For my fellow PC hardware enthusiasts -
One of the best air coolers you can get, good to stock up if building for the next gen of CPUs.
Local prices in stock are $200-220AUD~
Enjoy and happy long weekend my friends.
CamelCamelCamel.
You can sign up for one month of prime for $6.99 and order your cooler and cancel prime and get a refund for free shipping. Or just keep the month of Prime… it’s worth it.
Join up for Prime free trial. I was able to do this at checkout so free delivery.
Note even with the fastest shipping express its still 50 bucks cheaper then local.
Out of curiosity anyone building an ITX? If so which cases
I've done a few builds with Phanteks Evolv Shift, Node 202, H200. Wanted to try the Dancase but it's hard to find.
That said, I doubt this fits in any of those case. For something with a bit more clearance and can actually fit in some itx cases, look for the D15S.
I believe it fits in the TU150, its a bit large for an ITX but supports full blown air coolers if you can deal with the size
That's good to know. I suppose anything can be an itx case if it only supports itx mb. As long as the height clearance is enough, the D15 will probably fit like the H200. No room for any rear or top fans though.
@Scrooge McDuck: You mean ITX cases in general? Probably comes down to preference. Plus some people take it as a challenge to cram components into the smallest of case. Not my thing though, my PCs have always been standard boring ATX cases.
If you mean this particular D15 for ITX, I'd say not much, airflow is probably not too great with no rear or top fan.
You wouldn't fit this cooler in many(if any) ITX cases fyi.
I've got my main build in a Ncase M1 (expensive, and premium case), as well as my server inside an Node 304(cheap and decent but great airflow).
This is my dream. Currently have a Node 304 which houses my gaming build that I recently upgraded. Currently looking at moving it to a M1 and use my leftover parts for UnRaid.
It just sucks that I can't order the M1 right now due to shipping issues.
Yeah I got super lucky with mine, managed to grab one in the small December shipments
@ONEMariachi: With how the AUD is holding up right now, it's not looking good. I've considered going for the NZXT H1, but it still hasn't reached the shores and keeps getting delayed. I'll probably end up with an aliexpress case if this goes on
@crunchynuts: I did and I just didn't feel it. Don't like the side panels but that's probably just me.
@monchee: worth keeping an eye of r/sffpc if you don't already. There's plenty of options around for the sub 15L category, if taht's where you want to stay.
I originally wanted a Cerberus SM580 myself, but they're crazy expensive(were pushing $450 with delivery at the time). If the US dollar starts falling though, that could very well be a good option to consider.
This is cheating but this cooler would fit it with plenty of room to spare, I kind of like mini towers that still look like PCs
I think you're right though.
https://www.newegg.com/global/au-en/black-phanteks-evolv-itx…
I have it on one of those AliExpress cases that's a motif monument copy. Cooling a 3900x, works good.
I don't think it will fit in a mini itx case unless its extra wide because most mini itx cases are also narrow
Good CPU cooler. I have been using one for 2 builds now (6+ years) and it still works perfect. When a new CPU socket is released you can contact Noctua and they will send you a free mounting kit so it will fit your new CPU.
wow. did not realise they would do this. my last two coolers have been noctua. one of them in service for 8 years. amazing units.
Company's who care about their reputation and their users do this.
Noctua is pretty much one of the best in CPU cooling if not THE best.
Yeah i know of their legacy and thats why i choose them. but didnt know they would send out a new bracket for a new chipset. its such a rare quality to have for a company like that.
Thanks for sharing this. Have just submitted a request for an upgrade kit for my 6 year old Noctua NH-U12S, to be ready for a Ryzen 5 3600 upgrade. Great fan in my Fractal Node 304. Will wait for the Ncase M1 to be available and more affordable …
They've just posted mine (they pay shipping as well) for my 8 or 9 year old NH-D14 which will be going into my new Ryzen build as well.
I was pleasantly surprised to be able to buy an upgrade kit rather than a whole new cooler. To get one for free for a nearly 10 year old product is awesome.
Wait… When did these jack up in price? I remember getting my Noctua NH-D15 (not the Chromax Black) for $99 back when I got my 4790K. Still performing like an absolute beast years later, but last I saw, even a couple of years ago they were around the $100 mark, now even the original is up to like $170 locally.
Yeah the Chromax black was released more recently - according to camelcamel I dont think it's been cheaper - happy to be corrected.
At this point a Dark Rock Pro 4 might be a better buy. They aren't that far apart are they?
Yeah, if you go back 12-18 months Noctua were just the go to because they were a slight premium ($120 vs $100 for example). Now though, especially with the Dark Rock Pro 4's redesigned mounting bracket vs the 3 (which was still awesome just tricky to put on), it's quite hard to justify under normal circumstances, it might be a bit quieter for the same temps, but not twice as good value, in my opinion. So I agree.
Not price jack, this comes with newer version of the fans if I remember correctly. The new fans alone makes up the difference kind of, and yes they do perform better. The heatsink is the same just black paint.
Surely the fans can't cost that much…
Goes to PLE and MSY
$69…
$79…
The fuuuu
Well you know, if you want speed you paint it red. If you want cool you paint it black!
@Bigboomboom: And if you want it s#!t you leave it brown?
Jokes aside I know Noctua make excellent products.
The fans are the same, just black. You must be thinking of the new single towers with the A12x25 fans? Though the black versions of those fans aren't out yet.
True, I was mistaken then. Really wish they release cooler with the new A12x25 fans.
For reference, though, the black U12S actually perform better than stock U12S in both heat & noise.
@Bigboomboom: They are working on a new dual tower, with 7 heatpipes. Will likely go with new Sterrox 140mm fans which are also in development.
With regards to performance, Same reviewer, same time with both new coolers? I'm doubtful as Noctua themselves have said the black coating hurts performance.
Gotta love Noctua's brilliant strategy:
@Jazdogz: Haha, that is what I thought too. You look online and they have tons of vids on how making it black without painting it was a lot of work, because that would mess up the heat. But they are only talking about the pipes, lol. WE could have had black plastic fans with steel coloured pipes/sink forever.
@Jazdogz: Whoever came up with the "sheep's liver stuffed in raw chicken" colour scheme needs to be raked over burning coals
I found the receipt for my old D14, $110.
They are definitely much more expensive than they used to be
As per the comment above, apparently it's the new fans. Which perform better and sound quieter than the previous generation. Which I remember were like $25 or $30 back then. Now the new fans are $69 and $79 each.
The Chromax ones have usually been 20% more expensive than the poo brown counterparts too.
This is the D15, the D14 is over 11 years old.
Inflation over the past 10 years has been about $110 -> $160.
i bought a nh-u12a only 3 or 4 months ago for $165. it is now up around $215. covid price increases i believe.
I bough myn in December last year for less then this, for my i7 9700k, works great but was cheaper not long ago
You probably bought your heatsink in 2014? AUD was worth about 0.90 USD then. It's worth about 0.69 USD now and when the wholesalers bought it the AUD was probably worth about 0.65 USD.
$99 AUD = $89 USD in 2014
$89 USD = $137 AUD in 2020
Doesn't account for all of it but still.
Thanks OP - very keen to buy it for my next target CPU 3700X
I am sick of the noisy Wraith Prism cooler which is not even doing a great job cooling down my current CPU (1600AF)
However I have GSkill Trident Z RAMs, so I am hesitant if the RAM modules height clearance would be an issue with this cooler?
The Trident Z appears to have the same height as my Vengeance RGB (44mm) so it should clear fine.
https://imgur.com/a/nJ8AMtd
It’s likely the external fan above the ram will need to be lifted. Meaning you need a wide case to do this, on mine it touches the side panel but fits.
Yeah my last build I went for a massive fullsize tower, the combination of fans, gpu and hdds had so much noise.
I'm looking at an ITX build in the TU150 and based on my extensive Googling/Redditing skills I believe the clearance isn't an issue.
TLDR - If it fits in the TU150 and you are going for an ATX build in a larger case shouldnt be an issue, (please do your own research though).
The same fans are only going to be noisier in ITX case.
I've got the Prism sitting on my 2600, and it's not noisy at all?, CPU constantly sitting around 30c at idle, and rarely pushing past 55c when transcoding/gaming
Lucky You!
Yeah, from the few people commenting here, it does seem I got lucky!
@ONEMariachi: Yeah could be the Fan bearings that is causing the noise, I have changed the bios settings and lowered the RPM but even at lower RPM the noise is noticeable.
I might have lost the silicon lottery on 1600AF also - which runs little hotter even when idling… during summer its idle like 40degrees, currently 35-ish degree at lower RPM fan curve. However slightly better experience when CPU is on full load - temp doesn't go over 65 degrees…
@Bappy: Interesting. What case have you got it in. Mines in a node 304 with some really great airflow going over the whole thing, not sure if that's helping
@ONEMariachi: My case (NZXT s340) is probably not the best for airflow but I have two 140mm Corsair fans as intake, and two 120mm Corsair for exhaust.
@ONEMariachi: Is it OK to run a Prism at 100 % fan speed whilst gaming? Would 4 h per day of that significantly shorten its lifespan?
@Scrooge McDuck: Probably not the best idea to have it going at 100%. I don't know the data, but I can't imagine something running at its max will have the same lifespan as something running based on its normal function, of working to fan curves. It will also likely get super annoying and loud at 100%. No fan can be silent at that capacity.
I can't imagine something running at its max will have the same lifespan as something running based on its normal function,
Of course, but I'm wondering what quantum applies. If the lifespan is halved I'm OK with that.
It idles at 50 % / 30 °C, and sits at around 80 % / 50 °C whilst gaming. I don't mind the noise at all since I wear a headset.
I got the lawn mower attached to the 3600. Looking forward to getting rid of it.
You don't use you CPU fully though. If you were it would be high 70s at least.
Download Prime95 or another benchmarking app to find out how hot it actually gets.
Sorry dude. I understand you're trying to be helpful here, but that is my server PC, I keep constant watch over it, and know exactly what usage the PC hits, and its temps. I assure you, it absolutely hits high usage when I have 10 odd people transcoding movie files on plex, whilst running a minecraft server for my little cousin and his friends, and has never once gotten close to high 70s.
Starting a 3700x build soon and was just going to start off using the wraith prism, meant to be good for a stock cooler.
Like the idea of the d15, Noctua brown has always looked ugly but great fans. Almost have to do something with a tempered glass side now. Don't care too much about RGB but will do a few bits, all those fans aren't cheap.
Anyway was just thinking of getting a deepcool
Deepcool Castle 340 V2 ARGB AIO when they are in stock, have seen for around $180, not much more than the d15, and run on front of meshify c. Just as good cooling wise?
It'll do the job. Honestly, unless you're going high end, or going to be pushing the 3700x to its absolute limit constnatly. AIO route is purely a superficial/aesthetic one that is costing you more than you really need to spend, for no real advantage. If that's not a problem for you, then yeah go ahead. It will definitely give you similar performance.
You can also look into the Dark Rock Pro 4 for around $140, or even the U12S chromax. Which is smaller but still performs really well on the 3700x. Still a great upgrade from the Prism, and way quieter
@ONEMariachi: I think you're right, getting carried away with all this and I've also heard the Wraith is meant to be great for a stock cooler.
I've got a Fractal Meshify C so it should fit in but will definitely test the stock one (unless they are worth something to sell new).
The idea of this build is for good quality desktop/gaming and my 2012 setup getting on a bit. May as well leave it as air cooled and make it quiet (the case should be good for airflow). The whole RBG lighting and fan selection is doing my head in, fairly happy with the B450M Mortar Max choice unless but no JRAINBOW connector. I don't think you can use the software with a controler/remote.. Ideally 2x 140mm Noctua fans on the front would be good but not at $50 each when i could just get a AIO.. 3 pack of lights is min. $60 (ordered some
DeepCool RF120 120mm 3 In 1) but the case has 2 fracal ARGB ones. Hard to know what to do lol.
@G-rig: I personally stay completely away from RGB myself lol. 20% mark up for some lights never seemed worth it to me.
The Stock fan is fine if you're jsut using it for basic gaming. If it gets loud, then yeah look into something like the othes mentioned, but if you have good airflow it shouldn't get too loud.
There are silent wings 3 fans that are simple black ones and around $35ish for the 140mm fans case fans. Worth looking into if you want to use that dosh for other parts. They're pretty much equivalents to Noctua fans
@ONEMariachi: Hey mate thanks for that, I've come to agree RGB is a lot of money and hassle for aesthetics, and not wrong on the markup.
Good idea, looking into 2x 140mm those silent wings ones look a bit nicer in black , should be nice a/f with the meshify.
Still no RM750 psu around so probably still be a while starting. Could have just used this Refine R3 case and but it's a got an optical drive bay and door, new is worth it i guess, and i'd have to bin the other parts lol.
@ONEMariachi: Even those are out of stock ffs, not paying high shipping.. bad time to build a pc haha
Surely this is huge overkill for a 3700X? There are excellent coolers around $50, this is more for hardcore overclocking of the flagship 3950X's and such, right?
This is fantastic for the 3700x if you can fit it in your case, and want to push that thing to its limit. Most $50 coolers wouldn't really outperform the prism
But I mean, for $160 you must be approaching the point where just getting the 3900x is the better option than pushing your 3700x overclock slightly higher. It's not even $130 more than the 3700x.
@ItsMeAgro: This cooler will probably last you 8+ years so you will be able to use it for multiple CPU's though.
@ItsMeAgro: oh that's definitely a decision that someone would be able to make, but buying a cooler like this could very well be for people that already have their 3700x. Or have a very specific budget they want to stick to. That $130 could be the difference between a 256gb ssd or a 1tb ssd for instance.
personally, for a 3900x, I would be aiming for a AIO, over aircooled. Probably the only time I'd actually advocate Liquid myself.
I've got a 3700x as well, and everywhere I research they advise against overclocking, as there's zero gaming benefit, and sometimes performance can actually decrease compared to the stock boost… I'm tempted to get this, but I really don't see the need with my 3700x when my stock Wraith Prism does the job quite nicely. I really like the look of this, and the cooling performance, but I could probably use $160 elsewhere.
@ngengerous: The major advantage for a d15 is probably a 5% improvement on temps, as well as being silent as the night when going full boil.
Personally, I have a U9S on my 3700x, and it does fine- but I also can't really fit anything else in my case.
@ONEMariachi: Fair, if someone is regularly pushing their CPU to the limit this Noctua would be beneficial. Wish I pushed it often enough to justify this cooler, but I'll save my money for some other bargain!
@ngengerous: Yeah definitely, It'd be more for people that are streaming/gaming high end games. Or serious video editers rendering their 50gb 4k videos. If you're not pushing this thing to 80% capacity or more, constantly, this is a waste of money.
This is the highest performing cooler for the same noise level of any cooler (barring custom loop water cooling).
It's just two degrees behind the best performing AIO cooler if you ignore noise.
I have 3700X with Trident Neo RAM and NH-D15 chromax.black. One fan had to be mounted higher and would not fit in my case anymore. Had to swap with a 120mm Noctua fan.
Switched from a triple radiator water cooler for this. Temps wise water cooling was a bit better, but this is ridiculously more quiet. Highly recommended
Wow, thanks. Your comment is exactly what im looking for, a comparison between water cooler and this :thumup
Do you have any other case fans, which ones are you using for looking for good silent ones 120mm - Possibly the F12s or A12s Noctua as well
i can definiteyl recommend noctua case fans. they are beastly cool and quiet compared to almost everything else. they push good volumes of air for their size.
I've got just the Fractal case fans that came with my R5.
If you're buying this, might as well add a value pack of Arctic P12s or P14s to your order. Compete very well, and once you factor in price, unbeatable value.
Yeap agree! people always think that water cooler is nice quiet and work the best, but it doesn't always the case!
Was it the sound of the cooler pump or the fans that were noisy?
Both
Same here . After 2 AIO coolers that I tried this is preforms better of them all . Got tired of hearing pump noise and loud fans on water coolers .
Am I wrong to not consider this because it doesnt have RGB?LOL
Currenly have a Ryzen 7 3700x build with the Wraith prism cooler which is not bad at all.
It’s not noisy ??. Mine is like a helicopter when CPU under load.
Very!
I have set my cpu at4.2 GHz at 1.25v. Fan speed curve set to 1000 rpm till cpu temp reaches 75c. Only after 75c it ramps up to 100 fan speed when it reaches 82c. I barely hear the cpu fan when browsing or even gaming. Average cpu temp when normally using PC = 48c. Gaming avg =65c.
that's a good solution…. in winter.
@HD9990: 4.2ghz at 1.25 v consumes less power than not overclocking. It’s like under volting. If you are not over clocking or using pbo, I have seen the mobo push 1.4v. That’s why the temp goes higher and you hear fan speeds.
Its showing me additional $28.64 shipping fee for QLD (I am not prime member)