Specification and Test Methodology
To put CPU cooler performance into perspective we're benchmarking using a high-end Intel Haswell test platform. A detailed description of the CPU cooler being reviewed, our test platform and all comparison coolers can be found in the tables below.
Noctua NH-D15 Specification |
|
|---|---|
| Socket compatibility | Intel LGA2011 (Square ILM), LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150 |
| AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required) | |
| Height (without fan) | 165 mm |
| Width (without fan) | 150 mm |
| Depth (without fan) | 135 mm |
| Height (with fan) | 165 mm |
| Width (with fan) | 150 mm |
| Depth (with fan) | 161 mm |
| Weight (without fan) | 1,000 g |
| Weight (with fan) | 1,320 g |
| Material | Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating |
| Fan compatibility | 140x150x25 (with 120mm mounting holes), 140x140x25 (with 120mm mounting holes), 120x120x25 |
| Scope of Delivery | 2x NF-A15 PWM premium fan 2x Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) Y-cable NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kit Noctua Metal Case-Badge |
| Warranty | 6 Years |
| Fan Specification | |
| Model | 2x Noctua NF-A15 PWM |
| Bearing | SSO2 |
| Max. Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) | 1,500 RPM |
| Max. Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) | 1,200 RPM |
| Min. Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%) | 300 RPM |
| Max. Airflow | 140,2 m³/h |
| Max. Airflow with L.N.A. | 115,5 m³/h |
| Max. Acoustical Noise | 24,6 dB(A) |
| Max. Acoustical Noise with L.N.A. | 19,2 dB(A) |
| Input Power | 1,56 W |
| Voltage Range | 12 V |
| MTBF | > 150,000 h |
Test Bench |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-4770K | |||||
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H | |||||
| Memory | 16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro (2x8GB) DDR3 @ 1,866MHz | |||||
| Graphics Card | Palit GeForce GTX 770 OC 2GB | |||||
| Storage Device | Crucial M500 240GB SSD | |||||
| Power Supply | Corsair AX760i | |||||
| Chassis | Corsair Graphite Series 600T | |||||
| Monitor | Philips Brilliance 272P (2,560x1,440) | |||||
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 (64-bit) | |||||
Comparison Coolers |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fan(s) | Fan speed | Radiator dimensions | Heatsink dimensions (inc. fans) | Warranty | |
| be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 | 1x SilentWings 120mm 1x SilentWings 135mm |
Up to 1,700 RPM | - | Height: 163mm Width: 137mm Depth: 150mm |
3 Years |
| Corsair Hydro Series H75 | 2x Corsair SP120L 120mm | 800 RPM - 2,000 RPM | Width: 120mm Height: 152mm Depth: 25mm |
- | 5 Years |
| Corsair Hydro Series H105 | 2x Corsair SP120L 120mm | 800 RPM - 2,700 RPM | Width: 120mm Height: 270mm Depth: 35mm | - | 5 Years |
| Deepcool GamerStorm Lucifer | 1x GamerStorm 140mm | 700 RPM - 1,400 RPM | - | Height: 168mm Width: 140mm Depth: 136mm |
2 Years |
| Intel Reference E97378-001 | Intel PWM 92mm | 1,200 RPM - 2,800 RPM | - | Height: 50mm Width: 92mm Depth: 92mm |
1 Year |
| Noctua NH-D15 | 2x Noctua NF-A15 | 300 RPM - 1,500 RPM | - | Height: 165mm Width: 150mm Depth: 161mm |
6 Years |
Benchmark Process
To get a feel for how well all of the above coolers compare, we start by running our Core i7-4770K at its default frequency and use HandBrake to encode a large 4K video clip, putting full load on all four cores/eight threads. Temperature is logged throughout the duration of this workload and in order to provide a stabilised reading we then calculate an average temperature across all cores from the last few minutes of encoding.
We then repeat the same test, only this time with the Core i7-4770K processor overclocked to a modest 4.4GHz, with voltage increased from 1.175V to 1.225V.
Actual CPU temperature is recorded, but to take into account any temperature fluctuations in our lab, we also graph the delta temperature - that's CPU temperature minus ambient temperature. And, last but not least, to give you an idea of cooler acoustics, we use a PCE-318 noise meter to measure overall system noise in both idle and load states.
Notes
Our Corsair Graphite Series 600T chassis is set to run with all three pre-installed fans; a 200mm front intake; a 200mm top exhaust; and a 120mm rear exhaust. All chassis fans are set to run as 'silent' from within the Gigabyte BIOS, while the CPU cooler is set to a 'normal' profile.
Each cooler is configured for optimum performance as per the manufacturer's recommendations, and any fans connected to a radiator are configured to draw air in from outside the chassis (hereby ensuring that the delta between the air temperature and the temperature of the radiator is maximised).
