Before we look at the detailed specifications of the NH-D15S, let’s take a look at the fan at the heart of the cooler, the NF-A15 PWM. This is the same fan that we have seen previously in both the NH-D15 and the NH-U14S. It’s very quiet and effective, making it the logical choice.
The NF-A15 PWM has:
- a stepped inlet to reduce intake noise and improve suction
- Anti-vibration pads
- SSO2 bearing with the magnet placement designed to be more precise and stable during operation and more durable in the long run
- Inner surface microstructures (basically little dints) on the inside of the frame where the blades spin. These create a boundary layer of air that supresses the noise of the ends of the blades as they pass around the inner frame area and improve the airflow and efficiency of the fan. Sounds complicated but it seems effective.
- Blades with Flow Acceleration Channels – slightly raised fins on the tips of the blades. These speed up the airflow as it leaves the blade for lower vortex noise.
Each of these features probably don’t make a massive difference in isolation but when combined as they have been, you get an efficient and quiet running fan to match a quality heatsink and the whole package doesn’t have to work as hard to keep your CPU at a good operating temperature. In fact, both the NH-D15 and the NH-D15S were able to effortlessly cool our HASWELL-E test bench in general use, and gaming at stock CPU settings. Benchmarking and overclocking saw the fan speeds step up a little but with the PWM (auto fan control) profile in effect, the fan remained basically inaudible on the open test bench. When our test bench rig was under load, other components such as the graphics card or power supply were the primary sources of noise, not the NH-D15S.
Specifications
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Socket Compatibility |
Intel LGA2011 (Square ILM), LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150 AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required) |
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Height (without fan) |
160 mm |
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Width (without fan) |
150 mm |
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Depth (without fan) |
135 mm |
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Height (with fan) |
165 mm |
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Width (with fan) |
150 mm |
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Depth (with fan) |
135 mm |
| Weight (without fan) | 980 g |
| Weight (with fan) | 1150 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 | 1x NF-A15 PWM Premium Fan Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) Fan clips for a second fan NT-H1 high-grade thermal compound SecuFirm2™ Mounting Kit Noctua Metal Case-Badge |
| Warranty | 6 Years |
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Fan |
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Model |
Noctua NF-A15 PWM |
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Bearing |
SSO2 |
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Max. Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) |
1500 RPM |
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Max. Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) |
1200 RPM |
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Min. Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%) |
300 RPM |
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Max. Airflow |
140.2 m³/h |
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Max. Airflow with L.N.A. |
115.5 m³/h |
| Max. Acoustical Noise | 22.8 dB(A) |
| Max. Acoustical Noise with L.N.A | 24.6 dB(A) |
| Input Power | 1.56 W |
| Voltage Range | 12 V |
| MTBF | > 150.000 h |
Build Quality
As previously stated, we consider Noctua to be the benchmark in terms of build quality for cooling products. We regularly use Noctua fans and heatsinks in our concept builds because they are easy to work with and provide a quiet but effective end result. The NH-D15S is no exception and it will remain on our MSI X99S Gaming 7 test bench as a staple component.
Also note the NT-H1 thermal compound. This is also our thermal paste of choice in the lab and we go through a bit of it. This stuff is non-conductive, easy to clean and has always given us good results. We have gone through many tubes of it over the past few years and never had a bad batch.
SecuFirm2 mounting system is the best CPU cooler mounting system I’ve used and remains the benchmark as far as I’m concerned when looking at heatsinks. The backplate is easy to fit, the spacers and thumbscrews are easy to work with in even the tightest spaces and you get a firm fit every time.
