KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
To test the performance of the Noctua NH-D15 we built a powerful X79 based system on an open test bench to push the cooler to it’s limits. As we were testing on an open test bench, we directed a Be Quiet! Shadow Wings 120 mm fan at the VRM circuitry to better simulate the airflow generated in a case. We will be testing the cooler both at full speed (1500 rpm) and with the optional low noise adapter installed. We will be using a Noctua NH-U14S and a Phanteks PH-TC14PE for comparison purposes in this review.
Test System
- Processor: Intel Core i7-3930K
- Motherboard: Asus P9X79
- Memory: 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) Mushkin Blackline 1600 MHz
- Thermal Paste: Noctua NT-H1
- Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7950
- Graphics Card (noise tests): HIS Radeon HD 5550 Silence
- Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum P1000W
Software
- Prime 95 (64-bit)
- CPUID Hardware Monitor
Overclocking
We manually overclocked the i7-3930K to 4.6 GHz by increasing the multiplier to 46x, leaving the baseclock set at 100 MHz. We set the voltage to 1.375V.
