I can never seem to wrap my head about why these fans are so popular. Whenever I see Noctua fans reviewed by SPCR, they always perform worse than the stock Nexus fan, in both dba and noise quality. It's not something small either, the Real Silent consistently beats the Noctua 120mm fans by a few degrees every time. This is quite perplexing, and makes me wonder why anyone buys them at all? They are almost 30 dollars here, whereas Real Silents are ~8 lol - and they aren't even the cream of the crop. The Scythe GTs are ~18 and gave the Real Silents a hiding, as did the NB Multiframes. Am I missing something, or is this all just a product of herd mentality and more dollars = more quality?

I think they are much too expensive. But I think the quality is good, even if they aren't the most quiet fans. Scythe and Nexus are my favorites but sometimes you risk getting a bad sample, especially with the Scythes in my experience.

I am sure that part of the reason why they are popular is the ironic one that they are expensive - some people will simply buy the most expensive products regardless, or as is also plausible Noctua heatsinks are good and usually come with Noctua fans. And finally, most people will likely find "quiet" Noctua products quiet enough and dont want to make their PC any quieter than it already is.

For example, I have no plans at all to make my PC any quieter at all, yes it would be possible to do, but the difference between virtually silent as it is currently and totally silent is a fools errand, as my monitor generates more noise, and if I have my window open just a crack, the outside world makes more noise - further silencing would not gain any benefit in the "real-life" situation I am in.


Andy

I'm using a Noctua NH-C12P SE14 heatsink cooled by an NF-P14 140mm fan in one of my builds. Even with the supplied ultra-low-noise adapter it was too loud, so I installed a Zalman Fan Mate 2 rheostat instead to control fan speed. The result was more than satisfactory.

Some of the currently published Noctua review clichés sound like hype, but in my experience the quality of the above fan and heatsink justifies the price I paid for them.

Personally i dont like or dislike noctua, simply from personal testing there are better fans out there for the premium you pay. If im going to pay top $$$ for a fan, i like more noiseblockers and if im in a budget Nexus or Scythe seem better choices.

i dont have a problem with people using the fans that come with noctua heatsinks, i was more referring to people who have their computer case decked out with 5 or 6 noctua fans. also, a full set of those fans will send you back a good ~150 dollars, so i dont see why people who would settle for 'good enough' would be purchasing an array of expensive, enthusiast fans in the first place. i havent been around long and i dont know if noctua fans emerged before stuff like real silents, so i apologise in advance if im all wrong about this stuff.

ive recently purchased a san ace (low speed, 17db alleged) to see how they compare to my current fan (AP-13.) ive never used a noctua before, and i cant say im ever going to in the near future, considering how they perform against the competition. there are some other fans that id like to try as well, NB multiframes, be quiet silent wings & the new corsairs (all 3 of which are expensive ($25+ here) as well as some cheaper, budget fans like the gelid silent 12 ($7)

I like Noctuas because their performance is at least predictable and consistent over time. I have a box full of miscellaneous fans from Scythe, Antec, and others that click/buzz or have other anomalies that were either there from day 1 or developed after a year or so. I RMAed 2 80mm Scythe S-flexes that started off very quiet (800rpm ones), and developed buzzing/clicking after a year. Scythe was only offering to replace them with 3000rpm versions which buzz when undervolted and at 12V are essentially useless unless I build something running in a basement or attic.

My 80mm and 120mm Noctua fans were about $12-16 each. They don't sound materially different than they did when I unboxed them 1-2 years ago. They also started off quite quiet, so if they end up lasting years in my builds they end up a better investment than constantly replacing cheaper fans that might sound as good or better for a year before deteriorating. Sleeve bearings which are found in many quieter fans are generally not as durable and have restrictions on orientation too.

So while they're on the expensive side and may not perform at the highest level, they perform well and seemingly hold up better, at least in my builds. I got some 120mm 800rpm S-flexes from another forum member recently so I'll see how they hold up in both of my machines. Right now, they're doing well, but one of then runs 24/7 so we'll see.

The other European brands are also quite hard to obtain here in Canada.

Having just "refanned" a case with Noctuas I can tell you two reasons - reliability and longevity.

When I built my current workstation in 2008 I thought I'd try for as quiet as possible. SO following reviews and threads and this forum I filled the case with Scythe Slipstreams - 1x800rpm CPU, 2x800 rpm exhaust, 2x1200 rpm intakes (for positive pressure and because the filters on the intake somewhat restricted airflow). They were a good deal too at about $7 each and reportedly quieter than Noctuas (they may be but not by much - more a matter of different tone than quieter).

Four years on the system is still running top level but the fans are failing. The CPU fan periodically fails to start, the top exhaust fan has seized, the front intake is running at 250-300 rpm and the rear exhaust is down to 700rpm. The second intake is the only one still operating as spec. By contrast a system older still that operates 24/7 with Noctuas in it has the fans still running as new.

I would like to have tried the Gentle Typhoons and/or Noiseblockers but I can find neither available here at what I consider optimal speeds (800-1200rpm). And they are just as pricey as the Noctuas. Had I bought Noctua instead of the Slipstreams I would have paid twice the price at the time, but I'd likely not be having to replace my fans now.

That would be very interesting if both PC's had been on for the same amount of time - can you give an indication as to how much time per day (average) each PC has been on for over the last 4-years as it would be unfair to compare a PC that has spent 8-hours a day on to one that's not been switched off for 4-years and has clocked up 35,000 hours of on-time.


Andy

He said that his older PC that runs 24-7 is having better luck with fans, so that would indicate the Noctuas have been running longer (although not in a quantifiable way).

How much do noctua fans cost there? If they are as low as ~18 dollars, sure, but most places I see have them for around ~25 and sometimes on sale for ~21.

Swapping out fans is hardly an endeavour, i'd rather buy 3 nexus fans and have to swap them out every few years and enjoy the smoother sound than buying one noctua. i have no use for their 'accessories' either. I can understand the longevity bearing argument, but at the same time noiseblocker fans can be had for ~22 dollars on amazon - better performance and a high quality bearing as well. Likewise, amazon/quietpc stock GTs for less than 20 bob each and come with a pretty decent (2BB) bearing which should last for quite awhile as well

Probably an ignorant comment from me, but aren't Noctua fans higher CFM on average? 120mm fans seem to favor Noctua in terms of CFM vs. equivalent Delta fans (and I'm not talking about high RPM PWM fans necessarily, more like various case fans).

I have gotten a fair number of Noctua fans for <$19 over time, some as low as $13 on "used like new" and sale deals. They are definitely not absolutely silent, but I can actually keep them at max RPM without hearing much of anything, vs. other fans that would be quite loud at max RPM. I also really liked my NF-F12 PWM, which unfortunately was sold with an old computer, and thinking about getting more for a future radiator, unless I find better noise/cfm/static pressure for just under $20.

A lot of the quiet fans I see listed seem to also have very low max CFM... at that rate, I just severely undervolt my Spectre Pro fans, and they are also super quiet. They just don't end up moving that much air.

Let's see, let's check out this thing called warranty (which in case of fans cover all non-standard noise) - minimum in my country is 24 months. Noctua fans - 72 months, everyone else - 24 months.

And pricing is very local thing... Noiseblocker eLoops are ~17 euros, Multiframes are 20 euros. Scythe GT is 13 euros, Noctua fans are 15 euros.

I'm not sure how accurate their cfm data is, but in any case they are outperformed in terms of cooling degrees by the real silents - check out the SPCR review of the D14, it has test data on both the stock noctua and real silent fans. I figure that their cfm specs are inaccurate and untrustworthy however, considering SPCR testing has dispelled their dba ratings.



Real Silents are 36 months. I don't see it as much of an issue myself, I could've opted for a Seasonic X460 fanless with a 7 year warranty, but instead decided to get the Super Flower. Warranty is shorter, but it's also a much better unit. Plus, it's not as if there's no innovation in fans - Noctua themselves are releasing some new fan with some new technology in the near future, according to SPCR news. By the time 6 years are up, there'll be more attractive items on the market

I'm going off NA (ncix/newegg) and British (quietpc) pricing. How much are Real Silents there?

Sure, but a fan which has a warranty of 6 years must be built to be more robust, because a warranty claim due fan noise in 5th year can be costly for manufacturer. All Nexus fans are 6,5 euros here.

I'm awaiting a 140mm Phanteks fan (currently $15 on NewEgg after rebate), which was reviewed here favorably vs. Noctua's 140mm offering. Will see how that goes. Real Silent fans have been on my radar too, although some review (can't remember which, I'll have to look) didn't label them as silent. Basically I think Noctua is a bit of a "go to" brand for people who know they can reliably get decent quiet fans. I'm sure there are better fans, but either they don't have so much publicity, or reviews, or quality control varies, but somehow Noctua does have stellar customer reviews and reputation - and I have personally confirmed it for myself that it works well enough and quietly enough to be content with. Not silently, but quietly enough.

P.S.: I would really love to see BitFenix Spectre Pro fans receive the full SPCR review treatment. They are noisy at high RPM, so I have to downvolt and then I have no idea what sort of CFM that leaves me with, and if in turn I'm better off with other fans.

The older system is my home server that ahs been running 24/7 for about 5-6 years (minus an occasional reboot, cleaning etc.) The workstation has averaged (estimate) about 6 hours a day for 4 years. Sometimes not on some days, or on all day etc.

The Noctuas are usually about $19-20 CAD but can occasionally be had for $15 with some shopping. Swapping fans can be a chore depending on the case and how much stuff is in it, and connected to it.

It seems there are different trains of thought being debated. There's no doubt that in raw instantaneous performance, Noctua may not be tops. However in the context of nyteowl and myself, I think we argue the following:

-Noctuas are relatively easy to get (newegg.ca, ncix, canadacomputers) while potentially better makes must be imported; hardly practical and extra time and cost
-Noctuas seemingly have more even performance over time (at least compared to reputedly durable scythes). For non-tinkerers or those who have outgrown tinkering, we would rather not shut off 24/7 machines and open them up to perform a fan swap because our fans are failing more frequently.
-Noctuas are often not too expensive; they can be had for $12-25 depending on the model and many competing premium fans are just as expensive especially when factoring in the first point

Basically a mix of availability, performance, and reliability.

Also, in what universe is any psu "much better" than an X460? I'm not saying it is unbeatable, but if its a 9/10 which is pretty conservative, a 10/10 unit is simply "better". I'd be interested in hearing what makes any PSU "much better" on an absolute scale (since that is how we seem to be comparing fans ) because the only metric I can see it losing by any significant margin is value.

better vreg, better transients, better efficiency, higher output, basically better in every metric which made it seem like solid ground to claim it was much better. the super flower golden king/silent line is the very best (bar none) in that wattage range.

can you show me a link where you can get one of the noctua 120mm fans for 12 dollars?

It seems like Noctua fans are somewhat like Mercedes cars.

If you can afford one, you'll surely like it. If you can't, your life isn't a fraction less worth living, you'll get along really fine with any car that suits your need.

Problem is, that insinuates that Noctua fans are better than the other fans discussed here. I argue that they aren't - in fact, they are worse in a bunch of different metrics

Sure, people might be happy with their purchase, but they could be happy with spending 60 dollars on a fan as well, or a 5 dollar one. Doesn't say much about the actual quality of the fan, however.

$60 on a fan? You mean multiple fans, surely? For $60, you could get more than 3 Noctua fans, up to 4 if you go for 120mm case fans.

I wouldn't call Noctua fans unreasonably expensive anymore. They are completely on par with lots of fans now, at least in the U.S. They can be had for less than 120mm Noiseblockers fans, considering the availability of Noiseblockers. On Amazon, I can find Noctuas for $16-21 easily, even less for used versions. That's the price range for lots of other fans, such as Corsair, Phanteks, Xigmatek, Noiseblockers, Gentle Typhoons, Silverstone, Scythe, etc., etc.

In any case, I take an example of a 140mm case fan. Noctua's NF-F140 FLX can be had for ~$20 from Amazon. Phanteks equivalents are down to $18 - even after a $5 rebate (less after stamp + envelope). Corsair's AF140 ~$18+. Cougars $17. Noiseblockers: $20+ and also shipping. Xigmatek Ultra Quiet ~$22+, don't see free shipping. etc., etc.

Considering that, what would you choose out of those fans? I'm personally going to try out a Phanteks fan in a few days, and I've had good experience with 120mm PWM Cougars, but the Cougars were not as quiet as my NF-F12 PWM. My personal experience so far tells me to go to Noctua when I can find it for a cheap price on a sale. Otherwise, Noiseblockers sound great, but they are significantly more expensive for equivalent fans, when shipping is taken into consideration.

A lot of the fans that get recommended have this clause "If you get a good one". Quality seems inconsistent. Some Cougars had orientation problems. Some fans have buzz and ticking / some don't. Some GTs have issues. On and on. I've not read much of this with Noctua fans - they seem consistent.

I'm not sure about 140mm fans, however i'd take a GT over the Noctua any day of the week

FYI, here in the UK a Noctua 120mm Fan (slow spinning) NF-S12B ULN costs between £14-£18 depends on where you are shopping.

A Slipstream 120mm fan (either the 500rpm or 800rpm models) can be bought between £5 and £8.

There is a significant difference in price.

I have recently bought 4x Arctic Cooling F12 (not pro or TC models) for £16 including shipping, they are very cheap, very reliable and are perfectly happy to run at 5v which means about 700rpm, and they have a 6-year warranty if anyone would even bother to return them.... @ £4 each who would care.

FYI, I have bought these to replace the Nexus fans in my server (3 of them) that regularly fails to start @ 5v, sure the Nexus fans are quieter but any fan that does not spin will be

Its a pain in the arse swapping 3x fans in an Antec 1200 case, these should last for many years with no issues and I bought a spare for the sake of it. As for noise, the 7 Hard Drives in my server make ultra low noise fans worthless, so these are more than good enough for my needs.


Andy

Granted, this was a special price; I doubt $12 is the normal rate. I also got 2 GTs for a similar price recently. Point being, I can hardly find any other premium brands easily, let alone find them on sale. They might be easier to get in Europe. I also managed to get some GTs to perform well undervolted, but they are extremely picky about mounting/vibration whereas the Noctuas are comparatively good drop-in solutions whereby they perform decently no matter how poorly they're mounted or what orientation they are or if they're intake/exhaust (no experience with their HSFs). So I guess I continue to vouch for Noctua as being reasonably consistent out-of-the-box, low-maintenance, and easy to purchase. Never said they're best in class. Even cheap Antec and SilenX fans perform well at first, but then they fall apart in the noise department after just a few months, just as some of my Scythes did after a year or so. Now I have a box full of dud fans, none of which have an ugly beige/brown colour

Interesting. I can find a Noctua NF-S12B FLX (and ULN) for $16 and Scythe Slip Streams for ~$11. Not a huge difference, and I'd take the Noctua for $5 extra for 3 low voltage adapters, rubber mounts, and general positive experience (I own 2 of those). Could be a country-dependent pricing difference here. Noctuas used to go for a lot more here a few years ago when I first started looking into them, and now they can be had for almost reasonable amounts, especially if one waits for good deals, as illustrated by the poster above.

P.S.: that particular bundle deal is currently $30, which is $15 per fan. An okay price for a quality fan, in my opinion:
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=47335& ... le%20Deals

Not necessarily the best prices, but this company stocks lots of fans so comparisons are easy to make.

AC F12 @ £4

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

Bitfenix Spectre @ £6

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

500rpm slipstream @ £8

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

800rpm slipstream @

Cant find it, but I did find the 500 rpm Slipstream listed twice, I might have misread it the first time.

Bitfenix Spectre Pro @ £10

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

1150rpm Gentle Typhoon @ £13

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

Antec TrueQuiet Pro @ £13

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

Noctua NF-S12B FLX @ £16.68

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

Noctua NF-S12B ULN @ £17.35

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow - Dual Pack @ £20

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

The most expensive single 120mm fan for sale @ OCUK.

Noctua NF-P12-PWM @ £20

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showprodu ... 1&subcat=4

---

These kind of price differences are reflected via Google shopping and dozens of outlets.

I would have no problem buying 500/800 rmp Slipstream fans @ £8 each, but there is no way I would pay £17.35 for Noctua's equivalent fan.


Andy

Your prices are definitely a lot more different. Spectre Pros are not even in the same category of quietness to CFM (I own 2), and they are not so cheap here. For example $13 for basic versions and $16 for LED versions on NewEgg. AF120 dual packs are $28 on NewEgg and $27.5 on Amazon. So that's still not that much cheaper than a ~$16 Noctua NF-S12B per fan from Amazon (or $15 per fan from us.ncix.com). Confusion likely arises as many forums are multi-national, and prices in one country vary from another. If Noctua fans were like $30 a piece, I'd definitely be looking elsewhere, unless they were absolutely amazing.

Price variation from country to country is as startling that whats available to buy, or not.


Andy

On that note, I wish we had SuperFlower power supplies available here! Or even more BeQuiet! offerings than close-to-none.