Product on Review: NF-S12A NF-A14 NF-A15
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Noctua
Street Price: £15-20 each
Noctua has been building fans since 2006. We have become familiar with the NF-P14 and the NF-P12 that stock the fabled NH-D14 heatsink. More recently, the NF-F12 dazzled us as the first stator fan for consumers, and only 25mm thick. But now, in the past eight months, Noctua has opened us to a whole new series of fans – the A series – from 40mm to 140mm. Today we will review the performance of the 120mm NF-S12A case fans, 140mm NF-A14 case fans and the 140mm NF-A15 heatsink fans. Not only that, we will look at the FLX, ULN and PWM flavors of these fans. How will they perform? Let’s see.
About Noctua
Designed in Austria, Noctua's premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 3000 awards and recommendations from leading hardware websites and magazines, Noctua's fans and heatsinks are chosen by more than a hundred thousand satisfied customers around the globe.
Features of the Noctua A Series Fans
Noctua has worked hard on these fans. They have applied what they call “Noctua’s AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) standard” to all of them. They have applied “sophisticated aerodynamic design measures such as the Flow Acceleration Channel” to their 140mm fans, and “Anti-Stall Knobs” on their NF-S12A. All of the fans feature the SSO2 bearing that made its appearance with their NF-F12, and their PWM fans are all driven by Noctua’s silent PWM integrated circuit chips. That means no clicking at all; even when the Voltage is changed, you will hear no clicking.
All of the Noctua new-generation fans can be instantly recognized by their “Integrated Anti-Vibration Pads” – those soft brown corners. They all include such airflow enhancements as stepped inlets and inner surface microstructures. They all use their corners as flare vents for fan output. All feature metal bearing shells, and all have Noctua’s six-year warranty. And if you have ever dealt with Noctua, you will already know to expect world-class customer service.
