Performance
The performance of the NH-D15 G2 cooler has been tested on the latest AMD platform, which contains the Ryzen 9 7950X CPU, Gigabyte B650E Master motherboard, Kingston Renegade RGB 96GB DDR5-6400 CL32 memory kit, Acer Predator GM7000 2TB NVMe SSD with the latest version of Windows 11.
There are three settings: idle, which explains itself, a mixed load test, which includes a pretty long PCMark 10 Extended benchmark, and a max load CPU test with AVX/AVX2 instructions, performed by the AIDA64 stability test.
The NH-D15 G2 handles the Ryzen 9 7950X without problems. In the case of modern AMD processors, results can be a bit misleading because of the auto-adjustment of frequency and voltages, depending on the CPU load. As you can see, on all coolers, the CPU was going up to 95°C during extended high-load tests. However, this is how AMD designed these CPUs. The main difference is how high the frequency can be kept under full load and how much noise the cooler generates. The frequency varies between 5.05GHz on the DeepCool AK620 and 5.25GHz on AIO 360 coolers and Noctua NH-D15 G2.
The NH-D15 G2 keeps our CPU’s frequency about as high as on 360 AIO coolers. However, it doesn’t make as much noise because two fans spin at up to 1500 RPM instead of three at about 2000 RPM.
If we compare the NH-D15 G2 to other air coolers, every competitive option gives us a 100-200MHz lower frequency during full load or more noise.
Our results don’t include undervolting as then we would see a different story. It’s the most common way to reduce the heat and increase the CPU boost (as the temperatures are lower). On the other hand, we can see that Noctua NH-D15 G2 is the best air cooler available on the market and offers as much, if not more, than the higher series of 360 AIO coolers.
We may argue about the price, but most AIO coolers aren’t cheap, either, and often cost much more than the NH-D15 G2. A quite large group of users also don’t want or don’t trust liquid coolers. In the case of Noctua, we get a 6-year warranty, and the only thing that may break is the fans, which are easy to replace. Noctua fans also rarely fail.
In recent days, we have heard about the “rattling issue” that one of the reviewers noticed during tests. Looking at various comments around the internet, it doesn’t happen often, but Noctua has already investigated the issue and is working on a solution. I can only confirm that the review sample we received (a retail product, not any special) has no mentioned issues. Everything is perfect, and there is no unexpected rattling noise during work.
Even though not cheap, the NH-D15 G2 is the top option if we search for the best-performing and quiet CPU cooler. I’m sure anyone who expects to get the best air cooler won’t be disappointed.
