Arctic Liquid Freezer II vs Noctua NH D15 | Which One Is the Best Option?

All PCs come equipped with a CPU cooler to manage the heat released by the processors. But if you are overclocking your CPU, then it is too tough to manage the thermal issues with general CPU coolers. In this case, you may need a high-quality cooler for your CPU.

You may have heard about the Arctic Liquid Freezer II and Noctua NH D15 CPU coolers and can’t decide which one should you get.

Don’t worry, we will show you all the factors about both CPU coolers and also compare both products so that you can choose the best one for yourself. So, let’s move to the next segment.

Specification of Arctic Liquid Freezer II and Noctua NH D15

Here is the specification of Arctic Liquid Freezer II and Noctua NH D15 cooler to compare them:

Name	Arctic Liquid Freezer II	Noctua NH D15
Manufacturer	Arctic	Noctua
Model	Liquid Freezer II 280 A-RGB	NH-D15
Supported Socket in Intel	LGA115X, LGA 1700, LGA1200, LGA2011, LGA2011-3*, and LGA2066*(*Square ILM)	LGA1150, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA2011
Supported Socket in AMD	AMD: AM4	AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2
CPU Block	Base Material: Copper	Base & Heatpipes: Copper
Pump	RPM: 800–2000 (+/- 300	–
Radiator	Dimensions: 317 x 138 x 38 mm Material: Aluminium	Fins Material: Aluminium
Fan Model	P14 PWM A-RGB	NF-A15 PWM
Fan Dimension	140 x 140 x 25 mm	140 x 150 x 25 mm
Fan Speed	200–1900 RPM	300 – 1200 RPM
Fan Airflow	68.9 CFM	68 CFM
Fan Noise	22.5 dB(A)	19.2 dBA
Pump Fans	Model: Embedded Fan Dimensions: 40 mm Fan Speed: 1000–3000 RPM Fan Airflow: 19.41 CFM Fan Noise: 31 dB(A)	–
Features	High-quality hoses and integrated cable management	6 Heatpipe dual tower design
Fans with high static pressure	PWM Support and Low-Noise adaptor
8 mm thick radiator	SecuFirm 2 mounting system
40 mm VRM fan	Widened fin stack and expanded heatpipe layout
A-RGB lighting with the controller in the motherboard	High RAM compatibility
–	Compatibility with all sockets with optional NM-I3 mounting kit
Warranty	6 Years	6 Years
Price range	Around $119.99	Around $99.9

As you can see from the above chart that both CPU coolers are copper based and the radiator metal is Aluminium.

However, the Arctic Liquid Freezer II has a pump fan and thick radiator to improve the quality. Again, the Noctua NH D15 is almost compatible with all past and future sockets and RAMs.

o, considering the quality, you may go for the Arctic cooler, and considering the compatibility, you can choose Noctua. However, the Noctua is the best option for you if you are on a low budget.

Arctic Liquid Freezer II vs Noctua NH D15 | Comparison

Now let’s see which CPU cooler between the Arctic Liquid Freezer II and Noctua NH D15 is better according to the results of the CPU temperature.

CPU Temperature

CPU Temperature	Arctic Liquid Freezer II	Noctua NH D15
Stock Idle	24 °C	25°C
Stock Idle/ Noise Normalized	24°C	25°C
OC Idle	26°C	26°C
OC Idle/ Noise Normalized	26°C	26°C
Stock Blender	47°C	50°C
Stock Blender/ Noise Normalized	50°C	52°C
OC Blender	72°C	77°C
OC Blender/ Noise Normalized	74°C	78°C
Stock AIDA64 FPU	48°C	51°C
Stock AIDA64 FPU / Noise Normalized	51°C	52°C
OC AIDA64 FPU	76°C	79°C
OC AIDA64 FPU / Noise Normalized	78°C	81°C

So, according to the chart above, you can see that the Arctic Liquid Freezer II reduces more temperature than the Noctua NH D15. Now let’s see the noise generated by both coolers.

Fan Noise Levels and Speed

Fan Noise (dBA)	Arctic Liquid Freezer II	Noctua NH D15
25% PWM	35 dBA	34 dBA
50% PWM	40 dBA	40 dBA
75% PWM	47 dBA	43 dBA
100% PWM	50 dBA	49 dBA

So, you can see the fan’s noise level of Noctua NH D15 is lower than the Arctic Liquid Freezer II. Now let’s see the fan speed.

Fan Speed (RPM)	Arctic Liquid Freezer II	Noctua NH D15
25% PWM	746 RPM	489 RPM
50% PWM	1137 RPM	862 RPM
75% PWM	1473 RPM	1221 RPM
100% PWM	1804 RPM	1523 RPM

You can see from the above chart that the speed of Arctic Liquid Freezer II is way faster than Noctua NH D15. So, let’s see the performance chart of both CPU coolers to clarify the best one.

Performance Summary

Relative Performance	Arctic Liquid Freezer II	Noctua NH D15
AMD	@ Max RPM	100%	98%
@ 45 dBA Noise Normalized	100%	99%
Intel	@ Max RPM	100%	95%
@ 45 dBA Noise Normalized	100%	96%

So, it is confirmed from the above chart that the differences in performance are almost the same and the Arctic Liquid Freezer II is slightly better than the Noctua NH D15. Here is the chart that shows the performance per Doller.

Performance per Dollar	Arctic Liquid Freezer II	Noctua NH D15
AMD	$120:100%	$100:118%
Intel	$120:100%	$100:114%

Now, it is clear from the above chart that the Arctic Liquid Freezer II is the best but the Noctua NH D15 is worth your money.

Get the ultimate cooling experience with the Arctic Liquid Freezer II or Noctua NH D15. Order now for top-notch efficiency, quiet operation and lasting durability.

Pros and Cons of Arctic Liquid Freezer II and Noctua NH D15

Arctic Liquid Freezer II

Pros

• Cooling performance is good.
• Noise-optimized performance is good.
• Provides a 6-year warranty.
• Memory and graphics card clearance.
• Build quality is great.
• Reasonable price.
• VRM (Voltage regulator module) fan able to reduce temperatures.
• A-RGB lighting for an exclusive look.

Cons

• Many users may face problems with the design of the pump.
• VRM fan rather is useful in only niche situations.
• Users may face difficulties in fitting the Rigid pump during routing the tube.
• The packaging is poor.
• May face problem mounting hardware.

Noctua NH D15

Pros

• Performance is first class.
• Low noise.
• Memory clearance in single-fan mode.
• Easy to set up.
• The build quality is exceptional.
• Packaging helps the cooler reduce temperature.
• Excellent accessories bundle

Cons

• Costly.
• motherboard-expansion slot is unable to use after mounting this cooler.
• Dual fan mode doesn’t provide memory clearance.
• No RGB light is provided.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Aio Fan Better Than Noctua?

The Noctua is significantly better than Aio in quality and performance. The Noctua can reduce temperature than Aio. However, the Aio is too much louder than the Noctua.

Is Noctua D15 Worth It?

Coolers from the Noctua brand are already popular among PC users. The NH-D15 has excellent build quality and impressive design. The cooling capacity is also outstanding and it comes with amazing accessories. Luckily, it comes with a six-years warranty which is highly reliable with this cooler. In a word, the NH-D15 is the best product at this price.

Conclusion

Hopefully, all your confusion about Arctic Liquid Freezer II and Noctua NH D15 has cleared after reading this article. The Arctic Liquid Freezer II is obviously one of the best CPU coolers but the Noctua NH D15 is worth buying because of its amazing quality at a low price. So, which one you should go for is completely up to you now. Thanks for reading.