By: Jonathan Kwan
February 27, 2026
Have you ever met anyone whose mouth writes checks their abilities cannot cash? I know a guy who thinks he is the best at everything, but in reality is good at basically nothing. For example, he claims he is the best player in a recreational sports league. When he lost the tournament, he loudly proclaimed the only reason why he lost was because nobody could keep up with his pace. Another time, in a group project discussion, he kept shutting down everyone's ideas, but could not come up with anything better himself. When pressed, he simply repeated ideas already proposed by others as if they were his own. He also thinks he is the most emotionally mature person he knows, but after he got dumped by his girlfriend, he spent months whining to anyone he saw -- whether they were interested or not -- about how terrible everyone and everything is. I can probably name a few more things, but you get the idea. On the other hand, are there times when lofty claims are justified, where someone's mouth writes checks their abilities can actually cash? In terms of CPU coolers, Noctua has been the regarded as some of the best money can buy for decades. The company claims their latest flagship NH-D15 G2 series as the "new benchmark for premium quality quiet CPU coolers", advertising "superior performance" and "state-of-the-art fans". These are certainly big claims, but will Noctua continue to be able to cash these claims with the newest chromax.black version of the NH-D15 G2? Read on to find out!
Our review unit of the Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black arrived in a medium-sized brown corrugated cardboard box from the company's headquarters in Vienna, Austria. After making its trip across Europe and most of North America with the Atlantic Ocean in between using UPS Saver, the package arrived in good condition to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Everything inside was well protected, and as you will see, all the contents inside came in pristine condition.
The chromax.black series, as we have first seen in the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black I looked at in June 2020, is a lineup that comes in something other than the classic Noctua brown, which I am a big fan of. The packaging of the NH-D1S G2 chromax.black reflects this color scheme -- for the most part, anyway. The box has a black background, but you cannot shake off the hint of Noctua brown at the bottom, ensuring you will never forget this is still a Noctua product. The packaging is sleek yet practical, as you can see in our photo above. A photo of the heatsink in three-quarter view occupies the majority of the space. The product name, Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black, can be seen prominently displayed in white text at the bottom, while a short product description is printed immediately below. At the top, you will find the CHROMAX by Noctua branding. An array of three icons on the left shows off its dual NF-A14x25r G2 fans, premium NT-H2 thermal compound, and G2 technologies. Meanwhile, feature highlights, product specifications, and performance charts are on the remaining sides of the box.
Before we move on, let us take a look at the specifications of the Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
Key specifications
- Socket compatibility: AM5, AM4, LGA1700, LGA1851, LGA1954, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1200
- Total height: 168 mm
- Fan configuration: 2x 140x140x25mm (round)
- NSPR: 228
- Colour: Black
- Warranty: 6 years
Scope of delivery
- Black NH-D15 G2 heatsink
- 2x NF-A14x25r G2 PWM chromax.black premium fan
- 2x NA-RC16 Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
- NA-YC1 4-pin PWM splitter cable
- NT-H2 high-grade thermal compound
- NA-TPG1 thermal paste guard for AM5
- NA-CW1 cleaning wipe
- Black SecuFirm2+™ multi-socket mounting system
- NM-SD1 Torx® T20 screwdriver
- Noctua metal case-badge
Fan: NF-A14x25r G2 PWM Sx2-PP chromax.black
Size (Form factor): 140 x 140 x 25 mm (round)
Speed range: 0 – 1500 rpm
Airflow (max.): 155.6 m³/h (91.58 CFM)
Acoustical noise (max.): 24.8 dB(A)
Static pressure (max.): 2.56 mm H₂O
Rated voltage: 12 V
Connector: 4-pin
Colour: Black
Warranty: 6 years
Mechanical specifications
Height with fan(s): 168 mm
Height without fan(s): 168 mm
Width with fan(s): 150 mm
Width without fan(s): 150 mm
Depth with fan(s): 152 mm
Depth without fan(s): 127 mm
Weight with fan(s): 1525 g
Weight without fan(s): 1180 g
Material - heatsink base: Copper, nickel plated
Material - heatsink fins: Aluminium, nickel plated
Material - heatpipes: Copper, nickel plated
Interface heatpipes/heatsink fins: Soldered
Base convexity: Standard
Colour: Black
Number of heatpipes: 8
Heatpipe diameter: 6 mm
Fin count: 58
Mounting hole pitch: 78 mm
Rack unit compatibility: 5U
Base size: 44.6 x 51.6 mm
Performance specifications
NSPR: 228
CPU Performance: see compatibility tab
Logistical specifications
Packaging dimensions: 239 x 188 x 188 mm
Packaging weight (including product): 2460 g
EAN: 9010018000535
UPC: 841501100536
Packaging unit: 8 pcs
Packaging unit dimensions: 515 x 400 x 400 mm
Packaging unit weight: 21 kg
Out of the box, you will be greeted by two more boxes. All of them are raw corrugated cardboard boxes, and are printed and labeled in black ink to show you what is inside. The bigger one of them holds none other than the NH-D15 G2 chromax.black heatsink itself, which already has a set of NF-A14x25r G2 PWM Sx2-PP chromax.black fans pre-installed. The smaller box holds the mounting accessories with everything nicely separated into their own bags placed in separate partitions. The black SecuFirm2+ mounting kit allows the NH-D15 G2 chromax.black to work with Intel's LGA1700, LGA1851, LGA1954, LGA1200, and LGA115x sockets, as well as AMD's AM5 and AM4 sockets.
Accessories tagging along include two NA-RC16 low noise adapters, NA-YC1 4-pin PWM splitter cable, NA-TPG1 thermal paste guard for AM5, NA-CW1 cleaning wipe, NM-SD1 Torx screwdriver, and a case badge. As always from the company, the included bundle is not just about the heatsink itself. It is also about the included excellent high-performance fans and thermal paste. Cooling fans such as the NF-A14x25r G2 PWM Sx2-PP chromax.black are not exactly cheap when you buy them separately in retail. The NH-D15 G2 chromax.black also ships with a 3.5g tube of Noctua's excellent NT-H2 thermal compound, which we covered back in 2019.
One installation poster is included with concise and clear instructions. Noctua has always led the game in clear instructions and great accessories organization. It makes life just that much easier with the accessories very cleanly distinguished for each application.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Installation and Test Results
4. Conclusion
