LGA115x

Noctua NH-D15 | Installation Manual | LGA115x

Dear customer, 2 Attaching the backplate Caution: Make sure that the curved sides of the mounting bars are
pointing outwards.
Congratulations on choosing the Noctua NH-D15.
Built on the basis of the legendary NH-D14 and carrying on its
quest for ultimate quiet cooling performance, our flagship model
NH-D15 is an eliteclass dual tower cooler for the highest
demands. I’m confident that you will be able to sense some of the
research, attention and care we’ve put into making this cooler.

Enjoy your NH-D15!

Yours sincerely,
Caution: The supplied backplate will install over the motherboard’s
stock backplate, so the motherboard’s stock backplate must not
Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO be taken off. Fix the mounting bars using the 4 thumb screws.

Place the backplate on the rear side of the motherboard so that the
bolts stick through the mounting holes.
This manual will guide you through the installation process of the
SecuFirm2™ mounting system step by step. Caution: Please make sure that the three cut-outs in the
supplied backplate align with the screws of the motherboard’s stock
Prior to installing the cooler, please consult the compatibility list backplate.
on our website (www.noctua.at/compatibility) and verify that the
cooler is fully compatible with your motherboard. Please also make
sure that your PC case offers sufficient clearance for the cooler and
that there are no compatibility issues with any other components
(e.g. tall RAM modules). Double check that the heatsink and fan
clips do not make contact with the VGA card or other PCIe cards.
Noctua cannot be held responsible for any damage or losses caused
by compatibility issues.

Should you encounter any difficulties, please check the FAQs on our
website (www.noctua.at/faqs) and don’t hesitate to contact our sup-
port team at support@noctua.at. Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm).
Multilingual versions of this manual are available on our 3 Installing the mounting bars
website: www.noctua.at/manuals
First put the NM-IPS1 plastic spacers onto the bolts of the back- 4 Applying the thermal paste
plate, then add the NM-IMB2 mounting bars.
Required mounting parts: If there are residual traces of thermal paste or thermal pads on your
CPU, please clean them off first. Then press a small drop (4-5mm
diameter) of NT-H1 onto the centre of the heatspreader.

1x NM-IBP2 backplate 2x NM-IMB2 bounting bars

Caution: Choose the alignment of the mounting bars according to the

4x NM-IPS1 spacers 4x NM-ITS1 thumb screws desired final orientation of the cooler:

Orientation A Orientation B
1 Removing the motherboard

In case you want to use the cooler on an assembled system and

your case doesn’t have a cut-out at the rear side of the motherboard
tray, you first have to remove the motherboard from the case in
order to be able to install the supplied backplate. Caution: Applying too much thermal paste will lower heat
conductivity and cooling performance!
 LGA115x
Noctua NH-D15 | Installation Manual | LGA115x

5 Fastening the heatsink to the CPU ! Transporting your system

2.
Caution: Please first take off the center fan as well as the protection As it is not possible to reliably calculate or control the forces
cover at the bottom side of the heatsink. that act upon a system during transport (e.g. in shipping), we gen-
erally recommend, for safety reasons, taking the cooler off. Noctua
cannot be held responsible for any damage that may arise due to
excessive stress during transport if you keep the heatsink installed.

! Warranty, Support and FAQs

Even with high-grade products and strict quality control, the

possibility of defects cannot be eliminated entirely. Therefore,
we aim at providing the highest possible level of reliability and
convenience by offering a warranty period of 6 years and direct, fast
and straightforward RMA service.
3.
Should you encounter any problems with your NH-D15, please
don’t hesitate to contact our support team (support@noctua.at).
Then put the heatsink onto the CPU and screw it to the screw
threads of the mounting bars. Perform 2-3 turns on each screw, Please also consult the FAQ section on our website:
then repeat until both are fully tightened. www.noctua.at/faqs.

Use the heatsink with the centre fan only in order to guarantee best
compatibility with tall RAM modules. Add the second fan to the
front fin-stack for further improved cooling performance.

Connect the fan(s) to the motherboard’s CPU fan header(s). If nec-

essary, use the supplied NA-YC1 y-split cable to connect both fans
to one fan header.

Depending on your CPU and the temperature inside the case,

Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use you may interconnect the supplied NA-RC7 Low-Noise Adaptors
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm). (L.N.A.) in order to further reduce the fans’ operating noise.

Caution: Never use one adaptor for both fans by putting it before
6 Fan Setup the y-split cable.

Reattach the centre fan and, optionally, install the second fan (in
grey) using the supplied steel clips: Low-Noise Adaptor Y-Split Cable

1.
Motherboard Fans

Y-Split Cable Low-Noise Adaptors

Caution: When using the L.N.A.s, check the temperature of your

CPU using appropriate software (e.g. the respective applications
of your motherboard manufacturer), in order to evade automatic
throttling of the CPU due to the increased temperature. If the
cooling performance is insufficient, please increase case ventilation
or remove the L.N.A.s.
 LGA20xx
Noctua NH-D15 | Installation Manual | LGA20xx

Dear customer, 1 Installing the mounting bars Fix the mounting bars using the 4 thumb screws.

Congratulations on choosing the Noctua NH-D15. First screw the NM-IBT2 bolts into the screw threads of the LGA20xx
Built on the basis of the legendary NH-D14 and carrying on its socket frame.
quest for ultimate quiet cooling performance, our flagship model
NH-D15 is an eliteclass dual tower cooler for the highest
demands. I’m confident that you will be able to sense some of the
research, attention and care we’ve put into making this cooler.

Enjoy your NH-D15!

Yours sincerely,

Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO

Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm).
Then put the NM-IMB2 mounting-bars onto the bolts.

This manual will guide you through the installation process of the 2 Applying the thermal paste
SecuFirm2™ mounting system step by step.
If there are residual traces of thermal paste or thermal pads on your
Prior to installing the cooler, please consult the compatibility list CPU, please clean them off first. Then press a small drop (4-5mm
on our website (www.noctua.at/compatibility) and verify that the diameter) of NT-H1 onto the centre of the heatspreader.
cooler is fully compatible with your motherboard. Please also make
sure that your PC case offers sufficient clearance for the cooler and
that there are no compatibility issues with any other components
(e.g. tall RAM modules). Double check that the heatsink and fan
clips do not make contact with the VGA card or other PCIe cards.
Noctua cannot be held responsible for any damage or losses caused
by compatibility issues. Caution: Choose the alignment of the mounting bars according to
the desired final orientation of the cooler:
Should you encounter any difficulties, please check the FAQs on our
website (www.noctua.at/faqs) and don’t hesitate to contact our sup- Orientation A Orientation B
port team at support@noctua.at.

Multilingual versions of this manual are available on our

website: www.noctua.at/manuals Caution: Applying too much thermal paste will lower heat
conductivity and cooling performance!

3 Fastening the heatsink to the CPU

Caution: Make sure that the curved sides of the mounting bars are Caution: Please first take off the center fan as well as the protection
pointing outwards. cover at the bottom side of the heatsink.

Required mounting parts:

2x NM-IMB2 mounting bars

4x NM-IBT2 bolts 4x NM-ITS1 thumb screws

 LGA20xx
Noctua NH-D15 | Installation Manual | LGA20xx

Then put the heatsink onto the CPU and screw it to the screw ! Warranty, Support and FAQs
threads of the mounting bars. Perform 2-3 turns on each screw,
3.
then repeat until both are fully tightened. Even with high-grade products and strict quality control, the
possibility of defects cannot be eliminated entirely. Therefore,
we aim at providing the highest possible level of reliability and
convenience by offering a warranty period of 6 years and direct, fast
and straightforward RMA service.

Should you encounter any problems with your NH-D15, please

don’t hesitate to contact our support team (support@noctua.at).

Please also consult the FAQ section on our website:

www.noctua.at/faqs.

Use the heatsink with the centre fan only in order to guarantee best
compatibility with tall RAM modules. Add the second fan to the
front fin-stack for further improved cooling performance.

Connect the fan(s) to the motherboard’s CPU fan header(s).

Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm). If necessary, use the supplied NA-YC1 y-split cable to connect both
fans to one fan header.

4 Fan Setup Depending on your CPU and the temperature inside the case,
you may interconnect the supplied NA-RC7 Low-Noise Adaptors
Reattach the centre fan and, optionally, install the second fan (in (L.N.A.) in order to further reduce the fans’ operating noise.
grey) using the supplied steel clips:
Caution: Never use one adaptor for both fans by putting it before
the y-split cable.
1.

Low-Noise Adaptor Y-Split Cable

Motherboard Fans

Y-Split Cable Low-Noise Adaptors

Caution: When using the L.N.A.s, check the temperature of your

CPU using appropriate software (e.g. the respective applications
of your motherboard manufacturer), in order to evade automatic
throttling of the CPU due to the increased temperature. If the
2. cooling performance is insufficient, please increase case ventilation
or remove the L.N.A.s.

! Transporting your system

As it is not possible to reliably calculate or control the forces

that act upon a system during transport (e.g. in shipping), we gen-
erally recommend, for safety reasons, taking the cooler off.

Noctua cannot be held responsible for any damage that may arise
due to excessive stress during transport if you keep the heatsink
installed.
 AMD
Noctua NH-D15 | Installation Manual | AMD

Dear customer, 1 Removing the stock retention module -

Putting the backplate in place
AM4
Congratulations on choosing the Noctua NH-D15.
Built on the basis of the legendary NH-D14 and carrying on its If your motherboard comes with a pre-installed CPU cooler
quest for ultimate quiet cooling performance, our flagship model retention module, please first remove it by unscrewing it from the
NH-D15 is an eliteclass dual tower cooler for the highest backplate. The SecuFirm2™ mounting system will install directly to
demands. I’m confident that you will be able to sense some of the the stock backplate, so please keep it in place. AM2(+)/AM3(+)
research, attention and care we’ve put into making this cooler. FM1/FM2(+)

Enjoy your NH-D15!

Yours sincerely,

First put the plastic spacers onto the screw threads of the backplate,
Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO then fix the mounting bars using the four long screws.

This manual will guide you through the installation process of the
SecuFirm2™ mounting system step by step. If your motherboard does not come with a pre-installed CPU cooler
retention module, the AMD stock backplate should be included with
Prior to installing the cooler, please consult the compatibility list the motherboard accessories. Please put the backplate on the rear
on our website (www.noctua.at/compatibility) and verify that the side of the motherboard so that the screw-threads of the backplate
cooler is fully compatible with your motherboard. Please also make stick through the mounting holes of the motherboard as shown
sure that your PC case offers sufficient clearance for the cooler and below. If your motherboard does not include a stock backplate,
that there are no compatibility issues with any other components please contact Noctua customer support at support@noctua.at.
(e.g. tall RAM modules). Double check that the heatsink and fan
clips do not make contact with the VGA card or other PCIe cards.
Noctua cannot be held responsible for any damage or losses caused
by compatibility issues.

Should you encounter any difficulties, please check the FAQs on our
website (www.noctua.at/faqs) and don’t hesitate to contact our sup-
port team at support@noctua.at.

Multilingual versions of this manual are available on our

website: www.noctua.at/manuals

Make sure that the curved sides of the mounting bars are pointing
Required mounting parts: 2 Attaching the mouting bars outwards.

Please first choose the correct set of plastic spacers and the correct
set of holes on the mounting bars depending on whether you are 3 Applying the thermal paste
using a socket AM4 or a socket AM2(+)/AM3(+)/FM1/FM2(+)
motherboard: If there are residual traces of thermal paste or thermal pads on your
AMD stock backplate
(included with the motherboard) CPU, please clean them off first. Then press a small drop (4-5mm
diameter) of NT-H1 onto the centre of the heatspreader.
AM4 AM2(+)/AM3(+)
FM1/FM2(+)

NM-APS4 (grey) NM-APS5 (white)

2x NM-AMB8 mounting bars

Use the grey NM-APS4 spacers for AM4 and the white NM-APS5
spacers for AM2(+)/AM3(+)/FM1/FM2(+).

4x NM-ALS1 Use the set of holes marked with “4” for AM4 and the set of holes
4x NM-APS4 4x NM-APS5
plastic spacers for plastic spacers for screws marked with “3” for AM2(+)/AM3(+)/FM1/FM2(+).
AM4 AM2(+)/AM3(+)
FM1/FM2(+)
 AMD
Noctua NH-D15 | Installation Manual | AMD

4 Fastening the heatsink to the CPU ! Transporting your system

2.
Caution: Please first take off the center fan as well as the protection As it is not possible to reliably calculate or control the forces
cover at the bottom side of the heatsink. that act upon a system during transport (e.g. in shipping), we gen-
erally recommend, for safety reasons, taking the cooler off. Noctua
cannot be held responsible for any damage that may arise due to
excessive stress during transport if you keep the heatsink installed.

! Warranty, Support and FAQs

Even with high-grade products and strict quality control, the

possibility of defects cannot be eliminated entirely. Therefore,
we aim at providing the highest possible level of reliability and
convenience by offering a warranty period of 6 years and direct, fast
and straightforward RMA service.
3.
Should you encounter any problems with your NH-D15, please
don’t hesitate to contact our support team (support@noctua.at).
Then put the heatsink onto the CPU and screw it to the screw
threads of the mounting bars. Perform 2-3 turns on each screw, Please also consult the FAQ section on our website:
then repeat until both are fully tightened. www.noctua.at/faqs.

Use the heatsink with the centre fan only in order to guarantee best
compatibility with tall RAM modules. Add the second fan to the
front fin-stack for further improved cooling performance.

Connect the fan(s) to the motherboard’s CPU fan header(s). If nec-

essary, use the supplied NA-YC1 y-split cable to connect both fans
to one fan header.

Depending on your CPU and the temperature inside the case,

Caution: Gently tighten the screws until they stop, but don’t use you may interconnect the supplied NA-RC7 Low-Noise Adaptors
excessive force (max. torque 0.6 Nm). (L.N.A.) in order to further reduce the fans’ operating noise.

Caution: Never use one adaptor for both fans by putting it before
5 Fan Setup the y-split cable.

Reattach the centre fan and, optionally, install the second fan (in
grey) using the supplied steel clips: Low-Noise Adaptor Y-Split Cable

1.
Motherboard Fans

Y-Split Cable Low-Noise Adaptors

Caution: When using the L.N.A.s, check the temperature of your

CPU using appropriate software (e.g. the respective applications
of your motherboard manufacturer), in order to evade automatic
throttling of the CPU due to the increased temperature. If the
cooling performance is insufficient, please increase case ventilation
or remove the L.N.A.s.