- Review -

28.06.2013 Vortez.net

NF-A14 FLX,NF-A14 ULN,NF-A15 PWM,NF-S12A FLX

Noctua has devoted itself to quiet cooling. In that they have succeeded well. One measure of their insistence on quietness was their not bringing PWM products to market until they were ready to do it the Noctua way. “Fans” of Noctua’s fans long wrote about how they wanted PWM versions, yet there were no PWM fans from Noctua. But it turned out that Noctua was not ignoring PWM; their engineers were working on developing a silent PWM control. The clicking seen in other PWM fans – even quiet clicking – is completely absent in Noctua PWM fans. This started with their NF-F12’s, and has now extended to their A series. All are clickless. As well as can be measured in a non-professional setup, Noctua’s airflow specifications are accurate. You can listen to a fan and hear if it is quiet or not, and whether it makes unpleasant noises (Noctua fans are free of unpleasant noises). But airflow is another matter. Airflow takes special instruments to measure. It is comforting to know Noctua’s specifications on this are accurate; so you can use those specifications in your buying decisions. The various Low Noise Adapters and Ultra Low Noise Adapters are different for each of the fans. Clearly, they are tailored to achieve particular results. This may or may not be unique to Noctua fans. Interestingly, Noctua says nothing about it. The Noctua accessories are of good quality, and appear likely to last in extended usage. They are all handsomely sleeved as well. The fan frames are sturdy, and the corner cushions do not extend into the screw holes. That means the fans can be securely fastened with or without the cushions.

"Overall, the Noctua A series is a fine set of fans. Careful attention to airflow and acoustics, along with the best PWM circuits in existence, make these superb fans." (Ed Hume, Vortez.net)