Box, Contents & Bundle
The product comes in a nice box that opens to show you the fan’s center badge and the PQ curves, which compare it with Noctua’s other fan models. The bundle is rich, including the following:
- Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
- 4-pin y-cable
- 30cm extension cable
- NA-AV2 anti-vibration mounts
- Anti-vibration gasket for water-cooling radiators
- Fan screws
The fan’s quality is evident when you hold it, justifying the premium price. Some don’t like Noctua’s original colors. I don’t have a problem. I have to admit, though, that the chromax.black products look nicer. The cable is long enough at 200mm; an extension cable in the bundle adds another 300mm if not enough for you.
The fan’s frame utilizes Noctua’s AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation), integrating anti-vibration pads and Noctua’s proprietary Stepped Inlet Design and Inner Surface Microstructures according to Noctua, further refining the fan’s performance/noise efficiency.
The fan’s blades have flow acceleration channels, suppressing vortex noise and increasing airflow efficiency by altering the flow distribution on the suction side of the blades and speeding up the airflow at the crucial outer blade regions.
Hi! Thanks for such a detailed review!
I agree, the hero of the review is far from the most productive fan in terms of noise normalization, but its quality is… a separate level
As a person for whom complete noiselessness of assembly is a priority, I cannot accept some models following the NF-A12x25 in the list of the best, simply because, based on personal experience and numerous reviews, after a while very unusual sounds at low rpm (~800-1000 rpm) begin to emanate from them
Therefore, in my personal top, I would give him a solid 2nd place in terms of a combination of factors
The rest is a matter of compatibility of the Phankeks T30 with your build. 😁
Suggestion: it would be cool to add fan testing for near-silent operation, 10 dBa, for example, there are probably a lot of silence maniacs in their builds 🙃
Also, please test the NF-A14 (aka A15 for the NH-D15 cooler)
Thanks!
Happy New Year to your team! 🎄
Happy New Year!
Unfortunately, I cannot do torture testing in noise measurements, for now at least.
This Noctua fan has sky-high quality and its bearing is among the best in today’s market, but since performance is of the highest priority, it needs improvements there.
In the way I test, even 20 dBA is very low, since I measure the fans from 1 meter away. I also have readings for 15 dBA.