Confessions of a Noctua fanboy

[Nec_V20]

I wrote in a previous post that I had been using Noctua fans for a decade and a half although the company was only founded in 2005. The thing is that I feel as if I have been using Noctua fans for a very long time.

I first started using them in "main computer" terms three generations ago (Pentium 4, i7-965x/990x, i7-4790K). My main computer is the one I have running 24/7 and they generally last four to five years. I have never had to move on to a next computer because of any kind of catastrophic failure except for one time when the Tyan SMP board I had running two 200 MHz Pentium CPUs failed.

One thing which royally cheesed me off is fans failing on me. By failing I don't just mean that they stop working, but rather that they start developing really irritating noises over time.

For me that ended when I started using Noctua fans three main computer generations ago and I have no reason whatsoever to consider any other kind of fan for my computers other than Noctua up to 140mm.

It's the one thing I always find missing in discussions or reviews about computer fans, namely the discussion about longevity. Sure, let's compare fans for their noise level WHEN THEY ARE NEW. What about after a year of continuous use? What about two years? How about five years?

And no, it's not just a case of "it's still spinning so it ain't broke". For me a fan is broken when it doesn't perform the same way as it did when it was new. I have yet to experience this with a Noctua fan.

The thing is that I don't get free samples of fans to review. I have to pay my own hard earned money for the components I use in the computers I build. If I were to be convinced that there was a better alternative to buying a Noctua fan then I would do so in a New York Second (everyone knows what a New York Minute is, but a New York Second is the shortest measurable time span defined by the amount of time it takes from a traffic light turning green in New York to the first hand hitting the horn).

There are lots of posts/articles/reviews comparing various fans favourably with Noctua fans in terms of low noise. There is an awning SILENCE with regard to how long those fans remain favourably comparable to Noctua fans over time.

[fuzzymath10]

Same here. I went through countless fans from decent brands and after a year or so many of them started buzzing. I have a bunch of 120 and 80mm Noctua case fans and they sound essentially the same as they did when I bought them about 4 years ago. Before that I was fiddling with swapping fans in and out every few days and now I hardly pay any attention.

Luckily, I have a couple of 120mm S-flexes that have lasted as well; I was less lucky with their 80mm ones.

[Abula]

I recommend noctua a lot out of bieng reliable and well design, specially their pwm fans, that said, i think its not all about how much they last, to me the tone of a fan is more importante, and here there are other fans that compete well like scythe, noiseblocker, nexus, that in some cases offer better value for the money. Overall is best not to be a fanboy of any brand, and buy whatever works well in that tiñe for your specific use and noise desires.

[lodestar]

...to me the tone of a fan is more importante...

There still seem to be some stocks around of the special Black Linus Tech Tips version of the standard NF-F12 120mm PWM and NF-A14 140mm PWM fans.



And you can combine these with the Noctua NA-SAVP1 chromax.black for an 'all-black' Noctua effect.

[Abula]

Thanks loadstar for the headup, i really ddint know they sell the rubber corners, i might get some for the NF-P14R REDUX.

But i meant more the sonic tone not the color =P

[Nec_V20]

I recommend noctua a lot out of bieng reliable and well design, specially their pwm fans, that said, i think its not all about how much they last, to me the tone of a fan is more importante, and here there are other fans that compete well like scythe, noiseblocker, nexus, that in some cases offer better value for the money. Overall is best not to be a fanboy of any brand, and buy whatever works well in that tiñe for your specific use and noise desires.

That's the thing Abula, there is nothing more important to me than reliability and quietness, everything else is not even a remote consideration.

Noctua fans give me both and considering the goodies you get with them (high quality and nicely sleeved PWM extension cable, PWM LNA cable and PWM splitter cable) they are as cheap or even cheaper than other fans where you would have to spend extra to get the cables you would need and generally those cables look like crap.

[Abula]

That's the thing Abula, there is nothing more important to me than reliability and quietness, everything else is not even a remote consideration.

The most important thing on any fan is how efective it is, that said we silent seekers search for fans that can cool of quietly, or we might even sacrifice some temperature in order to get a more quiet setup.

Noctua fans give me both and considering the goodies you get with them (high quality and nicely sleeved PWM extension cable, PWM LNA cable and PWM splitter cable) they are as cheap or even cheaper than other fans where you would have to spend extra to get the cables you would need and generally those cables look like crap.

About the sleeving, its not bad, but not the best, it seem its more rubbery than a normal sleeve, personally i find them stiff and not very easily routable, a lot of times they stick out becoase of it.

SPCR and a lot of users have find the newer noctuas not as good as the old tone wise, a lot still prefer the NF-P12 over the NF-F12, same can be said about the NF-P14 and the NF-A14, i personally have done full builds with noctua fans, like my old GameMi, and to me they are good fans, probably right up there with the best, but tonally above 900rpms the NF-A14 are not loud but toanlly are not pleasing. All this is subjective, and while i do consider Noctua as one of the best, its not the only one that make great fans, like i said Scythe, Noiseblocker, Nexus, do very good options.

[Nec_V20]

That's the thing Abula, there is nothing more important to me than reliability and quietness, everything else is not even a remote consideration.

The most important thing on any fan is how efective it is, that said we silent seekers search for fans that can cool of quietly, or we might even sacrifice some temperature in order to get a more quiet setup.

Noctua fans give me both and considering the goodies you get with them (high quality and nicely sleeved PWM extension cable, PWM LNA cable and PWM splitter cable) they are as cheap or even cheaper than other fans where you would have to spend extra to get the cables you would need and generally those cables look like crap.

About the sleeving, its not bad, but not the best, it seem its more rubbery than a normal sleeve, personally i find them stiff and not very easily routable, a lot of times they stick out becoase of it.

SPCR and a lot of users have find the newer noctuas not as good as the old tone wise, a lot still prefer the NF-P12 over the NF-F12, same can be said about the NF-P14 and the NF-A14, i personally have done full builds with noctua fans, like my old GameMi, and to me they are good fans, probably right up there with the best, but tonally above 900rpms the NF-A14 are not loud but toanlly are not pleasing. All this is subjective, and while i do consider Noctua as one of the best, its not the only one that make great fans, like i said Scythe, Noiseblocker, Nexus, do very good options.

I don't work for Noctua nor do I get any free samples from them.

I do however have a very long track record of being very satisfied with them both from the aspect of longevity and noise and nothing else enters into my calculation. The fact that you also get the goodies with them (and personally I have never had a problem routing those cables, in fact the opposite is the case) is an added bonus, but that does not enter into my calculation with regard to choosing them.

If I were to receive credible evidence that other fans were better with regard to my criteria then I would be buying them. However I have not seen anything that would cause that change to occur. It's my money and my choice, just as it it your money and your choice.

[Abula]

If I were to receive credible evidence that other fans were better with regard to my criteria then I would be buying them.

If i were to continue this, its just going to become a flame war, and a mod will close the thread, so im going to keep it simple, and stay out, just try to keep an open mind that things are not perfect in life and there will always be better things.

[Nec_V20]

If I were to receive credible evidence that other fans were better with regard to my criteria then I would be buying them.

If i were to continue this, its just going to become a flame war, and a mod will close the thread, so im going to keep it simple, and stay out, just try to keep an open mind that things are not perfect in life and there will always be better things.

Where do you get the idea of flame war?

I said explicitly:

It's my money and my choice, just as it it your money and your choice.

I might be wrong and a poor deluded fool clinging on to outdated prejudices with regard to Noctua fans - I am reasonably certain that I am not, but I might be.

You might be right with regard to your assertions.

The thing is that I am not going to fork out my money on your opinions.

You stick with your choice and over time if your experience with regard to reliability and low noise over a period of many years exceeds mine then I may take a flutter and buy a different fan.

Others give out gold awards or recommended or some other kind of certificate. My one and only award is, "It does what it says on the tin" - for me, Noctua gets that award hands down.