Noctua NH-D15, Premium CPU Cooler with 2x NF-A15 PWM 140mm Fans (Brown)

I begun having issues with my 240mm AIO, temperatures would reach 70°c at idle and would hit 100°c and throttle on any load. Obviously something was wrong and needed to get a replacement.I had seen many reviews of the Noctua NH-D15 online and was sceptical. How can a air cooler come close to the performance of my once beloved AIO? What tipped the balance for me was a change in requirements. My system runs 24/7 almost, and having a pump fail again during the night isn't really an option. Also, the NH-D15 is significantly cheaper than any quality 240mm which made me want to try. That plus Amazon's incredible returns policy meant is was pretty much risk free.The box arrived, it's rather large and heavy for its size. The packaging is mostly cardboard and minimal non recyclables, which is nice to see. Unpackaging the cleverly arranged box is almost a pleasurable puzzle.Installation instructions are simple, to the point and accurate. Just what you want. Out of the box I had Intel and AMD install options which is great. No AM4 support out of the box but you can order the bracket from Noctua free of charge if you require it.Installation goes fairly simple. I installed mine on an ASUS X-99 A 2 (socket 2011-3). Two brackets around the CPU slot, screw in. Add the included Noctua thermal paste. Then screw the cooler to these mounts with the included long reach phillips head screwdriver - a fantastic touch for simplifying the install process. Slight issue getting the second screw in to attach the cooler which took a few moments to sort out - turns out I wasn't pushing down hard enough.Clip on both fans using the metal wire brackets, plug shorter than case fan cables in to your motherboard, you can use the included Y-cable if you don't have the slots for 2 individual cables, you can also install the adaptors to quieten the fans - i personally set a fan curve in my computers BIOS, but it's up to you. You may also have conflict issues with your graphics card and RAM but you can rotate the cooler and move the fans if you do struggle to fit the cooler around your RAM. This cooler is VERY large and to get it in I did have to remove my graphics card to make the install a little easier. And that was it for install. Fairly straight forward, a lot quicker than an AIO.Into the first boot, MSI Afterburner reports a significant drop from the AIO temps to 32°c, some of the lowest temperatures I've ever seen on my system, even during winter.Loading up some benchmarks and stress tests to warm up the cooler proved un-eventful. With temperatures on a 4.2ghz overclock on an Intel 5820K only reaching 59°c. Pushing the overclock further to 4.6ghz (the highest my system has ever gone) got the temperatures to creep just north of 70°c. Doing this whilst remaining whisper quiet at full RPM - I couldn't notice any additional noise over my case fans.Negatives of the cooler:Aesthetics, Noctua does love it's beige and brown fans, it's symbolic to the company and is an instantly recognisable. You can replace the fans with the chromax series, these are all black fans with multiple colour rubber edges to stop vibrations at a cost. Pushing the cooler into quality AIO price territory. You can also get covers for the fin stacks if you'd prefer these to be a certain colour. However, for me that's not really an issue.Size of the cooler. It fits in my system, just. Some may have issues with RAM and graphics cards. Graphics cards can always be moved to another lower slot. RAM however, if you have particularly large RAM modules could be an issue. You can rotate the cooler and move the fans to accommodate the RAM but it is something to be aware of before buying.Overall though, this is a fantastic cooler cannot rate it highly enough. It's exceeded my already high expectations and lived up fully to it's reviews.

My AIO died suddenly, no warning dead. After 2 years I should have expected it. Luckily I had an old Evo 212 in my spares box which got me up and running. I searched through Amazon and on-line to find an alternative to liquid cooling. I was never really comfortable having liquid in an electrical environment. Eventually I came across the Noctua NH-D15. Every review both on Amazon and on the web, Highly recommended it. Basically it's one of the best. Probably the best out there.OK it's big and you need a good sized case to fit it in. My Corsair 540 case had plenty of room. After reading the difficulties others had fitting it. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to install. I have low profile hyper x memory cards so the adjustment to clear them was minimal. High profile cards would profit changing the 140mm fan in the front to a 120mm fan. Air flow in my case is good. So it is fed from the front of the case by 2 140mm and out the back by another 140mm fan. Coupled by 2 overhead 140mm fans which remove any hot air pockets. I have to say the temps inside the case have reduced incredibly well. The CPU and Core temps are better than what I was achieving with an AIO which I had to have running at full belt when heavy gaming. With the Noctua NH-D15 I'm running cool and quiet and not going over 40 degrees. That was the big eye opener. Not to mention the reduced amount of power I am using when gaming. Which in the present environment of energy hikes from greedy companies is a good thing. My power consumption has been reduced by half. Which for parents out there, is a good thing. Keeping the kids happy and saving money on energy.The Noctua NH- D15 is a good all rounder. Giving excellent cooling, far superior to many AIO's out there. With energy saving to boot and half the price of AIO's.Air cooling is getting better and better which is a good thing for those like me on a budget and to be honest there isn't any sudden breakdowns apart from a fan failing. Which can be easily and cheaply rectified.All in all the Noctua NH-D15. Is an excellent product. From the moment you turn it on it is giving you the best cooling and energy savings out there.