Return of the King - Noctua NH-D15 G2 Review

If you are looking for the absolute best air cooler for your gaming PC, then the obvious choice has always been the Noctua NH-D15. But now with Noctua's NH-D15 G2, they're changing the game again but their goal of once again having the best air cooler for Intel and AMD systems now has some serious competition with Thermalright and DeepCool. So with a sky-high price and amazing temperatures, can the D15 G2 really become the best of the best again?

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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - 10 YEARS Later...
1:00 - D15 G2 Price, Size, Weight vs D15
2:56 - Sponsor Spot
3:26 - D15 G2 Standard vs LBC vs HBC
7:54 - Installation Kits
8:28 - The NF-A14x25 G2 Fans
9:17 - Acoustical Testing
10:15 - How & What we Tested
11:40 - Intel 180W Temperature Testing
12:29 - Intel 253W Temperature Testing
13:59 - Intel No Limits Temperature & Frequency Testing
14:47 - Intel GAMING Temperatures
16:00 - Ryzen 5 7600X Temperature Testing
16:45 - Ryzen 7 7700X Temperature Testing
17:05 - Ryzen 9 7950X Temperature Testing
17:37 - Ryzen GAMING Temperatures
17:59 - Was the wait Worth It?
19:11 - YES there's a Market for This
20:13 - Don't Buy the Wrong One!

Review unit provided free of charge by Noctua. This video is sponsored by Montech. As per Hardware Canucks guidelines, no review direction was received from manufacturer. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

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#hardwarecanucks

[HardwareCanucks]

Just a small note to add to this which didn't make it into the edit: none of our three samples from Noctua, nor a Standard version we bought at retail exhibited any of the "rattling" some people have experienced.

[weirdodude]

I think I'm sticking with my Phantom Spirit SE but it is good to see Noctua doing so well since it costs so much. Noctua quality and sound is very tough to beat. Thumbs up!

[dannyvanlaarhoven]

Running my D15 since my 4790K up uittil my 7800X3D cooling everything like a boss. Even did cool my i9 10900K like a champ. And it is silent as hell most of the time. Fans are being cleaned once in a while and ofc the cooling block. I always cool all my systems with Noctua. Although I also have a water cooled system. Great video!

[Alexandra-Rex]

I wish they made a Threadripper version of this. And that Arctic made a Threadripper version of their Liquid Freezer coolers.

[simoSLJ]

Mike could you test the old heatsink with the G2 fans? And even with just one. For example D15S with one G2 fan. Thanks!!

[frikkievuiltrens]

Your comparative graphs are the easiest to read.

[chiptoothtech]

I WAITED 10 YEARS FOR YOU TO MAKE THIS VIDEO MIKE 💞🎉

[kinzie]

I will be interested how Royal Pretor performs against this, 3 times more expensive, chunk of metal called D15 G2. Just can't wait for those new TR coolers. PS: just checked the price of standard G2 here.. 183€ lol (eastern Europe). Long live the PS120!

[DM-eqrs]

This is the video I've been waiting for... Thanks, G. You're the man!

[junruihe]

I am soo looking forward to your videos on the TR coolers Mike

[petarvasilev]

On the topic of the HBC vs Standart G2 variants of the cooler - I'd say get a contact frame (form TR/Thermal Grizzly) and just get the standart one.

[sleepy_dobe]

Well King is truly back. I'm shocked at the gap between the G2 and the other air coolers at high heat loads, looking at your graphs. And as far as the price and the brown and beige look goes, I love how the colours look in my current build. It stands out in an all-black build and draws attention to itself as though it's the star of the show. My only regret is that I didn't go with ultra-low profile RAM sticks so the front fan is not on the same level as the centre fan. I like symmetry.

[lyndonlabayan]

I love the look and feel of a crispy, new Kirkland black Tee. Great choice.

[Ale_K.]

Great review!
..but I still see no reason to buy this cooler at 159euro, when my old TR phantom spirit at 24euro doing same work and in certain situations even better😅
I respect Noctua, but in my opinion they digging in the wrong side..

[urick]

Quality motors & sound frequencies it makes. Plus satisfies the geek in many who care enough to even watch this video. Supporting a company pushing the ball forward.

[derekschommer]

People bashing the price probably are right but cases also come with fans too that are just fine. But sometimes people want something that’s gonna still be working just fine 7 years from now, maybe more when it moves on to the next build or two

[masterofallclasses]

Coolers 1/3 the price offer 98% of the performance...

[jessiethedude]

When the new fans out, I’m gonna build a fully air cooled system with the G2 and new fans

[greenbow]

I wish someone would include LBC and Standard with Intel 1700 with a contact frame.

Noctua recommends the Standard for socket 1700, but if your Intel CPU IHS is flat or convex, you want the LBC. Or preferably, you want a flat base-plate. Hense I would like to see tests done for that.

I mentioned this on Gamer's Nexus review, but they deleted it twice.
Plus they called the ILM an indenpendent loading mechanism, and it is Intel loading mechanism. Which they deleted twice also.

I guess they are so arrogant they don't like anyone adding constructive comments.

[MoarCoffeePlzzz]

Noctua is a good company. They didnt need to upgrade plain and simple. In a sea of companies that want you to upgrade every years its nice to see Noctua take their time and release products they feel are needed.