This one isn't for amateurs. Be careful when handling or moving your fingers around it. The fins on this are razor-sharp enough to seriously lacerate you. Enough to need stitches from a casual graze. Keep your fingers clear of the fins. I recommend getting some ESD-safe Kevlar gloves, or at the very least, rubber dishwashing gloves when handling. You don't need a trip to the ER. This becomes more of a problem in smaller cases, as it is a tight fit on many mid and full-tower cases, and installing around it will become a pain. I can't imagine attempting to install this on any ITX setup that isn't caseless. The pictures are deceptive, this thing is HUGE.
Most RAM sizes, due to the slot positioning, will require you to offset the front fan, which will in turn give very little clearance on most mid towers for the side panel. You may have to keep it loose or mod the panel. If you have top-case fans you may need to remove them as this will hang over the top as well. Keep that in mind.
Also, it isn't stainless, so sweat and fingerprints may cause corrosion and rust over time. Blood definitely will if you get cut, as blood is corrosive to most metals, especially iron-based.
While this isn't the hardest thing to install, it is definitely complicated in a methodical way. Read the instructions and follow them step by step.
I recommend unclipping the fan that comes installed in the center of the heatsink first, and putting the extra clips on the second fan before anything else, and plugging both fan power cords onto the motherboard where you want them to be, before installing the heatsink itself, as it is huge enough to block a lot of stuff on the motherboard, including most CPU fan headers on a ATX and mATX motherboard. Clipping the fans on with them plugged in already is easy to do. The included screwdriver tool can be used to apply pressure to any finicky clips. Don't use your fingers in tight spots, you'll get cut.
Despite all of this, this beast is a CPU-cooling masterpiece. It's incredibly quiet and will air-cool anything on the planet that isn't a Threadripper or modern Xeon, both of which are too big for the baseplate to adequately cover.
I was able to get full overclocks on anywhere from a 8700k to a 13900k with this thing. It performs better than most AIOs I am aware of.
| Brand | Noctua |
|---|---|
| Series | NH-D15 |
| Item model number | NH-D15 |
| Item Weight | 2.86 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 6.5 x 5.91 x 5.31 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 6.5 x 5.91 x 5.31 inches |
| Color | Brown |
| Computer Memory Type | DDR3 SDRAM |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Batteries | Unknown batteries required. |
| Manufacturer | Noctua |
| ASIN | B00L7UZMAK |
| Country of Origin | Taiwan |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | April 8, 2014 |
