Bosco Posted October 1, 2013 Posted October 1, 2013 Tonight Alan takes at Noctua's 120mm NF-S12A (ULN, FLX, PWM) Fans. Read his review here: http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/noctua_nfs12a/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaporX Posted October 3, 2013 Posted October 3, 2013 Nice write up would like to point out I think the testing method used was wrong. The NF-S12A is suggested for case ventilation and not radiator use due to a lower static pressure. For radiator use the best Noctua fan is the NF-F12. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ir_cow Posted October 3, 2013 Posted October 3, 2013 noctua website http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=55&lng=en doesn't say anything about not being able to be used on a radiators. The only other way i can think of would be observations only... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waco Posted October 3, 2013 Posted October 3, 2013 noctua website http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=55&lng=en doesn't say anything about not being able to be used on a radiators. The only other way i can think of would be observations only...It's listed and advertised as a case fan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ir_cow Posted October 4, 2013 Posted October 4, 2013 yeah but nothing saying it can't be used for something else. like an example cougar vortex fans are for the case but works better than corsair "raidiator" fans. case fans are hard to review in general I think ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccokeman Posted October 4, 2013 Posted October 4, 2013 What you have is a usage scenario. Is the fan a bad fan because it was used on a radiator in a non standard scenario? No! Does it provide comparable results when used as a cooling fan on a radiator rather than just as an airflow inducing device? Yes it does. Is it the best fan for radiator use? Depends on your usage scenario. At full speed it delivers results within 3C of the factory fan at a much lower noise level. Something any user of Corsairs H Series AIO coolers before the latest series can attest to becoming annoying after several hours. IN the end what you have is a 3C penalty for absolute silence when running at 1200Rpm. I think its a trade I would be willing to make at this point. As far as cost is concerned only the end user can speak to that. The fans Noctua designs and sells are far from your ordinary jobber fans and stand up well over time. Anyone who uses the fans long term knows that you get what you pay for long term. Sure you can buy cheaper fans but if you buy them twice how are you saving money. As far as this fan being case use only it seemed to do fairly well for its design. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waco Posted October 4, 2013 Posted October 4, 2013 I don't think anyone is saying it's a bad fan - just that it's designed to be a case fan. Like the Corsair AF120, it's not really intended to be used as a heatsink/radiator fan. Still, it did well considering, and I'd gladly trade a few degrees for silence. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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