By: Ben Joubert
June 29, 2018
A week after my finals at university ended, I moved to a camp for work. I still return to Calgary on the weekends, but for the most part I am away. During these first two months of working at the camp, I have been sharing a large cabin-like room with a couple of guys. It is all nice and not like the usual idea of what a cabin is. However, all the little annoyances that come from sharing a room with a couple of people are still present. If someone snores, it takes a little longer to fall asleep, and some people wake up earlier than others. However, none of that has caused any grievances, as it really is a great group of people I get to work with. What is interesting are all the little quirks or routines each person has before going to bed or when they wake up. I myself have a routine as well. I am one of the early risers, and will frequently be one of the first two people out of the room. As well, I need complete darkness to fall asleep, which happens to be quite difficult when there are still traces of daylight at ten o'clock at night. A different person in the room needs white noise to fall asleep, and they have a loud fan running at night. He did ask everyone if it is okay if he leaves it on and we all agreed. Now, when I head back to Calgary, I actually recognize how quiet my room is. This recognition of the absence of a norm is true in plenty of other areas as well. I recently switched from an enclosed boring looking computer chassis to a tempered glass panel and RGB festival of a computer chassis, and the stark change was appreciated. It is always a thrill to upgrade to something new and experience the effects of the changes. Today, we have the Noctua NF-A12x25 in three different versions; the FLX, PWM, and ULN. Will the addition of these fans cause the new feeling of upgrading and the satisfying experience of its effects? Read on to find out!
The Noctua NF-A12x25 fans arrived in a medium sized brown corrugated box. Also included in the box were the Noctua NF-P12 Redux fans. The box was shipped all the way from Austria via UPS Saver, and arrived in great condition for such a long journey. As usual, the corners were a bit beat up along with the edges of the box. However, there was no damage to be alarmed about. Some blue tape kept the box closed, which is the same tape Noctua always uses, or at least from what we have received. After the initial inspection was done, I opened up the shipping box to have a look at everything we have inside.
As you can see from the above picture, we received the FLX, ULN, and PWM versions of the fan. These are the different speed control measures the fan uses after it is installed, which I will explain a bit more of later in the review. Otherwise, the retail packaging is the same as other Noctua premium fans. The brownish red color that Noctua is known for is seen on the retail packaging, along with white framing around different sections of information. Right up front we find some technical specifications, while the front flap can also be opened to show a graph that gives some more information of how good these fans are compared to other Noctua fans. Inside of the flap, there is a list of all the components included, as well as a clear plastic bit where you are able to see the product. On the back, there is some more technical information as well as a short introduction to the fan in a couple different languages. The back flap opens to reveal fourteen different features the fan offers, which I will explain on the next page. After covering everything on the outside, I dived in and opened it all up.
Before we move on, here are the specifications for all three versions of the Noctua NF-A12x25 we will be looking at today:
Specifications
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM
Size:120x120x25 mm
Mounting hole spacing: 105x105 mm
Connector: 4-pin PWM
Bearing: SSO2
Blade Geometry: A-Series with Flow Acceleration Channels
Frame Technology: AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation)
Material: Sterrox® LCP
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): 2000 RPM
Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%): 1700 RPM
Min. Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%): 450 RPM
Airflow: 102,1 m³/h
Airflow with L.N.A.: 84,5 m³/h
Acoustical Noise: 22,6 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.: 18,8 dB(A)
Static Pressure: 2,34 mm H₂O
Static Pressure with L.N.A.: 1,65 mm H₂O
Max. Input Power: 1,68 W
Max. Input Current: 0,14 A
Voltage: 12 V
Voltage PWM signal: 5 V
MTTF: > 150.000 h
Scope of delivery:
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
Warranty: 6 years
Noctua NF-A12x25 FLX
Size:120x120x25 mm
Mounting hole spacing: 105x105 mm
Connector: 3-pin
Bearing: SSO2
Blade Geometry: A-Series with Flow Acceleration Channels
Frame Technology: AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation)
Material: Sterrox® LCP
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): 2000 RPM
Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%): 1700 RPM
Min. Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%): 450 RPM
Airflow: 102,1 m³/h
Airflow with L.N.A.: 84,5 m³/h
Acoustical Noise: 22,6 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.: 18,8 dB(A)
Static Pressure: 2,34 mm H₂O
Static Pressure with L.N.A.: 1,65 mm H₂O
Max. Input Power: 1,68 W
Max. Input Current: 0,14 A
Voltage: 12 V
Voltage PWM signal: 5 V
MTTF: > 150.000 h
Scope of delivery:
Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.)
3:4-pin power supply adaptor
30cm extension cable
NA-AV2 anti-vibration mounts
Anti-vibration gasket for water cooling radiators
Fan screws
Warranty: 6 years
Noctua NF-A12x25 ULN
Size: 120x120x25 mm
Mounting hole spacing: 105x105 mm
Connector: 3-pin
Bearing: SSO2
Blade Geometry: A-Series with Flow Acceleration Channels
Frame Technology: AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation)
Material: Sterrox® LCP
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): 1200 RPM
Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%): 900 RPM
Airflow: 55,7 m³/h
Airflow with U.L.N.A.: 39,4 m³/h
Acoustical Noise: 12,1 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A.: 7,6 dB(A)
Static Pressure: 0,82 mm H₂O
Static Pressure with U.L.N.A.: 0,41 mm H₂O
Max. Input Power: 0,6 W
Max. Input Current: 0,05 A
Voltage: 12 V
MTTF: > 150.000 h
Scope of delivery:
Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.)
3:4-pin power supply adaptor
30cm extension cable
NA-AV2 anti-vibration mounts
Anti-vibration gasket for water cooling radiators
Fan screws
Warranty: 6 years
Inside the retail packaging, we find quite a few more components than just the fan. Depending on the PWM, ULN, FLX model, we have several different cables included. The FLX version has an extension cable, low-noise adapter, ultra-low-noise adapter, and a 3 to 4 pin adapter. It also includes a rubber frame to reduce mechanical noise when it is mounted on a radiator as well as some anti-vibration mounts, all of which is in the classic Noctua colors. The PWM version includes an extension cable, 4-pin Y-cable, low noise adapter, and the same anti-vibration components. The ULN version includes an extension cable, low-noise adapter, 3 to 4 pin adapter, and the same anti-vibration mounts.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware
3. Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
