I have loved every product I have ever bought from Noctua. I am parting out my desktop, so I just sold my NH-D12, but it was fantastic for years. I bought mine before AM4 socket existed, and...
I have loved every product I have ever bought from Noctua. I am parting out my desktop, so I just sold my NH-D12, but it was fantastic for years. I bought mine before AM4 socket existed, and Noctua mailed me the AM4 mounting hardware for free when I upgraded my system. Fantastic company, and if/when I build a new computer, I will definitely be grabbing a NH-D15 or similar.
I used to run an AIO water cooler for my cpu a while back but it crapped out on me at some point. Saw the rave reviews about noxtua and their fans/cooler and picked up an NH-D15 myself. It's been...
I used to run an AIO water cooler for my cpu a while back but it crapped out on me at some point. Saw the rave reviews about noxtua and their fans/cooler and picked up an NH-D15 myself. It's been running strong for years and was easy to swap out when I upgraded my CPU again. Definitely recommend one for a future build.
One of my favorite tech YouTube channels GN did a couple of talks with one of noctuas designers. Really interesting stuff, you can tell the company is dead serious about their products....
One of my favorite tech YouTube channels GN did a couple of talks with one of noctuas designers. Really interesting stuff, you can tell the company is dead serious about their products.
Excited to see the reviews, they've been such a reliable brand and an instant recommendation from pretty much every techie - I'm sure the numbers will be good.
Excited to see the reviews, they've been such a reliable brand and an instant recommendation from pretty much every techie - I'm sure the numbers will be good.
I posted this on Tildes because I wanted to see different reaction from Tildes community and Reddit. Most people on Reddit would say that Noctua is overpriced compared to their competitors which...
I posted this on Tildes because I wanted to see different reaction from Tildes community and Reddit.
Most people on Reddit would say that Noctua is overpriced compared to their competitors which also offer equal or better performance. The minority would give counterpoints that Noctua is also focused on longevity and acoustic performance. Which then get countered with that Noctua's price is much higher than buying several of the competitor's fans, and many reviewers now have normalized noise to performance ratio metrics which Noctua isn't leading by much.
I believe Noctua also claims that they also tuned the acoustic to avoid specific frequency sensitive to humans, something that no reviewers has compared. At the end you end up with anecdotal reports that their Noctua fans are quieter than other brands.
I spent a long time shopping around for a CPU cooler last year, and after scouring reviews finally bought the "reddit recommendation" of a Thermalright cooler. Not the lauded Peerless Assassin...
I spent a long time shopping around for a CPU cooler last year, and after scouring reviews finally bought the "reddit recommendation" of a Thermalright cooler. Not the lauded Peerless Assassin (PA120), but its minor upgrade the Phantom Spirit (PS120SE). My temps dropped a whopping 15 degrees under load from the stock Intel cooler I was using before.
What you're saying is still true though. Noctua does focus more on acoustics than other companies, and they do a better job of finding pitches that are less annoying to humans. This doesn't show up in direct decibel tests, however I have seen a couple reviewers comment on it directly.
While pitches are something I'm sensitive to, it turns out it just wasn't a problem. My CPU never gets hot enough to reach those extreme levels of cooling where the fans are on max. So at this point paying 3-4x more for 1-2 degrees of cooling just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Especially if you want to go for a non-beige color, as the Chromax models have an even higher premium.
I know Noctua has a lot of brand loyalty, but I think it's fair to say that the competitors have largely caught up. I respect them a lot for their engineering focus, but I'd probably only recommend Team Beige and Brown for absolute enthusiasts these days.
I personally land on the longevity angle and the "price is higher than buying multiple of a competitor" counter I don't find convincing. Even if that is true, buying a higher quality but higher...
I personally land on the longevity angle and the "price is higher than buying multiple of a competitor" counter I don't find convincing. Even if that is true, buying a higher quality but higher priced tech product less often also means less e-waste, less hassle, less installations.
Noctua has also often provided adapter kits (sometimes for free, even) so you can continue using their older models on new hardware. So, in a way, their own products can "replace" having to buy multiple Noctua products, even, not even taking into account their competitors.
In my personal experience, I have had multiple Noctua products, some for many, many years, and I have not had a single one fail, as I have other brands. For a while, their mounting hardware, among other things, made installation a lot easier/nicer than some other brands too. I'm okay with paying for a product that takes the user experience into account.
I do think the competitive landscape in terms of noise / etc has narrowed. Phanteks and others make very competitive fans, and I'm not saying anyone should necessarily always buy Noctua, but I believe the focus on longevity is real at Noctua and so far their products have proven that to me.
EDIT: However, I do share in the criticism that their latest version (NH-D15 G2), while not entirely, at least somewhat damages their "focus on longevity" reputation, but might be a market move they thought necessary to stay competitive. The reason: NH-D15 G2 now comes in three variants. Standard, High Base Convexity, and Low Base Convexity. This complication of their SKUs (to combat problems of the flatness of CPUs changing over time due to pressure and give more options to fit more situations) to me, means the idea of using these when you upgrade to a new machine might no longer make sense, since the two CPUs could be different levels of flatness. This seems likely to potentially lead to more e-waste and less longevity, IMHO. I also think it will cause consumer confusion.
From what they told me at Computex, all 3 base convexity options are included with NH-D15 G2 purchase. I asked if it possible for the older models to use the new convexity as well but they didn't...
From what they told me at Computex, all 3 base convexity options are included with NH-D15 G2 purchase. I asked if it possible for the older models to use the new convexity as well but they didn't answered that directly (or perhaps it was lost in translation - I'm not a native and in person conversation is different than written).
This is not true, as far as I'm aware, as the amount of convexity is controlled by simply changing the design of the plate that the heatpipes are attached to- not an interchangeable part that...
This is not true, as far as I'm aware, as the amount of convexity is controlled by simply changing the design of the plate that the heatpipes are attached to- not an interchangeable part that adjusts the amount of convexity. It's been reported by others as three separate products and that appears to be the case.
For instance, when you search NH-D15 G2 on Amazon, the three are different products entirely:
Noctua NH-D15 G2, Dual Tower CPU Cooler, Standard All-round Version Recommended for AMD AM5 and Intel LGA1700 (Brown)
Noctua NH-D15 G2 LBC, Dual Tower CPU Cooler, Specialised Low Base Convexity Version for AMD AM5/AM4 (Brown)
Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC, Dual Tower CPU Cooler, Specialised High Base Convexity Version for Intel LGA1700 (Brown)
Yeah, definitely different product SKUs. Hate to link the same YouTube channel twice in this chat but- https://youtu.be/nDDxYlkp-_A?si=PKLrkYMAmewGNW4p The last chapter talks about the 3 different...
Yeah, definitely different product SKUs. Hate to link the same YouTube channel twice in this chat but-
Well, I have a friend that bought used Noctua cooler ~10 years ago. Since then he upgraded his PC (CPU and motherboard) a few times. Everytime he wrote to Noctua that he upgraded and needs new...
Well, I have a friend that bought used Noctua cooler ~10 years ago. Since then he upgraded his PC (CPU and motherboard) a few times. Everytime he wrote to Noctua that he upgraded and needs new mounting. And he got it for free. And everytime this coller was pretty much enough to cool your new CPU. He spent some money ten years ago and none ever since. If someone want to call this overpriced they may feel free to do so, but I won't listen to them based on this.experience.
I have bough a few Noctua fans in 2011 and I still use them today. They didn't start to rattle or anthing, they run just like they were new. They were price (20€ compared to 5€ on the cheapest competitor), but they are just like new while same aged competitor's fans also still run but became noisy. I say I actually saved money over the time.
When I went to build a PC from some old parts for my daughter, I needed fans. No surprise I bought Noctuas. I know I will use them in any future build or upgrade for years to come. Mind you though - the CPU cost me 30€, GPU cooler 8€ and the rest of HW was free. I paid 40€ for spray paint and finally - I paid like 100€ on fans!
On the noise generated note - if you move a lot of air, it can't be done silently. Every fan will do some noise, but it's the kind of the noise that matters. Moving air while doing ie. 1300rpm is different then doing the same amount of air running 2000rpm (which Noctua fans are capable of compared to some rather cheap competitors). There is also difference in number of fan blades and their shape that comes out as different noise. I'm not saying Noctua is quieter, but it may be more pkeqsing to some people than other fans. Even some fans from Noctua itself.might be better than others for certain people.
Counterargument - if you have a look at all those RGB fans and their price (where RGB doesn't add any performance), Noctua coms out as a clear winner even in the price range. I'd rather spend more money on CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD than on RGB.
I'm buying them for two reasons - I want something I can rely on long time and I want other IT people to know I went this way (this is why I love their color - they are recognizable).
I actually bought a NH-D15 a couple months ago to replace my older also Noctua cooler since it was inadequate for cooling my extremely hot 5800x properly. I moved my old Noctua cooler's fan, which...
I actually bought a NH-D15 a couple months ago to replace my older also Noctua cooler since it was inadequate for cooling my extremely hot 5800x properly. I moved my old Noctua cooler's fan, which ran every day 24h/day for several years, and another one I had lying around to the case to replace the native Fractal Design ones, which were worn out and noisy, because the Noctua ones just won't die.
Gamers Nexus' review is out. To summarize: It's the best performing air cooler, but there are better options including liquid cooling if you don't count the brand name and the things that come...
It's the best performing air cooler, but there are better options including liquid cooling if you don't count the brand name and the things that come with it. They're impressed but don't recommend it.
Cold plate types are different SKU
LBC is preferrable for Intel. They make it so flat that the thing had a suction effect to their CPU
HBC is preferrable for AMD.
The standard model probably will last in all use cases until the next generation
They comes with two different fans - PPA and PPB. The fans run at different speed of about 25 RPM to avoid beat frequency phenomenon that create annoying noise. The new fan also acoustically output at a lower frequency and the high pitched bearing noise is lower in volume compared to the previous generation.
They also come with washer rings that supposed to be installed underneath the Intel CPU ILM (latch). It seems to have about 0.8 C differences but Gamers Nexus doesn't recommend on using it as it is tricky to install.
In 250W Intel tests (HBC + Washer) it outperform the ID-Cooling Frozn by about 2 C at a lower volume. The cheaper AIO cooler Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360mm do outperform it by 6 C at a quieter volume.
In 25dBA Intel noise normalized tests the same liquid cooler beat it with almost 10 C gap. It outperform the ID-Cooling Frozn by about 3 C.
In 200W AMD tests all 3 cold plates was beaten by both Deepcool Assassin IV and ID-Cooling Frozn but both are louder.
In 35dBA AMD noise normalized tests it was tied to the ID-Cooling Frozn and loses to the Freezer III 360mm AIO.
Yeah, important difference if you are looking to buy. HBC for Intel, LBC for AMD, or the regular model if you might run either in its expected lifespan.
Yeah, important difference if you are looking to buy. HBC for Intel, LBC for AMD, or the regular model if you might run either in its expected lifespan.
I’d get the standard. Given the review the only reasonable way to look at this is as an investment. Like buying a nice chefs knife you plan to sharpen until it can’t perform its job anymore. AIOs...
I’d get the standard. Given the review the only reasonable way to look at this is as an investment. Like buying a nice chefs knife you plan to sharpen until it can’t perform its job anymore. AIOs won’t have the lifespan, warranty, or 1st party support this part has. It’s not a new cooler for your next PC. It’s the cooler your next 5 PCs will use.
Agreed, though how often do you think I build new PCs? Shits expensive! But do think it's a long term investment with was less points of failure. However, my current PC already has an AIO I'm...
Agreed, though how often do you think I build new PCs? Shits expensive!
But do think it's a long term investment with was less points of failure. However, my current PC already has an AIO I'm happy with, and I think my next build will be a custom home media server, so I can't justify this cooler right now.
I have loved every product I have ever bought from Noctua. I am parting out my desktop, so I just sold my NH-D12, but it was fantastic for years. I bought mine before AM4 socket existed, and Noctua mailed me the AM4 mounting hardware for free when I upgraded my system. Fantastic company, and if/when I build a new computer, I will definitely be grabbing a NH-D15 or similar.
I used to run an AIO water cooler for my cpu a while back but it crapped out on me at some point. Saw the rave reviews about noxtua and their fans/cooler and picked up an NH-D15 myself. It's been running strong for years and was easy to swap out when I upgraded my CPU again. Definitely recommend one for a future build.
One of my favorite tech YouTube channels GN did a couple of talks with one of noctuas designers. Really interesting stuff, you can tell the company is dead serious about their products.
https://youtu.be/op3RHX0ijDk?si=7er-S7NgLvsi7Wkx
Excited to see the reviews, they've been such a reliable brand and an instant recommendation from pretty much every techie - I'm sure the numbers will be good.
I posted this on Tildes because I wanted to see different reaction from Tildes community and Reddit.
Most people on Reddit would say that Noctua is overpriced compared to their competitors which also offer equal or better performance. The minority would give counterpoints that Noctua is also focused on longevity and acoustic performance. Which then get countered with that Noctua's price is much higher than buying several of the competitor's fans, and many reviewers now have normalized noise to performance ratio metrics which Noctua isn't leading by much.
I believe Noctua also claims that they also tuned the acoustic to avoid specific frequency sensitive to humans, something that no reviewers has compared. At the end you end up with anecdotal reports that their Noctua fans are quieter than other brands.
I spent a long time shopping around for a CPU cooler last year, and after scouring reviews finally bought the "reddit recommendation" of a Thermalright cooler. Not the lauded Peerless Assassin (PA120), but its minor upgrade the Phantom Spirit (PS120SE). My temps dropped a whopping 15 degrees under load from the stock Intel cooler I was using before.
What you're saying is still true though. Noctua does focus more on acoustics than other companies, and they do a better job of finding pitches that are less annoying to humans. This doesn't show up in direct decibel tests, however I have seen a couple reviewers comment on it directly.
While pitches are something I'm sensitive to, it turns out it just wasn't a problem. My CPU never gets hot enough to reach those extreme levels of cooling where the fans are on max. So at this point paying 3-4x more for 1-2 degrees of cooling just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Especially if you want to go for a non-beige color, as the Chromax models have an even higher premium.
I know Noctua has a lot of brand loyalty, but I think it's fair to say that the competitors have largely caught up. I respect them a lot for their engineering focus, but I'd probably only recommend Team Beige and Brown for absolute enthusiasts these days.
I personally land on the longevity angle and the "price is higher than buying multiple of a competitor" counter I don't find convincing. Even if that is true, buying a higher quality but higher priced tech product less often also means less e-waste, less hassle, less installations.
Noctua has also often provided adapter kits (sometimes for free, even) so you can continue using their older models on new hardware. So, in a way, their own products can "replace" having to buy multiple Noctua products, even, not even taking into account their competitors.
In my personal experience, I have had multiple Noctua products, some for many, many years, and I have not had a single one fail, as I have other brands. For a while, their mounting hardware, among other things, made installation a lot easier/nicer than some other brands too. I'm okay with paying for a product that takes the user experience into account.
I do think the competitive landscape in terms of noise / etc has narrowed. Phanteks and others make very competitive fans, and I'm not saying anyone should necessarily always buy Noctua, but I believe the focus on longevity is real at Noctua and so far their products have proven that to me.
EDIT: However, I do share in the criticism that their latest version (NH-D15 G2), while not entirely, at least somewhat damages their "focus on longevity" reputation, but might be a market move they thought necessary to stay competitive. The reason: NH-D15 G2 now comes in three variants. Standard, High Base Convexity, and Low Base Convexity. This complication of their SKUs (to combat problems of the flatness of CPUs changing over time due to pressure and give more options to fit more situations) to me, means the idea of using these when you upgrade to a new machine might no longer make sense, since the two CPUs could be different levels of flatness. This seems likely to potentially lead to more e-waste and less longevity, IMHO. I also think it will cause consumer confusion.
From what they told me at Computex, all 3 base convexity options are included with NH-D15 G2 purchase. I asked if it possible for the older models to use the new convexity as well but they didn't answered that directly (or perhaps it was lost in translation - I'm not a native and in person conversation is different than written).
This is not true, as far as I'm aware, as the amount of convexity is controlled by simply changing the design of the plate that the heatpipes are attached to- not an interchangeable part that adjusts the amount of convexity. It's been reported by others as three separate products and that appears to be the case.
For instance, when you search NH-D15 G2 on Amazon, the three are different products entirely:
Yeah, definitely different product SKUs. Hate to link the same YouTube channel twice in this chat but-
https://youtu.be/nDDxYlkp-_A?si=PKLrkYMAmewGNW4p
The last chapter talks about the 3 different SKUs and they have some in depth info on picking the right one for you.
Well, I have a friend that bought used Noctua cooler ~10 years ago. Since then he upgraded his PC (CPU and motherboard) a few times. Everytime he wrote to Noctua that he upgraded and needs new mounting. And he got it for free. And everytime this coller was pretty much enough to cool your new CPU. He spent some money ten years ago and none ever since. If someone want to call this overpriced they may feel free to do so, but I won't listen to them based on this.experience.
I have bough a few Noctua fans in 2011 and I still use them today. They didn't start to rattle or anthing, they run just like they were new. They were price (20€ compared to 5€ on the cheapest competitor), but they are just like new while same aged competitor's fans also still run but became noisy. I say I actually saved money over the time.
When I went to build a PC from some old parts for my daughter, I needed fans. No surprise I bought Noctuas. I know I will use them in any future build or upgrade for years to come. Mind you though - the CPU cost me 30€, GPU cooler 8€ and the rest of HW was free. I paid 40€ for spray paint and finally - I paid like 100€ on fans!
On the noise generated note - if you move a lot of air, it can't be done silently. Every fan will do some noise, but it's the kind of the noise that matters. Moving air while doing ie. 1300rpm is different then doing the same amount of air running 2000rpm (which Noctua fans are capable of compared to some rather cheap competitors). There is also difference in number of fan blades and their shape that comes out as different noise. I'm not saying Noctua is quieter, but it may be more pkeqsing to some people than other fans. Even some fans from Noctua itself.might be better than others for certain people.
Counterargument - if you have a look at all those RGB fans and their price (where RGB doesn't add any performance), Noctua coms out as a clear winner even in the price range. I'd rather spend more money on CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD than on RGB.
I'm buying them for two reasons - I want something I can rely on long time and I want other IT people to know I went this way (this is why I love their color - they are recognizable).
I actually bought a NH-D15 a couple months ago to replace my older also Noctua cooler since it was inadequate for cooling my extremely hot 5800x properly. I moved my old Noctua cooler's fan, which ran every day 24h/day for several years, and another one I had lying around to the case to replace the native Fractal Design ones, which were worn out and noisy, because the Noctua ones just won't die.
Gamers Nexus' review is out. To summarize:
HBC is for Intel and LBC is for AMD.
Yeah, important difference if you are looking to buy. HBC for Intel, LBC for AMD, or the regular model if you might run either in its expected lifespan.
I’d get the standard. Given the review the only reasonable way to look at this is as an investment. Like buying a nice chefs knife you plan to sharpen until it can’t perform its job anymore. AIOs won’t have the lifespan, warranty, or 1st party support this part has. It’s not a new cooler for your next PC. It’s the cooler your next 5 PCs will use.
Agreed, though how often do you think I build new PCs? Shits expensive!
But do think it's a long term investment with was less points of failure. However, my current PC already has an AIO I'm happy with, and I think my next build will be a custom home media server, so I can't justify this cooler right now.