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Noctua NH-U14S vs NH-D14

Messerschmitt

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Dec 1, 2010
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Which of the two should I go for?

I was going to buy the NH-D14 since it has hundreds of positive reviews but then I heard that the U14S performs almost the same, and it's a lot smaller. Also the NH-D14 might be suffering from fluttering and buffeting because of the 2 size fans?

They both cost the same usually, but the NH-D14 went on sale and it's 20$ cheaper.

And did I heard correctly that there is a new generation D14 coming out?

Basically my parameters are: price, noise (as least distracting as possible) and size (putting less pressure on motherboard). I am not planning to OC very high, maybe a 4.2-4.5 max, if that.
 
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draemn

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The S model is really good if you ever plan on opening up your computer and changing/tweaking parts as you won't be trying to fight past the massive HSF. There is an updated D14 coming out very soon (if not already). It sounds like you should be going for the U12S. Keep in mind that the U14S will prevent you from being able to use the first PCIe slot on the motherboard (with some layouts this will not matter). The U12S is a pretty amazing product, I was planning on buying one before I went with water.
 

dARqSyDE

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For your use I'd go with the U12 or U14.

The D14 is massive and heavy, and the D15 will be even bigger and heavier.

Don't get me wrong I love my D14, but it's a PITA if I have to do any maintenance, especially anywhere near the CPU/RAM.
 

Messerschmitt

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Hey guys, you bring a good point regarding non being able to access the RAM. I wouldn't want to have to remove the entire heatsink to remove ram. I usually never remove CPU heatsink, but that was usually with the stock. I assume it's impossible to take out the RAM without pulling out the D14 heatsink. Can I do that with the U14S (or U12S)? And is that more than enough for a max 4.5 OC?
 

draemn

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U12S is designed to be highly compatible with the RAM, I think the U14S is as well (don't quote me on this) but as noted you lose the first PCIe slot with the U14S (some motherboards the first slot is not for a GPU so it will not matter). 4.5 Ghz might not be possible on air, especially since you are not dealing with a soldered IHS. Hard to say as it will depend on how much voltage your CPU needs to reach that clock speed.
 

crowTrobot

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I just tested NH-D15 vs NH-U14S (single and dual fan) vs NH-D14 with Phanteks TC-14PE on i7-4770K retail and NH-D14 is far behind even the single fan NH-U14S. Also, new D15 and U14S are much easier to install than D14 and TC14PE. It is the only review up of the NH-D15 so far.
 

lowfat

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I would go w/ the D14 easily if it is $20 cheaper. If you havent delidded your 4670K then neither heatsink will perform better than the other. Now I only have the D14 and the U12S. I dont find the mounting to be superior on the U12S. I personally havent had issues w/ ram clearance, although I dont buy uber tall ram. I do have to pull the fan off though, which is easy. Actually is is my U12S that has ram clearance issues, but that is due to it being on an AMD platform where you can not rotate the heatsink 90 degrees.
 

Messerschmitt

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NH-U14S went on sale too for the same price I got the D14. Will return the D14 and go ahead with the U14S. I won't be overclocking (at least I won't OC more than a mild OC), and the D14 seems just too clunky and big, and don't want to deal with it if I will ever need to do RAM maintenance. From what I noticed from youtube movies, you should be able to replace ram without havin to take the U14S out
 

crowTrobot

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I would go w/ the D14 easily if it is $20 cheaper. If you havent delidded your 4670K then neither heatsink will perform better than the other. Now I only have the D14 and the U12S. I dont find the mounting to be superior on the U12S. I personally havent had issues w/ ram clearance, although I dont buy uber tall ram. I do have to pull the fan off though, which is easy. Actually is is my U12S that has ram clearance issues, but that is due to it being on an AMD platform where you can not rotate the heatsink 90 degrees.

Have you tried with the NM-A90 mounting kit? It allows AMD users to rotate the mounting 90 degrees and it should be free like their other mounting kits if you contact their tech support.

EDIT 2: Didn't your U12S ship with the NM-AMB3 mounting bars?
5d3vr7.jpg


EDIT: Noctua.at - sound-optimised premium components "Designed in Austria"!
 
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