Aaaaah fans, I always find it difficult to write a fan review. I mean really they are “just” fans right?
It’s a spinning thing that moves air…. I agree with that idea on one end, on the other however there are a lot of differences between them. Companies like Noctua actually put some proper research in them, whilst you might not see it straight away it is reflected in their products.
I’ll go ahead and highlight some feature that otherwise might have been overlooked but are certainly helping in creating a fan that moves heaps of air and doing it silently.
I’ll be looking at 3 of Noctua’s new fans: the NF-A14 FLX, NF-A14 ULN, and the NF-A15 PWM
Those might be strange names but they actually represent what you get with the fans. For example the FLX stands for Flexible as you have choices in fan speeds I quote:
3 speed settings for full flexibility (NF-A14 FLX)
Providing 1200, 1050 and 900 rpm speed settings via the supplied Low-Noise and Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptors, the NF-A14 FLX (Flexibility) can be fine-tuned for superior airflow or maximum quietness.
ULN stands for Ultra Low Noise, quote:
2 speed settings for maximum quietness (FA-A14 ULN)
Providing 800 and 650 rpm speed settings via the supplied adaptor, the ULN (Ultra-Low-Noise) version is tailor made for serious silent enthusiasts who demand super-slow running speeds and utmost quietness of operation.
And then we have PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation). Basically PWM means a power source is turned on and off in rapid succession and shortening the periods of on and off means you can slow down or speed up. PWM is also used in dimming LED lights these days as you can’t dim LEDs by ramping down the voltage thus PWM is used, you can actually see these pulses with the naked eye, just pay close attention to the LED rear lights on cars these days and swiftly shake with your head and you will see what I’m on about.
Quote:
Custom designed PWM IC with SCD
Supporting fully automatic PWM speed control, the NF-A15 PWM uses Noctua’s novel, custom designed NE-FD1 PWM IC that integrates Smooth Commutation Drive (SCD) technology. By providing smoother torque impulses, SCD suppresses PWM switching noises and thus makes the fan quieter at low speeds
For more info about that check out http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=ne_fd1_pwm_ic
So let’s have a closer look at the 2 NF-A14 series, well as said before they are computer fans. But better, some good research and proven techniques have been applied into creating what could be the ultimate fan, or until they find something else to improve upon at Noctua labs.
The NF-A14 is a Square-frame 140mm fan. A few years ago, 120mm fans were used to get the lowest noise with the highest airflow, and thus better-performing PCs. Now many cases are coming with 140mm mounts as the only way to improve on this is to go bigger.
Larger fans means more air, so you can let them run a little slower for less noise and still have enough airflow.
As I want my PC to be as quiet as possible when idling (or just browsing the internet and writing reviews), I’m perfectly fine with the fans spinning faster when needed when playing games for instance.
Long gone are the days of 80mm DELTA screamer fans. Even though they moved air like no other, the noise they produced would also drive you insane and practically damage your hearing. Additionally, if you messed around in your PC case the Delta fans WILL also remove skin from your knuckles… as I know from personal experience.
Today’s non-blood-drawing fans are much better for the computer tinkering geeks who would have at least a minimum of 2 cuts from either fans or sharp edges of ye-olden PC cases.
So what makes the 140mm fans from Noctua stand out from the crowd? Well to name a few things that I noticed and thought “hey that’s smart”… First up and the main thing I personally loved the best is what Noctua calls their AAO Frame (Noctua’s AAO Advanced Acoustic Optimization).
I know that they really mean the entire frame (including the stepped inlet), but what stands out is the rubber vibration absorbers on all corners. One cool thing about them is they can be moved if their placement obstructs anything.
These fans already have almost zero vibration but canceling out the last bit with silicone corners is just smart, even small vibrations will go through the entire metal of the case and it WILL find something else to also vibrate and make noise..
Perhaps that why I ordered 2 new hard drives as the old ones have done their time and need replacing and they hum in an annoying way that I want to burn them!
After cleansing my head from evil thoughts and random MoltenCore rants (BE PURGED BY FIRE!!!!), I went on to have a closer look at that AAO Frame. Included in that is a stepped inlet at the ridges at the rim of the fan. What you also notice are golf-ball like dimples on the inside of the fan frame, which have a positive influence to airflow and noise (watch more Discovery Channel as they explain stuff like that). Don’t take my word for it; here’s a quote:
Noctua’s Stepped Inlet Design is an advanced aerodynamic design measure first introduced with the NF-F12 fan. By adding turbulence to the fan’s influx, the Stepped Inlet Design facilitates the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. This measure has an effect similar to the dimple structure of a golf ball in so far as it leads to better flow attachment to the frame, which allows the impeller to suck in more air and hence improves overall airflow efficiency.
In addition to these aerodynamic benefits, the Stepped Inlet Design also reduces tonal intake noises caused by laminar inflow due to it being transformed to turbulent flow, which produces a more broadband noise profile. This way, the Stepped Inlet Design helps to refine the fan’s acoustic qualities by letting it blend into the background noise more easily and making it more agreeable to the human ear.
So after having tested out the fans with my scientific hand for pressure and making sure that speed was agreeable to my human ear I decided on the fan placement. I wanted one that was louder/moving more air to the back of the fan near the CPU cooler to expel hot air so the FLX had its spot.
Now for the ULN versions, I use the Asus AI suite fan speed control thingy I got with my Asus motherboard, as it does a perfect job once set up properly. With the FLX plugged in to the motherboard I was running out of on board fan plugs. No problem, Noctua provides extra stuff to go with your fans, such as their Low Noise Adapter, a Molex-to-3-pin lead and a 3-pin fan extension lead. They also have two mounting option using plain old fan screws or anti-vibration pull-through silicone pins. Where possible I use the silicone pins those things as they further decouple vibration from the case.
As I tested the ULN versions I quickly knew why they were called Ultra Low Noise. I didn’t even need any fan control on them they are spinning happily on 12 volts in the front cage blowing a gentle breeze over my hard drive cage, including those two drives that are going to burn in a few days… Yes, enjoy the cool breeze while it lasts vibrating-me-insane-demon-spawn-drives!
I don’t know what came over me there.
Anyway for the installation I had to remove two silicone vibration dampers to have a bit better space for routing the fan leads and hook up the extension leads to be able to reach the molex plug behind the motherboard tray. Nnow I didn’t want to plug in 2 molex connectors so I dove into my filled box o’ cables and found a 3-pin Y adapter so I could plug the fans into one connector.
I was lying I didn’t find the Y-plug in that box so I used the handy Y-splitter included with the Noctua NF-A15 PWM. But I did have to cut some plastic away to make the 3-pin adapter fit the 4-pin splitter. Why that is provided with the 150mm fan and not with the 140mm is beyond me. Then again I never really needed a Y-splitter until now (perhaps add a Y connector in the 140mm versions as well).
But the Noctua fans really are inaudible compared with the rest of the system so they always run on full speed. Even though that’s only 800 rpm it moves enough air and are quieter than the stock fans included with my Fractal Design Define XL USB 3.0 case.
The NF-A14 FLX and ULN are GREAT fans they really are they have all the options you want and give you a whole bunch of leads and mounting options and even flexible anti vibration measurements for you to customize as you see fit.
Would I buy these if I needed more? In a heartbeat. They are by far the best fans I ever had in my hands, and they have a six-year warranty to boot!
I even replaced some older Noctua fans I still had. Don’t worry the older fans now spin in my friend’s case who needed some extra fans.
For more/detailed information about the FLX and ULA fans check out;
ULN: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=53&lng=en
FLX: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=52&lng=en
I’m going to need a few of these ULN fans for an upcoming DIY Arcade cabinet project.
Moving on to the NF-A15 PWM: This is a 150mm fan with the footprint of a 140mm one. Its total width is 150mm (hence the A15) but its height is only 140mm so it will fit most high-end CPU coolers (fits perfectly on a NH-D14). What also needs to be noted is that the spacing for screwing these fans into place is the standard 120mm fan mounting holes. In summary if your cooler can hold a 120mm fan you can replace it with this 150mm one! Instant upgrade for little money, or just bolt it to the side of a case panel for extra ventilation.
It also implements its own PWM chip to reduce noise made by the extra strain the motor would make when turned on and off, instead they found a chip that ramps it up and down with a little fade in and out so to speak, quote:
Custom designed PWM IC with SCD
Supporting fully automatic PWM speed control, the NF-A15 PWM uses Noctua’s novel, custom designed NE-FD1 PWM IC that integrates Smooth Commutation Drive (SCD) technology. By providing smoother torque impulses, SCD suppresses PWM switching noises and thus makes the fan quieter at low speeds
I will have to tell you that I actually double-checked Noctua’s website as I wanted to align the holes with the 140mm ones but found out I had to use the 120mm holes. That raised an eyebrow when I first put it up to the panel.
Don’t get me wrong: the fans’ impeller is slightly bigger than the 140mm one thus moving more air. It has all the features of the 140mm fan like the AAO Frame, stepped inlet, Inner Surface Microstructures (just a fancy way of saying “golf ball like dimples on inside”), Flow Acceleration Channels (hey I didn’t mention that in the 140mm fan but they obviously have it as well).
Some quality bearing shells and their own SSO2 Bearing again makes Noctua confident enough to give you 6 years of warranty with a MTBF of 150.000 hours. That means it should last you when spinning 24 hours a day for 6250 days, that’s over 17 years running 24/7
Again coming with a nice plethora of mounting options, removable anti vibration pads, extra leads and even a Y splitter (*cough* 140mm *cough*).
So in short, what can I say… The NF-A15 and NF-A14 cooling fans are proper Noctua quality with added new innovations. With every new design they unveil, Noctua brings out great airflow with minimal noise and are extremely reliable (I still use 5 year old Noctua fans). They are a bit more expensive than typical case fans but are worth every penny.