Noctua NH D15

[clessers]

Hey all,

New to the forums, so if I categorized incorrectly - forgive me.

So I have read several post regarding the Noctua D15 and performance RAM compatibility issues. The solution is almost always to go with low profile RAM - or move to a single fan solution.

Is there a reason why we don't just swap out the 140mm fan to a 120mm fan? That 20mm would seemingly resolve the majority of RAM compatibility issues. Will this not work? Is there some air flow issue / power issue? Will the bracket not work? What am I missing here?

Best,

Clessers

 

[popatim]

It was designed for 120mm fans to fit also.

 

[azaran]

If you're going to put a 120mm in there then you might as well just buy the NH-D14 and not spend the extra money on the cooler and the new fan.

You might want to look at that as an alternative to the NH-D15. The RAM compatibility for it can be found here.
http://noctua.at/en/nh-d14/rcomp

Also check for any mainboard issues. Because the NH-D15/14 can also over lap the first PCIe slot on some motherboards.
http://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/comp
http://noctua.at/en/nh-d14/comp

Also unless you need the very heavy duty cooling offered by the NH-D15/14 you might want to look at something like the H7 or H5 Universal from Cryorig. Nice big coolers, and usually has less RAM issues than the Noctua line.

 

[clessers]

Hey Azaran and Popatim, thank you for that info. It looks like my board works (Asus Sabertooth 2.0)

The reason I selected the D15 is for the design ( The 64mm RAM clearance )

Also, I failed to mention - I would do this as a 3 fan set up.

120mm fan above the ram (Noctua NF-P12 PWM)

140mm middle fan / 140mm fan toward the back exhaust. All fans moving air toward the rear exhaust. I have the Thermaltake GT level 10 case.

You guys think I will see any improved performance at all by having the 3rd fan?

 

[azaran]

Couldn't find anything on it with a cursery look through the Googles, so not sure if it'd increase the performance. I'd imagine it'd be worth a shot.

 

[clessers]

Here is a diagram of my plan just in case anyone else ever wants the Noctua D15 but has RAM height issues. http://i.imgur.com/O0QscWF.jpg?1

 

[synphul]

That's pretty much what bequiet did with their dark rock pro 3 cooler, similar in design to the noctua coolers but using smaller fans. It uses a 120mm in front and a 135mm fan in the center rather than 2 140mm fans. Any larger air cooler that hangs over the ram is liable to have height restrictions but the drp3 fits fine over my ripjaws x with clearance to spare.

If there's space in the tower for it, there's also the thermalright true spirit 140 power. It's thinner (no ram conflict) but a taller tower cooler. It cools almost identical to the nh-d14 in terms of actual cooling and noise levels. It's around 170mm tall though so needs ample room in the case.

When it comes to ram fitment part of the problem is the ram. They don't need great big "fast n' furious" heat spreaders on them and when using a large air cooler you won't see the ram most of the time anyway. It's not that ram needs to be super low profile but it can do without all the gimmicky ridiculously tall heat spreaders. What many consider 'low profile' now is more or less what normal ram used to be.

If looking to stick with the noctua coolers with tighter ram tolerances there are several variations. Usually the g.skill sniper, ares, corsair vengeance lp, crucial ballistix tactical lp just for a few examples are lower profile. Also I believe the g.skill tridents despite having a tall heatspreader, the fins are attached with screws and designed to be removable for tighter spaces.

 

[azaran]

Here is a diagram of my plan just in case anyone else ever wants the Noctua D15 but has RAM height issues. http://i.imgur.com/O0QscWF.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/O0QscWF.jpg?1[/quotemsg]

I think you're going to want to flip the 120mm and the outside 140mm fan. Doing it the way you have diagramed would still put the 140mm fan over the RAM which leaves you where you were before making adjustments. Unless you intend on just flipping the cooler around, but if you do that you'll end up in a 3x pulling configuration. If I remember right (I could be wrong) a push configuration works better with this cooler.

 

[azaran]

Here is a diagram of my plan just in case anyone else ever wants the Noctua D15 but has RAM height issues. http://i.imgur.com/O0QscWF.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/O0QscWF.jpg?1[/quotemsg]

I think you're going to want to flip the 120mm and the outside 140mm fan. Doing it the way you have diagramed would still put the 140mm fan over the RAM which leaves you where you were before making adjustments. Unless you intend on just flipping the cooler around, but if you do that you'll end up in a 3x pulling configuration. If I remember right (I could be wrong) a push configuration works better with this cooler.

 

[azaran]

Not really sure why it posted two blank replies...

I think you're going to want to flip the 120mm and the outside 140mm fan. Doing it the way you have diagramed would still put the 140mm fan over the RAM which leaves you where you were before making adjustments. Unless you intend on just flipping the cooler around, but if you do that you'll end up in a 3x pulling configuration. If I remember right (I could be wrong) a push configuration works better with this cooler.

 

[clessers]

for RAM I have the Corsair Vengeance Pro Series ( 44mm height ) - so that is where I run into the ram clearance issue. I will find out tomorrow when the D15 comes to my house, but I dont believe I can put the 140mm fan over my ram, and still have it fit within my case (Thermaltake GT Level 10) Whereas, if I put the 120mm fan on top of the RAM I wont have any issues.

QQ though, Azaran - you said about the having a 3xpull configuration ... am I not able to just flip the fan itself around and make it push? It appeared that the "screw holes" went all the way through the fan, so I was thinking I could just flip that bad boy over and it would push air instead of pull.

Is this not correct?

 

[azaran]

You have the right of it, I was just taking the diagram too literately. So it'll be the 120mm fan over the RAM (should fit), the 140mm in between the fin towers and then a 140mm fan facing the rear of the case.

Also it uses clips, not screws to hold the fans in place. I don't remember if my NH-D15 came with extra clips. If it doesn't then you'll need to get some extra clips for the extra fan.

 

[clessers]

So here is the completed project - oddly, I was able to forgo the 120mm fan as I have about 1/4th an inch left in my case.

http://imgur.com/a/3llfo

My processor temps have decreased greatly, and my fans are so quiet now. I can't believe how much of a difference this cooler has made over my stock cooler master that cam with my FX8350. Currently I am getting AMD OD Thermal Margins of 51C... which is quite unbelievable since that would mean my PC is running at 10C Idle.

Thanks everyone for the assist!

 

[azaran]

So here is the completed project - oddly, I was able to forgo the 120mm fan as I have about 1/4th an inch left in my case.

http://imgur.com/a/3llfo

My processor temps have decreased greatly, and my fans are so quiet now. I can't believe how much of a difference this cooler has made over my stock cooler master that cam with my FX8350. Currently I am getting AMD OD Thermal Margins of 51C... which is quite unbelievable since that would mean my PC is running at 10C Idle.

Thanks everyone for the assist!

Yeah it seems the whole thermal margin is accurate at higher temps but low idle temps tend to throw it off. Dealing with AMD temps is always... interesting.

Anyway glad it all came together! Enjoy the silence!