Planning A New Build in late January.

Lance1 said:

Guys My Noctua NH-D15 will do just fine for my build. I don't game, I don't OC. I have this opportunity to build this amazing system and I want to make this beast. But not a beast to some. At my age, 65 this month. It could be my crown. So leave the cooling alone. Is there anything else that's out you think??

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Unless you're doing "heavy" overclocking or running Prime95 everyday for hours at a time the NH-D15. will be more than sufficient for the i7-4700K, even in gaming. Period.

I was given the same advice when I paired my Corsair AIO (H115i Pro) CPU cooler to my i9-9900K. That the CPU cooler would be inadequate. Four years later I'm still using it. Add that I also I run my fans low to keep noise down. And even when I tested my CPU at 5gig all cores, the cooler held. That said, I'm no longer an overclocker so my CPU is at base speeds. The only "overclocking" (though not to me) I do is enable XMP for RAM.

Again, unless you plan on pushing the CPU near or past 6gig, The NH-D15 would be more than adequate, and especially since you don't plan on overclocking.

Yes, I build my own PCs. Yes, I was in the overclocking and benchmarking game. Today, I find no need for such things other than bragging rights. That's me.

Incidentally, the I7-10700K is spec'd at 125W TDP. How does you get 205W? (I have no doubt that it's possible, with OC'ing.)

The I7-14700K, 253W. Apparently it can go to more like 300W without explicit overclocking (by having high power limits in the BIOS, without altering the stock timings).

I've read reviews of the Gen13 and 14 CPUs that point out that the power limits can be set to avoid thermal throttling. There is only a small penalty in peak performance. A good air cooler should be more than adequate with an I7-14700K, but the power limits might have to be adjusted to avoid thermal throttling.

I use an AIO liquid cooler with my I9-13900K. I forget what I estimated for its power draw, but I believe that it was significantly more than 253W. (Asus Z690-E MB, default BIOS settings, with elevated power limits). 95C.

BTW. Note though, these are all (AIO All-In-One) water coolers...

Air / Water picks...

I prefer water coolers as I hate having those big @$$ Air Coolers hanging off my motherboard. Plus, the space taken up by them.

But that's me.

bobkn said:

Incidentally, the I7-10700K is spec'd at 125W TDP. How does you get 205W? (I have no doubt that it's possible, with OC'ing.)

The I7-14700K, 253W. Apparently it can go to more like 300W without explicit overclocking (by having high power limits in the BIOS, without altering the stock timings).

I've read reviews of the Gen13 and 14 CPUs that point out that the power limits can be set to avoid thermal throttling. There is only a small penalty in peak performance. A good air cooler should be more than adequate with an I7-14700K, but the power limits might have to be adjusted to avoid thermal throttling.

I use an AIO liquid cooler with my I9-13900K. I forget what I estimated for its power draw, but I believe that it was significantly more than 253W. (Asus Z690-E MB, default BIOS settings, with elevated power limits). 95C.

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Yeah it pulled 205 under full load at 5.2, Base is actually 3.8 but i've counted it at 4800 apparently lol.

Under test, the Core i9-13900K drew 334.13 watts... no overclocking.

bobkn said:

If the NH-D15 fits in your case, and clears your RAM, sounds good.

If the fan on the NH-D15 interferes with your RAM just a little. you can probably raise the fan a little to clear.

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My NH-D15 clears the ram in my existing system so I see no reason it wouldn't in the new. Good point though, I have too rase the fan on the ram side about 5/8 to clear. But the ram I have now has a higher profile and the new ram is a lower profile so there shouldn't be an issue. But That's Me!

Dru2 said:

BTW. Note though, these are all (AIO All-In-One) water coolers...

Top 8 8 Best CPU Coolers for i7 14700K To Buy in 2025

www.geekywhat.com

Air / Water picks...

Choosing the Best CPU Cooler for Intel's Core i7-14700K

Find out how to choose the best CPU cooler for the Intel Core i7-14700K processor based on its power consumption and other factors.

www.techreviewer.com

I prefer water coolers as I hate having those big @$$ Air Coolers hanging off my motherboard. Plus, the space taken up by them.

But that's me.

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I like that look! But that's me...

You know, I was thinking about Dru2,s post #43 about aesthetics in a system build. Dru2 hates the bulk of an air cooler and that's just fine! BUT I Love It! To quote Dru2... But That's Me... And then I thought what an offset it is that my Asus R9290X has such a thin profile! I think my "big @$$ Air Cooler" and my R9290X Is going to be an awesome looking combination... But That's Me!

The PCB of the motherboard is strong enough to support the weight, but you can easily run into trouble if you put the PC in a car for transportation so, you'd have to put in the extra effort of uninstalling/reinstalling the NH-D15 each time and also take into account the time it takes to let the TIM break in, also each time. On the flip side, the risk of a pump failure in a decent AIO WCS is small, but the consequence might not be small. To elaborate on this, a pump failure won't usually melt the CPU, but the temperature shock that results can render an overclock unstable still nevertheless, and, the reason why this matters is because the main selling point (IMO anyway) of any decent AIO WCS is just that: to be able to OC the CPU a fair bit higher than just a moderate OC. I wouldn't worry too much about a closed loop WCS starting to leak, however. (That is, even though it can still always happen too of course, but it happens only very rarely.)

That being said, a cheap AIO WCS typically won't perform better (or barely) than the NH-D15 especially if the NH-D15 is installed in a PC case that has more than enough clearance to provide extra breathing space to the NH-D15. It is [the importance of] this extra breathing space that is very often underestimated, rather heavily to the point where it skews the vast majority of online reviews of the NH-D15 performance downward. This isn't to say that there aren't any disadvantages to choosing a bigger case. There are. But a bigger case also makes it easier for you to clear out the dust (and to uninstall/reinstall the NH-D15, etc.), and, with the NH-D15 you could always decide to upgrade the fans also in addition to choosing a bigger case. Granted, choosing better fans will drive up the total cost. But then, so does choosing a better AIO WCS.

A lot depends on what's on your list of priorities. As the Anandtech article states, most people will never see the wattage peak to 334.13 in spite of the fact that the i9-13900K did peak that high under test while not being overclocked so, the main takeway in that regard is that a modern flagship CPU from Intel can have an average power consumption that is very far beyond the typical 125W TPD. You might want to consider to at least double that, as multiplying it by 2.5 is not necessarily always overkill.

Lance1 said:

aesthetics

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Noctuas are not brown. It's owl color!

hdmi said:

Noctuas are not brown. It's owl color!

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Mine is black

Scott said:

Mine is black

https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-U12A-chromax-Black-Single-Tower-Cooler/dp/B098XP1Y38

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So it's black owl color then.

Noctua fan color is Brown... Actually that is the traditional look for Noctua. My New NH-D15 Will Be Black! And I Love It! Brown out! Black in... My full system will be Black... No RGB. That's for children and the vain. But That's Me!

Alright I just thought. Your going to jump on me for choosing a Fractal Design Pop XL Air "RGB" Black case! The fact is that it can easily be disabled and have a Black Build... But That's Me!

Lance1 said:

I like that look! But that's me...

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Lance1 said:

You know, I was thinking about Dru2,s post #43 about aesthetics in a system build. Dru2 hates the bulk of an air cooler and that's just fine! BUT I Love It! To quote Dru2... But That's Me... And then I thought what an offset it is that my Asus R9290X has such a thin profile! I think my "big @$$ Air Cooler" and my R9290X Is going to be an awesome looking combination... But That's Me!

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Like everything else here, it was s suggestion. And yes, not a preference of mine.

That said, use what works you for not for anyone else. It's why I never post my builds until after I've done them. But that's me

Peace

@Lance1 Your build will be fine with the parts you picked. Just make sure you check power draw and heat under heavy load, and then adjust in BIOS accordingly before you set it and forget it. You dont want to get a surprise later on.

badrobot said:

Just a heads up. I try not to buy high value items from Newegg Canada. They don't give your money back in case you have a problem. They only issue store credit. So you will be stuck with whatever available hardware they have so that you can use the store credit. And shipping is much much slower unless you will pick it up yourself which also has a waiting period until it is ready for pick-up.

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Hi there.

@bobkn too (although you did get a refund).

I can't add to any of the great technical stuff on this thread -- my home computer building days are long over !!! but certainly in the USA, Canada, EU/EEA and UK - possibly AUS and NZ too I believe if you pay with a CREDIT CARD and not a DEBIT card and the items don't work / not fit for purpose the CARD company or BANK has to refund your money if the store or supplier won't.

There might be a rule that the items must cost more than a specific minimum amount - probably around $50. I believe you were talking about high value items from newgg -- so I assume you would qualify for a refund if appropriate, While this is a Windows Forum it does pay to learn also about basic consumer rights too -- "missing this understanding could be injurious to your wealth".

Cheers
jimbo

Lance1 said:

Noctua fan color is Brown...

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Noes!

After building the computer, test on userbenchmark.com and post the link.

Lance1 said:

No RGB. That's for children and the vain.

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I am offended.
I chose RGB not for any of the reasons you mentioned. It is for ambience. All LEDs/RGBs are for ambience. I understand it is not for everyone. But that is just so mean of you.