Noctua NH-D14 HSF Review – The Best CPU Cooler Ever?

Installing the NH-D14

The NH-D14 comes with everything needed to mount the cooler to your favorite socket. Noctua also includes a long screw driver to reach the mounting screws just in case you dont have one.

With the NH-D14 installed on my Intel DX58SO motherboard we can start to see that there could be some issues with components clearing.

In Noctuas FAQ page there is a drawing with dimensions that will help you in measuring your board to see if you will have issues. There is a 44mm clearance from the top of the CPU to the first cooling fin, so modules like the Kingston HyperX T1, that comes in at 60mm in height, wont work if the RAM slot is under the fins.

Also due to the NH-D14s girth Noctua also states that on some P55 boards the video card in the first PCIe slot and the spring clips are very close. Noctua suggests insulating the clips with tubing or electrical tape to prevent any issues.

Now, if you were thinking about adding a third fan, well, dont. The back of the cooler is so close to the back of the case and the rear fan that it most likely wouldnt fit.