Wednesday, May 17th 2017

Noctua Introduces New A-series Fans and Accessories

Noctua today expanded its award-winning A-series of premium-quality quiet cooling fans with new 200mm, 120mm and 40mm models. Thanks to the series' signature features such as Flow Acceleration Channels and AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) frames, the new NF-A20, NF-A12x15 and NF-A4x20 provide outstanding performance and superb quietness of operation. All models come with Noctua's trusted SSO2 bearings and a full 6-year manufacturer's warranty. In addition to the new fans, Noctua introduced the new NA-FC1 fan controller, NA-SAV3 and NA-SAV4 anti-vibration mounts and NA-SAC5 S-ATA power adaptor cable.

"Customers have been asking us for 20cm and slim 12cm fans for years, but meeting the quality standard users have come to expect from Noctua fans in these form factors has proven very challenging, so it took us quite some time to make sure that these fans live up to our name", explains Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "The NF-A4x20 has been conceived following requests by our industrial clients who are looking for a 40mm fan that provides superior performance in pressure-demanding applications as compared to the existing NF-A4x10."
With the 20cm NF-A20, Noctua's biggest fan yet, the key challenge was that the mass of the impeller is about four times greater than that of 12 or 14cm fans and thus creates a significantly higher load on the bearing. In the end, the difficulties were overcome by increasing the diameter of the axis and the bearing from 3mm to 4mm in order to distribute the load over a larger bearing surface, as well as by using a new fibreglass reinforced polypropylene (PP) material, which reduces the mass of the impeller by 26% as compared to Noctua's standard fibreglass reinforced PBT material.

For the 12cm NF-A12x15, a steel-reinforced motor hub and brass axle mount are being used in order to assure the required stability despite the fan's 15mm thin profile. Both the NF-A20 and the NF-A12x15 will come in 4-pin PWM versions for automatic speed control and 3-pin FLX versions that include Low-Noise and Ultra-Low-Noise adaptors, which give full flexibility in configuring the fan for maximum cooling capacity or near-silent acoustics.

The NF-A4x20 complements Noctua's popular NF-A4x10 models: With 20 rather than 10mm thickness, the NF-A4x20 is better suited for applications that require higher pressure performance such as in servers or tightly packed enclosures. The NF-A4x20 will come in 12V 4-pin PWM and 12V 3-pin FLX versions for PC use and other 12V applications as well as in dedicated 5V and 5V PWM versions, which are ideal replacement fans for 5V-based switches, routers, DVRs or other devices.

All of the new fans share the A-series' renowned quiet cooling performance as well as signature features such as Flow Acceleration Channels, Advanced Acoustic Optimisation (AAO) frames or SSO2 bearings. Like all A-series fans, the new NF-A20, NF-A12x15 and NF-A4x20 have an MTTF rating of more than 150,000 hours and come with a full 6-year manufacturer's warranty.

In addition to the new quiet cooling fans, Noctua expanded its range of fan accessories: The new NA-FC1 is a compact, highly flexible controller for 4-pin PWM fans that can both work on its own for manual speed reduction and also work in tandem with the automatic motherboard fan control. By adjusting the NA-FC1's speed control dial, users can either manually set a PWM duty cycle from 0 to 100% or reduce the PWM duty cycle supplied by PC motherboards in order to have the fans running slower than the automatic motherboard fan control would allow. Thanks to the supplied 3-way split cable and power supply adaptor, up to 3 fans can be controlled simultaneously.

The new NA-SAV3 and NA-SAV4 silicone anti-vibration mounts have five defined, numbered pawls that allow them to work perfectly with both standard open corner fans and 10, 14, 15, 20 or 25mm thick fans with closed corners. This makes the new mounts ideal for slim fans such as the new NF-A12x15 where other anti-vibration mounts may not fit properly. While the NA-SAV feature a double-side design that makes them much easier to work with in space-restricted environments or placements where the fan's mounting holes are difficult to reach, the NA-AV4 have a flat case-side end that is flush with the case panel and thus provides for a clean exterior look.

The new NA-SAC5 is a fully sleeved S-ATA to 4-pin power adaptor cable. It is compatible with both 3-pin and 4-pin fans and allows them to be powered directly from the power supply's S-ATA connectors. Combined with the existing NA-SYC1 y-cables, the NA-SAC5 is ideal for powering multiple high-wattage fans without risking damage to the motherboard fan header.

Prices and availability
All of the new products are currently shipping and will be available shortly. The suggested retail prices are as follows:
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32 Comments on Noctua Introduces New A-series Fans and Accessories

#1
Mistral
Not going to lie, that A20 looks dope...
Posted on Reply
#2
xkm1948
That A4 can fit on my sabertooth x99 perfectly. maybe it is time to ditch the noisy asua fan.
Posted on Reply
#4
mcraygsx
I care about Quality over the looks. Noctua certainly provides that.
Posted on Reply
#5
RejZoR
xkm1948That A4 can fit on my sabertooth x99 perfectly. maybe it is time to ditch the noisy asua fan.
I can tell you few things about that... DON'T. I have the NF-A4x10 that I wanted to fit on my Sabertooth X99 and I was LESS than impressed with it.

Here's why:

Firstly, it didn't even fit into the fan slot because it has weird dimensions. Holes spacing is 40x40, but the actual fan frame is larger on corners, so I had to shave them off a bit using sandpaper/file to even fit into the socket.
The mounting holes are too deep, so when you try to screw it in, the screw doesn't press it in there before it hits the thread limiter. So I had to place tiny springs on the screws to keep it pressed down.

Secondly, of all the fancy names they use for various tech on teh fan, from special shaped fan blades, specially shaped intake, special bearings, special motor, it was whistling, buzzing noisy mess. Ugh. Totally not what I was expecting from highly praised fan maker like Noctua.

Thirdly, in my particular case, the position of Sabertooth X99 VRM cooling fan was partially blocked by an exhaust fan on the case which in addition to already noisy fan made it whine at some really annoying frequency.

I've also made a review some time ago, you can read it here:
rejzor.wordpress.com/2015/10/03/noctua-nf-a4x10-flx-40mm-and-noiseblocker-xm-2-fan-review/

As you can see from review, I've used my older Noiseblocker fan. Pushes a bit less air, but it's absolutely silent at full speed. Or just try some other maker. There aren't many options, I could find one 40x40 from Gelid that uses FDB bearings at that tiny size, but I haven't actually bought it so I don't know how it behaves. Would buy a new 40x40 Noiseblocker one for sure. Just be aware that Noiseblocker has 2 models, one which I was using at 10mm thickness and another one that pushes more air and has double the thickness at 20mm. I couldn't buy the thicker one because of the before mentioned exhaust fan covering it and it just wouldn't fit. If you have enough space there, take the thicker Noiseblocker. I guarantee you it'll be better than Noctua.

10mm Noiseblocker
www.blacknoise.com/site/en/products/noiseblocker-it-fans/nb-blacksilentfan-series/40x40x10mm.php

20mm Noiseblocker
www.blacknoise.com/site/en/products/noiseblocker-it-fans/nb-blacksilent-pro-series/40x40x20mm.php

10mm Gelid
gelidsolutions.com/thermal-solutions/case-fan-silent-4/
Posted on Reply
#6
Keullo-e
S.T.A.R.S.
Noctua is an absolute no-go with a windowed case. I've thought that they're the ugliest fans since 2006, tho I know that they are high quality.
Posted on Reply
#7
RejZoR
To @mcraygsx and @9700 Pro

I was disappointed twice so far and I don't think I'll be touching Noctua ever again. And it wasn't even their horrid color scheme. As you can read above for the 40x40, it was a really bad experience. And few years ago, I built a system for a friend, he bought a Noctua tower cooler which had the big 120mm fan. And when it was running, regardless of speed, it made this clicking noise which just ran at faster pace when using higher RPM. And I also remember motor made a lot of buzzing noise.
I really don't know what people see in Noctua. Because I certainly don't have good experience with them. Or I was just so god damn unlucky, but I highly doubt it.

Would buy Noiseblocker or Corsair fans anytime again. They look great and perform great. I've had many Noiseblocker fans over the years and just recently, I've re-employed my old 2x60mm fans to cool my VRM heatsink on my MSI X99A Gaming 7 by tying them together and placing them over VRM heatsink. All I had to do was to relube bearing of one which took me like 5 minutes and it'll be good for few years. Absolutely quiet and nice looking fans.



It now kinda looks like a psycho monkey with a gas mask XD That fan on the left is 120mm Noiseblocker SilentPro PWM. Been in service for years. Still as quiet as the day I bought it. Excellent fans.

Thinking of going nuts and grabbing heir latest Bionic ones. Just for the sake of fiddling with new stuff again :D
Posted on Reply
#8
PowerPC
I like to see certain things just never change... When will they realize that this color looked sketchy 10 years ago? And how long until they realize that now it looks like a sketchy fan from 10 years ago? :wtf:

At least say you are going to offer better colors for this atrocity, Noctua. Yes, you're not the only silent fan business in the game anymore, which let you get away with this before.
Posted on Reply
#9
Dragonsmonk
RejZoR[...] it was whistling, buzzing noisy mess. Ugh. Totally not what I was expecting from highly praised fan maker like Noctua.
I am running a total of 6 Noctua fans, A4x10 FLX is one of them. None have the issue with whining or buzzing. The A4 is running 24/7 and the only reason that fan got noisy for me was when it was getting blocked by dust. Cleaned it out and issue solved.

I have had 2 fans that were faulty (grinding noise in the first 10 secs of running) which have been replaced by Noctua swiftly after contacting support.

So I will be staying with Noctua fans as they are of quality and more importantly the customer service is top notch...

PS. I dont care about the looks - dont have a window in my case and don't plan on getting one.
Posted on Reply
#10
Keullo-e
S.T.A.R.S.
RejZoRTo @mcraygsx and @9700 Pro

I was disappointed twice so far and I don't think I'll be touching Noctua ever again. And it wasn't even their horrid color scheme. As you can read above for the 40x40, it was a really bad experience. And few years ago, I built a system for a friend, he bought a Noctua tower cooler which had the big 120mm fan. And when it was running, regardless of speed, it made this clicking noise which just ran at faster pace when using higher RPM. And I also remember motor made a lot of buzzing noise.
I really don't know what people see in Noctua. Because I certainly don't have good experience with them. Or I was just so god damn unlucky, but I highly doubt it.

Would buy Noiseblocker or Corsair fans anytime again. They look great and perform great. I've had many Noiseblocker fans over the years and just recently, I've re-employed my old 2x60mm fans to cool my VRM heatsink on my MSI X99A Gaming 7 by tying them together and placing them over VRM heatsink. All I had to do was to relube bearing of one which took me like 5 minutes and it'll be good for few years. Absolutely quiet and nice looking fans.



It now kinda looks like a psycho monkey with a gas mask XD That fan on the left is 120mm Noiseblocker SilentPro PWM. Been in service for years. Still as quiet as the day I bought it. Excellent fans.

Thinking of going nuts and grabbing heir latest Bionic ones. Just for the sake of fiddling with new stuff again :D
Haha, totally agree! :toast:

I don't even know about the 40mm fans these days, the optional fans from my ex-rig's Z87 Sabertooth were noisy as hell, and with G3258 @ 4.7GHz it really didn't even need those. And yeah, those were some non-standard 35mm ones, so I didn't even bother to replace them with better ones.
Posted on Reply
#11
Blueberries
Noctua's are pricey but definitely the best. I haven't used their 40mm products so I can't comment on the buzzing but I've never had their 92/120mm products be audible from more than a foot away and that's at 100%.

Great performance, unmatched CFM/dB, great cable options and noise dampening rubber comes standard.

Always worth the few extra dollars if you appreciate quality products.
Posted on Reply
#12
RejZoR
PowerPCI like to see certain things just never change... When will they realize that this color looked sketchy 10 years ago? And how long until they realize that now it looks like a sketchy fan from 10 years ago? :wtf:

At least say you are going to offer better colors for this atrocity, Noctua. Yes, you're not the only silent fan business in the game anymore, which let you get away with this before.
They do have black colored "industrial" fans. I just don't get it why their trademark needs to be butt ugly color scheme. I mean, you associate Ferrari with high performance and design, not with La Grande Turd Brown color... Noctua's moto seems to be the other way around. We'll have the unique color and we don't care if it's turd brown! Ok... XD
Posted on Reply
#13
Caring1
RejZoRI just don't get it why their trademark needs to be butt ugly color scheme.
I think their trade mark is an Owl logo, but they are known for their shitty brown fans.
Posted on Reply
#14
Endeavour
RejZoR[..] Secondly, of all the fancy names they use for various tech on teh fan, from special shaped fan blades, specially shaped intake, special bearings, special motor, it was whistling, buzzing noisy mess. Ugh. Totally not what I was expecting from highly praised fan maker like Noctua. [..]
I had the same experience as you with Noctua fans. I don't like their sound signature at all. Some have clicky sounds, and most of them sound too electric and high pitched. And their redux gray fans are even worse.

I normally use Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe (12cm), Thermalright (14cm for 12cm holes) and BeQuiet! (14cm) fans for my builds. They are good looking and sound much better, with a more neutral (lower frequency) tonality.
Posted on Reply
#15
RejZoR
Oh yes, I forgot about the BeQuiet. The PSU fan in BeQuiet PSU is just stupendously quiet and has no noise signature what so ever. Granted, it's a very low RPM fan, but it doesn't seem to emit any buzzing or electric noise even at those speeds.

My next fans will either be Noiseblocker again or BeQuiet. Corsair screwed up the lineup a bit killing a lot of LED-less SP and AF models with lower RPM.
Posted on Reply
#16
Assimilator
A 20cm fan? That doesn't sound useful in any way, shape or form.
Posted on Reply
#17
TheDeeGee
Old comments are getting old.

That said that new Fan Controller is very interesting, might be a nice solution for a case without any Drive Bays.

Id like to see Noctua dive into GPU Cooling as well, take on the Arctic Accelero Line (which i happily use for over 12 years now)
Posted on Reply
#18
Keullo-e
S.T.A.R.S.
AssimilatorA 20cm fan? That doesn't sound useful in any way, shape or form.
For example BitFenix Phenom M has mounting holes for 200mm fan.
Posted on Reply
#19
dom99
I've bought a lot of different fans over the years, and in my experience Noctua are the best by far. The noise quality produced is far than any other fan I've used and they push a decent amount of air. I for one dont care what they look like, but I do care about how they sound and how much air they push.

Glad the 15mm fans are finally here, been waiting about 4 years since they first announced it!
Posted on Reply
#20
Fx
mcraygsxI care about Quality over the looks. Noctua certainly provides that.
BAM! Your damn right!
AssimilatorA 20cm fan? That doesn't sound useful in any way, shape or form.
There are some cases on the market that require 20cm. I needed one for the last build that I did for my manager. Unfortunately, I had to settle for another brand which is a sin to me because I only buy Noctua for case cooling.
Posted on Reply
#21
mcraygsx
AssimilatorA 20cm fan? That doesn't sound useful in any way, shape or form.
With 3D printable parts/mounts for motherboards, graphics cards, and peripherals (m.2) these small fans can be used to cool down specific device.
Posted on Reply
#22
RejZoR
There are cases with side panel fan that's of huge dimensions.

Also that fan controller, people still use them? I just stick everything to motherboard, tweak the fan curves and leave it fully automated. When under load, fans ramp up, when it's idle on desktop it goes absolutely silent. I did buy a case with 3 step switch for fans, but I found out it's just not useful. Switching it yourself is annoying...
Posted on Reply
#23
mcraygsx
RejZoRThere are cases with side panel fan that's of huge dimensions.

Also that fan controller, people still use them? I just stick everything to motherboard, tweak the fan curves and leave it fully automated. When under load, fans ramp up, when it's idle on desktop it goes absolutely silent. I did buy a case with 3 step switch for fans, but I found out it's just not useful. Switching it yourself is annoying...
I suppose NOCTUA still think there is market for it maybe in Europe or Asia. But for me it is too redundant since I can choose to plug my fans into Carbide 600C or hydro 110i or just plain motherboard fan controller. I have two fans running in my system and dislike the noise, I am thinking about moving back to passive cooled Noctua D14.
Posted on Reply
#24
Octopuss
Who gives a f*** about fan colour? Seriously. What kind of argument is this? Even if your case has one of those translucent side panel, a normal person is, most probably, looking at like, you know, the screen?
Posted on Reply
#25
Fx
AssimilatorA 20cm fan? That doesn't sound useful in any way, shape or form.
LOL. Well, there are a lot of superfluous people. I am glad that Noctua's primary focus is on quality first and foremost.
Posted on Reply
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