INTRODUCTION

   If i had to guess what most of your reading these lines right now use to keep the temperatures of your CPUs in check chances are that most of you are still using regular CPU air coolers and why not since they can provide excellent cooling efficiency without asking for much in return like custom watercooling kits and even some AIO models? Unfortunately as I’ve already mentioned numerous times in the past CPU air coolers have reached a level of performance which i really doubt they will ever be able to surpass (AIO solutions might) but in the long run they may not have to since miniaturization (smaller manufacturing process) tends to reduce power requirements and thus temperatures. With the same reasoning in mind Noctua recently announced several "compact" CPU air coolers but for people wanting something more without however having to worry about clearance issues they also released a "tweaked" version of their flagship NH-D15 model which they named the NH-D15S.

   Designed in Austria, Noctua's premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 3000 awards and recommendations from leading hardware websites and magazines, Noctua's fans and heatsinks are chosen by more than a hundred thousand satisfied customers around the globe.

   Compared to the award winning NH-D15 the NH-D15S offers better compatibility with mainboard components and memory modules by using a off-set asymmetrical layout for its heatsink and a single NF-A15 140mm PWM fan (instead of the two found in the NH-D15). This "tweaked" design allows for use of tall memory modules (up to 65mm) even on both sides of the NH-D15S and also offers zero clearance issues with the top PCIe X16 slot (at least with most mainboards). I honestly was expecting Noctua to release a brand new high-end model wearing one or more of their quite impressive industrial grade high-RPM fans (not only because of their RPM but also because they look more "aggressive" compared to their regular lines) but it seems that a single NF-A15 PWM fan is more than enough to do the trick.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As usual the model name is placed at the front of the box alongside the company logo and the features list.

A few words about the cooler at hand are printed on the left side in 9 languages.

Both the product specifications and the contents of the bundle are listed on the right side.

The product features are explained in depth at the rear of the box.

Noctua has placed the bundle into two separate cardboard boxes.

Along with the NH-D15S (heatsink and NF-A15 fan) Noctua also bundles an long Philips screwdriver, NT-H1 tube with thermal paste, three installation manuals, 2 extra fan mounting clips, low noise fan adapter, case badge and all the necessary mounting hardware needed to use the cooler with Intel LGA 1150/1151/1155/1156/2011/2011-3 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards (extra backplate is required for some AMD mainboards - you can request that directly from Noctua).

THE NH-D15S

Standing 165mm tall, 150mm wide and 135mm deep with a weight of 1150g (fan included) the NH-D15S is the same size as the NH-D15 (without however the 2nd NF-A15 fan).

Once again Noctua has placed their logo at the top of the fins.

Each of the two heatsinks has a total of 45 aluminum fins 7 of which are half to allow for zero clearance issues with tall memory modules (the same thing applies for the NH-D15).

Again just like the NH-D15 all of the 45 fins are closed on the sides to keep air from leaking left and right.

The NF-A15 140mm PWM fan has at MTBF of up to 150.000 hours and can spin up to 1500RPM to produce up to 82.51CFM of airflow with just 24.6dBA of noise.

Just like with the NH-D14 and NH-D15 models the NH-D15S has a total of six 6mm nickel plated copper heatpipes.

Noctua has once again given the copper base a perfect mirror like finish.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   The brand new NH-D15S is basically a slightly modified NH-D15 (for use in small PC cases) without a second NF-A15 fan so our results were not unexpected in any way. Actually i did expect worse results but it seems that the “tweaks” Noctua placed improved the cooling efficiency of the heatsink even if just by a small amount. The NH-D15S should also be much better for use with the smaller mATX/mITX mainboards (always compared to the NH-D15) since even in our test rig there was more room from the top PCie slot and the lack of a 2^nd fan obviously allows for more room at the front of the cooler. Also although Noctua used a single NF-A15 with the NH-D15S it produced roughly the same noise levels as the two used with the NH-D15 but fans always have a +/- percentage so that wasn’t something really unexpected.

   While I type these lines the NH-D15S CPU Cooler by Noctua retails for USD99.65 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 86.53Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag that lands it right next to the NH-D15. That’s also one of the drawbacks of this model since Noctua may have “tweaked” the original design a bit and it may be brand new but the NH-D15 also has a 2^nd NF-A15 fan in the bundle thus we feel that there should be a larger price gap between these two models. In the end that will not matter much to most potential buyers since the NH-D15S is a better solution for small PC cases and that along with the fact that once again Noctua released a high quality product with excellent performance levels gets it our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- New Design (Zero Clearance Issues)
- Superior Cooling Efficiency (One Of The Top CPU Air Coolers In Our Charts)
- Tri-Fan Solution
- Noise Levels

CONS

- Price (For Some)