NOCTUA NH-D15S vs Alpenföhn Brocken 3

kisserik93 · 9 Jan 2019 at 13:08

Hello!

I would like to buy new processor cooler.

After a long search, I found the following two coolers best for high memory modules(G.Skill Trident Z).

NOCTUA NH-D15S
Alpenföhn Brocken 3

What do you think of the two coolers? Which one should I choose?

Is there a cooler better than those listed?

Thank you very much

pastymuncher · 9 Jan 2019 at 20:08

It's a bit of a unfair comparison really. The Noctua is a dual heatsink cooler and almost double the price of the Brocken 3 so it should beat it. The Noctua appears to be 4-5 degrees C better than the Brocken 3 in these reviews here and here. The second review is more thorough with many coolers to compare against. It's in German but there is a UK tab at the top to convert it to English although the chart is easy to understand anyway. One thing the Brocken has going for it is that it's quiet as you can see from the next to last page of the German review. In that review the Brocken 3 does make a lot of headway into the Noctua's advantage when a second fan is added to get within 2 degrees C so for the price it is a very good cooler.

kisserik93 · 10 Jan 2019 at 08:21

pastymuncher said:
It's a bit of a unfair comparison really. The Noctua is a dual heatsink cooler and almost double the price of the Brocken 3 so it should beat it. The Noctua appears to be 4-5 degrees C better than the Brocken 3 in these reviews here and here. The second review is more thorough with many coolers to compare against. It's in German but there is a UK tab at the top to convert it to English although the chart is easy to understand anyway. One thing the Brocken has going for it is that it's quiet as you can see from the next to last page of the German review. In that review the Brocken 3 does make a lot of headway into the Noctua's advantage when a second fan is added to get within 2 degrees C so for the price it is a very good cooler.

If I understand well, is it not necessary to choose the second one? There will be no significant difference?

pastymuncher · 10 Jan 2019 at 10:20

There is certainly not almost double the price performance difference, especially when using a pair of fans. One thing I should have asked is what cpu are you wanting this for. If it's a 9900k you want the biggest and best cooler you can find.

MartinPrince · 10 Jan 2019 at 13:41

As PastyM states, it mostly depends on the CPU you're using; if you have something like an 8600K (No HT) then the Broken 3 will do just fine but for the likes of the 9900K then I'd be inclined to spend the extra and get the D15s.

doyll · 10 Jan 2019 at 14:35

As already said, comparing NH-D15 to Brocken 3 is like comparing a Golden Delicious apple to a crab apple. While both are apples they are very different kinds of apple.

Also as said, cooler size is dependent on needs for cooling and how quiet you want system to be.

There are several other coolers designed to clear tall RAM in front of CPU on motheroboard. Cryorig R1 Universal, H5 Universal & H7; Thermalright TRUE Spirit series from 90mm to 140mm fan, and Macho / HR-02 series from small 90mm to 140mm fanned Le Grand Macho; Scythe Asura, Byakko, Fuma w/ fans pull/pull and Mugen series; Raijintek Ereboss & Themis; be quiet! Pure Rock Slim; and that's just a few.

To be able to suggest coolers that will fit we need to know what case, motherboard, RAM and GPU you are using as well as how much noise is acceptable. Then we can help you sellect a cooler .. but that's not all that is needed to have a cool quiet system. You will likely need more or better case fans as well .. so case flows needed air to supply components' needs and keep everything cool. Because if case is not flowing cool air to cooler things with get hot even with the best of coolers.