CONCLUSION

   Noctua made it clear to me before that they developed the black coating of the chromax.black series in such a way that it wouldn’t affect performance (in any way) and so I didn’t expect different cooling performance between the black and non-black versions (at least nothing worth talking about). Still there was a small deviation during my tests when it comes to noise levels with the fan of the NH-U9S chromax.black producing a nice chunk of noise over the fan used in the non-black model (fans usually do come with an +-10% speed indication so this one could be faster thus the higher noise). With that out of the way however both the NH-D15S and the NH-U9S chromax.black don’t just deliver near excellent cooling results (for their sizes always) they also look quite unique.

   At the time of this review the NH-D15S & NH-U9S chromax.black models by Noctua retail for USD89.90/64.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com/Amazon.com) and for 89.90/64.90Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de/Amazon.de) prices which totally reflect what you’re getting in return (as a matter of fact taking into account that Noctua has been providing more mounting options lately their prices have actually become more competitive). Bottom line there’s not a single bad thing I can find with the NH-D15S and the NH-U9S chromax.black models, yes they do cost more than the competition (most of the competition anyways) but they offer top cooling efficiency numbers and unlike previous models the all-black color theme does stand out so the platinum award feels well justified.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Top Cooling Efficiency
- Zero Clearance Designs (RAM & Motherboard Modules)
- Dual & Triple Fan Solutions
- All Black Models
- 6 Year Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)