Noctua NH-D15 - 165mm Clearance Case?

[puza993]

Hello,

I have a few questions regarding Noctua NH-D15 case compatibility.

I have noticed that D15 has a total height of 165 mm and RAM clearance of 32 mm, with the 2nd fan mounted.
https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/specification

The RAM that I am currently using is Kingston HyperX Fury, which has a total height of 32.8 mm
https://www.kingston.com/dataSheets/HX318C10FR_8.pdf


D15 allows the 2nd fan to be moved allowing for more RAM clearance.
In my case, it would need to be moved approximately 1 mm, increasing the cooler's total height to 166 mm. This being the bare minimum.


1. Would it be possible to mount the D15 in this configuration to a 165 mm case?
2. Are there any potential dangers of the RAM being so close to the cooler?
3. Would there be a noticeable loss of performance, with mounting the 2nd D15 fan as a case fan instead, either as the front intake fan, or as the rear exhaust fan?
4. Do you know any possible mid tower case solutions?


Edit:
I currently have the TT Versa N23 (160 mm) case from Thermaltake, and am considering upgrading to a MasterBox MB510L (165 mm) from Cooler Master.

Regards,

 

[Aeacus]

If you're worried about RAM/CPU cooler clearance issues then just mount the front fan at the back of the heatsink,
like so:

I'm wondering, what kind of CPU you're running in there that you need the king of air coolers, NH-D15, to cool it?

As far your case selection goes, you need to figure it out by yourself since choosing a PC case is a personal choice. Go with the one that you like the most. I can only give you additional suggestions regarding cases with tempered glass side panel, like:
Note: In brackets, ( ), is CPU cooler clearance.

Phanteks lineup:
Enthoo Pro M TG, (194mm): http://phanteks.com/Enthoo-Pro-M-TemperedGlass.html
Enthoo Pro TG, (193mm): http://phanteks.com/Enthoo-Pro-TemperedGlass.html
Enthoo Lux TG, (193mm): http://phanteks.com/Enthoo-Luxe-TemperedGlass.html

Corsair lineup:
Spec-04 TG, (150mm): https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Cases/Carbide-Series%C2%AE-SPEC-04-Tempered-Glass-Mid-Tower-Gaming-Case-%E2%80%94-Black-Red/p/CC-9011117-WW
Spec-Omega, (170mm): https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Cases/SPEC-OMEGA-CONFIG/p/CC-9011120-WW
Spec-Omega RGB, (170mm): https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Cases/Carbide-Series-SPEC-OMEGA-RGB/p/CC-9011141-WW
275R TG, (170mm): https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Color/Carbide-Series-275R-Tempered-Glass-Mid-Tower-Gaming-Case/p/CC-9011132-WW
460X, (170mm): https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Cases/Crystal-Series%E2%84%A2-460X-Compact-ATX-Mid-Tower-Case/p/CC-9011099-WW
460X RGB, (170mm): https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Cases/Crystal-Series-460X-RGB-Compact-ATX-Mid-Tower-Case-%28CN%29/p/CC-9011101-CN
500D, (170mm): https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Cases/Mid-Tower-ATX-Cases/Obsidian-Series%C2%AE-500D-Premium-Mid-Tower-Case/p/CC-9011116-WW
500D RGB, (170mm): https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Cases/Obsidian-Series-500D-RGB-SE-Premium-Mid-Tower-Case/p/CC-9011139-WW

 

[puza993]

If you're worried about RAM/CPU cooler clearance issues then just mount the front fan at the back of the heatsink...

Thanks Aeacus,

Your suggestion pretty much solves all of the mentioned issues.
I was not aware that it is possible to mount the fans in that configuration.

I am running a i7-7700K, and was looking for a cooler that will allow for some overclocking while keeping it at a comfortable temp.
D15 seemed like a good choice based on the reviews and the 6 year warranty. Plus, the color scheme grew on me.

Also, I appreciate you going through the trouble of listing the cases and the clearance for each one. It really helps.

Nice rig btw.
2x 970?

Regards,

 

[Aeacus]

You're welcome.

Since i7-7700K is one of the hottest running chip, NH-D15 is perfect for it. As far as Noctua's brown/beige color theme goes, it's either instant hate or love. I'm one of those who don't like it's fan coloring but then again, due to the fan color, you'll instantly know that it's Noctua fan. 😀

Oh, the above rig isn't mine but a random image from the net to show you different possibility to mount NH-D15 fans. I took the image from this reddit post,
link: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/2tw6gm/installed_nhd15_id_call_that_an_upgrade_from/

As far as my own rigs go, i have 3: Skylake, Haswell and AMD. Their full specs with pics are accessible from my signature.

Oh, you should also be able to mount regular 120mm fan directly above your RAM since 120mm is smaller than the stock 140mm fan.

 

[puza993]

Wow, awesome setups you got there.
Especially the Skylake build.

I love the attention to details. Respect for the matching cables. They made me go "Damn!" 😀
And I gotta say, the fan controllers are an awesome touch.
Definitely going to get one myself.

And thanks for the help. On my first build here, so got a lot to learn.

 

[Aeacus]

Thank you.

I just updated my Skylake and Haswell builds pcpp page with the latest upgrade i made this month (with additional pics). You can go check them out or you can view my latest upgrade (and pics) from this topic here as well,
link: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-3272328/show-newest-system-upgrade-components/page-11.html#21056480

Since i like to have manual control over most of my case fans, i went with 5.25" external fan controller with all of my builds. Besides practical use, they also provide additional eyecandy to the front of the case which with most PC builds is neglected. And depending on a PC case used, you can't customize the front part of the PC case at all (e.g NZXT S340).

Custom sleeved power cables are quite common in showroom builds while they are a quite rare sight in a home user's PC. Only a dedicated PC enthusiast (which i proudly am) would go through the time and cost to add those in home environment. 😀