[SOLVED] Noctua NH D15S CPU Cooler Compatiability

[SteelMouse]

Hello Guys,

I am planning to get a Noctua NH D15S for my computer and I read extensively on the compatibility and did the due diligence checking.
Just would like to have a confirmation from someone knowledgeable so I can proceed with more confidence. And need some help on choosing the second fan for the NH D15S.

Motherboard Compatibility:
Motherboard: Asus X99-EWS
Noctua: Motherboard compatiability: https://noctua.at/en/mainboard/Asus_X99-E_WS
Whereas NH D15 is extending over the first PCIE Slot, the NH D15S is compatiable with Asus X99 EWS Motherboard.

CPU Compatibility:
CPU: Intel i7 5820K
Noctua: CPU Compatiability: https://noctua.at/en/cpu/Intel_Core_i7-5820K
Noctua NH D15S provides best overclocking headroom for Intel i7 5820K CPU.

RAM Compatibility:
Noctua: RAM Compatibility: https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15s
"Thanks to its recessed lower fins, the NH-D15S provides 65mm clearance for tall memory heatsinks, making it compatible with most high end modules on the market. As the lower fins are recessed on both sides of the heatsink, compatibility is excellent not only on LGA115x and AMD, but also on LGA2011 where there are RAM slots on both sides of the socket."

RAM: Model: G Skill TridentZ RGB F4-3200C16Q-32GTZR : https://www.gskill.com/product/165/...BDDR4-3200MHz-CL16-18-18-38-1.35V32GB-(4x8GB)

RAM Height: https://hexus.net/tech/reviews/ram/103789-gskill-trident-z-rgb-32gb-ddr4-3200-f4-3200c16q-32gtzr/
Just under the first GSkill ram picture : "There's obvious similarity to the standard Trident Z modules that have been available for some time. Both stand 44mm tall, have XMP 2.0 profiles built in, and feature the same type of bar across the top."

RAM Height: 44mm tall

Noctua NH D15S - https://noctua.at/en/productfaqs/productfaq/view/id/129/
RAM clearance in dual fan mode (optional):
- 32mm with 140mm fan
- 45mm with 120mm fan
Front fan can be moved upwards in dual fan mode to increase RAM clearance, but this will also increase total height (check chassis clearance!).

Noctua NH D15S - https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15s/specification
Height (without fan) : 160mm
Chassis: NZXT Phantom 530: https://assets.cdn.nzxt.com/uploads/download/attachment/121/Phantom-530-manual-multi-language.pdf
NZXT Phantom 530: Manual: Page 3 of 15: CPU Cooler Clearance: 183mm

Question 1:
Is the NH-DH15S compatiable with my computer setup?
And can I get the NH-D15S and buy a second fan and move it up a little bit and use it?
Considering the dual fan mode RAM Clearance is 32mm with 140mm fan and 45mm with 120mm fan and the overall NH-D15S height is 160mm for case clearance,
with my case (NZXT Phantom 530) having 183mm clearance, there is room to move the second fan upwards and go with a big second 140mm fan.

Question 2:
I can buy a round Noctua 140mm or a Noctua 120mm to be used as a second fan for the NH D15S CPU Cooler

Round Noctua 140mm fan for CPU Cooler - NF-A15 PWM : https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a15-pwm/specification
Airflow: 115,5 m³/h
Rotational Speed: 1200 RPM
Static Pressure: 1,51 mm H₂O

Square Noctua 120mm fan for CPU Cooler - NF-A12x25 PWM : https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a12x25-pwm/specification
Airflow: 102,1 m³/h
Static Pressure: 2,34 mm H₂O
Rotational Speed: 2000 RPM
NF-A12x25 PWM: Next Gen Tech: https://noctua.at/en/nf-a12x25-technical-backgrounds
"With a total development time of more than 4.5 years, more than 200 CNC milled prototypes built and an overall project volume that exceeds those of the previous NF-F12 and NF-S12A fans combined, the NF-A12x25 has been Noctua’s most intricate fan development project so far. One of the crucial design measures that allows the NF-A12x25 to further improve its renowned predecessors’ performance is its record tight tip clearance (distance between the blade tips and the inside of the frame): whereas most 120mm fans have a clearance of at least 1.5 to 3mm, the NF-A12x25’s ultra-small gap of only 0.5mm sets a new benchmark. This highly ambitious design enables the fan to work more efficiently against back pressure, such as on heatsinks or radiators, because it reduces leak flows through the gap between impeller and frame"

NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM : Already own this, can repurpose it from a case fan to CPU Cooler second fan : https://noctua.at/en/which_fan_is_right_for_me
"For best results in all types of application, Noctua recommends the NF-A12x25. Alternatively, the NF-F12 is a pressure-optimised fan that excels on heatsinks and radiators "

The round 140mm NF-A15 PWM has more airflow, but lesser RPM and lesser Static Pressure. Whereas the square 120mm NF-12x25 PWM has more Static Pressure and Rotational Speed and reduced leak flow and works more efficiently against back pressure such as heatsink but slightly lesser airflow than the 140mm NF-A15 PWM. And Noctua recommends the NF-F12 on their which 120 mm fan is right for me page due to it's higher static pressure.

Other consideration would be, the Round Noctua 140mm : NF-A15 PWM seems very lean frame so might be better for CPU coolers for airflow as the frame doesn't block the airflow.
And if I decide to go with either of the 120mm fans, then there would be a mismatched airflow between the front and back fan of the CPU Cooler. The motherboard has a CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT fan headers, so I can manage the speed of two different fans, just there would be difference in the amount of airflow b/w the fans in the push pull setup.

I am kind of split between these 3 fans, so kindly let me know your thoughts on which one might be the best option. Performance is more important and I can absolutely buy a second fan if needed rather than repurposing the existing NF-F12 industrial PPC-3000 PWM.

Question 3:
Performance difference between these two:
Noctua NH D15S : https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15s
Noctua NH D15S Chromax Black: https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15s-chromax-black

If the Chromax Black performs the same and assuming the said black coating doesn't interfere with the heatsink heat dissipation, I would like to get the Chromax Black, but don't want to sacrifice performance for better aesthetics.

Thank you for your time, I appreciate it a lot.

 

[Lutfij]

(Not to throw a wrench in your thread but...)I must commend you for all this research you've done but IMHO you could just as easily go with a 240mm or 360mm AIO and have the radiator mounted up to in the chassis.

 

[Phaaze88]

1-A)Yes.
1-B)Yes, but it's not cost effective to do that.

Spoiler

Your Phantom 530 has 183mm clearance.
NH-D15: 165mm
NH-D15 front fan memory clearance: 32mm
G. Skill Trident Z: 44mm
Front fan needs to be raised 12mm, plus 1mm, because we want to avoid the fan contacting the ram due to vibration damage.
= 178mm, and still will fit in your Phantom 530.

Just get a regular or Chromax Black NH-D15 if you want a 2nd fan that badly, even though a 2nd fan on the D15S won't make a major difference; less than 3C difference.

2-A)Yes.
2-B)Do NOT get an IPPC 3000 unless you plan to use that for a server fan, and won't be around it.
Plus, in order for that fan to be effective, all your other fans also need to be just as fast... and loud. They're a waste of money otherwise - speaking from experience.
I could see maybe the 2000rpm version, but still, all your other fans would need to be IPPCs or something similar in spec as well, and... just skip IPPC if you work at or near your PC.

3)That's the reason it's taking them so long to make black versions of their fans and coolers; they can't just powder coat them black and ship 'em off a-ok, or so I've heard.
The Chromax version should perform just the same.

 

[SteelMouse]

With the Noctua NH D15, the second fan can be pushed up a bit to clear the RAM and avoid RAM compatiability issues, but it will block the first PCIE slot.

https://noctua.at/en/mainboard/Asus_X99-E_WS
"The cooler is extending over the first PCI-E x16 slot, so please use the other available PCI-E slot(s) for your video card(s)."

Asus X99 E-WS Motherboard Manual: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/Socket2011-R3/X99-E_WS/Manual/E13676_X99-E_WS_UM_V4_WEB.pdf

Page 26 of 188: For a single VGA, the PCIE First slot is recommended.
The motherboard does have lots of PCIE x16 slots, maybe I can push the Graphics card to the second PCIE x16 slot. Would pushing the GPU to the second PCIE slot affect performance adversely, considering we would be going against Asus manual recommendation?

Asus x99 E-WS Overview: https://www.asus.com/in/Motherboards/X99E_WS/overview/
"Four PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots enable extreme graphics power
The X99-E WS can carry up to four dual-slot graphics. It supports 4-Way NVIDIA® Geforce® SLI™ and AMD CrossFireX™ x 16 Link"

The PCIE Slots 1, 3, 5 & 7 are x16. So theoretically should be ok for the GPU to be in Slot 3.

Edit: The GPU is MSI RTX 3080, it's a massive 3 slot card + the GPU Support brace takes about another 2 slots worth space. So would be in a tight situation space wise to have the GPU in PCIE Slot 3. Should be possible, but tight space wise, the GPU brace would almost out of motherboard space and near PSU.
And would run into airflow problems, right now the GPU sitting in PCIE Slot 1 goes upto slot 3, and syncs up nicely with the top front fan intake. Moving it down will make it parallel to the bottom front fan intake, which is impeded a bit by all the PSU cabling blocking air flow path.

Thanks for your confirmation on the Noctua NH D15S use. Will try the single fan setup on NH D15S.

 

[Phaaze88]

Duly noted with the NH-D15. I missed that.

 

[Deleted member 2720853]

I see no difference when my NH-D15 is operating with only the middle fan.

 

[geofelt]

Kudos for properly doing your homework.

To answer your questions:

1) Yes, you are compatible. Your research noted that on your motherboard, a similar NH-D15 would overhang the first pcie slot

yes, you could install a second fan. even a 120mm fan would be ok.
I would not bother since the tests I have seen shows minimal benefit in cooling with a second fan.

2) I thought all fans were round
I think the fan clips are oriented towards normal square fans.
I see no good place for the clips to purchase on a round fan.

If you truly want a second fan, you may have the option to mount it in the rear as a pull orientation.

3) Performance difference between beige and black are nil.
Sometimes black carries a premium price, depending on where you shop.

There is always an equation balancing cooling with noise.
The key to good cooling will be on getting sufficient cooling air into your case so the cooler can do it's job.

 

[Phaaze88]

I think the fan clips are oriented towards normal square fans.
I see no good place for the clips to purchase on a round fan.

Actually, the included fan clips are oriented for 120mm fans or fans that use 120mm spacing, which their NF-A15s use.
While one can use them on 140mm, it's quite a stretch; they might snap if you're too rough with 'em.

I think Noctua still honors the free set of fan clips if you contact them and provide proof of purchase.
But the clips they sent me were for 140mm fans only; they won't fit well on 120mm.