I bought a Noctua D14 in 2010. Earlier this year, I sent in and they sent me my THIRD adapter (no charge) kit. This time to move it to a an LGA1700 build.
Man how lucky are we that we have good options now for air cooling. Years ago it was noctua only for high spec CPUs, now there’s a lot of options and that’s something to celebrate
I got a Thermalright Peerless Assassin dual fan 120 SE CPU Air Cooler for $42 Cdn on an Amazon Prime Day deal and I REALLY like it. It cools my 13700k. I didn't think I could get that kind of cooling for around $40.
I also have the PA 120 and it is a great cooler.. it is not as good as either of these but it is pretty good and a whole lot cheaper. I have a 12700K (undervolted) and The PA120 has been great... but if someone was chasing maximum air cooler performance then one of these two would be "better"... is it worth the extra cost?? well depends I guess?
As a Noctua NH-D15 owner from 2016 I can tell you it's a very faithful cooler, it has been with me in multiple cpu changes and continues to work excellent, I'm glad to know that there is another alternative just as good, good competition is always best for the consumer. Whichever option you choose, both are very good, a win overall.
I would choose the CM, and here is why: Mounting! That is good engineering on the Cooler Master with the fastening screws from the top, because it will make repasting soooooo much easier. Them damn clips always cost me a swear or two. Cooler Master thought this through, no I was they would make the 90 - 95mm like that as well and I would go out and buy one today.
4:50 Is it possible that you might have your bottom two sets of results swapped here? The numbers don’t make sense to me, as one fan resulted in cooler performance compared to two?
That mounting is awesome. Even though I have used the NH-D15 on probably my last 4 builds, I like to build in smaller towers and the mounting with the Noctua and having to add the fans after kind of sucks when compared to the CM.
I am planning a new build and to avoid taking parts from my current machine i thought i would just build a new one with new parts....and i plan to try the cooler master one, i have the D15 in my current one and its cool and all, but it feels out of place in my case, its weird.
While this is nice why wouldn’t someone pick the Deepcool AK620 over it? Even its digital variant is cheaper than this and performs as good if not better? Or what about the Scythe Fuma 3 at $49.99? I replaced my 240MM NZXT AIO and I’m getting better temps with the Fuma 3 on the 7700x, such a great air cooler for the price.
In the end: 1) CM didn't outperform noctua at all, showing, at best, same results (considering Noctua being 1 degree lower was just margin of error) 2) No accoustic measurements were provided AT ALL 3) Adding to the previous point: identical fan curves were set, even tho noctua fan has max rpm at 1200, while CM is either 1550 or 1950 What does it all mean: 1) no, D15 hasn't been "dethroned", at least not by the CM 2) the author is full of bs 3) even if dba measurements are anywhere close (even tho I don't believe it lol), Noctua was and is the best performer in terms of acoustics. The reason is not dba in general (cuz there are a lot of good fans that actually come real close or even better), but the profile of the noise (frequency). Noctua has the best motors, it didn't change.
i have a thermalright silver arrow sb-e thats 12 years old that is just as good as both of these if not better. if u change out that center coolermaster fan with a better fan..thats where the coller master comes alive..the stock fans arent very good
The CM cooler looks cheep because of the logo and its placement. If they made the logo stealth or less conspicuous they'd have a higher-end looking product.
3mm lower gives the cooler master SO much more case compatibility. They dont really get to trade at those kind of prices yet... they have an ugly logo, and a lack of brand credibility when it comes to reliability. Youve gotta EARN a pricetag like that. Noctua have earned it, I would buy Noctua if I didn't already love my Deepcool Assassin III
