Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review

[siopao1984]

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Undoubtedly, overclockers and hardcore hardware enthusiasts are the most demanding target group, especially when it comes to cooling, since they rarely settle for anything but the best. One of the most reputable CPU coolers among enthusiasts is the Noctua NH-D14. Noctua’s behemoth has been available for some time now and always is amongst the top 5 coolers an overclocker or enthusiast would recommend. We will see how it compares against the vast competition in this review.Manufacturer features and specifications

Socket compatibility	Intel LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA775 LGA2011 on request, Asus X-socket™ AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1 (backplate required)
Height (without fan)	160 mm
Width (without fan)	140 mm
Depth (without fan)	130 mm
Height (with fan)	160 mm
Width (with fan)	140 mm
Depth (with fan)	158 mm
Weight (without fan)	900 g
Weight (with fan)	1070/1240* g
Material	Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminium (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating
Fan compatibility	140x140x25 & 120x120x25mm
Scope of Delivery	· 1x NF-P14 premium fan · 1x NF-P12 premium fan · 2x Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.) · Y-Split Cable · 4x Vibration-Compensators (for using NF-P12 as case fan) · 4x Fan screws (for using NF-P12 as case fan) · NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound · SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kits · Noctua Metal Case-Badge
Warranty	6 Years
Fan specifications
Model	Noctua NF-P14 & Noctua NF-P12
Bearing	SSO-Bearing
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%)	1200 / 1300 RPM
Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%)	900 / 900 RPM
Airflow	110,3 / 92,3 m³/h
Airflow with U.L.N.A.	83,7 / 63,4 m³/h
Acoustical Noise	19,6 / 19,8 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A.	13,2 / 12,6 dB(A)
Input Power	1,2 / 1,08 W
Voltage Range	12 V
MTBF	> 150.000 h

Read more: Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review by VR-Zone.com

[siopao1984]

Noctua opted for seriousness for the theme of their top performance cooler’s package. The large cardboard box is sturdy but with minimal artwork, based on a brown/white theme and without even a large picture of the cooler in sight.



The company took a “box-in-a-box” approach, carefully packing the cooler’s body inside a cardboard box and protecting it with cardboard constructs. Not the cheapest but it certainly is a very professional and environmentally-friendly packing method.



The only difference between the SE2011 and the normal version is the bundle. Both versions are supplied with a hand-signed and well written manual, a long screwdriver tool and a bag of common parts. Inside the bag with the common parts the user will find a tube of NT-H1 thermal compound, a metallic case sticker, two fan speed reduction adapters, a Y-type split fan cable and an extension cable. All of the extension cables and adapters are sleeved.



The difference lies with the bags carrying the installation hardware. Users who will purchase the SE2011 version will receive a bag with all the hardware necessary for the cooler’s installation on a LGA 2011 socket, which those who will purchase the vanilla version will receive two bags with installation hardware, one for AMD sockets and one for Intel sockets, except from the LGA 2011 one.

[siopao1984]

Being one of the largest twin-tower coolers ever made, the size of Noctua’s NH-D14 is truly monstrous. The cooler comes with two fans pre-installed from the factory, one 120mm 1300RPM fan at the front side of the cooler and one 140mm 1200RPM sandwiched between the two cooling towers. It is noteworthy to mention that this cooler weights over 1kg, being one of the heaviest coolers we have ever tested. The NH-D14 is also 160mm tall, meaning that it will not fit inside a large percentage of cheap PC cases which may be too narrow.



The large aluminum fins of the NH-D14 offer ample heat dissipation surface for even the most demanding cooling applications. Noctua soldered the fins onto the heatpipes, enhancing both the mechanical cohesion and the performance of the cooler. Furthermore, the fins are serrated and the spacing between them is significant, minimizing noise due to air turbulence.



Six large heatpipes move through the base of the NH-D14, transferring the heat generated by the CPU to both of the cooler’s towers. The heatpipes are made out of copper but Noctua nickel-plated them, enhancing both the aesthetic value of the cooler and its long term durability, as the plating will prevent copper from oxidizing.



The lower part of the cooler’s base is made out of nickel plated copper and is perfectly smooth, although not machined down to a mirror finish. The rest of the cooler’s base is made out of solid aluminum, serving only as a mechanical support for the installation of the cooler and having no effect on its performance whatsoever.



As we mentioned before, Noctua supplies two fans with their top cooler, one being 120mm and one being 140mm large. Both fans follow the chocolate brown color theme of Noctua’s logo, feature SSO bearings (high quality self-lubricating sleeve bearings) and have notched impellers which reduce air pressure noise.

[siopao1984]

The installation of the NH-D14 is not difficult, especially considering the size of the cooler, although it requires care and a significant amount of time. The socket 1155 installation is demonstrated in this review. In order for the NH-D14 to be installed onto any socket, the fans will have to be removed first. AMD user will have to use the stock backplate but Intel users need to use the supplied backplate in order to secure the retention braces on their motherboards.



After the retention braces are well secured on the motherboard (make sure they are facing outwards), a thin layer of thermal grease needs to be applied on the CPU. The orientation of the braces also affects the orientation of the cooler.



With the braces attached and the grease applied, the user only needs to place the cooler onto the CPU and firmly secure it in place by using the supplied screwdriver. Finally, the fans will have to be clipped back on the cooler.



The size of the NH-D14 is bound to cause problems in a few systems, therefore we highly recommend that you carefully check the cooler’s compatibility list before purchasing it and cautiously studying its dimensions in order to make sure it will fit inside your system. The installation of tall RAM modules will certainly be a problem with a very large number of motherboards and the cooler is so wide that it might even get close to VGA cards. This is a particularly common problem with P55 based boards which Noctua is aware of and the company recommends that the fan clips should be insulated if they are anywhere close to the VGA card.

[siopao1984]

In order to provide you with the most professional and accurate reviews, we are using the following equipment to test the performance of coolers. The system automatically calculates the Delta T temperature, which is the difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature at the top of the thermal core. We test each cooler with the included thermal grease.

Custom copper thermal core with automatic power controls
Watlow heat generation rods
PT100 temperature sensors
Lutron DW-6091 Power Analyzer
SL-5868P digital sound level meter
CompuLAB interface
MyPClab thermal interface
Custom calibration box
Custom software
More information about our testing equipment and methodology can be found in this article.



Living up to its reputation, the NH-D14 easily found its way at the top of our charts. With its fans running at maximum speed, only Corsair’s watercooling solution and Thermaltake’s monstrous Frio Extreme had any hope against the NH-D14 and both ended up being much, much louder. By running its fans down to the minimum speed, the NH-D14 loses a few temperature degrees worth of performance but the noise level drops down to virtually inaudible levels, especially after installing this cooler inside a computer case (nothing obstructs or dampens the sound waves during our testing).

[siopao1984]

Quality (30% of the total score)

When it comes to quality, it usually is quite a challenge to find something to complain about on a Noctua product, no matter how hard you may try. The NH-D14 is another such cooler, designed and manufactured with care and extraordinary precision. As a result, the NH-D14 is a spotless product, both aesthetically and mechanically. There is only one point that the most demanding of enthusiasts would complain about; the base of the cooler, which is not machined down to a perfect mirror finish. It is highly unlikely that this would yield any better performance results and has no aesthetic value on an installed cooler, yet we are almost certain that hardcore overclockers would like a polished base, even if for psychological reasons alone.

Quality Score 10/10



Performance (40% of the total score)

There is nothing we need to say here that the numbers of the previous page did not already tell. Undoubtedly, the Noctua NH-D14 is a world-class performance CPU cooler, capable of smiting the competition in both thermal and acoustics performance. It easily outperformed ready-to-run watercooling solutions and other monster coolers, losing only to solutions which are much louder. The NH-D14 truly lives up to its reputation as one of the best CPU coolers ever designed.

Performance Score 10/10



Aesthetics (20% of the total score)

When it comes to aesthetics, which are a subjective matter, we believe that there will be mixed opinions regarding this cooler. The NH-D14 is very well made and of relatively high aesthetic value; however, it is only available in aluminum color with brown fans and no lighting. Furthermore, the massive size of the NH-D14 will block everything at the top half of the motherboard. There are modders and enthusiasts who chose a motherboard and RAM modules just because they liked their appearance, which might be unwilling to trade that for a massive cooler which will block everything out of sight.

Aesthetics Score 9.5/10



Value (10% of the total score)

Here is where this becomes tricky for Noctua’s NH-D14; it undoubtedly is one of the best coolers ever made but it also is among the most expensive ones as well. The NH-D14 can be found retailing for 85 USD / 68 EUR / 110 SGD at the time of this review, more than a budget-level CPU and nearly half the price of prevalent overclocking CPUs, such as the i5-2500k and the i5-3570k. While the saving grace of the normal version is the cooler’s compatibility with almost every CPU socket currently available, the SE2011 is at a huge disadvantage by being compatible with only one CPU socket. Considering that this cooler also requires a spacious case, a compatible motherboard and carefully chosen RAM modules, it easily becomes an elite-only item which will drive the vast majority of casual gamers and even overclockers away.

Value Score 7.5/10

[red03]

wow lupig man ang antec kuhler H20 620

[Fafnir]

^ i think sakto2x ra pd since mahal2x gamay ang D14 sa 620, but i wouldn't recommend mounting this on an asrock board.

[red03]

^maigo lagi daw ang ram pero nindot jud ni kung ma sakto sa mobo.