Page 4 - Conclusion
Noctua 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". Was Noctua able to continue to cash these claims with the newest chromax.black version of the NH-D15 G2? I would say so, but quite literally for a price. Admittedly, I have been waiting for the chromax.black version since I looked at the Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC in 2024, and its looks did not disappoint. I love the full matte black finish, and per Noctua tradition, the change in color from the standard raw finish had no negative impact on its performance. Interestingly, the chromax.black version only comes in one variant, which is the standard version -- there are no HBC or LBC variants. Not that this mattered though. In my real-world tests, I did not observe any significant delta between the standard and HBC variants on my Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, which is consistent with Noctua's internal testing of about 1c difference. Acoustics has always been a strong suit for Noctua, and the NH-D15 G2 chromax.black is no exception. The NF-A14x25r G2 PWM Sx2-PP chromax.black fans are nearly silent at low speeds, and sound pleasant at maximum RPM. The heatsink is very easy to install with clear instructions and organized hardware as always. I only have two things to point out before you whip out your credit card though. First, the Torx socket screw caps seemed like an unnecessary change. A screwdriver is included, and Torx may be more durable, but I never had an issue with the Philips head design. Second, the price. Since I reviewed the NH-D15 G2 HBC, the price has gone up even higher from $150 to $180 due to tariffs. The chromax.black version we are reviewing today slaps an additional $10 on top for a whopping $190 USD, which is not sticker shock -- this is sticker whiplash. There are literally CPUs cheaper than this cooler. All in all, if you want the best, the Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black is the best of the best. But if you are willing to sacrifice a few degrees, the previous generation NH-D15 chromax.black can be had for $140 -- which, while not cheap, is still easier to swallow.
Noctua provided this product to APH Networks for the purposes of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.6/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black CPU cooler writes checks that its performance can cash, but you will also need to write checks your bank account can cash in order to afford this.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Installation and Test Results
4. Conclusion
