Noctua NH-D15 G2 Offset LGA1851 Mounting Bars for Improved Cooling Performance
Noctua today presented the new NM-IMB8 offset mounting bars for the award-winning NH-D15 G2 flagship CPU cooler. By offsetting the heatsink 3.7mm towards the north and 2mm towards the east side of the socket, more pressure is applied right above the hotspot of Intel 24- or 20-core LGA1851 CPUs, such as the Core® Ultra 9 285K or Core Ultra 7 265K. This improved contact exactly at the processor’s hotspot can reduce CPU temperatures by up to 3°C with HBC coolers and up to 1°C with the standard version (medium base convexity) of the NH-D15 G2.
“Our NH-D15 G2 has successfully established itself as a new benchmark for premium quality quiet CPU coolers, and we’re excited to further improve its performance on 24- and 20-core Intel LGA1851 processors with the new NM-IMB8 mounting bars”, says Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). “By shifting the cooler closer towards the hotspot, LGA1851 owners can edge out up to 1°C using the regular NH-D15 G2 and up to 3°C using the HBC version.”
Intel LGA1851 CPUs with 24 or 20 cores such as the Core Ultra 9 285K or Core Ultra 7 265K feature a hotspot location shifted towards the north-east side of the package when running heavy multi-core loads. This off-centre hotspot location opens the door for cooling performance optimisation through shifting the cooler towards the hotspot in order to provide more concentrated contact pressure where it matters the most.
By offsetting the heatsink 3.7mm towards the north and 2mm towards the east side of the socket, the new NM-IMB8 mounting bars can reduce CPU temperatures by up to 3°C with HBC coolers and up to 1°C with the standard version (medium base convexity) of the NH-D15 G2. Since the standard version typically performs around 2°C better than the HBC version when both are used without offset, the first remains the recommended choice for LGA1851 as it achieves the best temperatures overall, both with and without offset mounting bars.
Replacing the standard mounting bars and re-using the original spacers and screws, the NM-IMB8 are a simple yet highly efficient measure for fine-tuning the thermal performance of NH-D15 G2 CPU coolers on high core count LGA1851 processors.
The NM-IMB8 mounting bars are available via Noctua’s website (as of today) or Amazon (starting in 2-3 weeks) for a service charge of EUR/USD 3.90 (website form) or EUR/USD 4.90 (Amazon) that helps to cover parts of the shipping and handling costs.
Caution: The NM-IMB8 are only compatible with NH-D15 G2 (standard, HBC and LBC models), NH-D12L, NH-L12S, NH-L12Sx77 and NH-L12 Ghost S1 edition heatsinks, please do not purchase for other coolers.
Links
NM-IMB8 product page
NM-IMB8 order form
LGA1851 offset mounting: background and benefits
NH-D15 G2 versions: contact quality optimisation explained
