Page 4 - Conclusion
Well, here we have it: The Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black completes the full lineup in light of the Noctua NH-D15, NH-D15S, and Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black. With all the changes amalgamated over the years, is the NH-D15S chromax.black a winner? My answer is an unreserved yes. Like the NH-D15 chromax.black, the NH-D15S chromax.black remains one of the best air coolers in the market today, now with an offset fin stack to improve compatibility. From a looks perspective, I love the matte black paint. Everything is matte black from the heatsink itself to the installation accessories, giving a truly striking look in any windowed chassis. From a practical perspective, this heatsink delivers top notch cooling performance; the offset fin stack does not compromise performance at all. Noctua's excellent aerodynamics ensure smooth airflow and minimal turbulence noise. The NF-A15 HS-PWM chromax.black fan also generates great airflow with low noise output. From an experience perspective, the cooler is easy to install, has perfectly organized accessories, and comes with crystal clear installation instructions in case you need it. Really, the Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black is quite the package. My only recommendation is to include the newer NT-H2 rather than NT-H1 thermal compound out of the box. If there are any drawbacks to the NH-D15S chromax.black compared to the non-S version, the offset fin stack may make connecting the fan to your motherboard's header more challenging. Of course, this depends on where the header is on your motherboard. For about $90 at press time, the Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black is $10 cheaper than the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black, simply because you get one, rather than two, included NF-A15 HS-PWM chromax.black fans. The fan on its own costs about $25, so unless you are really that tight on funds or worried about compatibility, the non-S version is a better deal in my opinion. Either way, the NH-D15S chromax.black, like the NH-D15 chromax.black, is the biggest, baddest, and best air cooler money can buy.
Noctua provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Recommended Award | APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
9/10 means Excellent product with very minor drawbacks that do not affect the overall product.
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 8.3/10
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-D15S chromax.black maximizes compatibility and cooling performance with striking looks to make it the best air cooler money can buy.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
