Page 3 - Installation and Test Results
Noctua's installation process has always been simple, and the NH-D15 G2 HBC is no exception. Noctua packaged each set of installation accessories individually for excellent organization. Along with the clear and concise setup poster, setup was a breeze. This is not to mention I have used the SecuFirm2 series system for more than a decade. That said, the latest SecuFirm2+ system did require me to consult the poster to ensure I take advantage of the latest changes.
As you can see in my photo above, Noctua's mounting system on the Intel platform utilizes a proprietary backplate supplied by Noctua that installs over the stock plate for optimal weight distribution. The inertia generated by such a large heatsink is really something that needs to be addressed accordingly, otherwise it may simply fall out or cause excess stress on the motherboard. To start, insert four bolts into the appropriate hole position and lock them in with the spacers on the other side. In the last Noctua backplate revision, the bolts were integrated, but the latest change allows wider compatibility with different Intel sockets, and the addition of spacers provides a better fit. Next, align the openings on the supplied backplate with the screws of the motherboard's stock backplate, and flip the motherboard around.
Two mounting bars are included for attaching the heatsink to the motherboard. First, put the plastic spacers on to each integrated bolt. The user then has the choice of either aligning the mounting bars according to the final desired orientation of the cooler, as the NH-D15 G2 HBC can be installed either horizontally or vertically. Our photo above shows the alignment of the mounting bars for a standard horizontal installation. In the latest revision, Noctua changed to Torx socket screw caps, which is an interesting but strange choice. A long Torx screwdriver is included, but if you ever lose it, those who do not own a comprehensive toolbox at home are going to have a headache. Tighten the screw caps over the bolts using the provided NM-SD1 Torx screwdriver, and you are good to go.
Fastening the heatsink over the CPU socket proves to be a simple job after I applied some NT-H2 over my CPU. Remove the center fan to gain access to the spring loaded screw located on the NH-D15 G2 HBC heatsink itself. Align the heatsink with the screw threads on the mounting bars, and tighten the screws alternately until they stop. Overall, installation is straightforward, and Noctua's mounting system is very secure and distributes weight very well even though the heatsink is big and heavy. The only hiccup I ran into was the offset fin stack made connecting the fan to my motherboard's fan header more challenging than the standard NH-D15.
The NH-D15 G2 HBC in single fan configuration mode will not interfere with your RAM like many modern heatsinks thanks to the high clearance fins. If you choose to keep the second NF-A14x25r G2 on, you may start to have issues. As I have mentioned earlier, it will definitely interfere with your memory no matter what profile it is. Therefore, you will need to mount the fan a little higher to accommodate the difference. As such, make sure your chassis is wide enough to accommodate the offset fan. I did not have any issues with my NZXT H710i, but your mileage may vary.
Our test configurations are as follows:
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K
Motherboard: ASUS ProArt B660-Creator D4
RAM: Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3600 4x32GB
Graphics: ASUS Dual GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
Chassis: NZXT H710i
Storage: Kingston KC3000 1TB, Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD 1TB
Power: Seasonic PRIME Ultra Titanium 850W
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
Compared hardware:
- Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC (Single Fan)
- Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC (Dual Fan)
- Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black (Single Fan)
- Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black (Dual Fan)
- Noctua NH-L9i-17xx
All tests were run in our custom built computer to best reflect real life performance. The computer remained in the same location in the same room throughout all tests. The room temperature in our testing lab was around 21c. Stock thermal paste respective to all coolers were used to rate its performance. All pastes were given a proper amount of time for them to fully settle. The fans on all heatsinks were directly connected to the motherboard's 4-pin connector. The computer was turned on and idled for at least one hour for the idling tests. High CPU load results were obtained using the Prime95 in-place small FFTs test with maximum worker threads for a minimum of ten minutes or until the temperature was deemed stable.
The Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC is an upgraded version of the Noctua NH-D15S. The NH-D15S itself is a modified version of the NH-D15, with an offset fin stack relative to the heatsink base. To summarize the changes discussed on the previous page, the NH-D15 G2 HBC has additional fins to increase the total surface area by 0.22m², two additional heatpipes, new NF-A14x25r G2 fans, and with our particular variant, a curved base designed specifically for LGA 1700 CPUs' concave integrated heatspreader. To see how much difference these changes made, I compared it against the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black I received in 2020 as a baseline reference. Just for fun, I included the results for the NH-L9i-17xx as well.
As you can see in our charts above, the Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC performed very well in our idle test. There was some difference between the NH-D15 models and their varying configurations, but there is only so much you can cool on air, as the processor in its idle state is not generating a whole lot of heat in the first place. Since the idle test is not a good indicator of a CPU cooler's true performance potential, let us look ahead into the load test results.
In the load test, the test processor, my Intel Core i7-12700K, generates quite a bit of heat, translating to a very reasonable load to the cooler. The NH-D15 G2 HBC in single fan configuration was 3c cooler than the NH-D15 in the same configuration, which means the newer model can provide the same amount of cooling as its predecessor with two fans using only one fan. Adding a second fan to the NH-D15 G2 HBC brought the temperature down another 3c. No thermal throttling was noticed on my Core i7-12700K using any of the NH-D15 series coolers, while the low profile NH-L9i-17xx struggled to keep up, with the CPU bouncing off its thermal limits. These results are significant because the NH-D15, after so many years, is still one of the best air coolers in existence. To improve the performance of of one of the best coolers is an exponentially difficult task, and this shows the changes made to the NH-D15 G2 HBC worked. It seems we are hitting a wall with the law of diminishing returns though.
While this is very subjective, I am quite a picky person on noise and the loudest component in my entire system are usually my noise-optimized Noctua fans. On a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 is silent and 10 is the loudest, I would rate the Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC equipped with a single NF-A14x25r G2 to be at 4.5/10 acoustically with its fan running at full speed. Adding a second NF-A14x25r G2 bumps this number up to 5.0/10. They seem a little louder than the NH-D15 chromax.black with NF-A15 HS-PWM fans to my ears. However, when my computer is idling or under nominal loads -- where it is spending most of the time doing -- the PWM fan slowed down was almost inaudible at 1.0/10. There was no noticeable turbulence noise associated with this cooler, indicating a well-optimized fin array design. Noctua products has probably the best noise profile in the industry, and the NH-D15 G2 HBC was no exception. Overall, in terms of sound emissions, the NH-D15 G2 HBC is an unquestionably excellent choice for quiet PC enthusiasts.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Installation and Test Results
4. Conclusion
