Difference Between Noctua NH-D15, Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4, And ...

• Windows95

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https://www.pccomponentes.com/noctua-nh-d15

https://www.pccomponentes.com/noctua-nh-d15-se-am4

https://www.pccomponentes.com/noctua-nh-d15-chromaxblack

why are those sold separately?

afaik this one has a smaller heatsink and only comes with one fan

https://www.pccomponentes.com/noctua-nh-d15s

but the other ones? the one that's black, is different to se-am4? and the original is different to what? i dont get those 3 differences

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• Slottr

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One is the base D15, one has AM4 mounting brackets, and one is the base model in black.

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• minibois

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3 minutes ago, Windows95 said:

https://www.pccomponentes.com/noctua-nh-d15

https://www.pccomponentes.com/noctua-nh-d15-se-am4

https://www.pccomponentes.com/noctua-nh-d15-chromaxblack

- Normal

- SE-AM4: AM4 bracket version, which is included in the normal one since 2019. They made that as not all cooler back when AM4 released had the AM4 brackets. Nowadays they are basically the same

- Chromax Black: Black version instead of beige+brown

NH-D15S: smaller version with similar performance.

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1 hour ago, minibois said:

- Normal

- SE-AM4: AM4 bracket version, which is included in the normal one since 2019. They made that as not all cooler back when AM4 released had the AM4 brackets. Nowadays they are basically the same

- Chromax Black: Black version instead of beige+brown

 

NH-D15S: smaller version with similar performance.

oh i get it so basically all have am support by default now

i will buy the black one for the 3950x... even tho my case hasnt even got a window but just in case some day i get bored and buy a door with a window.. (do you know if door windows for fraktal cases are sold separately?)

also will the black paint compromise performance and long term durability? saw the vid with linus but dunno if legit or just a marketing pitch

what concerns me is long term durability. linus only pointed at the performance being the same

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• minibois

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1 minute ago, Windows95 said:

oh i get it so basically all have am support by default now

 

i will buy the black one for the 3950x... even tho my case hasnt even got a window but just in case some day i get bored and buy a door with a window.. (do you know if door windows for fraktal cases are sold separately?)

 

also will the black paint compromise performance and long term durability? saw the vid with linus but dunno if legit or just a marketing pitch

 

what concerns me is long term durability. linus only pointed at the performance being the same

Fractal Design - as far as I know - does not sell windows for their cases separately, because those sorts of sidepanels have a different mounting method.

I doubt the durability is compromised by the black painting. Be Quiet's coolers (the Dark Rock) have been this color since 2011 or even before and I have never heard of any instances of it degrading in performance.

Plus Noctua seems like one of those companies who wouldn't release something if it weren't absolutely perfect.

P.S. your username is relevant to the music (artist) I am listening to now:

"We're all in this together, might as well be friends" Tom, Toonami.

mini eLiXiVy: my open source 65% mechanical PCB, a build log, PCB anatomy and discussing open source licenses: https://linustechtips.com/topic/1366493-elixivy-a-65-mechanical-keyboard-build-log-pcb-anatomy-and-how-i-open-sourced-this-project/

mini_cardboard: a 4% keyboard build log and how keyboards work: https://linustechtips.com/topic/1328547-mini_cardboard-a-4-keyboard-build-log-and-how-keyboards-work/

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• WoodenMarker

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1 hour ago, minibois said:

NH-D15S: smaller version with similar performance.

Technically not wrong due to one less fan but the heatsink is the same size. The heatpipes are offset to not block the top pcie slot. 

4 minutes ago, Windows95 said:

i will buy the black one for the 3950x... even tho my case hasnt even got a window but just in case some day i get bored and buy a door with a window.. (do you know if door windows for fraktal cases are sold separately?)

also will the black paint compromise performance and long term durability? saw the vid with linus but dunno if legit or just a marketing pitch

what concerns me is long term durability. linus only pointed at the performance being the same

Yes. https://www.fractal-design.com/products/accessories/

They can also be found on sites like eBay sometimes. 

The NH-D15 Chromax's performance and durability is within margin of error compared to the NH-D15. There are plenty of comparisons online but here's one: https://www.enostech.com/noctua-nh-d15-chromax-black-cpu-air-cooler-review/

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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5 minutes ago, minibois said:

Fractal Design - as far as I know - does not sell windows for their cases separately, because those sorts of sidepanels have a different mounting method.

I doubt the durability is compromised by the black painting. Be Quiet's coolers (the Dark Rock) have been this color since 2011 or even before and I have never heard of any instances of it degrading in performance.

 

Plus Noctua seems like one of those companies who wouldn't release something if it weren't absolutely perfect.

 

P.S. your username is relevant to the music (artist) I am listening to now:

i just dont know what to do

should I go with a window or not? does having a window increase noise at least on the r6?

what also concerns me is having stupid leds in there while im trying to watch a movie in cinema mode

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1 minute ago, Windows95 said:

should I go with a window or not? does having a window increase noise at least on the r6?

what also concerns me is having stupid leds in there while im trying to watch a movie in cinema mode

It's up to you how much you want to see the inside of the system. I'm not sure how much of a difference there would be but I'm guessing that the solid side panel is probably quieter.

What components are you using that have leds? There may be settings to disable them. 

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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• kieguru

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nh-d15 and d15 chromax black are the same other than one is blackout. The nh-d15s is the d15 with only 1 fan and it sits higher up the MB to give a bigger gap between the fin stacks your GPU.

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• IcarusLSC

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S has 1mm more height above ram and offset more away from pcie slots..

https://noctua.at/en/whats-the-difference-between-nh-d15-and-nh-d15s

Height is not noticeable at all with the 3 I've owned, offset is.

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2 hours ago, IcarusLSC said:

S has 1mm more height above ram

Where are you reading this?

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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• IcarusLSC

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37 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Where are you reading this?

The Noctua website.

https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail/nh-d15/specification

https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail/nh-d15s/specification

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11 minutes ago, IcarusLSC said:

The Noctua website.

https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail/nh-d15/specification

https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail/nh-d15s/specification

Oh, the cutout is 65mm instead of 64mm on the NH-D15S. I never noticed that before. 

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• IcarusLSC

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I don't think the difference is noticeable. I've run both, got an S to make more room by the gpu in a build, but didn't notice any difference in the ram clearance. Though I wasn't really looking at that, gpu clearance mainly, fwiw...

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• Windows95

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im gonna buy the chromax one even if i will not be using a window, kinda retarded but who knows if i can reuse this in my next build 10 years from now and i decide to buy a case with a window lol

hopefully the offset fan is not noticeable or worsens things temp wise

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1 hour ago, Windows95 said:

hopefully the offset fan is not noticeable or worsens things temp wise

You can pretty easily see the difference with the side panel off. With it closed, the results should be fairly close and practically negligible. 

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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