The Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler: Installation Guide for AMD's AM4 Platform

[@lovelore]

absolutely amazingly detailed video. I understand that many experienced PC builders may not need a lot of this install information but I absolutely do since I am new to this and your video has been the most helpful for me.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad it was helpful! Yes, this video isn't for everyone, but it's one in a series of videos I've published to help people who are new to PC building. I aim to make a video like this for many of the most popular coolers.

[@alexbraybrook6671]

its always nice to see every detail of how people do it for self analysis

[@stopUkrainewar666]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru hello where would you put the heatsink of a toxic 6900xt on top or front of the case ????

[@willhunt3000]

really good, instructive video. Great explanations as well.

[@rogelstyrmovich3761]

Great video. Installed my NH-D15 so long ago I'd forgotten the steps and wanted to change CPU. This video is a perfect and well polished how to demonstration. With respect to removing the video card with the fans installed mentioned at the end of the video. Simply depress the Video Card latch with a thin long bladed screwdriver.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad this helped, and yes, that screwdriver trick sounds like a good one, as long as you don't slip and nick the motherboard!

[@Wigglythegreat2]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru I saw one video KZbin where they used a wooden chopstick to depress the video card latch. It seems like there is less chance of damage using that.

[@fahadal-asmari6893]

It's risky just remove the fan with one side and try to pull the other side with thin tool.

[@digitaltutorials1]

That's why you should buy new ASUS motherboards that have their unique remote latching buttons. Until it becomes industry standard.

[@mdeloura]

Thanks for this! Just a note in case others are having trouble with the screws like I was just now - they take a lot more force than you think they do! I went back and forth getting one screw on a bit and then the other wouldn't seem to go on - but eventually realized I just wasn't putting enough force onto the second screw. Be careful that your screwdriver doesn't slip! But the springs on the screws can probably handle more force than you think.

[@pengoo745]

Thanks so much bro, I was so frustrated at how I could only get one in a time

[@paquete4100]

Thank you so much, it would have taken me A LOT of time to figure this out

[@SeanehKelleh]

Use masking or cleanroom tape to hold the backplate while installing the mounting bracket.

[@trey6067]

Getting the tape to hold it perfectly in place is way harder than just holding it cause atleast it doesn’t move

[@Albert-lj5jb]

I just put all the spacers and screws in loose whilst it was upright, then put it down flat and took one screw out at a time when putting the brackets on so the other loose fitted screws were holding the backplate in place

[@trackingdifbeatsaber8203]

I install CPU coolers on top of the motherboard box so the plate is held in place.

[@DoKnowWrong]

So clutch

[@bodyhanger7137]

Thank you for this wonderful video. Even a year later, it’s still relevant as the cooler is so good at what it does…

[@balin1]

Your production quality made me think you're one of the big guys. Amazing stuff and keep it up.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thanks, that means a lot!

[@suroot]

I naturally found myself in the situation of comparing the Noctua NH-D15 and the Artic Liquid Freezer II 360 AIO. I tested both. I found the Noctua NH-D15 to be the best choice for me.

[@suadmemo2412]

Hey can you tell me what you dislike about the arctic II thank you very much

[@CueDriver]

LoL, I just ordered one of these since my cooler pump died. The cool part is I have the exact cpu you have in the video. So basically a perfect install video.

[@Green0Photon]

What a nice install video! I kind of wish this was released a week ago, because I just did a build for a friend using this cooler. Installing it wasn't too bad or anything, but having this video would have been just that much more convenient. I did initially install the frontplates upside down though and then applied thermal paste, so I had to unscrew and fix them while avoiding the thermal paste. And this video would have been nice for doing the fan clips, too. Welp, at least I can see that I did everything correctly. And hopefully applied enough thermal paste, too.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thanks for the feedback, glad you got it installed!

[@funyou4153]

Hello I just installed this and the fan makes noice like it hitting something.

[@disco4535]

Just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time to go over small details that many other videos seem to gloss over or ignore. I'm sure many of the details are pretty obvious to experienced/knowledgeable pc builders. But it is extremely helpful for novice like me!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tb0ne315]

I didn't need this video, but if I did, it would have been a perfect guide. Really good job.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thanks for the positive feedback.

[@tb0ne315]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru I installed mine a little differently, leaving that middle part empty with both fans pulling air towards the middle. A case fan situated vertically above the empty middle of the cooler draws the hot air out of the case. This way both towers are drawing cooler air in. I have intake fans at the front and rear directed towards the cooler. I'm getting just slightly better temps but with the added benefit that I can reach my GPU retention clip easier now.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Really creative installation, and yes, being able to reach that GPU clip is priceless!

[@musayyabali6398]

Just bought a brand new DH15 Chromax today! : ) Can't wait for it to arrive

[@demonpride1975]

i use the brown nh-d15, becuase i got it like 3 years ago. and i love this cooler. i have never had a problem with it, my temps along with the fan curve, even while gaming are around 50c tops. and it is whisper quiet.

[@Chris.Brisson]

Have you had to re-apply thermal grease recently after these years of use?

[@zereimu]

NH-D15s with a second fan fixes the fitting problems, thank God. That said, very comprehensive video, thankyou!

[@HiLoMusic]

My friend this video was incredibly through and amazing!

[@45eno]

Scored the standard NH-D15 brand new in box for $40 and yesterday picked up this new black version with the white chromax covers for $70 lightly used. Cooling performance is not the only factor in buying a quality cooler but how they install. Some install with far more juggling of parts, backplates and screws. Others you simply set it down on the CPU and easily start the install. Noctua do make some of the better installation methods. All time favorite is my Prolimatech Megahalems which you could finger tighten the crossbar for effortless no risk, no heavy pressure install. I bought a Vetroo V5 for $20 recently for my childs Ryzen 1600AF system and it cools well enough just the install method was no where as good.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@AhuaKeren]

I have the megahalem, now it's sitting duck with my am3 board, wishing the prolimatech will releasing the am4 upgrade kit.

[@45eno]

@@AhuaKeren Yep I just saw your comment 2yrs later. Yes I still own my Megahalems and would love a modern AM4/AM5 kit for it. I bet it would still hang with the top single tower air coolers. Would be curious to see it back in action.

[@MrBbendiksen]

Awesome Install guide. I haven't seen one better. Using a White Case helps see a lot of detail against the darker components for step-by-step updates. I heard it's a good idea to briefly test run your system after applying the fresh paste, then turn it off and let the paste solidify during cool down for better performance next boot. Rather than, apply paste and benchmark or stress test repeatedly before shutting off the system at all with "wet" paste.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Thanks for saying that, I hadn't looked for other guides (maybe I should have!), but I worked pretty hard to make this a good one. Interesting point about the white case, which I hadn't really focused on before this guide. Not only does it help see things better due to contrast versus dark components, it also reflects more light making the whole interior brighter. Definitely going to stick to white cases for component install videos!

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thank you for the video, and yes do keep using white cases for this kind of videos if possible. I hadn't really thought about it until seeing Brian's post, but I now realize that the white case really made this video so much better.

[@psychoticbambii]

I'm actually building my first PC, and this video helped me out a lot. Thank you for making this 🙏

[@Hamlock_Maneuver]

You can actually mount the Noctua in any orientation you like. In fact some mothers boards wont allow a GPU in the top slot without turning the Noctua 90 degrees right or left. The Asus Maximus IX Apex motherboard in one of these boards. It will perform exactly the same as long as proper airflow is allowed in the case.

[@Quickloaded]

The CPU backplate is usually comes installed on the motherboard with the default mounting hardware. If you don't have these you probably bought it from someone who used the motherboard earlier with a custom cooler and they didn't place back the backplate and mounting kit after removing their custom coolers. If you buy a used motherboard, make sure you have these. Normally the first step would be to remove the default mounting hardware and leaving the backplate on the motherboard. You can install the cooler mounting hardware on the motherboard box in a horizontal position. The heatsink itself is best installed after the motherboard is installed in the PC case with all the cables connected.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

All good advice!

[@Wigglythegreat2]

It took me a while to realize what case you were installing this in. It looked familiar at first then I realized it was a Be Quiet case like I have, but mine is black. There certainly is a lot of room like you showed above the cooler to work with and plenty of clearance for cooler height.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Yes, it's the Silent Base 802!

[@Wigglythegreat2]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru And it's a great case!👍

[@CryptoDeni]

saving this video for next month, i really needed this!

[@FORTNITESLOTH220]

What I learned from what I needed, so I was confused by the 3 fans needing to connect to the mb, I learned a splitter is included to fix that, I learned I don’t need to worry about thermal paste since it’s going to be included, as well as any tools I need, I learned it is a big sized cooler so once it’s in place, the side panel to my pc may not fit but atleast my cpu will be breathing properly (also it works with am4 and am5 so I’m good )

[@AceyPC]

God bless you, sir!

[@45eno]

I've bought 3 of these D15 coolers now on the local market. Brand new in the box standard D15 both for $40 each. Used but like new D15 Black version with White Chromax covers for $70. Great coolers cooling stock clocked 5600X,5800X and 5800X3D. Overkill yes but at those prices why not.

[@Athenian888]

Very useful tip! Another way is to put one book behind the pc case space for the backplate and another towards the lower part of the case so as to have a kind of ''bridge''.If you put the second book at the right point it holds the backplate well.

[@M-DIY]

Excellent video bro. I have also ordered this CPU cooler and I'll soon put up a video on this!

[@joshuasavoy7443]

The is hands down the best tutorial video for the Noctua cooler. Thanks for the great explanation. Sucks that it will obscure my EVGA 3080 GPU release latches. Hate that I have to remove cpu to remove my gpu…

[@pistopitpit]

As for accessing gpu latch in case you wish to unmount your GPU. I just used plastic pin (don’t use anything made of hard material to not scratch anything) to press on the latch.

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

Thoughts on this video jotted down while watching. The CPU backplate can be temporarily held in place with a piece or two of tape. Makes installing it a lot less fiddly. Alternatively if you are installing the cooler while building the computer then attach the backplate before installing the motherboard in the case. When tightening the screws holding the CPU backplate you don't really need to cross tighten them. There is nothing to compress in the middle of the plate so each screw is only putting pressure on the PCB immediately between the CPU backplate then the spacer, and the pressure under one screw doesn't change no matter how hard or lose you screw down any of the others. So just tighten down each of these four screws and be done with it. However just like shown in the video you need to cross tighten the two screws. Everyone has their own technique for this. Personally I start with backing the screw until I feel it skip on the beginning of the first thread, then I give it one turn making sure it engaged the thread. Repeat this with the other screw but I give that one two turns instead. Now I switch between the screws every time giving them two turns. This way the pressure center will only shift slightly up and down every time and it makes sure that it's always very close to the center of the heat spreader. If you feel this takes too long then give the first screw two turns the first time and then use four turns each time you switch screw until they bottom out. This moves the center of pressure a bit more each time but halves the number of times you switch between the screws. Finally regarding the size of this cooler it should be noted that if you look at 10:25 you can see that this cooler actually is so large that on this motherboard it actually covers up the first expansion slot, and that the graphics card is installed in the second slot. This is important to know as there are motherboards that have the x16 PCI-e slot intended for graphics cards in the first slot position. On these motherboards this heatsink will obstruct that slot preventing the installation of a graphics card there. Also note that even if your motherboard have two or even more x16 slots it's very uncommon for any but the first one to actually be wired for more than x8. If in doubt check the motherboard manual to make sure. Also Noctua have a pretty large database on their site where you can see if the cooler will fit a certain motherboard. I think they also have a case compatibility database, so before ordering it might be worth taking a look there.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

All good points, thanks for sharing... I like that tape idea!!

[@xcoolthefoolx]

Thank you so much for this man, seriously. I can't thank you enough I really appreciate you!

[@ryyy4312]

Amazing cooler! My 5600x was overheating at 96 degrees with the stock cooler so I bought this, I know it's overkill but I assume I'll have this for future upgrades. Haven't seen my CPU go over 60 degrees and with a new overclock on the GPU I am getting 30-35% more FPS in CPU demanding titles.

[@deathrager2404]

did you undervolt it?

[@vikingofnorway991]

The last words made me think hard i should wait with mounting until i have the right gpu, thanks for the video

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad I could help.

[@pbspbs84]

Quick and complete information, thx.

[@Vestu]

Perfect video for the purpose. Thank you.

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

It's nice, that Noctua launched black line after years and years of complaining about brown and beige pattern letting you only color match your Louis Vuitton themed build. My favourite additon in Chromax D15 are these mysterious white code numbers on most exposed point of fans :> But if you can mount these fans upside down to get full blackout look and without exposing the cables or any problems with them - great.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Agreed the fan labels are very mysterious, and no, you can't flip them unless you'd prefer a cable mess. My guess is that this has something to do with preventing counterfeits in photos.

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru But - if I'm not wrong - brown D15 doesn't have this codes. So my guess it's a joke by Noctua to all of the poeple hating their traditional pattern and being for their taste too concerned about looks - Chromax buyers :D Maybe bad from sales perspective, but something they couldn't resist...

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

The brown ones do have numbers, but they are printed in white and barely visible on the beige frame. While your theory is humorous, I doubt Noctua would go to those lengths to upset the beige haters. My guess is that it was an oversight by the design team, which didn't think to change the type color to grey to blend in better on the black. I'm tempted to ask, actually, so stay tuned... I might get an answer to this perplexing question!

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru That would be awesome :D

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Here's the answer, straight from Noctua. Definitely just a technical problem, and it sounds like they are working hard to address the issue: "Thank you for your question, these are production batch numbers that allow us to track when a fan has been produced. We are in the process of introducing a new laser printing machine that will allow printing on the opposite side in a shade of grey that is less easily visible. I hope that we will implement this within the next month or two!" I bet you won't find this information anywhere else on YT. That's what you get for being a loyal subscriber!!!

[@EJfromNYC]

I bought this cooler based on reviews and pretty much price... just went with a 100 dollar cooler....this thing is huge!

[@mrbiiily7542]

thank you for the video bro!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

No problem!

[@alphabennyrosy5068]

You can hit the latch on the GPU. Even though it looks really close, you can get you finger in there and click that latch.

[@jbones360]

Excellent vid, keen to install my D15!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@edwardferry8247]

Gorilla tape the back plate, holds it nicely and takes 30 seconds to put on and take off afterwards 👌

[@CharalamposKoundourakis]

Gem of a video. 💎

[@tonybeckett66]

Thanks for the instructional video, have a great weekend

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad you liked it, have a good one!

[@babit65]

What if the second fan won't fit in the case when mounted on the cooler? I would like to attach it to the back top of the case for more airflow but it doesn't seem to have anything to mount it to the case itself.

[@lescarpio]

Nice video! Simple, easy to follow.

[@coyotestone]

By sitting the front fan directly on top of the ram, do you mean it's touching the ram? Is that OK, or should I be leaving a tiny gap?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

It's fine to touch the RAM.

[@aceberganabolic]

before install that make sure connect case fans to slots to its places BEFORE ... after your hands will not fit into small gapes and metal layers of radiator absoluately harm your back side of hand ..

[@wibblewobble1934]

Thermal paste application is always something that seems to divid opinion, the problem with separate splodges is that it can encourage trapped air bubbles in-between.

[@TheDiner50]

O noo! We all know the right way! From the old bears muttering from years of hand me down experience and magic rituals. The secrete sauce! Spread it with unicorn precision bla bla bla. But yea honestly a big blob in the middle and spreading it out just to sanity check that enough paste is applied is still a better way to go. Like for a threadripper you people (in general) can not be serious just saying that a big blob in the middle is a good idea.. Or for a GPU ide or whatever. But yes small splodges is not a grate idea at any point but not going to do much harm really. Maybe on a threadripper system or GPU. Maybe. But not a normal PC CPU. But it sure is not a good way to paste something with a big blob in the middle since it becomes a trained eye to know how much is needed. Like sure is going to work but when the cooler is on the CPU you want it to be done for 4years or so. So better to overdo the step without doing it all by hand all the way. Big blob and then help the paste spread just to make sure enough is used. If one can not spread the paste out a bit and be sure it is enough you have used to little paste. And if you add extra paste since your not sure then woopt i du! You just creamed the stuff out on your board. XD Or worse for the AM5 CPU's. Or liquid metal... Fun hobby. GamerNexus was making fun of Noctua for the plastic film to place on the new AMD cpu's to make sure paste do not go under the heat sink etc. But like.. That seems like a good way of doing it. Anyways it is up to everyone to try and learn for themselves. I still think the old way of manual paste is more relevant now then back in Intel days of 4cores hell. Still recommended to just manually spread and let the stupid cooler do the squeeze. To avoid air bubbles and still have given it enough paste. Since the big blob in the middle stays a big blob it should push out any air trapped in the tampering with the paste. And since one do half the spreading one can make sure enough paste is used without overdoing it to much. Doing the paste fully by hand is also a risk of air bubbles to some extent. Why the pea metod was superior for more then a decade. But now the pea is not really the way anymore. And so people started to mess up the tirual. ;) Btw: D15 is just as I remember my D14 install. To easy. Stock AMD cooler was no fun to mount. So I doubt if my memory of D14 was wrong or not.

[@wibblewobble1934]

@@TheDiner50 I've always done single blob in the middle. I've had a system running 24/7 using Noctuas standard NT-H1 for 8 years now and the temps are still like the day I first applied it. It may not have the best temps but my god is the NT-H1 a damn good long term thermal paste. It doesn't dry out and is non-conductive too, easily still one of the best all rounder pastes despite its age, I'd still pick it over the newer H2. Never used a chip the size of a threadripper so can't comment on those :)

[@valarieknight7990]

Looked at several installation videos and yours was the best. Told me how to clip on the second fan. The only thing missing was the orientation of the fans. Which direction do you have them going???? I assume in the same direction? But how do you tell which direction is which?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

The spinning hub is always the intake, and should always face the front of the case.

[@Dmwntkp99]

That's great Noctua designed it so you can't over torque and damage the cpu and motherboard with spring stopper.

[@not_optikk]

Very great video, insightful and every step explained in great detail! Thank you!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jannegrey]

I did it yesterday. Took me 4 hours almost (including unpacking and stuff). I couldn't make the other screw (like in 6:58 ) "bite". I had no problem screwing one, but the other was always loose. I unscrewed the one that already held and then I had no problems screwing in the other one. But making sure that both "bit" took me a long time. I didn't want to put my new mobo on hard table, so I've put it on the mobo's box. Still I had to put a lot of force to screw those 2 screws. At one point I managed, but they almost instantly stopped, so I thought they might have cross threaded. So I unscrewed them and tried again, more delicately and this time they were screwing in. I do hope that it means everything was correct. Though I wonder if perhaps I didn't screw brackets strong enough, but the screws are sticking decently through the back plate. Just not uniformly. I basically screw them (obviously in X order, couple rotations at most, before I switch to another screw), until there is significant resistance that stops my 2 fingers. Then I give it one last nudge this time with more force, until I feel screw fight back - which happens after 30-90 degrees rotation. Otherwise I was worried about PCB. It took me this long mostly because I used noctua tool that is great for reaching things, but it's not good to apply downward force. Once I took screwdriver and held mobo firmly by the backplate and used strength to squish that huge spring just a tiny bit, both screws were in, in a minute. I just screwed them enough so they held and then started tightening them 2 rotations each. I hope I didn't destroy a PCB or that there is contact between IHS and the cold plate. I hope I didn't make my CPU a pancake. I installed RAM afterwards without any trouble, just had to remove the exterior fan for the duration of installing it. Gigabyte Aorus X570S ELITE AX Rev. 1.1 and 5950X.

[@Chris.Brisson]

Thanks for the heads-up. We, who are about to install, salute you. So, how are your temps?

[@jannegrey]

@@Chris.Brisson Temps are fine, it just took a long time to get system up and running and it still lacks games etc. For the first couple of days I will have 4 TB of games from Steam to Download, but I can only do it late, when Internet isn't needed as much.

[@thiagoguimaraes5345]

Hi! With the displacement of the cooler above the ram, what is the distance between the cpu and the top of the fan, to know the size of pc case i should buy

[@stephenhughes4166]

I still can't figure out what you mean by "the right orientation". I assume you're using the readability of the logos to determine it, but what part of the motherboard counts as "up"? The spring-loaded mounting screws make it impossible to install it flipped 90 degrees the wrong way, but how do I know I don't have the metal shell flipped 180 degrees the wrong way?

[@Jonathan-sw2bx]

did everything in the video, the cooler fits on one screw the other screw is an 1/8th of an inch off from fitting, im using the am4 adapter that came with the cooler any idea on whats wrong?

[@pmackni]

Pro Tip: Cooler bracket mounting is easiest when the motherboard is not in the case. Always install bracket mounts onto motherboard with backer plate before installing the motherboard if possible. This does not include upgrading to a new cooler with an existing build, as removing the motherboard to do this install is more hassle than the awkwardness of installing new brackets. But if this is a fresh build, ALWAYS do this step first!

[@jeffrdrama7984]

Obscures some of the screws though making it impossible to install the motherboard.

[@baconshreds1772]

Yeah definitely need this one. I recently got a 3070 and my cpu is running 90c on almost all my games.

[@kenkoyka9]

with nh d15 youll be having 25c less vs a stock cooler

[@coryandrum]

I love how easy it is to pop these Noctua coolers off and back on after its mounted.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Yes, the mounting mechanism is really top notch. Others have gotten close, but Noctua pioneered a simple, elegant solution.

[@crylune]

Me too, allowed me to test different paste applications on my Ryzen to check the spread very easily. Pea size proved the best surprisingly.

[@coryandrum]

@@crylune I lost 5c by reapplying with pea size after trying a X

[@crylune]

@@coryandrum I was using a NH-D15 with NT-H2. After applying pea size, the spread was perfect on the CPU: i.imgur.com/OlfKPCf.png X method and 5 dots method actually spread worse for me.

[@nnasuhi]

You're perfect! Thank you bro :)

[@Pewpewsogge]

great video! I'm using a lian li o11d xl and i have a vertical mounting bracket available, will the vertical mounted gpu fit? your test rig seems similar to my case

[@DrDanielHoward]

Hey I forgot to take the plastic from the bottom of the cooler. I have not turned the PC on. Should I remove the cooler and take the plastic off. I put a whole tube of paste so it might help in any case to get some of the paste off (too much). Also, you did not say what direction should the fans go, blowing away from the RAM or into the RAM, does it matter? for there is a directional choice. They face the fan on the box of course. It is OK to put the outside fan on the other side so it is not close to the RAM? Please explain a bit more. Thank you.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

That plastic typically would fall right off, as it is not secured to the cooler. Are you sure it's not simply in the box? I agree a whole tube of paste would be too much, but excess would have squeezed to the sides of the CPU. You should look carefully underneath to see if the paste is visible, and if the plastic cover is still there. The fans blow through the cooler (away from the RAM), just as pictured in the video. They have labels on the back, so it is obvious which way they are facing.

[@3piano]

Thank you. Very helpful..

The thing that this video did not show and one reason I was watching it was for the orientation of the fans which was sadly skipped over! Do they have to be the same orientation, or can they be opposite. Also, does one fan need to be in the middle, or can you put one on one side of the heat sink and one of the other side? Luckily for me I had no problem fitting the cooler as my PC is caseless. Thanks.

[@Lyander25]

If I'm reading your comment correctly, you want both fans to be working together and not against each other, so they ought to be oriented with air flowing in the same direction to move as much air as possible to dissipate the heat. I'd say having one fan in the middle is mostly a space saving measure, but it could also be useful in that you could have one fan pulling double duty assisted by one on the opposite side.

[@Lyander25]

@ It's interesting how systems work to be honest. It appears to be the case that even when there's LESS overall air being moved in a closed case, the fact that air movement is directed can help with temps. Perhaps 8in clearance just wasn't enough somehow in this instance (lmao). Glad you got it sorted!

[@BigRedBrent]

Just wondering. Why wouldn't you put the mounting bracket on first before installing the motherboard? I guess if for some reason you already have the motherboard installed, but if doing a new install, it might make things a lot easier to put the mounting bracket on first before installing the motherboard.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Most people watching this video are upgrading their cooler. Thus the motherboard is already in the case.

[@davidhunter1538]

You jumped over a step I may have a problem with. The cover on the base interface is a hard transparent plastic molding which in my case fell out of the packaging when I opened it. This is the cover you're talking about? or do you mean there is an additional peel off soft plastic cover I should have peeled off before mounting the cooler?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Yup, that's it. Not hard to take off!

[@Darkred11]

Thank you for the video! Maybe you can help me? I'm about to get a pc for music production and some video editing, so I need a strong and quiet cooler, but I'm still not sure which one will be best for me - d15 vs u12a, for an intel 12700k, z690 ud, 32 ram, pure base 500. As I understand, The D15 is better, but I have some doubts: - The ram (Kingston Fury Beast 16x2 DDR5 4800) is a bit taller for the D15, so maybe it won't fit, and even if it will, it might limit the air flow? - The D15 is big, so I'm concerned - will it make noises every time it touches the sides of the case as it spins? - Noctua is warning not to move the D15, so that the big wings won't break - the case will be positioned on the floor, but sometimes I need to move it - is it ok? - Also, the D15 is heavy, so I'm afraid about the motherboard - the store will install everything inside the case and ship it to me ready to use, should I be afraid? The u12a is heavy too, so I don't know if choosing it over the D15 is going to help in terms of shipping. Nevertheless, D15 is the strongest and the quiter, so what do you think I should do? I can't decide...

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Go with the D15 in your situation. BUT NOTE: I would never ship a PC with any large tower cooler installed. It doesn't matter if it's the D15 or U12A, either can break the motherboard if dropped during shipping. If you must have this shipped pre-built, I'd recommend a liquid cooler.

[@Darkred11]

​@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thank you for your response! Wow I'm surprised - so what's the accepted way to get a pre-built computer? After all, not everyone knows how to build one. The shipping is from another city, and I want an air cooling, not a liquid. What about having enough airflow (assuming it will fit the ram that is taller than it should) + the wings touching the sides of the case - should be fine? And what about moving the case carefully from time to time? I used to move my last pc with no worries, also, I got it from a store in town but I don't recall driving slowly or doing anything special in order to keep the cooler/motherboard safe. Thank you again!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Shipping is totally different from driving a PC in your own car. There is a reason not a single OEM manufacturer sells high-end PCs with air cooling. It cannot be shipped.

[@Christian-vk2cb]

Thanks so much for clearing up that 3 pin 4 pin thing. I couldn't fit the front color because of my cabinet clearance, and couldn't understand why I got CPU fan error afterwards. Must have plugged it in the 3 pin..

[@RM-RF-z3h]

Could also explain, which way the fans face? I am guessing they pull air from one side and if u put the third one, it just exhausts that air to your exhaust fan on the side?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Mount the fans just as you see in the video. Spinning hub is towards the front, frame is towards the rear.

[@RM-RF-z3h]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru so basically the air is pulled from one side and goes through the two heatsink towers in that direction

[@dap777754]

I just installed the single cooler version of this in an LGA 1700 MB. Contrary to "the instructions are awesome" I found that there was no way to know which way the single fan was going to blow, and therefore no way to determine how to orient the cooler. The fan neglects to say "intake" or "exhaust" or "the air goes thataway". Unlike a car, I don't know how to "jump" a motherboard so you wind up guessing which way to orient the fan, after guessing which way to orient the cooler atop the MB. Noctua probably does this intentionally knowing how much negative blowback they'll receive by people getting their directions wrong, had they chosen to try explaining fan orientation.

[@valentds]

pc shop mounted this 90° pushing air on top instead of back pc, so that's is bad for good °C?

[@Lloyd.B.]

You can use some thin double sided tape. I wasted a glob of thermal paste the other day coz the backplate fell off when I unscrewed the nuts. So stuck some double sided tape on it; now it won't fall off.

[@dobbinuk]

Thanks for the vid. @2:58: "You'll see that there are Noctua words emblazoned here. Make sure they are the right side up". Please could you clarify? "Up" might depend on which axis you are considering and from which viewing direction.

[@dobbinuk]

Don't worry. Watching rest of great vid helped. Thanks.

[@Myself-yh9rr]

I realize this is an older video but I wondered one thing. How does this compare to the Corsair A70? I notice that this heatsink has more heat pipes. I also did a search for liquid cooling and a lot of posts I see recommend this cooler. I know Noctua is a good brand but I never had any of their products before. They are known for quieter fans mostly

[@doddstaruniii6698]

Hey man! I would be glad if you will notice this but, I don't know if I am being nuts with my question but, should I stop screwing the screws until I feel them not turning anymore? Does it really need to be that tight? With no allowance? Thanks in advance man.

[@MadaoMaiet]

Why are all 3 fans placed to the inside direction. How is the hot air going to get out?

[@Rotasu_]

10:45 How will you be able to remove one or the other if you need to remove some components then?? This looks incredibly crammed and might cause a huge broken piece if you're not careful..

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

It is difficult. Took me about five minutes of jamming my hand in under the cooler to release the GPU after shooting this video. It was not pleasant!

[@TKiY_Hastur]

Small issue, it seems that my case is not thick enough for it to sit on top of the ram or else it will not close, can i put the fan on the second fan on the back instead of the front? will it cause any damage if i do?

[@rogeeshmee]

Wish you had done the little stringy wires part of the fans cant figure it out

[@collinague1709]

With the cooler being so close to the gpu, will it affect the gpu cooling at all?

[@lilnico4877]

Awesome video, question: so i have 3 fans atm that are corsair fans that are very loud. And i recently ordered 2x arctic p14 and i am thinking of replacing the arctics with my corsair in the front. But i still got one in the back and i was wondering should i maybe take the front fan of my nhd15 and use at as a exhaust case fan? How big is the difference when using dual fan and single fan?

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Your answer is right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHnaZZKgnq-EhZo Short answer though: don't take fans off your cooler to use as case fans. Just buy another Arctic P14 when you can.

[@lilnico4877]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru alright. Thanks a lot

[@BRUCEYBOY]

Gonna be building my first pc with a buddy soon, I opted to get this cooler instead of AOI liquid. Hope it goes as smooth as it did for you 😂

[@sridhartn83]

Will it fit on a microATX board and in a Micro ATX Case, case Manufacturer CoolerMaster mentioned 160mm as the max height of FAN but no mention of width. So am wondering if it will cause any issue with micro ATX. Planning to mount it on intel i7 12700K.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

No. 160mm is the height limit. Cooler is 165mm.

[@sridhartn83]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thanks, I will settle with NH12S then.

[@treeladder5338]

If you have a pump option on your motherboard just connect the second fan there no need for splitter

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Actually, you don't want to do that. The AIO pump header will run the fan at 100% all the time. It's not designed to be controlled. A better option is the CPU_OPT header, if the motherboard has one.

[@treeladder5338]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru not true you can go into the bios and control it just the same as everything else. That's what most of the people on forums have been saying including Linus tec tips. Who in his latest pc build put his 1 CPU fan into the aio header.

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Why tho? It includes a splitter, which makes it much simpler. There's no reason to control the two fans separately.

[@barantopal8278]

brilliant video

[@Nahinho69]

Hey there, may I ask whats the reference of your PC case ?

[@laszlodajka5946]

So im supposed to take out the screws of the am4 backplate?

[@AnuruddhaKarunanayake]

What screwdriver did you use? what's the length of it?

[@NightOwlGames]

will this cooler fit a Corsair Carbide spec 01 case? mobo is a ASUS Tuf x570 AM4 socket 3700x CPU. its a small case i dont know if it would fit it looks like a monster of a cooler. using the stock wraith right now temps in 70s

[@tim2975]

What is the max RAM clearance for this cooler? Will the Corsair Vengeance RBG Pro or Vengeance SL fit without moving a fan up? ( I know you can, but I don’t know if my side panel will allow for that (I have the Rosewill ThorV2 (it has a side fan) Will there be enough space for the Vengeance Rbg Pro

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

Definitely not RGB Pro, and I don't think the SL will work either. Honestly, the RGB is covered up anyway, so go with Vengeance LPX.

[@PhoenixGangGames]

@@TheTechBuyersGuru what about just using 1 fan?

[@lucianbadoi6792]

Can you do an installation guide for the brown one?

[@thecolourgroin7993]

Is the front fan sitting above the ram a risk?

[@7Wolfleader]

Thanks for the video^^ May I ask you something, just in case you happen to know... Should I get the Noctua NH-D15 S instead of the regular NH D-15 for cooling a Ryzen 9 5900X? I live in Greece and temperature is quite high during Summer... I will miss one fan but I will have more room for the video card and the M.2 Slot. Hopefully I will be able to open the top M.2 Slot without unistalling the cooler (I'm not sure though). I could also buy a second fan later on, but they are expensive and I'd rather avoid it... The motherboard is an MSI X570 MAG Tomahawk. Thank you in advance for your time!

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

If you want easier access to your GPU and M.2 drive, definitely get the D15S. But for a serious CPU like the 5900X, the D15 will provide better performance.

[@shegocrazy]

I've got the S version. According to reviews the temp diff is minimal. If you want you can still add a 2nd fan like a 120mm to give extra clearance. A 120 fan is pretty cheap.

[@aaroncapricorn5867]

i have the NH-D15 SE-AM4. it makes me want to get a full tower case. about ready to take this out and replace it with a 3rd gen ryzen(vs 1st gen). doing the gpu card upgrade also(980 to 3060). should be cool smooth running for gaming

[@apertaplays]

does this cooler bend the motherboard by any chance? did you had any problems? could u answer me? i have a x570 UD gigabyte and i´m in doubt if this will hold.

[@Elven_Red]

Man I was excited to grab this one but after showing the final build I'm kinda worried that once I've installed everything, it's all locked in place for good... any good tips for removing the cooler later when it's time to upgrade or clean stuff? I know the first step is probably to remove the GPU, but accessing that latch... is even more hostile here because I've filled all RAM slots and there's a chonky nvme that gets in the way of unlatching it by finger (it's one of those horizontal latches from Aorus boards that looks like the RAM latches, I think it opens by pushing it down or pulling it towards the front? Been a while since I messed with it)... seen suggestions in the comments to use a long screwdriver or a ruler, is this the best way to go? I wish they designed these coolers keeping in mind how cramped it gets by adding an easy way to remove the fans with the cooler installed, so all you had to do next was the super easy step of removing two screws from the mounting bracket and then taking the cooler out of the case vertically...

[@TheTechBuyersGuru]

You've pretty much summed up the worst-case scenario. And yes, everyone says use a screwdriver, and I sometimes do this, but there is a risk of damage to the motherboard if it slips while you're pushing hard on it. Something with a blunt end would be better, maybe a wooden dowel. A ruler might work too if it's wide enough.

[@Elven_Red]

​@@TheTechBuyersGuru It's been a while since I removed anything here so I don't even remember how much force is required to open the pcie clip, maybe I should test it out soon... the one thing I'm afraid of with the ruler method is that it will just break from the strain of trying to open the clip while only being able to handle it from it's opposite end... Kinda bums me out, I wanted to stay withing the relative safety of an air cooler but it might drive me into buying an AIO instead (which costs up to like double the D15 around here, but at least it seems a lot easier to handle afterwards)

[@MarketAndChurch]

Do you need both fans or is one enough for a 3950x in a high airflow case?

[@kukubeta]

can i fit it with h5 flow case and with my corsair vengeance rgb pro. rams i thibk cant fit with d15:(

[@ent1311]

Will having the noctua heat sink the opposite way affect performance at all or is it just so that it looks good the right side up?

[@CharalamposKoundourakis]

A month later but no difference with performance.

[@Yauboyy]

For the fans, shouldn't they face the same way as back exhaust (looks like pushing air out towards front intake, rather than moving airflow right to left). Sorry if it's a stupid question..

[@Yauboyy]

Wait are they reverse fans? That would explain it...

[@VertzWrld]

what kind of screws at 4:09 ?