Back to Noctua where we learn that serious compatibility problems can occur with Asus motherboards. Indeed, the Taiwanese brand wanted to maximize the cooling of the VRM of its cards. So much so that these heatsinks have become too big for the Austrian’s offer.
Noctua: compatibility problems with Asus cards!
From what we can see on the site of the Austrian brand, the motherboards causing problems are often ROG. For example, the Z690 Formula will not be compatible with the NH-D15S or NH-L12S for example. Another example is the ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming which is even more capricious. On the latter, the installation of NH-D15, NH-U12A, NH-C14 or NH-U14S is simply impossible. Again, the VRM heatsinks on the board are a problem.
Otherwise, other models like the Z690-G Gaming Wifi have problems with Noctua’s 140mm fans. Even the D15S with its eccentric base is problematic. The problem comes from the first PCIe slot covered by the big fans of the brand. As you can see, in these conditions, it is impossible to take advantage of the PCIe x16 5.0 slot of the card. You will therefore be forced to install your graphics card in the other slots.
In any case, do not hesitate to consult the compatibility guide of the Austrian… Especially if you are planning to buy an Asus card and you have a Noctua cooling unit. This will save you a lot of trouble during the installation.
It is quite strange to see such problems, especially when you know that the two companies work together regularly. One thinks of the Ryujin or Ryujin II equipped with NF-F12 for example. Recently, this partnership took the form of a graphics card, a RTX 3070 more precisely. Especially since MSI, Gigabyte or Asrock do not oppose as much resistance, if at all!
