Question 1

It says that a backing plate is required for use with the AMD  AM3+ does this backing plate come with the fan or is this a separate option purchased elsewhere?

Accepted Answer

If the motherboard you will be using comes with a backing plate (nearly all AM3+ boards do) this stock backing plate will work just fine with the Noctua NH-D14.

If the motherboard you will be using does not come with a backing plate, Noctua will send you one at no cost to you once you furnish Noctua with proof of purchase of a Noctua NH-D14.

The Noctua DH-D14 is a real quality product, and quite easy to install.  Plus Noctua will in future at no cost send mounting kits for future socket designs.  It truly is future proof.

Question 2

Would you recommend this over a Corsair H100i liquid cooler?  Will it keep my CPU as cool as said competition?  I assume it will be much quieter, but take up more space.

Accepted Answer

from a testing comparising site 
PC was overclocked i5 4.4Ghz
nactura temp after 10 min 60 
corsair 110    after 10 min 57 
corsair 100i   after 10 min 59

so we are talking about 3 degrees difference i will let you decide if that is significant

i personally am fearful of liquids in a pc and leaks 
even though the risk might be the same as struck be lightning you  don't dance in a thunderstorm ; )

Question 3

Hey there ! I was wondering if this heatsync would fit onto a Asus sabertooth z77 with Gskill trident ram ?

Accepted Answer

I love Gskill RAM.  Either try a pair of Gskill without the fins or go with a low profile model like I listed below.  That Noctua is big.  Really big. If you don't have a full tower you may have to mod your case to get it to fit.  That said the Noctua is the best cooling solution I have ever used.

The memory below, or a low profile like it, sits so low that it is even in height with the RAM clips.

Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model BLS2K8G3D1609ES2LX0

Question 4

Does this come with thermal paste?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately I don't remember for sure, but I think it did come with a generic paste.  If you're going to the effort of a cooler like this, you might want to just spring for some Arctic Silver or similar.  They're usually $8-10 somewhere on sale and will last forever.

Question 5

Is there any option to replace the fans (same sizes) for one who does not want the brown/tan color? Also, what would be the performance expected out of this on a unOC'd HAswell i5-4670K? I have a stock cooler and it idles at 57c, which I don't think is right at all. I want to stay as cool as possible. :)

Accepted Answer

The fans are replaceable but the ones included are very quite and some of the best rated fans out there. I do agree they are very ugly though. You could always paint them what ever color you want though modding websites would show you how to do this. Temp wise I am running a OC'd 4770k at 4.6 ghz and my idle temps are usually around 29C-32C depending on ambient. Load temps get into the upper 60's. Your i5 should run about the same since it has the same TDP of 84W or a little cooler if you don't overclock it as much.

Question 6

Can you add a third fan to the back side?

Accepted Answer

You ask a tough question. It depends on your configuration. If you mean at the rear of the computer as your meaning of the back side, I seem to have room in my case to do so. If I did, I would have to move the rear chassis fan connection to another motherboard connection as it is possibly in the way . Assuming you know that you have the space, you would have to be able to purchase the fan separately and you would need to purchase the spring clip to attach it to the fins or design your own attachment device. You want to make sure that the fan you use is a match for the fans you are connecting it to, ex. RPM and size, and cfm.  Make sure you install it in the correct air flow direction so it works in unison with the other fans. I am not sure if adding a fan in the rear would be useful. For my configuration there is just enough room to install the fan, but it would also butt up against the rear chassis fan. In effect 2 fans in a row sucking air out plus the fan that is sandwiched between the fins and the first fan. I also have a fan in the front of my case blowing air in. That is a lot of fans. I personally don't need it and would not do it. This fan as dropped my temp by 20 or more degrees over the stock fan that came with my i7-3.5ghz. If you don't have a rear chassis fan or it is not powerful enough, I would invest and upgrade there first. I am not sure if you have this product, for your information, the fan arrangement in the photo is showing the first fan sucking and drawing air into the fan cooler. The fins on the backside would go in the rear and face any rear chassis fan you have as long as it is set up to suck air out.

Question 7

How much thermal paste does this come with? Will i end up with some extra to use to other projects?

Accepted Answer

Yeah, it's meant to be enough so that you can mess up a little, or reattach it.

You might have to be a little frugal if you want to do several other things with it.

Question 8

I'm planning to get this in a Fractal Design Node 304 and by specs, it should fit. But will I be able to run both fans? My Motherboard is the MSI Z87I and it says -

- 1 x 4-pin CPU fan connectors
- 1 x 4-pin system fan connectors

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both of the fans connect to a Y-split cable that's included with the NH-D14. The split cable then connects to your single CPU fan header.

Question 9

can I replace the 120mm with a 140mm?

Accepted Answer

Replacing the 120mm fan on this with something larger would probably leave you no room for your ram sticks on most or all motherboards. If that's the case the 140mm would have to be moved away from the board, effictively increasing the already great height of this cooler and probably not cooling any better due to the fan sticking out the top of it. I doubt this cooler would fit in any case with the increased height, too.

Unless you don't use ram or something, after having this myself, I think it impossible to imagine having a 140mm fan on the front of this cooler.

If you're looking to have two of the same fan, two 120s would be the answer.

If your favorite fan is a 140 or something, nope not happening, only the middle one.

Also, this cooler comes with great fans.

Question 10

Hi all, I have come to you for your sage advice. I am using this case for my build: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147164 With this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131979 And this cpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116901 And this ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231673 I'm am going to overclock my system. I am wondering if this cooler will provide enough cooling fit the case and whether or not it will interfere with the ram or sit well on the motherboard?

Accepted Answer

I have a case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517004 which is 8.1 width by comparison to your 7 and this heatsink fits just right. But I had to remove the panel fan casing and install it on the outside of the door (or it won't close with heatsink installed). This heatsink keep temperatures down no matter how hard you overclock ur CPU (I got my i5 @3.4ghz running @4.7ghz.) If u find benchmarks it performs better than most closed circuit liquid coolers. When it comes to RAM, it doesn't touch it but if you want to add/remove chips you'll need to remove the fan from the side which is easily removable with 2 pins. I hope that helps.

Questions & Answers