Epilogue
The Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 is a super expensive fan, playing in the same price territory as the Phanteks T30-120 and the Corsair RS120 MAX. This is why I decided to include in my charts these two fans, despite their 30mm thickness, which is a great advantage for performance since there is room for a stronger motor and wider blades.
Let’s now look at 25 dBA noise-normalized performance. I chose 25 dBA because it strikes a balance between being low enough not to annoy most users and high enough to allow for speeds that offer decent airflow and static pressure performance.
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At 25 dBA, the fan’s airflow is high enough, and the same goes for its static pressure. Are these two high enough, though, to justify the high price? In my opinion, no, although the NF-A12x25 G2 delivers good performance in both airflow and static pressure, it doesn’t excel in either of these areas. If you want to spend so much money and you don’t have compatibility issues with 5mm more thickness, you should better go with the Phanteks T30-120 or the Corsair RS120 Max, both of which offer higher performance at both metrics (airflow and static pressure).
If you want to remain at 25mm thickness and want to save 10 dollars (per fan), you can also get the Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Pro, which offers better airflow and a bit lower static pressure, compared to Noctua’s offering. Lastly, suppose you care primarily about static pressure. In that case, there is the highly affordable Arctic P12 Pro, which delivers about 5 CFM lower airflow at 25 dBA normalized noise output. Still, its static pressure reading is way higher than Noctua’s offering. A single Arctic P12 Pro costs $8.5 on Amazon, whereas the NF-A12x25 G2 is priced at $35!
To wrap up today’s review, the new Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 is a good fan, there is no doubt about that, with top-notch build quality and high performance at both airflow and static pressure. But (there is always a but) I find it overpriced for what it offers. It doesn’t distinguish in any performance metric, doesn’t offer a daisy-chain option, and lacks ARGB lighting, which could justify part of its high price. Additionally, it costs the same as the Phanteks T30-120 and the Corsair RS120 Max, both of which come with stronger/better motors offering higher performance. I believe it is high-time for Noctua to realize that the competition is way stronger now, offering equal if not better performance at lower prices, so it has to adjust. More expensive doen’t always mean that you get more for your money.
For reference, at the time of the review, the following prices applied in the US market (Amazon):
- ARCTIC P12 Pro: $8.5
- ARCTIC P12 PWM PST (5 Pack): $40
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm High-Speed: $27
- Corsair RS120 Max: $35
- Endorfy Fluctus 120 PWM: $15
- Phanteks T30-120 Triple-Pack: $115
- Phanteks M25-120 Gen2 ARGB Triple Pack: $37
- Scythe Grand Tornado 120mm: $20
- Thermalright TL-C12C: $12.9 – 3x fans combo
- Thermaltake Toughfan Pro 12: $25
- XPG Vento Pro 120mm: $23
Below, you will find several 120mm fan reviews to get more insights about this product category.
- Alpenföhn JetStream 120mm Fan Review
- Arctic P12 Max Showdown – Black (DBB) vs White (FDB)
- Arctic P12 Max (Black – Double Ball Bearing) Fan Review
- Corsair iCUE Link LX RGB 120mm Fan Review
- Hyte THICC FP12 120mm Fan Review
- JONSBO SL-120 120mm Fan Review
- Montech GF120 ARGB PWM 120mm Fan Review
- Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM Fan Review
- Segotep HQ12 PRO 120mm Fan Review
- Scythe Grand Tornado 120mm Fan Review
- Phanteks T30-120 Cooling Fan Review
- Phanteks M25 Gen2 120mm Fan Review
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Pro Fan Review
- Thermalright TL-C12B V2 120mm Fan Review
- Tryx ROTA Pro 120mm Fan Review
- XPG Nidec Vento Pro 120 PWM Fan Review
Before investing in new cooling solutions, read my Best Cooling Fans article to check all alternative fan offerings. You help me a lot by using my affiliate links, which don’t increase the price of the product. I receive a commission from Amazon every time you do it, which can make a significant difference for me, especially now that I am working independently, exclusively for my media, rather than for someone else.
- Notable performance boost over its predecessor
- High static pressure and airflow
- Top build quality
- Low noise output
- SSO bearing with increased lifetime
- PWM control
- Anti-vibration pads
- Rich bundle
- (Super) Expensive
- No daisy-chain feature
It’s a one-trick pony fan IMO. It’s a quiet fan but that’s all it has to offer. Just performance-wise, it’s in the middle of the pack with focus on low noise performance… however at that level of low RPM, they would all perform more/less the same with maybe 1 or 2C delta in real world. On the otherhand, T30 performs well at low noise but also has the ability to scale up to insane level if one desires that destroys even the Noctua Industrial fan, thus killing 2 birds with one stone.
The performance of the Arctic P12 Pro is outstanding!
Is there any reason to buy the Noctua NF-A12x25 G2, given that the Arctic fan is much cheaper and better?
In my country, the P12 Pro costs just 5.66 euro, whereas the NF-A12x25 G2 costs 28.59 euro. The Noctua fan is five times more expensive than the Arctic fan, and it is underperforming in static pressure tests.
Also, I have no idea why the P12 Pro is so cheap right now.
Even if it’s one of the best 25mm fans, other options perform very similar to it (Toughfan 12 Pro and P12 Pro as mentioned) and if you have room for 28-30mm you have even more options
Makes me curious to see what Noctua could achieve with 28 or 30mm, especially on the 140mm G2 version. Thermalright released some 28mm versions of 25mm fans and by specs it’s roughly 10% better on both airflow and pressure, guess I’ll just keep dreaming of a 140x30mm fan that is 15-20% better than the G2 lol. Thanks for the review as always!
Thanks, great review. Fan looks very premium but 30+ dollars for 1 fan, damn I feel poor. Thankfully I don’t like low noise fans I prefer the loudest that exist so everything is very cheap in that range.