Noctua NF-S12A Fans Review
Introduction
Noctua has become one of the most popular companies in the cooling market and every enthusiast knows their products when they see one because of the color scheme that they use. The NF-S12A ULN, FLX and PWM are Noctua's third generation fans that come packed with many new features that improve the airflow of your case and are designed for quietness in mind.
These three variations are the new fans from Noctua and they are part of the S12A series fans. According to Noctua, they are 8% better than its predecessor thanks to the many new features such as the anti-stall knobs and the AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimization) that can drastically improve the airflow/noise efficiency of your case.
All three variations of the S12 series fans come with a 6 year warranty and with a MTBF of 150,000 hours. They also use Noctua's SSO2 bearing with metal bearing shell which means that the rear magnet is placed closer to the axis to provide better stabilization and durability thus creating less noise. The metal bearing shell is made from CNC milled brass that delivers long term stability and durability.
The FLX and PWM models run at a maximum of 1200 RPM with an airflow rating of 107.5 m3/h. They come with a Low-Noise-Adaptor to reduce the maximum speed during PWM control from 1200 to 900rpm. They are also made with Noctua's custom designed NE-FD1 IC for fully automatic speed control via 4-pin fan headers. The ULN version runs at a lower 800 RPM with an airflow rating of 74.3 m3/h.
Technical Specifications
| NF-S12A PWM Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Size: | 120x120x25 mm |
| Connector: | 4-pin PWM |
| Bearing: | SSO2 |
| Blade Geometry: | S-Series with Anti-Stall Knobs |
| Frame Technology: | AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) |
| Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): | 1200 RPM |
| Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%): | 900 RPM |
| Min. Rotational Speed (PWM): | 300 RPM |
| Airflow: | 107,5 m³/h |
| Airflow with L.N.A.: | 83,2 m³/h |
| Acoustical Noise: | 17,8 dB(A) |
| Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.: | 10,7 dB(A) |
| Static Pressure: | 1,19 mm H2O |
| Static Pressure with L.N.A.: | 0,73 mm H2O |
| Max. Input Power: | 1,44 W |
| Max. Input Current: | 0,12 A |
| Voltage: | 12 V |
| MTBF: | > 150.000 h |
| Scope of Delivery: | Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) 4-Pin Y-Cable 30cm Extension Cable 4 Vibration-Compensators 4 Fan Screws |
| Warranty: | 6 years |
| NF-S12A ULN Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Size: | 120x120x25 mm |
| Connector: | 3-pin PWM |
| Bearing: | SSO2 |
| Blade Geometry: | S-Series with Anti-Stall Knobs |
| Frame Technology: | AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) |
| Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): | 800 RPM |
| Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%): | 600 RPM |
| Airflow: | 74,3 m³/h |
| Airflow with L.N.A.: | 57,5 m³/h |
| Acoustical Noise: | 8,6 dB(A) |
| Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.: | 6,7 dB(A) |
| Static Pressure: | 0,62 mm H2O |
| Static Pressure with L.N.A.: | 0,44 mm H2O |
| Max. Input Power: | 0,72 W |
| Max. Input Current: | 0,06 A |
| Voltage: | 12 V |
| MTBF: | > 150.000 h |
| Scope of Delivery: | Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) 3:4-Pin Y-Cable 30cm Extension Cable 4 Vibration-Compensators 4 Fan Screws |
| Warranty: | 6 years |
| NF-S12A FLX Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Size: | 120x120x25 mm |
| Connector: | 3-pin PWM |
| Bearing: | SSO2 |
| Blade Geometry: | S-Series with Anti-Stall Knobs |
| Frame Technology: | AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) |
| Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): | 1200 RPM |
| Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%): | 900 RPM |
| Min. Rotational Speed (PWM): | 700 RPM |
| Airflow: | 107,5 m³/h |
| Airflow with L.N.A.: | 83,2 m³/h |
| Airflow with U.L.N.A.: | 65,8 m³/h |
| Acoustical Noise: | 17,8 dB(A) |
| Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.: | 10,7 dB(A) |
| Static Pressure: | 1,19 mm H2O |
| Static Pressure with L.N.A.: | 0,73 mm H2O |
| Max. Input Power: | 1,44 W |
| Max. Input Current: | 0,12 A |
| Voltage: | 12 V |
| MTBF: | > 150.000 h |
| Scope of Delivery: | Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.) 4-Pin Y-Cable 30cm Extension Cable 4 Vibration-Compensators 4 Fan Screws |
| Warranty: | 6 years |
Packaging & Accessories
All three fans are packaged in nearly identical to one another. The fans come in Noctua's new packaging box packed with lots of details of the product. They come with flaps front and back that show off the fan and tell you all about the new features such as Anti-Stall Knobs, NF-S12A AAO Frame, Custom designed PWM IC with SCD and many more.
The overall packaging has a matte finish and feels very well in hand. The accessories inside are very well organized and every cable is covered and even the labels are printed in thick glossy paper. It definitely feels like a premium product just from looking at it and I love the fact that it provides all the information you need to know about the product right in front of you.
What's included in the PWM model:
* 4 Silver Fan Screws
* 4 Brown soft rubber anti-vibration mounts
* Y Splitter cable
* 30CM extension cable
* Low-Noise Adapter (L.N.A)
* Manual
What's included in the FLX model:
* 4 Silver Fan Screws
* 4 Brown soft rubber anti-vibration mounts
* Y Splitter cable
* 30CM extension cable
* Low-Noise Adapter (L.N.A)
* Ultra-Low-Noise Adapter (U.L.N.A)
* Manual
What's included in the ULN model:
* 4 Silver Fan Screws
* 4 Brown soft rubber anti-vibration mounts
* Y Splitter cable
* 30CM extension cable
* Low-Noise Adapter (L.N.A)
* Manual
The 30cm extension cable that Noctua provides can be quite handy because it provides extended reach when necessary and is fully sleeved.
On each corner of each fan is a soft anti-vibration pad that helps prevent vibrations being passed from the fan into the case. They can easily be removed if you want to but I wouldn't recommend it since they are designed to stay there for a reason. It's little things such as this that sets Noctua apart from different manufactures and why their products are loved by so many enthusiasts.
Noctua puts a lot of R&D into their fan designs and it totally shows in the build quality. Most fans will not last that long; most fans come with a MTBF of 50,000 to 100,000 hours and most of them stop working before they even hit the limit; some even start to make high pitch weird noises. Since all the three new fans from Noctua come with a MTBF of 150,000 hours and 6-year warranty, it essentially pays for itself in the future since you don't have to keep buying new fans if it stops working.
Noctua also has an amazing customer service that I have always been very fond of. I have lost mounting kits numerous times and they have always sent me new ones for free. They have even sent me extra fans free of charge. Seriously, how can you beat that?
Test Setup & Methodology
| Test Setup | |
|---|---|
| Processor: | Intel i7 3770K @ 4.6GHz 1.30v |
| CPU Cooler: | Noctua NH-U14S |
| Thermal Compound: | Noctua NT-H1 |
| Motherboard: | Asus Sabertooth Z77 |
| RAM: | Kingston HyperX 8GB @ 1866 MHz |
| Graphics Card: | EVGA GTX 680 |
| Storage: | Samsung 840 Pro 256GB |
| Power Supply: | Antec Earth Watts 650W |
| Case: | Antec Nine Hundred |
| OS: | Windows 7 64Bit |
| Fans: | Noctua NF-S12A PWM Noctua NF-S12A ULN Noctua NF-S12A FLX Corsair SP120 Performance Corsair AF120 Performance NZXT RF-FZ120 Scythe S-Flex SFF21D SilverStone AP123 |
All of the fans listed above will be tested inside the Antec Nine Hundred. Five of each fan type were installed into the case which is the maximum amount of fans the case can take. Two in the front (in-taking), one in the rear exhausting, one in the top exhausting and one on the side panel (in-taking).
The 3770K will be overclocked to 4.6Ghz with using around 1.30 volts so we can get a lot of heat generated. The CPU cooler that we will be using is the Noctua NH-U14S because it's a great single tower cooler. This will be a good way to test how efficient each fan is at moving the air out of the case. All the fans were tested at 12 volts straight from the power supply and at maximum fan speed.
All of the testing is done with an ambient temperature of ~19C. RealTemp will be used to monitor the temperature of the CPU and Prime95 (Large FFTs) will be used to deliver the full load to the CPU for 20 minutes. After each testing, we let the temperature inside the case to stabilize for 10 minutes to ensure that the temperature inside the case is back to normal.
Idle temperatures will be measured after leaving the computer idle for 20 minutes. CPU-Z will be used to verify the CPU speed and the voltage being used in Windows 7.
One thing that I have to say before the test is that I'm using 1.30 volts for the overclock but you clearly don't need 1.30 volts to get the 3770K stable at 4.6Ghz but I'm doing this to stress test the cooler to its limits. You can easily get it stable with using ~1.25 volts and you will probably get much better temperatures than I did so keep that in mind.
Thermal Results
All three models of the NF-S12A series fans deliver more than acceptable idle temperatures. We tested all the fans at maximum speed and the majority of them did fine as you can see from the results above.
Looking at the full load temperatures, the Corsair SP120 and AF120 managed to perform a little bit better but not by much. The NF-S12A PWM came in third place with a 79c temp while the FLX and ULN models reached temperatures of above 80 Celsius.
Conclusion
People recognize Noctua products when they see one because of the color scheme that they use on their fans
and that's what makes Noctua unique from different manufactures. Noctua has gained a lot of positive recognition
in the cooling market because of their exceptional CPU coolers and amazing fans. Noctua's third generation fans offer amazing cooling performance
and are some of the quietest fans I have ever tested. The color scheme may not be the best thing about the product
but don't let that fool you because these are excellent fans.
Pros:
+ Sturdy
+ Dead Silent Fan/Low Power consumption
+ Superb Packaging and Accessories
+ 6 Year Warranty/MTBF 150,000 hours PWM fan
Cons:
- Pricey
- Color scheme
Overall, the NF-S12A series fans are a premium product and come with a premium price tag but that is to be expected from a company such as Noctua that is specialized in creating high quality cooling components. Holding the fan in your hand easily shows that a lot of R&D has been put into designing this fan and I love the fact that it comes with a lot of useful accessories.
Noctua's fans are crafted with high quality materials built to last a long time and are designed for quietness in mind. The 6 year warranty clearly speaks for itself and you are guaranteed that it will last you a long time. Noctua has an outstanding customer service that really cares about their users. If the fans ever stop working, Noctua will send you new ones free of charge.
All three models retail for $19.99 which can be a little bit pricey but if you take into consideration the entire package then you will start to see why the these fans are a better deal than most fans out there. The amount of accessories you get is just great and the fans are silent even when running at full speed. I'm completely blown away by the performance of these fans and I highly recommend them to anyone who wants whisper quiet fans.
Final Score 9.0
