Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review

AMD System Installation

On the AMD side of things, installation of the Noctua NH-D14 is very similar the Intel process, albeit with an extra necessary step. To start installing this mega sized cooler you once again should remove your motherboard from its case and then remove the standard AMD plastic retention ring, while leaving the backplate where it is. Luckily, this premium priced cooler comes with a premium installation setup so you don’t have to use AMD’s plastic retention ring. The biggest advantage besides peace of mind with having to install a custom Noctua AMD backplate is this does allow for installation in the more typical East / West Orientation.


To modify the standard backplate to be able to accept the D14 you simply grab the bag labelled “AMD” and then thread the plastic tube-like washers over the bolts on the top side down into the backplate. With this down you then install the two AMD D14 retaining brackets on top of it all.

The only thing worth noting is while on the Intel side of things you had to make sure the two retention brackets were curved away from the CPU, on the AMD side of things they have to curve in towards the CPU. Other than this small yet crucial difference the rest of the install is for all intents and purposes the same for both AMD and Intel.


With all this accomplished you then prep the CPU, apply some TIM and gently lay the D14 cooler in place. The pre-installed metal tabs with spring loaded screws on the base of this cooler do not have to be removed and replaced with AMD ones as the customization / retrofitting is not needed. The different size brackets we just installed a moment ago take care of any nonsense like that for you.


On the AMD side of things we can honestly say that the chances of getting three P14-FLX fans to work on your AMD board is slim. It may just be our DFI boards layout, but we doubt it. The simple fact of the matter is that the memory slots are going to be blocked by the low hanging part of these big fans (or any 140mm fan for that matter). As with the Intel side of things, if you have your heat set on running three fans on this beast you are much better off going with 120mm fans.


Even if your ram slots are laid out differently than ours, you will also run into motherboard heatsink clearance issues on the AMD side of things. As you can see in the above photo, the 140mm fan is bent inwards ever so slightly by our DFI’s relatively small heatsinks. This to us further reinforces the idea that 120mm fans are just going to be plain easier to work with than the 140mm monsters we have installed. Like we said in the Intel side of things: D14 + 120mm fans = very few compatibility issues. The heatsinks start up nice and high and unless you have a motherboard with overly high heatsinks, or are running exotic RAM with funky heatsinks on top of them you should be fine.