[section_title title=”Installation”]Installation
Installation of the Noctua NH-D15 was as easy and straightforward as could be expected.
To start with, as I will be installing the D15 onto my socket 1150 Z87 motherboard, I needed the Intel mounting kit which includes all supported bar socket 2011.
Next up was to put the actual mounting plate through the relevant holes on the rear of the motherboard so the screws/thread was through on the other side.
After that, included was 4 x black spacers which added a level of support between the motherboard itself and the 2 x steel mounting plates which need to be installed like so; make sure you work out which way they go using the cooler as you might end up with it pointing north to south instead of east to west.
Once everything is in place, it’s time to screw in the 4 x Philips headed bolts to ensure the mounting plates are kept in place; it is recommended to use the included screw driver to tighten them but never over tighten as you can damage the thread.
Next it’s time to apply thermal paste and line up the tower without the fans installed onto the 2 screw threads which are stuck onto the mounting plates; this is the most fiddly bit of the installation and you can use pressure + your hands/screw driver to screw them in.
Here are a couple of shots of the NH-D15 on our MSI Z87 GD53 Gaming motherboard:
Hi, don’t the RAMs not overheat due to the proximity of the cooling iron? Have you done any measurements comparing the overall performance with the same one, just using a smaller fan, say NH-D15S or similar? Because if RAM overheats, the overall performance might decrease even with faster processor.