Which CPU cooler to buy?

John_699

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Apr 2, 2017
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Hi everyone :)

I need help for a cpu cooler. I can choose between

Noctua NH-D14 or D15
ID Cooling Hunter VC Twin
Noctua NH-U14S

Processor is a i7 6700k on a Gigabyte z170x gaming 7 mobo.

The NH D14 & D15 would cool down my CPU for sure but they are really huge and looks bit ugly then ^^ The ID Hunter not sure how huge it is on my board then. So I would go for the smaller one, the U14S but not sure if it will cool down enough my processor. It should not be very noisy. I read before the Noctua is definitely a good choice. I stay here in the Philippines so i have a high room temperature.

Thanks for all your help in advance :)
 
Solution
The D15 has a RAM clearance on its fan of 32mm, and your RAM is 49mm so you'd have to raise the fan up 16mm. The D15 would fit with 1mm to spare but you wouldn't get the best airflow with that configuration.

The ID Cooling Hunter VC Twin has I believe a similar issue with RAM, but it looks like you can mount it vertically to get around that. Color wise it should make a good pic, but so far I haven't seen anything good to say about the fans they used on it so you may want to look at replacing them at some point.

The Noctua NH-U14S will fit without issue from the sound of it. It's rated high enough for your CPU and for OCing beyond it (to a point), but it's cooling won't be on the same level as the D15.

John_699

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Apr 2, 2017
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Yes for sure it will be a good choice...just that size is way too much big for me. My configuration

-NZXT Phantom 530
-Palit GTX 1070 GameRock
-Gigabyte Z170X Gaming 7
-Intel i7 6700k
-Corsair Vengeance LED

It will fit everything so far but the D15 sadly would cover all the nice design of my mobo. How about the u14s? Its way smaller.
 

LeKeiser

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Mar 1, 2015
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Noctua NH-D15s is the best. It's as huge as the NH-D15 but you can use any kind of RAM you want, the design of the cooler is asymetric. I used two of them, never been happier :)
 
The D15 has a RAM clearance on its fan of 32mm, and your RAM is 49mm so you'd have to raise the fan up 16mm. The D15 would fit with 1mm to spare but you wouldn't get the best airflow with that configuration.

The ID Cooling Hunter VC Twin has I believe a similar issue with RAM, but it looks like you can mount it vertically to get around that. Color wise it should make a good pic, but so far I haven't seen anything good to say about the fans they used on it so you may want to look at replacing them at some point.

The Noctua NH-U14S will fit without issue from the sound of it. It's rated high enough for your CPU and for OCing beyond it (to a point), but it's cooling won't be on the same level as the D15.
 
Solution


Not a bad options either. It's a D15 in single fan mode so fitting it won't be a problem. I'd imagine it should cool somewhere between a U14s and an D15.
 

John_699

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Apr 2, 2017
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Thanks for your great help :) So the U14S would be enough also and wont give me any issue that my processor might run too much hot. Or the D15S sounds great also...specially because i got more space for my ram. I guess i need to accept that i get some "minus points" for my mobo design if i choose that one due its size but atleast i can be sure it cools down everything good enough. Thank you so much again to all of you :D
 


Naw, no minus points, it's a good looking motherboard. That's one of the downside to any big air cooler like the D15, it blocks off view a good chunk of your motherboard.

The D15s is the same as a D15 using only the middle fan if you can't find the D15s in your country. Either the D15s or the U14s should do a good job cooling your system. The D15s will have more surface area to help with cooling, so it may have a bit of an advantage over the 14s.

Have fun with the new cooler!
 

fishburger

Reputable
Feb 11, 2017
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The color of the Noctua fans could be better I have friend who painted this fans dark blue wit spray paint can form the local auto parts store,and they do look nice compaird with the original color