current best air coolers

the Noctua hate is strong in this thread...yes they're overpriced (even moreso with the new NH-D15 G2)...a Bugatti is also overpriced and not meant for the masses
 
No testing = no clicking..

I hope this thing survives the hype. Lots of guys rubbed my nose in the carpet when I was preaching Thermalright awhile ago..
 
polonyc2 said:
the Noctua hate is strong in this thread...yes they're overpriced (even moreso with the new NH-D15 G2)...a Bugatti is also overpriced and not meant for the masses
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Not even close.

Can PC people stop trying to compare their mass produced China (okay Austria in this case, might as well be China to me) products to supercars?
 
polonyc2 said:
the Noctua hate is strong in this thread...yes they're overpriced (even moreso with the new NH-D15 G2)...a Bugatti is also overpriced and not meant for the masses
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?
Nah man, not hating. Just being realistic. My NH-U12A Chromax is sitting in it's box if it clarifies things, sadly it just doesn't hang with my Thermalright coolers.

And that's a terrible analogy. Sorry but I LOLed at that one(one of the reasons I never use car analogies). A Noctua anything being compared to Bugatti? Maybe BMW but Bugatti? Nah. Nothing personal but it doesn't pass the BS test. If you're trying to compare something PC cooling to Bugatti, you're waaaay over in the high end CPU water block realm.
 
NightReaver said:
Well I'll give em credit. They beat the pA120 by a degree on amd and more on Intel.

Probably gonna fall behind once the pa140 and that 130mm Praetor comes out.
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The pa120 has already been outperformed by a couple Thermalright coolers at this point. Our guy freeagentt will know the names as they slip my mind atm. So parity if not an immediate loss has already been met at the least.
 
NightReaver said:
Well I'll give em credit. They beat the pA120 by a degree on amd and more on Intel.

Probably gonna fall behind once the pa140 and that 130mm Praetor comes out.
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lol that's like saying wait for the NH-D15 G3 to come out and it'll beat the PA140...Noctua did what they needed to do to remain competitive combined with their always excellent low noise levels
 
polonyc2 said:
lol that's like saying wait for the NH-D15 G3 to come out and it'll beat the PA140...Noctua did what they needed to do to remain competitive combined with their always excellent low noise levels
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Apparently there are better TR coolers out now, so eh, the G2 might already be behind.

It's a shame GN didn't include them. Maybe they were saving them for after the G2 release.
 
NightReaver said:
Apparently there are better TR coolers out now, so eh, the G2 might already be behind.

It's a shame GN didn't include them. Maybe they were saving them for after the G2 release.
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Even if you just stick with 120mm coolers, the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 has been out for at least a year now and is a direct upgrade over the Peerless Assassin 120 in every way. It's basically a Peerless Assassin 120 with an extra heatpipe and slightly better fans. They've also since released an upgraded version of the Phantom Spirit 120, the Phantom Spirit 120 EVO, that has even better fans. With the Phantom Spirit 120, there is little reason to get the Peerless Assassin 120 anymore, as there is usually only a $5 difference at most. I think it's just a case where the Peerless Assassin had a huge impact on the market when it was released and continues to be the first heatsink people think of when thinking about Thermalright, creating a situation of name recognition and inertia similar to how people kept using and recomending the CM Hyper 212 for a very long time. But somewhere like Gamers Nexus should be keeping better track of things. New products should be compared against other new products, not just whatever they already have laying around.
 
GotNoRice said:
Even if you just stick with 120mm coolers, the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 has been out for at least a year now and is a direct upgrade over the Peerless Assassin 120 in every way. It's basically a Peerless Assassin 120 with an extra heatpipe and slightly better fans. They've also since released an upgraded version of the Phantom Spirit 120, the Phantom Spirit 120 EVO, that has even better fans. With the Phantom Spirit 120, there is little reason to get the Peerless Assassin 120 anymore, as there is usually only a $5 difference at most. I think it's just a case where the Peerless Assassin had a huge impact on the market when it was released and continues to be the first heatsink people think of when thinking about Thermalright, creating a situation of name recognition and inertia similar to how people kept using and recomending the CM Hyper 212 for a very long time. But somewhere like Gamers Nexus should be keeping better track of things. New products should be compared against other new products, not just whatever they already have laying around.
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Agreed. Maybe some small YouTuber doing some off the shelf review, sure.

But GN? I expect a more thorough selection for sure.
 
GotNoRice said:
Even if you just stick with 120mm coolers, the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 has been out for at least a year now and is a direct upgrade over the Peerless Assassin 120 in every way. It's basically a Peerless Assassin 120 with an extra heatpipe and slightly better fans. They've also since released an upgraded version of the Phantom Spirit 120, the Phantom Spirit 120 EVO, that has even better fans. With the Phantom Spirit 120, there is little reason to get the Peerless Assassin 120 anymore, as there is usually only a $5 difference at most. I think it's just a case where the Peerless Assassin had a huge impact on the market when it was released and continues to be the first heatsink people think of when thinking about Thermalright, creating a situation of name recognition and inertia similar to how people kept using and recomending the CM Hyper 212 for a very long time. But somewhere like Gamers Nexus should be keeping better track of things. New products should be compared against other new products, not just whatever they already have laying around.
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Yep, there you go! The PS120 Evo! That was one of the new ones I was thinking of. Then there's the Frost Commander 140 that's been out for a while. The Frost Spirit 140 is another new one that performs right up there with the bigdogs. There's another one but I cant remember it's name right off hand.
 
hititnquitit said:
Yep, there you go! The PS120 Evo! That was one of the new ones I was thinking of. Then there's the Frost Commander 140 that's been out for a while. The Frost Spirit 140 is another new one that performs right up there with the bigdogs. There's another one but I cant remember it's name right off hand.
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To think I got the frost spirit for a mere $28. Like....it feels like cheating.
 
polonyc2 said:
lol that's like saying wait for the NH-D15 G3 to come out and it'll beat the PA140...Noctua did what they needed to do to remain competitive combined with their always excellent low noise levels
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Unfortunately performance wise, they're still not beating coolers that cost a 1/3 of the G2 out of the gate ($42.99 currently on Amazon). GN simply hasn't reviewed anything other than the PA120 (a 5yo cooler that manages to hang with the G2 btw). The Phantom Spirit 120 Evo looks better (all black), has very well thought out rgb led strips (and that's coming from an anti rgb fogey), is smaller at 157mm w/fan vs 165 tall w/fan, is nearly as quiet at all settings and there's no stupid ass Chromax tax to look forward too(Am I jaded for falling for the Chromax tax? Nah, I got a sweet deal on my u12a and it's a sweet little cooler, fans are slick too but you can bet your boots I'll never pay it again lol!). While the PS120 Evo came all black right off the get go...as the G2 should have (shame on you Noctua). Noctua is fighting a losing battle they created themselves by waiting 10 years between iterations. All for what? New fans and a slightly improved base. Really? That really takes 10 friggin years? 🤣
Meanwhile, the competition is burning the candle at both ends. We're obviously not just talking Thermalright here. ID-cooling, Deepcool, bequiet! all built d15 killers, while Noctua piddled around releasing desk fans and fan frames to name just a few of the goofy garbage products they decided was more important than the G2.

I love my Noctua fans and my u12a don't get me wrong but Noctua screwed the pooch in a bad way with the G2. Slow rolling it was a huge mistake. Kind of like the 140mm fan that we've been waiting for since...I can't even remember it's been so long.
 
hititnquitit said:
Unfortunately performance wise, they're still not beating coolers that cost a 1/3 of the G2 out of the gate ($42.99 currently on Amazon). GN simply hasn't reviewed anything other than the PA120 (a 5yo cooler that manages to hang with the G2 btw). The Phantom Spirit 120 Evo looks better (all black), has very well thought out rgb led strips (and that's coming from an anti rgb fogey), is smaller at 157mm w/fan vs 165 tall w/fan, is nearly as quiet at all settings and there's no stupid ass Chromax tax to look forward too(Am I jaded for falling for the Chromax tax? Nah, I got a sweet deal on my u12a and it's a sweet little cooler, fans are slick too but you can bet your boots I'll never pay it again lol!). While the PS120 Evo came all black right off the get go...as the G2 should have (shame on you Noctua). Noctua is fighting a losing battle they created themselves by waiting 10 years between iterations. All for what? New fans and a slightly improved base. Really? That really takes 10 friggin years? 🤣
Meanwhile, the competition is burning the candle at both ends. We're obviously not just talking Thermalright here. ID-cooling, Deepcool, bequiet! all built d15 killers, while Noctua piddled around releasing desk fans and fan frames to name just a few of the goofy garbage products they decided was more important than the G2.

I love my Noctua fans and my u12a don't get me wrong but Noctua screwed the pooch in a bad way with the G2. Slow rolling it was a huge mistake. Kind of like the 140mm fan that we've been waiting for since...I can't even remember it's been so long.
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the be quiet! CPU coolers seem to be the most popular now...I don't see any Thermalright coolers in the Top 20 best sellers at Newegg...shows that most people don't put as much importance in air cooling anymore...

https://www.newegg.com/d/Best-Sellers/CPU-Fans-Heatsinks/s/ID-574
 
polonyc2 said:
the be quiet! CPU coolers seem to be the most popular now...I don't see any Thermalright coolers in the Top 20 best sellers at Newegg...shows that most people don't put as much importance in air cooling anymore...

https://www.newegg.com/d/Best-Sellers/CPU-Fans-Heatsinks/s/ID-574
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The Newegg list is misleading due to most Thermalright sales taking place on Amazon. Tbh I don't remember seeing any new releases from Thermalright on Newegg at all, except maybe for the shady 3rd party stores.

AIOs have taken a big leap recently due to the smallish mb footprint, huge rgb uptake and the performance gains that can be had in almost any case. Even a cheap $50 case can accommodate some kind of aio that generally meets or exceeds air these days(280/360). That's what I meant earlier when I said that Noctua had priced themselves smack dab in the worst place possible, in the heart of AIO world. A place they don't want to try and have to compete with.
 
Most noctua buyers don't care if noctua is maybe 1 or 2 degrees worse than some massive thermalright cooler.
We faced various challenges in design and production, but we took no shortcuts to make sure that the products in the G2 line will be worthy successors to some of our most famous models. When you have them in your hands, I'm sure you'll be able to feel some of the dedication and persistence that went into creating these fans and coolers," said Roland Mossig, CEO of Noctua.
 
Strange bird said:
Most noctua buyers don't care if noctua is maybe 1 or 2 degrees worse than some massive thermalright cooler.
We faced various challenges in design and production, but we took no shortcuts to make sure that the products in the G2 line will be worthy successors to some of our most famous models. When you have them in your hands, I'm sure you'll be able to feel some of the dedication and persistence that went into creating these fans and coolers," said Roland Mossig, CEO of Noctua.
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😆
Apparently you missed the above conversation where the $42.99 Phantom Spirit 120 Evo was discussed...the 120 denoting its "massive" 120mm fans and its equally "massive" 157mm height checking in at 8mm shorter than the G2s 165mm.

Posting marketspeak on [H]? Your not impressing anyone.

Try again.
 
No, I'm just saying, it has 8 pipes, g2 certainly can't be bad, you don't even need a review for that.
I looked at the review a bit and the g2 is now a dangerous competitor to the aio.
Another thing, let it be thermalright, but this with the prices is quite misleading, they are not favorable everywhere.
This baby comes to me, with the fact that I paid less for it, better than the overpriced noctua fan with shity color
https://www.arctic.de/en/P12-PWM-PST/ACFAN00120A

I am not in the process of buying a cooler, for those who are, times are not bad.I don't care about PA120 or PS or any thermalright.
I have a noctua cooler and it is more than enough for my 5600x.
 
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I have nf- s12b redux 1200 pwn,nf p12 redux 1700 pwm and nf F12 pwm
In that order I recommend, s12b redux 1200 pwn is the best
 
That's what I expected Steve to say, you paid for noctua's name and reputation, but they rushed and worked all the time to be the first on YouTube and have the first test.
But all in all it is very good, currently the best air cooler.
 
I'm already finding the G2 way better than the original, like 8C better in gaming. Although my use case is pretty niche, as I set all the fans in my case to a static 600rpm even when going all out gaming, and I've replaced the fans on my 4090 with 3x A12x25s. So in a ultra low noise/airflow setup I find the G2 is able to evacuate heat way better than the original D15, especially with the bottleneck being the heat being dumped into the case from the GPU and the overall low airflow limitations in my setup.
 
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pippenainteasy said:
I'm already finding the G2 way better than the original, like 8C better in gaming. Although my use case is pretty niche, as I set all the fans in my case to a static 600rpm even when going all out gaming, and I've replaced the fans on my 4090 with 3x A12x25s. So in a ultra low noise/airflow setup I find the G2 is able to evacuate heat way better than the original D15, especially with the bottleneck being the heat being dumped into the case from the GPU and the overall low airflow limitations in my setup.
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Noctua's own testing shows NH-D15 G2 being only a few degrees at most better than NH-D15.
Gamer Nexus testing shows similar results.
Meaning your claim that G2 is "8c better" than "original" (assuming D15) is definitely not credible.
New G2 isn't even 8c better than Noctua's original twin tower, the NHD14!!
 
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polonyc2 said:
Noctua's updates to the NH-D15 G2 documentation following our review

timestamped video...


View: https://youtu.be/zENiQg2pKBw?t=574
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Giving us a link like this is click-bait. It would be better if you told us it was about GN saiding Noctua contacted them telling them they had a new washer installation guide and they would supply G2 buyers with longer screws if needed, and if too many buyers had issues using stock screws with washers they might by longer screws in bulk and supply them with cooler.

Noctua cooler instructions have guide to installing plastic spacer washers. Don't know if it was there all along or added after GN cooler review. ;)
 
doyll said:
Giving us a link like this is click-bait. It would be better if you told us it was about GN saiding Noctua contacted them telling them they had a new washer installation guide and they would supply G2 buyers with longer screws if needed, and if too many buyers had issues using stock screws with washers they might by longer screws in bulk and supply them with cooler.

Noctua cooler instructions have guide to installing plastic spacer washers. Don't know if it was there all along or added after GN cooler review. ;)
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it's an update to their original review of the G2...they had some complaints and Noctua addressed it rather quickly...Gamers Nexus then updated their video...timestamping the video means watch the video...I'm not sure how any of that is clickbait...the title of the video literally says "Noctua's updates to the NH-D15 G2 documentation following our review"
 
No

What your timestamp linked to is Gamer Nexus' Hardware news for the past 2 weeks includes coverage of Noctua's updates to the NH-D15 G2 documentation following our review, the FTC slapping hardware companies for Magnuson-Moss warranty violations and other anti-consumer practices, an NVIDIA anti-trust investigation in France, and the Steam Deck showing up on Valve's controller usage count.

Your timestamp starts video at the point where he covers Noctua's updates to the NH-D15 G2 documentation after their review.

Video also covers the FTC slapping hardware companies for Magnuson-Moss warranty violations and other anti-consumer practices, an NVIDIA anti-trust investigation in France, and the Steam Deck showing up on Valve's controller usage count linked to where he addresses Noctua's updates.

My point is posting links to videos is clickbait, meaning every time someone clicks a link whatever it's linked to records a hit that improves their rating.

It does not matter if it's a good site or bad, every time someone clicks the link it generates a hit on that site gaining site points.

That's why I avoid links like this and call them clickbait. ;)

I can think of 3 reasons why people use links like you did:
1. To generate hits on that site​
2. Too lazy to tell us what link is about, so you copy/paste a link instead​
3. Don't know opening links generates point for site.​

I hope you understand what I'm trying to explain here. With all the internet manipulation by media and websites and how it effectse how people see our world, I think we need to do as much as we can to keep views honest. ;)

Posting links is great!. Posting timestamp links is even better. But it's better to post what link is actually saying and use linked timestamp to back it up. Not just a link that viewer has to open to see what it is
 
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chameleoneel said:
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/noctua-nh-d15-g2-cpu-cooler/7.html

Noise normalized, TPU got about 2 degrees at higher wattages VS. The Phantom Spirit EVO

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/noctua-nh-d15-g2-cpu-cooler/7.html


Considering the huge price gap.....

......you can still buy even better fans and come out a lot lower cost.
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or ignore the stupid "noise normalized" crap and crank the stock ones up. then the PS matches or beats it for less than 1/3 of the price.
 
So my take away is that I don't need to update what I have. I was less than impressed by the TPU review and the price.

I'm still waiting for a swap of the fans to see how that impacts things
 
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