Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black And NF-A14x25 G2 Fans Go Full Stealth

Noctua has finally done what many stealth-build enthusiasts have been waiting for: it has taken its latest flagship air cooler and halo 140 mm fans and dressed them entirely in black.

The new NH-D15 G2 chromax.black and matching NF-A14x25 G2 chromax.black fans keep all the engineering that made the original models so highly regarded, but now arrive in a finish that blends cleanly into dark, minimalist gaming and workstation rigs.

The NH-D15 G2 itself is the modern evolution of Noctua’s legendary dual-tower cooler. Under the blackout coating you still get a massive asymmetric aluminium fin stack and an 8-heatpipe base designed to tame high-end CPUs, including heavily boosted Intel and AMD chips. Noctua has reworked mounting pressure and contact geometry compared to the first NH-D15, aiming for more consistent performance across a wide range of integrated heat spreader shapes and thicknesses.

From the factory, the cooler ships with two NF-A14x25 G2 fans, and builders can add a third for even more headroom if their case allows. These are not just “painted black” versions of old fans. The NF-A14x25 G2 line uses Noctua’s Sterrox liquid-crystal polymer impeller that resists deformation at speed, combined with an ultra-tight 0.7 mm tip clearance between the blades and the frame. The result is excellent pressure and airflow at very low noise levels, whether you are pulling air through a dense fin stack or pushing it through a dust filter at the front of a case.

A big change with this generation is flexibility. The NF-A14x25 G2 chromax.black is offered in both square-frame and round-frame variants. The round version matches the profile of the NH-D15 G2, while the square model is ideal for radiators, front intakes, or top exhaust positions where full coverage of grills and rads matters. That means you can build an entire system around the same acoustic and visual profile, from tower cooler to case and even AIO radiator fans if you want to mix and match.

Performance expectations are naturally high. The original NH-D15 already traded blows with 240 mm and even some 280 mm AIO liquid coolers. Noctua is positioning the NH-D15 G2 chromax.black as a successor that can comfortably go up against many modern 360 mm AIOs when equipped with three NF-A14x25 G2 fans, while still offering the reliability benefits of an air cooler: no pump to fail, simpler installation, and maintenance that rarely goes beyond a dusting every few months.

Noctua’s CEO Roland Mossin has said that feedback to the second-generation cooler and fans has been overwhelmingly positive from reviewers and customers, and that the chromax.black finish is mostly about giving enthusiasts the aesthetic they kept asking for. In other words, this launch is less about chasing headline benchmark gains and more about delivering the same proven performance in a look that finally matches the premium reputation of the hardware.

Of course, the conversation around this release is not just about temperatures and decibels; it is also about price. The NH-D15 G2 chromax.black comes in at US$189.90, a noticeable jump not only over the original NH-D15 chromax.black but also over the standard, brown-and-beige NH-D15 G2. Each NF-A14x25 G2 chromax.black fan is listed at US$44.90 or EUR 39.90, regardless of whether you choose the square or round frame.

That kind of pricing firmly puts Noctua in the “luxury air cooling” segment. For roughly the cost of this cooler plus a third fan, you can find a decent 360 mm liquid cooler, and there are plenty of cheaper tower coolers from brands like ID-Cooling, Arctic, and others that will still keep a modern CPU comfortably within spec. That is exactly what many PC builders are pointing out: the NH-D15 G2 chromax.black is absolutely capable, but it is not the value king.

On the other hand, Noctua’s defenders highlight a few factors that do not show up on a simple spec-sheet comparison. The brand’s fans have a track record of running quietly for years on end without rattles or bearing noise, and there are countless stories of decade-old Noctua coolers being moved across multiple system upgrades. For users sensitive to noise or chasing a near-silent high-end build, paying extra for a cooler that you can install once and forget may feel more reasonable.

There is also the matter of acoustics versus temperature. Many cheaper air coolers or budget AIOs can match the NH-D15 class if you let them spin their fans aggressively. Where Noctua usually pulls ahead is at normalized noise levels: set everything to a quiet 30–33 dBA, and its big dual-tower designs tend to hold boost clocks longer and keep peak core temperatures a few degrees lower than mid-range competitors. The G2 fans, with their tight clearances and careful motor tuning, are built specifically for that efficiency sweet spot.

For builders, the chromax.black aesthetic finally removes the biggest practical objection many people had to Noctua: the signature beige-and-brown color scheme that simply did not match the rest of an all-black, RGB-heavy, or clean white-and-black setup. With a fully black-coated heatsink, black fans, and black mounting hardware, the NH-D15 G2 chromax.black fades into the background visually, letting the rest of the build take center stage.

Still, there is no escaping the reality that US$189.90 is a painful number to see attached to an air cooler, even one this capable. Enthusiasts who just want strong cooling for a reasonable price will continue to look at more affordable towers or mid-range AIOs, and some are bluntly calling Noctua the “Gucci of air cooling” in community discussions: impeccably made, undeniably premium, and priced like a status symbol.

Ultimately, the NH-D15 G2 chromax.black and NF-A14x25 G2 chromax.black fans are products for a specific audience: builders who care about long-term reliability, low noise, and a stealthy look more than they care about hitting the absolute lowest cost-per-degree

. If that sounds like you and your budget can stretch, this new blackout flagship finally lets you enjoy Noctua’s best hardware without compromising your color scheme. If not, the launch still has a silver lining: as this G2 chromax.black line settles into the market, discounts on older Noctua models and competing coolers are likely to become even more attractive.