Whats better, Dark Rock Pro 4 or NH-D15?

[imide]

I will be getting the P400A (yes the NH-D15 fits) and I'm tied between these 2 coolers. Whats better thermally, noise and price to performance? I like both Noctua and be quiet! Thanks in advance.

 

[CommanderAlex]

They are both great air coolers (king of their class). What CPU are you going to be building with so we can get a better picture of what one to use?

[tkitch]

They're pretty comprable overall, I don't think you'll see a significant change for either

 

[SorryBella]

Honestly its super neck in neck in normal use case between the 2. Its all in the name of looks, if we talking the original D15. But if we're talking about the D15 Chromax.Black, then both are basically an amazing cooler with amazing looker.

[iMxmo]

Both have similar performance and I doubt you're going to see much of a difference temperature wise. If the two options are out of your budget range and you dont mind the look,  the Macho Rev B performs similar at half the cost. See: macho rev b 

Sources: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/thermalright-macho-revb/6.html

[--SID--]

Depends on the cpu what's the best choice. They're both expensive and only for high-end cpu's like 11900K aan 5950X recommended. For other cpu's ther are cheaper options without noticeable less performance.

[imide]

22 minutes ago, SpiderMan said:

They are both great air coolers (king of their class). What CPU are you going to be building with so we can get a better picture of what one to use?

OC'ed 11600k

[CommanderAlex]

7 minutes ago, imide said:

OC'ed 11600k

Personally, I'd go for the NH-D15 with the 11600K. Just keep in mind you might have to use low profile RAM if you want to use the 2nd 140mm that comes with the NH-D15 since there is a max CPU height of 160mm in the case. 

[imide]

For more info, I am sensitive to noise and only 3 companies seem to be quiet to my liking (Noctua, be quiet! and phanteks) so that explains my choice. Budget wise, I'd rather go with the companies I like even if I pay a premium for it. EK seems to be fine too, but I don't think I can handle water cooling yet. 

[imide]

1 minute ago, SpiderMan said:

Personally, I'd go for the NH-D15 with the 11600K. Just keep in mind you might have to use low profile RAM if you want to use the 2nd 140mm that comes with the NH-D15 since there is a max CPU height of 160mm in the case. 

Is just normal Crucial RAM going to fit?

[CommanderAlex]

2 minutes ago, imide said:

Is just normal Crucial RAM going to fit?

They might not if and only if you use the 2nd fan in the front above the DIMM (RAM) slots, as they are ~39mm in height. There is a marginal difference in cooling with the 2nd fan vs only using one (the one fan that sits in between the two cooling towers). You might be able to fit a 120mm instead if you choose to use the 2nd fan, but as I said, it's marginal with temperatures. 

[imide]

5 minutes ago, SpiderMan said:

They might not if and only if you use the 2nd fan in the front above the DIMM (RAM) slots, as they are ~39mm in height. There is a marginal difference in cooling with the 2nd fan vs only using one (the one fan that sits in between the two cooling towers). You might be able to fit a 120mm instead if you choose to use the 2nd fan, but as I said, it's marginal with temperatures. 

What ram fits then?

[Tan3l6]

btw Scythe Fuma 2 has one fan thinner than the other for easier RAM  installation/removal

Spoiler

 

[CommanderAlex]

3 minutes ago, imide said:

What ram fits then?

The RAM will fit, just not the 2nd 140mm fan in front. You would need RAM that is ~27mm in height, which would essentially be bare RAM sticks without heatspreaders.

[freeagent]

D15 has a slightly higher TDP rating of 260w iirc, where DRP4 is rated at 250w iirc.

[imide]

2 hours ago, SpiderMan said:

The RAM will fit, just not the 2nd 140mm fan in front. You would need RAM that is ~27mm in height, which would essentially be bare RAM sticks without heatspreaders.

Damn ok, thats a bit sad. Is there a huge difference in temps? Also, would the 4000D work fine? That is my second choice. Or, can I just replace the fan with a 120mm?

Edited May 5, 2021 by imide
forgot one thing

[Mister Woof]

DRP4 is a bit better with RAM and case compatibility, D15 is a bit better performance.

 

 

[imide]

Just now, Mister Woof said:

DRP4 is a bit better with RAM and case compatibility, D15 is a bit better performance.

 

 

Will they both fit in P400A?

[imide]

Thank you so much for your help!! I will be waiting for one response, making sure that one thing will work. If it doesn't, I will be changing cases or changing fans. Have a great day!

[Mister Woof]

6 minutes ago, imide said:

Will they both fit in P400A?

I don't think the D15 will fit in the P400A, which claims up to 160mm CPU cooler height. The D15 says it needs 165mm, and that's without raising the fan to accommodate RAM.

 

I have a Corsair 275R, which says accommodates up to 170mm CPU cooler, and it barely fit the Deep Cool Assassin III, which is marketed also at 165mm. With LPX memory, the front fan touched the glass side panel. That's with 10mm more clearance than the P400A.

 

The DRP4 says it's 162mm, which is a tight fit. It might work or it might not. Sometimes the advertised clearances have some wiggle room. I'd check PCPP for completed builds with those two components.

 

You could always just grab a 240mm AIO of your choice and then stop worrying about case/RAM compatibility completely.

 

It's what I did when my DA3 didn't fit with my new RAM.

 

 

[imide]

14 minutes ago, Mister Woof said:

I don't think the D15 will fit in the P400A, which claims up to 160mm CPU cooler height. The D15 says it needs 165mm, and that's without raising the fan to accommodate RAM.

 

I have a Corsair 275R, which says accommodates up to 170mm CPU cooler, and it barely fit the Deep Cool Assassin III, which is marketed also at 165mm. With LPX memory, the front fan touched the glass side panel. That's with 10mm more clearance than the P400A.

 

The DRP4 says it's 162mm, which is a tight fit. It might work or it might not. Sometimes the advertised clearances have some wiggle room. I'd check PCPP for completed builds with those two components.

 

You could always just grab a 240mm AIO of your choice and then stop worrying about case/RAM compatibility completely.

 

It's what I did when my DA3 didn't fit with my new RAM.

 

 

Soneone on this forum thread and others said that if you lower the fans and heat pipes, it could fit but RAM clearance is not great. I think its possible if you do a 120mm fan instead of 140mm for the D15

[Mister Woof]

14 minutes ago, imide said:

Soneone on this forum thread and others said that if you lower the fans and heat pipes, it could fit but RAM clearance is not great. I think its possible if you do a 120mm fan instead of 140mm for the D15

I've got my DA3 pushed up against the glass on my other Corsair 275R Airflow....just BARELY fits with LPX with no room to spare.

[CommanderAlex]

1 hour ago, imide said:

Damn ok, thats a bit sad. Is there a huge difference in temps? Also, would the 4000D work fine? That is my second choice. Or, can I just replace the fan with a 120mm?

The Corsair 4000D Airflow can fit CPU coolers up to 170mm in height, so both should fit just fine. Yes, like I said before, you can swap out the 2nd fan for a 120mm and keep the other 140mm in between the towers. 

[imide]

1 minute ago, SpiderMan said:

The Corsair 4000D Airflow can fit CPU coolers up to 170mm in height, so both should fit just fine. Yes, like I said before, you can swap out the 2nd fan for a 120mm and keep the other 140mm in between the towers. 

Ok, thank you so much! I will be changing cases since I'd rather have Noctua than anything else lol. 

[CommanderAlex]

Just now, imide said:

Ok, thank you so much! I will be changing cases since I'd rather have Noctua than anything else lol. 

No problem!!! I would just buy Vengeance LPX modules to be on the safe side and not have to buy another fan (120mm) to fit both fans that are provided with the NH-D15.