in at 165mm in height with the single fan attached so bare this in mind when selecting a compatible air cooler for your case; it also weighs just over 1KG with the fan installed (1.15KG to be exact).

Noctua NH-D15S WM 2

The base features a nickel plated copper with the heat sink being laden with aluminium fins; these are soldered into place and with a hefty 6 year guarantee, Noctua obviously stand by the quality of their products and have full confidence in their engineering/design team.  A 6 heat pipe design is featured for each of the towers, just like the NH-D15 model it compliments.

Noctua NH-D15S WM 3

So we have seen the cooler itself, we have talked a bit about the slightly new and improved design, but will the single fan be able to keep things cool?  Let’s find out…

Test Setup

CPU: Intel i7 4770k
Motherboard: MSI Z97A Gaming 6
Memory: GSkill TridentX 8GB (2x4GB) 2400MHz
Graphics: PNY GTX 980 OC2
Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S
Thermal Paste: Noctua NT-H1
PSU: Cooler Master V1200 1200w
Case: Cooler Master Test Bench V2

 

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