News Noctua's next-gen flagship CPU cooler finally arrives — Noctua NH-D15 G2 released at $150

[bit_user]

Ah, the old Noctua NH-D15 is also (just) beaten by the be quiet! Darkrock Elite.

Heh, it's good to see Scythe near the Noctua NH-D15, too! I don't hear much about Scythe, these days. About 10-12 years ago, I built two machines with Scythe's Big Shuriken 2 (down-draft cooler), but swapped out their low-profile 140 mm fan for Noctua's oversized 150 mm. Both of those machines actually have the fans flipped to blow upwards, with one of the machines setup with it blowing directly into a fanless PSU. The LIAN LI PC-Q08B accepts a sideways-mounted ATX PSU that's right next to the CPU. So, that CPU heatsink fan is doing double-duty. Since the CPU is just a 54 W i3, the cooler is overkill, but exhaust from it should never be too hot for the PSU.

The other CPU is a 140 W Xeon. I flipped the fan into an "updraft" configuration, so the hot air will feed directly into the airstream of the case's rear exhaust fan. Of course, updraft cooling doesn't provide as much RAM or VRM cooling, but I think it's still better than if I had a tower-style heatsink, like the NH-D15.

 

[DS426]

With thermalright selling AIO with a price TAG lower than 60usd it's hard to see the market for these noctua air coolers

They are not running a sustainable business; it appears to be ripoffs and IP stealing as the competitive performance couldn't be as high as it is when their margins would be so low (i.e. so low cash for R&D, engineering, etc.). They just don't set right with me, but this is just my opinion.

I do agree that $150 is high for an air cooler, especially without vapor chambers. I'm also not a fan (pun intended, lol?) of massive air coolers, even if they are simpler/more reliable than AIO water coolers. As others have said, when more powerful, affordable, AND compact cooling can be had from water coolers, I see this as almost retreating to becoming a niche market.

For those saying this level of cooling isn't needed: yeah, it is for those i9-13900K(S) and 14900K(S) heaters.

 

[bit_user]

Lol, ì still picture buyers of the Noctua coolers in this colour scheme as pipe smoking, cardigan & slipper wearing Volvo drivers..

I used to drive a Volvo, does that count? I don't usually wear slippers, but I do wear socks with my Birkenstock sandals (don't knock it 'till you've tried it). I started wearing Birkenstocks not for fashion, but due to foot pain from running.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Thing is, air coolers last forever and Noctua offers free mounting kits with proof of purchase if continue to use on different sockets. Their mounting system and build quality is pretty good, so really, can't argue you won't see benefits from a $150 cooler that'll serve you pretty much a life time. And in saying that, and this goes for any decent tower cooler, never will i have an aio in a computer. It may look pretty but that's all it is, pretty. Well air coolers don't look bad either, but no, aio's is not practical long term imo. Unless water is absolutely necessary then ok but let's be honest, it's mostly not. Just the uncertainties surrounding how long the pump would last and the added costs in replacements that can make aio cooling solutions more expensive along with anxiety disorders

Well yes, they are pretty, and do save on a big chunk of space, but also, they tend to be a little bit more efficient than air coolers, cool more quickly to idle after CPU load is finished, and don't impact ambient temps (inside case) as much as an air cooler might do. Different horses for different courses.

 

[bit_user]

I couldn't buy this due to the horrible color scheme, give us all black for crying out loud.

You mean like this?

https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15s-chromax-black
​

I'm sure a black version of the G2 is coming.

AIO pros:

...
- Allows big nvme heatsink (better looks). I have tested 4 gen 5 nvme and they dont go over 80C with stock mobo heatsink.
- May very well prolong the life of the cpu and motherboard as a good AIO usually lowers the cpu temp by 8-12 degrees C under heavy loads. So for people who do alot of editing and gaming and want long lifespan that might be the better path, of course you will have to maintain the AIO, but if longevity of the system is critical, AIO is certainly attractive. ATM I just have a spare cpu and mobo on hand. But an AIO is looking more and more attractive. Lower temps may mean less frequent reapplication of thermal paste, dunno about these new cpus, but my stock i7 870 is still on its original arctic air cooler and paste and performs exactly the same (temps & scores) as when new based on benchmarks.
...

These are reasons I like big down-draft air coolers. The most recent build I did used a Noctua NH-C14S (again, with the fan upgraded to the oversized NF-A15). In that case, I kept the fan in a downdraft configuration to provide cooling for the RAM, VRM, and M.2 NVMe SSD.

Don't even talk to me about motherboard longevity, unless you're blowing some air on your VRM. Those things get hot!

 

[boju]

Well yes, they are pretty, and do save on a big chunk of space, but also, they tend to be a little bit more efficient than air coolers, cool more quickly to idle after CPU load is finished, and don't impact ambient temps (inside case) as much as an air cooler might do. Different horses for different courses.

Aio guys vs Air guys in the park. One day, one day 🤺🤺 😁

 

[thestryker]

They are not running a sustainable business; it appears to be ripoffs and IP stealing as the competitive performance couldn't be as high as it is when their margins would be so low (i.e. so low cash for R&D, engineering, etc.). They just don't set right with me, but this is just my opinion.

This seems like an extremely uninformed opinion given that Thermalright has been around longer than Noctua and operates their own factories which is a driving force behind their pricing.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Aio guys vs Air guys in the park. One day, one day 🤺🤺 😁

 

[Phaaze88]

Well, one review is out:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heriTDWIU2g


It's those fans. That's what most of the money you pay towards this went into.
Improved performance to noise profile, and the fans will age better. I know they wear and tear over time, but it never crossed my mind performance went down too.

Want to see a few more reviews, but so far, it's still got my interest - at least the standard model. I'll pass on the HBC/LBC.


EDIT: I think I found a reason in the video comments about why the lack of color options, or why it takes so long.
"Yes, because it's not just as easy as coloring plastic differently. Different dyes change the plastics properties. And when you want to release a product that's optimized for performance, changing the color would not give the same results as the brown/beige versions."
So paint isn't just paint after all, and Noctua has much stricter standards than other vendors.

 

[CmdrShepard]

https://tpucdn.com/review/thermalri...-cpu-air-cooler/images/maximum-heat-intel.png

All right, I stand corrected -- Noctua NH-D15 with 6 heatpipes released back in 2014, beaten by a whooping 7.8% by Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO released in 2024 with 7 heatpipes.

No, I am just kidding, LOL.

Noctua is still king.

Building a cooler with 10 years more advanced manufacturing tech, then adding one extra heatpipe and still getting only 7.8% improvement in thermal capacity is for n00bs like Thermalright.

 

[Zerk2012]

All right, I stand corrected -- Noctua NH-D15 with 6 heatpipes released back in 2014, beaten by a whooping 7.8% by Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO released in 2024 with 7 heatpipes.

No, I am just kidding, LOL.

Noctua is still king.

Building a cooler with 10 years more advanced manufacturing tech, then adding one extra heatpipe and still getting only 7.8% improvement in thermal capacity is for n00bs like Thermalright.

That statement shows how little you actually know. I guess your one of the people that still buy the overpriced Asus products also because of their 15 years ago on time good name.

EDIT so if the new cooler from them is a 7.8% increase in performance you can still justify buying a 150 cooler over a 40 buck one with the same performance? LOL

The new cooler also weighs in at a whopping 3.3 pounds.

On top of that your saying you would buy a 90 (or so) buck old D15 over a 40 buck cooler with better performance?

 

[CmdrShepard]

Which size are you talking about? I've been pretty satisfied with their non-PWM 120 mm and 140 mm fans. Also 150 mm PWM.

120 mm and 140 mm mostly, but 92 mm I think I heard once too and didn't like them.

What I am talking about is the buzz. Sounds like bearings to me but I am not sure. It's constant vibration with pitch directly related to RPM, not air hiss or beating demonstrated in video.

I have Noctua NH-U14S DX-4677 and it has these fans. I had to dial them down and limit the cooling capacity to avoid the buzz at higher RPM.

My previous case was Corsair Obsidian 800D which I got when it was released back in 2009 or 2010 -- those Corsair 140 mm fans were the quietest fans I ever had and they are still going after more than 14 years without even a slightest change in noise profile, still as smooth rotating as ever. I wish I could buy like 100 of those exact fans, that's how good they are. And the best part? I expected them to be crap and I was ready to replace them with Noctua fans.

 

[NedSmelly]

It's those fans. That's what most of the money you pay towards this went into.

This. Fits the stereotype of German over-engineering. The Leica of air coolers - feature count is not that impressive, but the value starts to emerge with longer sustained use. The offer of free mounting adapters for the life of ownership is also a factor.

Postscript. Whoops, I should’ve said Austria, not Germany

 

[CmdrShepard]

That statement shows how little you actually know.

As does this one you just made.

I guess your one of the people that still buy the overpriced Asus products also because of their 15 years ago on time good name.

And I guess you are one of the cheapskates who is never satisfied with how cheap something is and is always looking to get by even cheaper? I guess we have you to thank for the overall decrease in quality of everything.

Yes, I still buy ASUS. You know why?

Because over previous two GPU generations I got:

- EVGA RTX 2080 Ti (one of the hybrids) which was DOA out of the box (RMA replacement worked but it cost me extra $100 because my country customs don't recognize RMA process)

- MSI RTX 3090 whose PCB got damaged despite support frame and fans would spin to 100% at random -- for that one I had to contact MSI repair center and ask them to force the store I bought it from to send the card for RMA because they were saying "it works just fine". The RMA took several months during which I had to buy a weaker replacement which I then had a hassle of selling when it was time to upgrade, not to mention they wanted to give me back 3090 and after all the crap I went through I just wanted my money back.

Then I realized I had better things to do than chase RMAs and waste money like that and I am back with ASUS.

EDIT so if the new cooler from them is a 7.8% increase in performance you can still justify buying a 150 cooler over a 40 buck one with the same performance? LOL

I am paid well for my work and I can afford to justify whatever I want. If that's a $150 Noctua that's none of your damn business because I am not telling you what you should be spending your money on.

Sheesh, the nerve of some people.

 

[COLGeek]

I suggest less eye poking and staying on topic. Thank you.

 

[Nyara]

All right, I stand corrected -- Noctua NH-D15 with 6 heatpipes released back in 2014, beaten by a whooping 7.8% by Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO released in 2024 with 7 heatpipes.

No, I am just kidding, LOL.

Noctua is still king.

Building a cooler with 10 years more advanced manufacturing tech, then adding one extra heatpipe and still getting only 7.8% improvement in thermal capacity is for n00bs like Thermalright.

Extra heatpipe for user is irrelevant. All that matters is the end result for somebody buying today or tomorrow. Thermalright offered a superior product for most use cases that was also cheaper, and a few other companies are offering similarly efficient products lately.

If price is irrelevant (min-maxed rig + have leftover $), and you have brand loyalty/trust for Noctua only, and your needs requires a product that Noctua is selling, well, go ahead, your money and life. Do what makes you happy.

I own fans/air or passive coolers from Deepcool, Thermaltake, StarTek, Artic, NoFan, Thermalright and Noctua myself. Each one just picks what they need, what suits best for a specific need, and can afford at each moment, is all.

 

[Phaaze88]

This. Fits the stereotype of German over-engineering. The Leica of air coolers - feature count is not that impressive, but the value starts to emerge with longer sustained use. The offer of free mounting adapters for the life of ownership is also a factor.

It's not unusual for an over-engineered part to cost more, and it's definitely not limited to coolers.
Now that I'm more informed about it, the high price tag makes more sense to me.

 

[triplex1]

FC140 is still king and noctua killer

 

[Phaaze88]

FC140 is still king and noctua killer

Got a link proving this? I'm still looking to see more reviews.
Gamers' Nexus didn't use the FC140 in their review, but they did have the Peerless Assassin.

 

[triplex1]

Got a link proving this? I'm still looking to see more reviews.
Gamers' Nexus didn't use the FC140 in their review, but they did have the Peerless Assassin.

the cooler is on my system and I've built several computers with noctua because most people seem to have money and like to throw it away.
what the Gamers' Nexus say leaves me indifferent

 

[Zerk2012]

Still no benchmarks, you also need them on several platforms not just one with the way the chips of today are made.

You can have 2 different coolers we will just go with A & B and on the new Intel chips A beats B but you switch to the new AMD chips and B beats A because the heat comes from different locations.

The number of heat pipes means nothing the 17 buck Thermalright came in 4 and 5 and the 4 beat the performance of the 5, go figure. EDIT this is just a example I mean if you got 2 vs 8 well ya but to a point it don't matter.

For all I know the new N2 has improved the performance over all the different chips. So many variables today you really got to do the research to get it right for the platform your buying it's nothing like the older days if your looking for the best performance for the money or just the best overall performance.

For anybody sticking with a certain brand great for you it's your money and your choice.

 

[Phaaze88]

the cooler is on my system and I've built several computers with noctua because most people seem to have money and like to throw it away.
what the Gamers' Nexus say leaves me indifferent

I see... so you have a D15 G2 on hand, and compared temperatures on AMD and Intel platform at 100% fan speed and noise normalized, fan noise samples, and so on? Then show us. I want to see how the 2 fared against each other.

 

[thestryker]

Got a link proving this? I'm still looking to see more reviews.
Gamers' Nexus didn't use the FC140 in their review, but they did have the Peerless Assassin.

Peerless Assassin isn't a great comparison due to having a lot less thermal mass and there being better coolers from Thermalright on the market. There should be no question that if value enters into your purchasing decision Thermalright has cornered the market.

(nobody but GN has G2 reviews that I've seen)

FC is good, but there's certainly better options now:

 

[Phaaze88]

Peerless Assassin...

I'm aware. I was only stating that it was what they(GN) had as one of the coolers in their review.
triplex1 said "FC140 is still king and noctua killer", so I wanted to see a review showing the D15 G2 losing to the FC140 in heat load, thermal performance, and noise profiles. Was I asking for too much?

There should be no question that if value enters into your purchasing decision Thermalright has cornered the market.

Also aware of this, which way back in post #20: "We don't share the same value of the buck either, which affects purchasing decisions, and probably never will."
Price to performance isn't behind all of my DIYPC purchasing decisions. I see that the cooler is $150, and I came to understand what led to it through Steve's talks with Jakob. I made the judgement that it wasn't bull and price is justified.

Thermalright isn't yet available everywhere, or the cooler options are limited but they're probably working on it.

FC is good, but there's certainly better options now:

I'd already seen that video, but thanks. This was specifically about the previously brought up FC140, knowing that there are better options than it.

 

[thestryker]

I'm aware. I was only stating that it was what they(GN) had as one of the coolers in their review.
triplex1 said "FC140 is still king and noctua killer", so I wanted to see a review showing the D15 G2 losing to the FC140 in heat load, thermal performance, and noise profiles. Was I asking for too much?

My point was that FC140 doesn't beat the D15 on Intel so there's no way it would beat the G2 there. As for AMD it might still be ahead there, but based on GN's results comparing D15 to G2 I doubt it.