Noctua's 2nd Gen NH-D15 CPU Cooler Looks To Be Delayed Again
Noctua has updated its product roadmap, revealing that several of its upcoming fans and CPU coolers have been delayed yet again. That includes the highly anticipated second-generation NH-D15 dual tower cooler. Previously, Noctua’s next-gen D15 cooler was announced to arrive as early as Q4 of 2023; Noctua’s updated roadmap now shows that it has been pushed back to Q2 of 2024.
This isn’t the first delay Noctua’s next-gen NH-D15 has suffered. The cooler has struggled through several back-to-back delays, keeping it out of the hands of enthusiasts that eagerly await the next high-end cooler from Noctua. Originally the Austrian company was supposed to launch the cooler three years ago, in late 2021.
Sadly, these delays don’t only affect the NH-D15. They're also affecting some of Noctua’s other products as well, including new cooling fans. For instance, according to comparisons against the firm's January 2023 roadmap update, its upcoming slim 60mm fan and next-generation 140mm fan have been delayed by several months from Q3 2023 and Q4 2023 to Q1 2024. Additionally, Noctua has delayed the NH-D12L, one of its upcoming CPU coolers, from Q4 of 2023 to Q1 of 2024.
Noctua has neglected to share what is causing these additional delays, but if it is anything like the company's previous delays, it is probably dealing with quality control issues in some form or fashion. This was the case with the 2022 delays surrounding its next-gen 140mm fans, which have been significantly delayed due to unexpected production-level issues. This problem forced Noctua to restart its lifetime test runs which take several months to complete.
While the transparency of Noctua's roadmap updates is awesome, having 3 years of delays on a product isn't great. At this rate, there’s no knowing when the next-gen NH-D15 will arrive, which could hurt the company’s reputation. These added delays are also arguably hurting Noctua from a competitive perspective. The CPU cooler industry is very hot right now, and there are a few high-performance coolers that can match or beat the NH-D15’s performance at lower prices.
As a result, Noctua really needs to get this product out as soon as possible if it wants to maintain its reputation of air cooler dominance. Hopefully, this will be the last delay for the next-generation NH-D15 CPU cooler.
