The Noctua NH-D14 has been a fine cooler over the years. It is EOL, but commenters frequently pipe up about their D14’s and they tend to like this heatsink. Are we able to bring it up to ‘modern standards’ just by replacing a couple of fans? These results say yes, we can. While the heatsinks are comparable, the modern fans move more air with less noise than the original fans and there is the difference. Users do not even have to dismount the heatsink to put new fans on it and the results say we don’t have to put on noisy fans to get better cooling either.
Probably the best balance of cooling and noise comes when one puts a pair of NF-A14 PWM premium fans on the NH-D14. At nine dB, it is only one dB away from the stock combination, which generates eight dB of SPL. Another conclusion we can draw is that the D14 responds to increased airflow. The problem is that increasing airflow means increasing noise. Since Noctua is all about quietness, it is hardly surprising to find the 2000-RPM version of the A14 listed as an industrial fan. One could argue that there is only a 5 °C difference between the top finisher and the bottom. But we are enthusiasts here.
So if you have an NH-D14 and are thinking of updating you can consider a pair of modern fans, preferably the NF-A14’s.
Jos nykyiset toimivat niin en lähtisi vaihtamaan, käytetyn D15 jäähyn tuulettimineen saa kuitenkin halvemmalla kuin uusien ropellien hinnalla. Sitten vasta uutta tuuletinta kun ei vanhat enää toimi, näin itse tekisin. Hyvinhän tuo jäähtyy varmasti nytkin.Tuon mukaan on vissiin tullut jonkinlaista parannusta. Toki eri asia onko tuollakaan käytännön väliä, kun nykyiset propellit toimivat vielä...