Considering a purchase of Noctua NH-D15?
Considering a purchase of Noctua NH-D15?
Using my D15 setup gives me a cooler that sits higher over the RAM slots, helping it clear the memory slots I have. I believe there’s enough room in the cooler to handle most RAM sticks, except the tallest ones. Regarding why you’re experiencing this issue, your reasoning makes sense. The D15 is a powerful air cooler designed for heavy use, and staying with an AM4 socket means you can upgrade any CPU without worrying about cooling. Still, make sure your case can handle both the size and airflow needs. Right now I’m changing cases because my existing one struggles to provide enough airflow when full of drives, forcing me to run fans at maximum speed. Depending on your current setup, removing the front panel might be a good first step to improve temperatures.
Alternatively, consider the D15-S model. It has a single fan yet offers about 3C more warmth than the D15 and improved RAM space. https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15s-chromax-black
For air-cooling high-power chips, the 15 is an excellent choice. As mentioned earlier, the 15s also make solid selections. The 12 works well too and will easily handle your needs. A $50 purchase usually provides a solid cooler from most brands for the 3600 series. Note: Stock coolers contribute to e-waste.
I think I need something that matches its performance if I want confidence it can manage any kind of heavy workload later. Just covering for 3600 feels like a waste to me, and I agree—most stock coolers are only suited for people who don’t really push the CPU to high demands.
I reside in Lithuania, where tech parts often cost more locally than globally. Depending on the manufacturer, AIOs typically run 40-60 dollars above the D15 price. I might find a comparable AIO near D15 by choosing Fractal Design or Arctic.
I'm testing the R9 5900X with overclocked settings to 4.8 GHz across all cores. The D15 maintains a stable temperature around 81°C even in a room temperature of 25°C. Beyond the 5950X, significant improvements are hard to achieve unless you push the hardware extensively.
I used a thermalright fs140. It costs half as much as the noctua and offers comparable results.
in my case i'd wait and let things heat up naturally. the d15 doesn't add much value for a 3600, efficiency-wise you can't match the stock cooler for free. if gaming is your main goal, focus on upgrading the gpu. for 4k rendering, pair it with a better cpu and cooler. don't rush buying the d15 just yet.
The airflow is fine. When handling heavy loads, I simply open the front door of the case. Regarding HDD trays, I’m considering a open layout where HDDs and an SSD are placed behind the motherboard. Since I have that setup, I can always access the top of the case without needing to remove the filter or acoustic panel.