Box, Contents & Bundle
The fan doesn’t come in a box but is only bundled with the Seasonic Prime Noctua Edition TX-1600 PSU.
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Although its label is the same as the “plain” NF-A12x25 PWM model, it is still modified for higher speeds, which offer higher performance. The fan features an ultra-tight tip clearance (distance between the blade tips and the inside of the frame) of only 0.5mm, allowing for more efficient operation against back pressure, such as on heatsinks or radiators, by reducing leak flows through the gap between impeller and frame. A combination of airflow and static pressure is required inside a PSU to remove the heat effectively. However, given the large dimensions of the Seasonic TX-1600, I would try a 140mm fan instead of a 120mm one for even lower speeds and increased airflow.
The fan’s build quality is top-notch. The NF-A12x25’s impeller is made from Noctua’s Sterrox liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) compound. Moreover, the fan’s frame features integrated anti-vibration pads at its corners. One of the best features of this fan is the SSO2 bearing, which offers low noise output and can last forever under optimal conditions.
even the LS variant spins nearly 2x too fast for most uses if you care about noise so existence of this variant is bizarre to say the least
and if you want performance at all costs T30 or some monster from Delta will be your friend
The T30 is a monster, for 30mm thickness.
it’s a weird one, extra thickness and top speed make it less fit for the consumer grade, but it isn’t going as far as industrial/server fans relying on the brute force and thickness alone as it uses better materials and tight tip clearance like Noctua does
probably makes most sense when you don’t want to build a rack but have a technical room to put the machine in and just run these at full speed to not worry about anything
at low speeds it’s fine for regular use if your PWM controller doesn’t make it stop despite using it in performance or advanced mode (hybrid stopping at 50% makes no sense imo as that 50% is still loud) but requires some extra space and you won’t be using that extra speed at all