When I first built a custom gaming PC all those years ago, the first thing I did was throw away the stock cooler that came with the Intel Core i7-4790K and replace it with a 240mm AIO and then a 280mm AIO (because the fan noise on the larger radiator was more pleasing). That ended badly, I thought that by buying a premium brand known for watercooling (Swiftech) I would get better performance, and I did... but only for a short period of time before it started leaking.

I've always been one to gravitate toward the higher end of the market, both for seeing huge benchmark numbers but also because the longevity of my hardware is important, and I'd rather spend once, cry once, and not have to go through the annoyances of RMAs. When that AIO first started leaking, I took my own advice and picked up a Noctua NH-D15 to keep my CPU cool while the RMA was underway.

And you know what? It's still being used every day on my second computer. Since 2015, it's cooled countless CPUs, both in my own builds and on the test bench during new CPU launches, and the only changes I've made are to replace the brown fans with the Chromax versions when they came out. I don't have a single peripheral, component, or associated part left from that era, but the air cooler keeps on going.

That cooler is the venerable Noctua NH-D15

Expensive things tend to last longer

It was December 2015 when I first installed the Noctua NH-D15, and right from the moment I opened the packaging I knew I'd made the right decision. Everything felt premium, and after a string of smaller, less well-made coolers, I was impressed by the thickness of the metal used on the fins, the oversized heatpipes, and those polarizing fans.

It cooled my Intel Core i7-4790K so well that I could push it to 5.2GHz while remaining almost silent. I hated the sound of fans ramping up to push air through the radiator of the AIO cooler, and the Noctuas' silent running was bliss. I still buy Noctuas for every one of my personal builds; there's just something about their unwavering dedication to quality and silent fans that instills respect.

It's cooled a dozen or more PC builds since then, and more CPUs than I can count. Every generation of Ryzen CPUs has been kept under control with that cooler, as have many of the Intel CPUs from the 9th to the 12th generations. It hasn't been used on every build, as I got into SFF cases for a while, but even at that time, it was on my open-air testbench getting results for articles.

Noctua promises to send you free mounting hardware for life

The real reason that I've been able to use this cooler for over a decade isn't the quality of the hardware. That's true, but without being able to mount it onto changing CPU sockets it would be just as useless as the leaking AIO. But Noctua does something that no other cooler manufacturer offers — free mounting hardware for life.

All you do is submit a request for compatible hardware for the new socket, and upload your motherboard and Noctua cooler invoices, and they'll ship the new parts to you. The only wrinkle is that they ship from Austria, so if you need that mounting kit in a hurry, it's often easier to pick it up from your local PC supplier. But even then, the mounting kits are affordable, and it saves you from having to replace the entire cooler.

Noctua outperforms many AIO coolers

I've used many other CPU coolers over the years, from custom hardline watercooling to AIOs, stock coolers, and any size of air cooler you can point at. Apart from the 360mm and larger AIO coolers and custom hardline, the Noctua has outperformed them all. Air cooling can be just as good as watercooling, but you do have to match the TDP of your CPU and cooler more carefully.

I liked it so much, I bought another

Technically, I bought the revised version

When the successor, the NH-D15 G2, was announced, I didn't feel any need to upgrade. But I recently got caught in a time crunch and needed an AM5 cooler ASAP, so I noticed there was a Chromax version on Amazon. It didn't take much hesitation to order the revised version, and I'm glad I did.

Not only are the new fans quieter, but the SecuFirm2+ mounting system uses Torx instead of Philips head bolts, for an easier time installing. The heatpipes and fin stack have been offset to keep them away from the top PCIe slot, as the older one had some issues with larger graphics cards. The coldplate that contacts the CPU is larger, and the new mounting system lets you offset the center to better cover the hottest part of recent AMD and Intel CPUs.

I'll never stop custom watercooling (if the right build comes along)

I used to go all-out with custom watercooling, sleeving my own cables, modifying the case used, modding CPU blocks, GPU blocks, and other features to fit the look I was aiming for. I have less spare time these days, but I still keep my eyes open for interesting chassis that I could build either an aesthetic or a challenging watercooled system in. It saddens me to see so many brands drop out of the market, and the premier brands have either limited their output or (nearly) gone under due to mismanagement. I do love seeing all the home CNC machines making distroplates for moving water around without tubes, though, and I'll always be part of the community that gave me a home for so many years.

I never expected to be using the same cooler a decade later

Maybe my experience has been different to others, but I either run into faulty AIO coolers, faulty cooling fans, or can't live with the noise that some make when in operation. That said, I never expected the Noctua NH-D15 to still be in active use after a decade, given that I also get bored with hardware quickly and want to change it out. It's a true testament to what a well-designed and engineered piece of hardware can do, and I look forward to a decade with the successor.