{"id":1069113,"date":"2026-01-21T14:20:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T14:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/AAoCRcvacswdQoWTEYLSp3"},"modified":"2026-01-21T14:20:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T14:20:35","slug":"noctua-nh-d15-g2-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/noctua-nh-d15-g2-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Noctua NH-D15 G2 review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Noctua needs no introduction when it comes to air coolers with several of the best-reviewed models to its name that pack some of the biggest punches when it comes to air cooling. Amongst its range of the biggest and most powerful coolers in it lineup, the NH-D15 has long been regarded as one the best premium large coolers on the market. The NH-D15 G2 is a long-awaited successor, but while it might look similar, this cooler sports a variety of significant tweaks that Noctua claims make it perform better while producing less noise and with smaller dimensions.<\/p>\n

With a massive 168 mm-tall dual heatsink stack and dual 140 mm fans that top out at just 1,500 rpm, the NH-D15 G2 is designed for one thing, which is to bring the best that air cooling has to offer for as little noise as possible. That makes sense seeing as at $150<\/a>, it\u2019s competing directly with large 360 mm AIO liquid coolers.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a strong case for opting for cheaper air coolers too, many of which have similar size heatsinks and dual fans while costing less than half the price. If you want to dial down the noise even further then Noctua includes speed reduction cables if you\u2019re prepared to take a small hit in cooling, with zero need to fiddle with your motherboard\u2019s own control.<\/p>\n

So what makes Noctua think the NH-D15 G2 is worth its asking price?<\/p>\n

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Noctua NH-D15 G2 specs<\/div>\n
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Compatibility: <\/strong>LGA 1851, 1700, 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155,1156 | AMD Socket AM5, AM4
Dimensions (with fan): <\/strong>150x 152x 168 mm
Cold Plate: <\/strong>Nickel-plated <\/strong>copper
Fans:<\/strong> 2x NF-A14x25r G2 PWM 140 mm, SSO2 bearing, up to 1,500 RPM
Lighting:<\/strong> None
Price: <\/strong>$150<\/a> | \u00a3128<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Well, there\u2019s a lot of R&D that\u2019s gone into making this the king of coolers for modern CPUs. For starters Noctua has worked out that having two fans mounted in close proximity on a cooler and spinning at the same speed can actually cause unwanted noise and vibration as the two interact. Ever wondered what that random, intermittent vibration from your PC is that comes and goes? If you were using a dual fan cooler in a push-pull configuration, this could be the reason.<\/p>\n

To solve this problem, the NH-D15 G2\u2019s fans spin at slightly different speeds.<\/p>\n

The heatsink stacks have been optimised according the performance of the fans too, which have an improved pressure to airflow curve. This has allowed Noctua to reduce the fin clearance from 1.9mm to 1.6mm and include 23 extra fins compared to the original model, with the added benefit of making the heatsink nearly a centimetre less deep, but offering even better performance. The most important change, though, is that the NH-D15 G2 comes in three variants, all with slightly different shaped cold plates. This is to cater for the wide variation in convexity between modern CPUs.<\/p>\n

For example, the high socket and cooler pressure applied to Intel LGA1700 CPUs can cause them to bend in the socket and over time came become permanently misshapen. With a combination of washers to reduce heatsink pressure on the CPU heatspreader and machining the cold plate of each variant to different amounts of convexity, you can buy the cooler that\u2019s best-suited to your particular CPU.<\/p>\n

For example, the high base convexity or HBC model caters for used Intel LGA1700 CPUs where a shaped base will allow for better contact and in term better cooling. By contrast, AMD Ryzen 7000 and 9000 CPUs remain relatively flat, so the low base convexity (LBC) model will result in better performance. There\u2019s also a standard model that Noctua claims also works well with AMD CPUs as well as Intel LGA1851 Arrow Lake CPUs as well as LGA1700 CPUs that use a contact frame.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019ll be looking at the results later, but Noctua has an excellent table on its website that we highly recommend checking out to see which model is best for your CPU. The down side here is whether you swap CPUs in future as it\u2019s not recommended to use an HBC model with AMD CPUs and similarly performance might be worse with an LGA1700 setup with no modifications such as contact frames. In addition to these features, the cooler is equipped with an offset for AMD Ryzen 7000 and 9000 CPUs, which allows the cold plate to sit closer to the hot spot on those models that\u2019s slightly off centre due to the location of the CCDs.<\/p>\n

Installation is fairly straightforward, but in addition to requiring a specific screwdriver, the heatsink is heavy and quite ungainly to deal with that can make installing it a challenge. It\u2019s something you\u2019ll only have to do once or twice so we can\u2019t be too harsh here. You\u2019ll need to pay careful attention to the components too as some look similar apart from their colour, but the key is to make sure you get the right model for your particular CPU.<\/p>\n