SPCR

Noctua is releasing a new fan, and as many in the industry shifted toward PWM, im really interested into see how it performs,

Noctua NF-F12 PWM (300-1500rpm) video

Teaming up eleven stator guide vanes with a specially conceived seven blade impeller, the NF-F12’s Focused Flow™ system creates outstanding static pressure and focuses the airflow for superior performance on heatsinks and radiators. At the same time, a wide range of advanced aerodynamic design measures, second generation SSO-Bearings and Noctua’s new, custom designed PWM IC for fully automatic control guarantee astounding quietness of operation. The NF-F12 comes with modular cabling, integrated anti-vibration pads and two speed settings for full flexibility. Its commanding performance, exhaustive set of features and Noctua’s trusted premium quality make it an elite choice for use on air coolers, radiators and other pressure demanding applications.

Specs
Size 120x120x25 mm
Connector 4-pin PWM
Bearing SSO2
Blade Geometry Heptaperf™
Frame Technology Focused Flow™
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) 1500 RPM
Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 1200 RPM
Min. Rotational Speed (PWM) 300 RPM
Airflow 93,4 m³/h
Airflow with L.N.A. 74,3 m³/h
Acoustical Noise 22,4 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with L.N.A. 18,6 dB(A)
Static Pressure 2,61 mm H2O
Static Pressure with L.N.A. 1,83 mm H2O
Max. Input Power 0,6 W
Max. Input Current 0,05 A
Voltage 12 V
MTBF > 150.000 h
Scope of Delivery
Low-Noise Adapter (L.N.A.)
4-Pin Y-Cable
30cm Extension Cable
4 Vibration-Compensators
4 Fan Screws
Warranty 6 years

Looks over-engineered. I can't help but be skeptical - Noctua fans are usually grossly overpriced and not exceptional in terms of acoustics or performance. This "new" fan looks like the marketing people had too much to say in the process of designing.

Looking forward to reading the SPCR test though.

It reminds me of the Delta FFB series. http://www.delta.com.tw/product/cp/dcfa ... 25.4mm.pdf
Apparently these series of fans has been referred to as Focussed Flow way before Noctua. https://www.google.com/search?q=delta+f ... =firefox-a

Delta's Focussed Flow fans are monsters - their /lowest/ speed 120mm FFB is 3100 rpm nominal.

Nexus were also involved in focussed fan airflow a while back, using this
http://www.nexustek.nl/NXS-nexus-beamair-airguider.htm.

They really go for it Noctua don't they!
"inner surface microstructures"

I don't mid the integrated anti vibration pads not a bad idea really. But what really counts is how it performs not the marketing and PR or cutting little bits out of the plastic.

So what's the RRP anyway? Probably too much.
I do like the ULN 120mm ones but they're slow moving fans useful if that's what you need but I'm not very likely to purchase Noctua for future builds some of their fans have questionable box ratings for airflow and noise. But then so do a lot of makers.

Maybe it's a good fan we'll have to wait and see. I have to agree they are overpriced for what they are, nice package though I'll give them that.

See the review at http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1797/1/.

My local hardware dealer now stocks this fan, and is charging only around 2% more than their price for the three pin Noctua NF-P12 or the NF-S12B.

Interesting!

Quote:

"Now onto Noctua's trademark style: the sound of this fan is fairly unimpressive in some regards. Noctua made some bold claims about frequency control and low noise operations of this fan, which just did not pan out. The overall sound signature of this fan was quiet, but not once did it fade into the background or become unnoticeable besides when it was on the threshold for human ears' hearing range"


Maybe not as good as expected? I think marketing can only go so far I'm sure there are valid design points for fans, maybe Noctua are thrashing that side a bit more than reality delivers. Question for many is how much better is this than say half a dozen other pretty quiet/decent fans running at a similar/slow speed?

There's another review here:
http://www.funkykit.com/component/conte ... m-fan.html.

This fan is one of those where 0% PWM duty cycle = 0 rpm. Even at 20% it only runs around 300 rpm so the limitations of some BIOS fan controls would be less important. The early reviews and some user feedback seem to agree that this fan is somewhat noisy much over around 1000 rpm but as those sort of speeds would only normally be seen under gaming or high CPU stress conditions it doesn't seem to detract from what is otherwise an excellent PWM fan.

The accoustic of the fan is in my opinion quite poor at any speed... I'd rather use the NF-P12, or any better fan
I don't know how the PWM version of NF-P12 behaves, like NF-F12 with small ticking, of rather smoothly like NF-P12 ?

Hate to say it but Marketing hype seems to be at work here. I'm sure we appreciate there is an element to fan design such as blade angles, bearing design and well known that rubber mounts help reduce vibration. But not a lot more than that, cutting bits out of the blade and putting moulded dimples on there and various bits probably does next to nothing. I suppose it's to tempt folks into really believing they are superior designed fans.

I've no problems with the other 120mm ones they've done but like the NF-B9 I had it was outdone by other fans that cost less, and they had better static pressure and were quieter. I think Notcua are over engineering things in the hope of attracting user

Hate to say it but Marketing hype seems to be at work here. I'm sure we appreciate there is an element to fan design such as blade angles, bearing design and well known that rubber mounts help reduce vibration. But not a lot more than that, cutting bits out of the blade and putting moulded dimples on there and various bits probably does next to nothing. I suppose it's to tempt folks into really believing they are superior designed fans.

I've no problems with the other 120mm ones they've done but like the NF-B9 I had it was outdone by other fans that cost less, and they had better static pressure and were quieter. I think Notcua are over engineering things in the hope of attracting users. Can't they just get back to making nice fans without all the fuss?

It's not all marketing hype. For example, Noctua claim that their NE-FD1 PWM fan driver IC results in a quieter running fan. The testing by Legitreviews seems to bear this out, "...PWM mode did make this fan sound much better, there was far less bearing noise...". So a fan that is quieter under PWM operation than it is under voltage control is a step forward, particularly as the same IC is fitted to the rest of Noctua's PWM fan range. Noctua also make the fairly obvious point that PWM controlled fans are more power-efficient that direct voltage fans where speeds are reduced by resistors. But while the claim on their web site that "..the PWM based version(s) of the NF-R8, NF-B9 and NF-P12 fans consume 25-40% less power than their non-PWM counterparts..." could well be true, to then go on to say "..This doesn’t only make it eco-friendly but also cuts down the electricity bill: Compared to a typical 2W fan, this allows you to save about half the price of the NF-F12 after 5 years of continuous use..." is I suspect taking it a bit too far.

No no no....

What Noctua is saying about their NE-FD1 PWM fan driver IC is mainly marketing. It may be efficient (surely), but I've got a NF-F12 PWM, and I am sorry to say that the motor is not the smoothest or quietest I've ever heard...at all !

In fact, the NF-F12 PWM I've bought is for me a big disappointment...sure the bearing is good, even very good, but PWM mode did NOT make this fan sound much better, and yes the fan performs well on radiator, but ouch, a Scythe Gentle typhoon performs better, and more quietly (and it is cheaper) :/

I agree with Mr Spocko. I was expecting much more from Noctua

1.

Mr Spocko wrote:I've no problems with the other 120mm ones they've done but like the NF-B9 I had it was outdone by other fans that cost less, and they had better static pressure and were quieter. I think Notcua are over engineering things in the hope of attracting user

I have never seen static pressure testing that appeared to be reliable or comparable between tests.

2. For some reason, the PWM fans always seem to be louder than similar non-PWM fans from the same family. Apparently it is hard to make a quiet PWM fan.

The benefit of a PWM fan is that you can run it most of the time at a low (quiet) speed. I suspect the Noctua PWM running at 300rpm is materially quieter than even the mighty Nexus running at 1000rpm.

But perhaps we will find out what SPCR finds out sometime in the next 12 months.

One other point. Those vanes seem to take up a fair portion of the 25mm thickness of the fan. The blades have to be much thinner than the standard 25mm blades. You would think that this would reduce the CFM... but apparently it doesn't. That doesn't seem quite right.

ces wrote:I suspect the Noctua PWM running at 300rpm is materially quieter than even the mighty Nexus running at 1000rpm.

Yes, there are a fair number of otherwise decent fans that can't get anywhere near 300 rpm under PWM control, such as the Thermalright TY-140 as fitted to the HR-02 Macho. So being able to go that low does at least put the Noctua into a select group until now dominated by the venerable Scythe SY1225SL12LM-P.

Sure...but at 300rpm this Noctua is noisier (not really noisier, but the small ticking are annoying !) than a Nexus @500rpm, or a Noiseblocker XL1 at the same speed, so...

There is also the Sharkoon silent eagle SE (or the Zaward Golf fan 2 that is quite similar) that are PWM and able to run @300rpm... I haven't tested if they are outperformed by the Noctua, but they sound better. And the Slipsteram sounds much better than this Noctua

I got two Noctua fans with Noctua NH-U12P heatsink back in the day. Don't remember the model but the noise the fans made sure was annoying. Ticking and all that... I got a ridiculously good price from the fans though so I'm not really complaining

Another review here http://www.viperlair.com/2011/noctua-nf ... -review/2/. Viperlair do at least test fans actually working in a system and cooling a CPU or radiator.

Pricing seems to be about $24 USD for the on focused flow 120mm version. I think it's way too expensive, you can get the Scythe fans for almost $10 cheaper. The added accessories like the soft mount and low noise adapters are nice but not worth the extra cost.

The package is good with Noctua that is beyond doubt sleeving high quality, and the packaging (but hey do most care?)
I think they're going for the "buy the best" buyer so on paper they will get people to buy them.

If they make the best fans is open to a lot of debate they make good fans. But I'm not really sure the price is worth it I think they're now beaten with other makers at a lower price point.

Are they quiet enough? Well some are better than others if they priced a bit better I'm sure folks would warm up to them a bit more

I bought Nocta fans because of the bearings. Unfortunately they tend to vibrate when firmly mounted to a CPU sink, and on there their bearings would be most benefitial for longevity. When hanging from cable ties the'yre better, and I could use the focussed flow design for front intake. The 140mm models have trouble starting at low voltage unfortunately.