The Noctua NH-D15, a legendary product in the PC enthusiast community and a top recommendation for those seeking the best CPU air cooler, has received a long-awaited successor. Showcased at Computex 2024, the new NH-D15 G2 promises significant advancements in cooling efficiency, noise reduction, and overall design, making it suitable for both gamers and professionals. The most notable change lies in the new NF-A14x25r G2 round-frame 140mm fans. These fans utilize Sterrox, a liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) that surpasses conventional plastics in dimensional stability. This not only contributes to quieter operation but also enhances overall cooling performance compared to its predecessor.
The NH-D15 G2 features a redesigned construction with eight heat pipes and asymmetrical fin stacks, boosting surface area by up to 20%. Despite its imposing dimensions of 168mm in height and 150mm in width, Noctua claims its new flagship offers sufficient clearance for graphics cards in the top PCIe slot in standard configurations. The cooler now incorporates a Torx-based multi-socket mounting system, improving stability and ease of installation.
Noctua is offering the NH-D15 G2 in three distinct versions: Standard, HBC (High Base Convexivity), and LBC (Low Base Convexivity). The standard NH-D15 G2 features the same medium base convexity as most other Noctua heatsinks, ensuring optimal performance on AM5 sockets with the included offset mounting and on LGA1700 CPUs by utilizing the provided washers or optional contact frames to address CPU deformation caused by ILM pressure. The HBC (High Base Convexity) variant is specifically designed for LGA1700 processors subjected to full ILM pressure or deformation from prolonged use, guaranteeing excellent contact quality despite a concave CPU shape. Conversely, the LBC (Low Base Convexity) variant is tailored for flatter CPUs, providing proper contact on AMD AM5 without requiring offset mounting, and other flat CPUs (AM4, LGA2066, LGA2011) or lapped or custom flat heat spreaders. The NH-D15 G2 cooler is available for $150, including an NM-SD1 screwdriver and Noctua’s latest NT-H2 thermal compound. Completing the package, the company offers a six-year warranty, making it a solid future-proof cooling solution for your PC.
