# Noctua NH-D15 (original, chromax.black)

- Source: https://stierproducts.com/products/noctua-nh-d15-original-chromax-black
- Category board: https://stierproducts.com/categories/cpu-coolers
- Placement: #10 of 17 in CPU Coolers, C tier
- Brand: Noctua
- LP on this board: 399
- Last researched: 2026-08-17T14:55:45.236Z
- Method: https://stierproducts.com/methodology
- Reuse: Text, rankings, tier assignments, LP values and verdicts are free to quote and reuse with attribution to stierproducts and a link to the source URL (CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.

## Verdict

Nearly the same ownership story as the G2 with a decade of field-proven reliability behind it; ranked second only because the G2 cools better for new buyers.

## For

- Longest verified field record of any product here, a decade on sale
- Same 6-year warranty and free socket-upgrade policy as the G2
- Still among the best air coolers ever tested
- Remains a mainstream recommendation the market still buys new

## Against

- Cools worse than the newer G2 for new buyers

## Flagged as one to avoid

This product entered 2 of 6 runs as one buyers cross-shop but should not buy, rather than as a pick. It is published here rather than dropped.

## Evidence

Consolidated from 43 cited sources across 35 outlets

| Outlet | Said by | Stance | Link | Link status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| www.guru3d.com | Hilbert Hagedoorn | B | https://www.guru3d.com/review/noctua-nhd15-g2-chromaxblack-cpu-cooler-review/ | fetched and confirmed |
| r/buildapc | u/Rare_Construction575 | D | https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/1p2hfbq/first_pc_build_thinking_about_the_cooler_noctua/ | fetched and confirmed |
| guru3D Forums | Hilbert Hagedoorn | B | https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/noctua-nh-d15-g2-chromax-black-cpu-cooler-review.459134/ | fetched and confirmed |
| ThePCEnthusiast | Peter Paul | B | https://thepcenthusiast.com/noctua-nh-d15-g2-chromax-black-review/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Funky Kit | funkykit | A | https://www.funkykit.com/reviews/cooling/noctua-nh-d15-g2-chromax-black-high-performance-cpu-cooler-review/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Facebook | Todd Hamilton | B | https://www.facebook.com/groups/372119787729533/posts/1228448345430002/ | fetched and confirmed |
| https://www.arlt.com/ | arlt.com | B | https://www.arlt.com/Hardware/PC-Komponenten/Kuehler-Luefter/CPU-Kuehler/Luft/Noctua-NH-D15-chromax-black.html | fetched and confirmed |
| HardwareCooking | hardwarecooking.fr | B | https://www.hardwarecooking.fr/test-noctua-nh-d15-g2-chromax-black-un-excellent-ventirad/ | fetched and confirmed |
| GoGeek | GoGeek | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMZZC6It6as | fetched and confirmed |
| Tom's Hardware Forum | Gypooo | B | https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/noctua-nh-d15-chromax-black-vs-cooler-master-hyper-612-apex.3892808/ | fetched and confirmed |
| JustAnother Gamer3000 | JustAnother Gamer3000 | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=288A8W1DM94 | fetched and confirmed |
| r/pcmasterrace | u/FuzzyAttitude_ | B | https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/1qhs9pn/how_much_better_is_the_noctua_d15_g2_vs_phantom/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Vividrepairs | vividrepairs.co.uk | B | https://www.vividrepairs.co.uk/noctua-nh-d15-premium-cpu-cooler-review-uk | fetched and confirmed |
| Tom's Hardware | tomshardware.com | C | https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/pc-cases/endgame-whats-it-like-to-build-the-noctua-everything-pc-inside-the-antec-flux-pro-noctua-edition/2 | fetched and confirmed |
| guru3D Forums | Hilbert Hagedoorn | C | https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/noctua-nh-d15-g2-chromax-black-cpu-cooler-review.459134/page-2 | fetched and confirmed |
| The Product Critiques | The Product Critiques | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAT-uhC7M0o | fetched and confirmed |
| XDA | Tanveer Singh | D | https://www.xda-developers.com/pc-component-i-am-never-buying-again/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Propel RC | John | B | https://www.propelrc.com/best-cpu-cooler-for-ryzen-9-5900x/ | fetched and confirmed |
| UTECHPIA | - | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCa7cTDjmhk#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| U.S Computer Solutions | cmasscmass | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4NLtTlWzi0#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| Timmy Joe PC Tech | - | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJbOBgKpGZg#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| Scotts PC | Scotts PC | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GErPlWFSl0 | fetched and confirmed |
| Nicolas11x12 English | Nicolas11x12 English | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b19j497N0is | fetched and confirmed |
| 3dGameMan | 3dGameMan | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdubBn9UgT0 | fetched and confirmed |
| The Provoked Prawn | The Provoked Prawn | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuaPF_aUa9g | fetched and confirmed |
| Barefoot Gaming | Barefoot Gaming | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfnhzxKTfw8 | fetched and confirmed |
| Scotts PC | Scotts PC | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3od_gzQ1tg | fetched and confirmed |
| Buying Guide | Buying Guide | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onYeuVHkGYA | fetched and confirmed |
| Timmy Joe PC Tech | Timmy Joe PC Tech | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJbOBgKpGZg | fetched and confirmed |
| The 117th | The 117th | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-E6pNca1qY | fetched and confirmed |
| PC Species | PC Species | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDH7Kg3qQuA | fetched and confirmed |
| FUNTIK | FUNTIK | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b54ISG6hbsc | fetched and confirmed |
| UTECHPIA | UTECHPIA | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCa7cTDjmhk | fetched and confirmed |
| Mr Matt Lee | Mr Matt Lee | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UAbAYKM5zo | fetched and confirmed |
| Christopher Flannigan | Ladioz | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY1A8V9nhLo#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| Nicolas11x12 English | ahmadzahid266 | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b19j497N0is#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| 3dGameMan | sniperviper21 | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdubBn9UgT0#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| Linus Tech Tips | somedude6584 | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emFN5KeGGnc#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| The Provoked Prawn | Yuu_Touko | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuaPF_aUa9g#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| Gamers Nexus | nikenpeeps | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cng_J4sBaNs#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| OC3D TV | declde | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swijjjpVR0s#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| Noctua | TechWeLove | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-nutyHONWM#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| Scotts PC | Qyoon | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieKYpVNxnnc#comments | fetched and confirmed |

## Nearest alternatives on this board

| Rank | Product | Tier | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5 | Thermalright Grand Vision 360 | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/thermalright-grand-vision-360 |
| 6 | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/thermalright-peerless-assassin-120-se |
| 7 | ID-COOLING FX360 PRO | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/id-cooling-fx360-pro |
| 8 | Arctic Freezer 36 | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/arctic-freezer-36 |
| 9 | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5 | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-5 |
| 11 | Corsair Nautilus 360 RS | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/corsair-nautilus-360-rs |
| 12 | MSI MAG CoreLiquid A13 360 | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/msi-mag-coreliquid-a13-360 |
| 13 | be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/be-quiet-pure-rock-pro-3 |
| 14 | DeepCool Assassin IV | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/deepcool-assassin-iv |
| 15 | Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX LCD | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/corsair-icue-link-titan-360-rx-lcd |

The full board is at https://stierproducts.com/categories/cpu-coolers.

## What this tier means

- C: Fair. Acceptable in the right situation, outclassed at its price.

## How to read this

- Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.
- LP is this product's points on its own category ladder. It is comparable within a category and not across categories.
- Link status reports what our pre-publication link check found when it fetched the cited URL. It says nothing about the quality of the review.
- A citation with no usable link is listed rather than dropped, and is excluded from the counted total above.

## Image

https://stierproducts.com/images/products/noctua-nh-d15-original-chromax-black.webp

Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.