Custom-designed PWM IC with SCD

AAO Frame

Our AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) frames feature integrated anti-vibration pads as well as our proprietary Stepped Inlet Design and Inner Surface Microstructures, both of which further refine the fan’s performance/noise efficiency.

Anti-Stall Knobs

The NF-S12A’s Anti-Stall Knobs reduce flow separation phenomena in medium to high impedance situations and thereby increase the fan’s stall margin. This means that the NF-S12A is even more versatile than its renowned predecessor and can achieve better performance on heatsinks and radiators.

Bevelled Blade Tips

Reducing critical rotor stator interaction, the NF-S12B's and NF-B9's Bevelled Blade Tips permit to combine a higher blade surface area with quieter operation and thus form a cornerstone of the fans' outstanding efficiency.

Flow Acceleration Channels

By speeding up the airflow at the crucial outer blade regions, Flow Acceleration Channels reduce suction side flow separation and thus lead to better efficiency and lower vortex noise.

Focused Flow™ Frame

Designed for pressure demanding applications such as heatsinks and radiators, the Focused Flow™ frame features eleven stator guide vanes that straighten, channel and focus the airflow, which allows the NF-F12 to rival the performance of conventional fans running at much faster speeds.

Inner Surface Microstructures

With the tips of the fan blades ploughing through the boundary layer created by the Inner Surface Microstructures, flow separation from the suction side of the blades is significantly suppressed, which results in reduced blade passing noise and improved airflow and pressure efficiency.

Metal bearing shell

In order to guarantee the highest possible degree of manufacturing precision, minimum tolerance and excellent long-term stability, our newest 120 and 140mm fans sport a CNC milled bearing shell made entirely from brass.

Custom-designed PWM IC with SCD

Our custom-designed NE-FD1 PWM IC integrates our Smooth Commutation Drive (SCD) technology. By providing smoother torque impulses, SCD suppresses PWM switching noises and thus makes the fan quieter at low speeds.

Smooth Commutation Drive

The latest version of our advanced Smooth Commutation Drive system ensures superb running smoothness by eliminating torque variations and switching noises. This makes our fans remarkably quiet even at very close distances.

SSO-Bearing

Combining the proven concept of hydrodynamic bearing with an additional magnet that supports the self-stabilisation of the rotor axis, our time-tested SSO-Bearing technology has become synonymous with supremely quiet operation and exceptional long-term stability.

SSO2 Bearing

SSO2 is the further optimised second generation of our renowned, time-tested SSO bearing. With SSO2, the rear magnet is placed closer to the axis to provide even better stabilisation, precision and durability.

Stepped Inlet Design

Our Stepped Inlet Design adds turbulence to the influx in order to facilitate the transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow, which reduces tonal intake noise, improves flow attachment and increases suction capacity, especially in space restricted environments.

Vortex-Control Notches

Vortex-Control Notches split up trailing edge vortices and thus spread the fan’s noise emission over a wider range of frequencies. This measure makes the fan sound more pleasant to the human ear.

Sterrox® liquid-crystal polymer (LCP)

Noctua’s novel Sterrox® liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) compound features extreme tensile strength, an exceptionally low thermal expansion coefficient and dampening characteristics that are ideal for reducing resonance and vibration phenomena in advanced fan-blade designs.

Custom-designed PWM IC with SCD

Noctua’s custom-designed NE-FD1 is a next-generation PWM fan driver IC that integrates Smooth Commutation Drive (SCD) technology for quieter operation and allows for ultra-low power consumption. Its superb linearity and security features such as locked rotor or reverse voltage protection make it an ideal driver IC for premium-class PWM fans.

Most conventional PWM fan driver ICs put out square signals that cause sudden torque impulses. These impulses can cause minute deformations of the entire fan structure which lead to audible “clicking” noises that are especially noticeable with many common PWM fans running at slower speeds. Adopting Noctua’s Smooth Commutation Drive (SCD) technology, the custom designed NE-FD1 PWM IC slows down the slew rate of the output signal in order to give a smoother, less sudden torque impulse. This way, PWM switching noises can be effectively suppressed and the fan runs even quieter, especially at low speeds.

Noctua’s NE-FD1 IC was not only fine-tuned for superior quietness, it has also been carefully optimised to allow for ultra-low power consumption. For example, the NE-FD1 based PWM version of the award-winning NF-R8, NF-B9 and NF-P12 fans consume 25-40% less power than their non-PWM counterparts. The NF-F12 120mm fan featuring the NE-FD1 IC draws only 0.6W, which is more than 50% less than many fans in the same speed range. 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.