Noctua responds to complaints of ‘rattling’ noise affecting its new NH-D15 G2 CPU air cooler

Noctua certainly took its time developing the successor to the legendary NH-D15 CPU air cooler. However, the long-awaited, highly-anticipated (and price-inflated) new Noctua NH-D15 G2 seems to be suffering from teething troubles with excess fan noise, or what some channels are eager to dub ‘Rattlegate.’

An official response to a query about NH-D15 G2 noise issues from PC enthusiast @ghost_motley starts by thanking users for their faith in Noctua’s products. Reassuringly, the company has already kick-started “a thorough analysis” of the noise issue. Noctua shares its earliest inklings of a smoking gun in this case, suggesting “the interlocking of the top fin has loosened a bit, probably in shipping.”

Noctua’s preliminary analysis is that the suspected loosened top fin can vibrate when the cooler is in action, and “may result in slight rattling sound.” Its observation is that this issue causes acoustic impacts that are “very small (<0.5dB(A)).”

In its lengthy response to the ‘Rattlegate’ issue, Noctua suggests a temporary solution, while its investigations continue. “As a temporary mitigation, we would recommend either putting a piece of tape to the side of the fins (where they interlock) or inserting a small piece of plastic or foam with ~1.8mm thickness between the top fin and second fin,” says the PC cooling specialist. Perhaps those annoyed by any rattling could A/B the two temporary solutions, to find the best one.

Noctua’s excellent PC CPU air cooling reputation has been built upon unwavering quality and performance over many years. Without its remarkable cachet, it couldn’t have gotten away with charging $150 for a tower form factor CPU air cooler in 2024. It certainly recognizes a disconnect between expectations and actual quality – even if they are truly a result of the shipping process, in this instance.

The final paragraph of the Noctua statement regarding potential noise issues with the NH-D15 G2 clearly aims shore up good customer relations. Noctua sincerely apologizes to all affected, and says it understands if anyone doesn’t want to be inconvenienced by temporary mitigations. Thus, it is issuing full refunds to NH-D15 G2 customers affected by ‘Rattlegate’ – just email the firm at support@noctua.at to set the process in motion.

Lastly, Noctua explains it isn’t beginning a product replacement program at this time, as “we cannot rule out that the issue would occur again in transit.” The investigations could result in a customized solution to the excess noise issues, or a revamped design, we shall have to wait and see.