Final Thoughts
As we look at the results from our tests and just the NH-D15 chromax.black in general we once again are reminded why Noctua is always at the top of the list when it comes to air coolers, they just do it right. The NH-D15 is not a new CPU cooler, we actually reviewed the NH-D15 all the way back in 2014! Of course the new thing is the color here, which we will get to, but it is pretty impressive that a cooler from 2014 can still compete and easily beat today’s best coolers. In our testing it beat out both the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 as well as the Deepcool AK620, while also remaining in the middle in terms of noise levels. The NH-D15 is basically the gold standard when it comes to air coolers and I do not see that changing anytime soon.
With the introduction of Chromax, Noctua has given builders the ability to have something that looks a bit different from the standard Noctua brown we all know. This really makes it so you are able to match your cooler to the rest of your build. The NH-D15 chromax.black is of course all black and I really like the attention to detail Noctua has done here. Not only are the heatsink and fans black, but even the mounting hardware, fan clips, etc are!
This is going to be one of the largest CPU coolers you’ll find so make sure you have room in your case for it. Even though it is massive we did not run into any clearance issues or installation issues at all. Noctua has been using the same mounting system for their coolers for years now and it is one of the easiest out there. The included instructions are incredibly easy to follow as well.
This cooler is currently selling for $109.95 at our favorite online retailer, which puts it at the high-end of air coolers, but keep in mind it will compete with all-in-one liquid coolers in terms of performance. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Excellent performance
– Very quiet
– Easy installation
– Attention to detail with the black color
Cons:
– Takes up a lot of space in your case
– On the high-end in terms of pricing
