Noctua NH-D15 G2 Review & Benchmarks, HBC & LBC Comparison, & Best CPU Coolers

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This is our most in-depth CPU cooler review & benchmark yet. We test Noctua's new NH-D15 G2 for thermals (Intel & AMD temperature testing), acoustics, frequency response, flatness, pressure, and more. The benchmarks also cover Noctua's three alternatives for the Noctua NH-D15 G2, including the base model and HBC vs. LBC differences (High Base Convexity & Low Base Convexity). Because Noctua includes washers for a washer mod on the Intel ILM, we also ran benchmarks for that, plus tests of the old vs. new fans. The NH-D15 G2 is Noctua's first major dual-tower release since 2014, and now it faces competition from the Thermalright Peerless Assassin, ID Cooling A720, Arctic Liquid Freezer III, and other cheaper coolers.

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RELATED PRODUCTS [Affiliate Links]

Noctua NH-D15 G2 on Newegg: https://howl.me/cmANxEu9dM6
Noctua NH-D15 G2 on Amazon: https://geni.us/XRbD

Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC on Newegg: https://howl.me/cmANx7zzUaG
Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC on Amazon: https://geni.us/yC6n

Noctua NH-D15 G2 LBC on Newegg: https://howl.me/cmANywlFmCH
Noctua NH-D15 G2 LBC on Amazon: https://geni.us/r8SXENp

ALTERNATIVES TO NH-D15 G2 [Affiliate Links]

Thermalright Peerless Assassin SE on Amazon: https://geni.us/l3pXwA
Thermalright Peerless Assassin SE on Newegg: https://howl.me/cmANBMbp2JI

Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 Black on Amazon: https://geni.us/5N1BRr9
Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 Black on Newegg: https://howl.me/cmANC9Ym83T

ID Cooling A720 on Amazon: https://geni.us/byGjgA
Thermalright Frozen Prism 360 on Amazon: https://geni.us/NcSvA

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Noctua NH-D15 G2 Review & Benchmarks
02:16 - Price & Basics: NH-D15 G2 vs. LBC, HBC
06:42 - Laser Scanning: HBC, LBC, & G2 Coldplates
08:29 - Thermal Testing Methodology
10:32 - 200W AMD: Noctua-Only at Full Speed
12:33 - 200W AMD: Noctua-Only Noise-Normalized
12:51 - 250W Intel: Noctua-Only Noise-Normalized
14:10 - 250W Intel: Noctua-Only at Full Speed
14:40 - 250W Comparison, Noise Normalized (Intel)
16:13 - 200W Comparison, Full Speed (AMD)
17:54 - 200W Comparison, Noise Normalized (AMD)
18:20 - 250W Comparison, Full Speed (Intel)
19:11 - Core-to-Core Deltas (250W Intel)
20:10 - Pressure Testing (HBC vs. Washer vs. LBC vs. G2)
21:53 - Acoustic Testing
23:12 - Frequency Spectrum (NF-A14 G2 vs. Original)
24:34 - Noise Samples (NH-D15 G2 vs. NH-D15)
26:38 - AMD Installation Instructions (AM4 and AM5 )
28:47 - Intel Installation Instructions (Noctua NH-D15 G2)
30:26 - Intel Washer Mod Instructions
32:15 - Praise & Criticism of Installation
34:21 - Conclusion

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Steve Burke: Host, Test Lead, Writing
Mike Gaglione: Host, Testing
Vitalii Makhnovets: Camera, Video Editing
Tim Phetdara: Camera