Experience with Noctua?

C4C

Well-Known Member
Just wondering if anybody here on CF has experience using Noctua fans.

I like the way they look and I'm trying to justify if it's worth spending the money on 2 case fans (I'm getting a good deal on them)..
 

beers

Moderator
Staff member
The couple on my D14 are pretty quiet and seem to perform pretty well.

Anything in particular you were looking for information wise?
 

C4C

Well-Known Member
Well I can get 2 used NF-A14's for $50, or for $20 I can get 4 Kingwin CF-012LB which push half the air..

I guess what I'm looking for is really just performance and looks combined..

Personal decision: I'm going with the cheap Kingwin's because they are Red LED lit and this is only my first build.

Edit: Craigslist seller wants me to drive the 30 miles to him, so I'll be hunting for some LEPA fans to match the one I have already.
 
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Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Maybe it's just me but I don't see the point in dropping a big thing of cash on... case fans. I've got cheapy generic fans all the way around really and they're quiet and fine on low for my fan controller. Fan controller + cheap fans will get you quiet and unless you live in a furnace or only have 1-2 fans, airflow shouldn't be an issue either.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Would you say you're... not a fan?

[UT]obKLdou0LH0[/UT]

As a drummer this really bothers me because this is not in fact a rimshot. Everybody says the badumtss sound is a rimshot but it's actually placing one drumstick both on the head and the rim while striking that stick with the other stick to produce a sharp accented sound. A bit like a gunshot actually.

A for effort though. :D I still lol'd at the pun.

C4C, I mean, it's not like you're pushing a watercooling setup with an i7 with the thermal capbility to heat a small village. Buy games instead. You'll enjoy that more.
 

diduknowthat

formerly liuliuboy
Depends on how important quiet computing is to you.

Yes, they are expensive, and they have funny color schemes, but they make pretty much the best fan in terms of dba/cfm and general quality. I have a single NF-A14 PWM cooling my entire computer right now, and it's completely silent unless you put your ear right up against the fan itself.

Sure you can use a fan controller to slow down your run-of-the-mill fan, but that'll also drastically decrease the cfm and static pressure the fan produces. Noctuas are designed to be quiet to begin with, so it'll push much more air at low noise levels.
 

Aastii

VIP Member
Honestly, I would say it is a worthwhile investment.

3 pin PWM hasn't changed in forever, and isn't going to any time soon, so it isn't as though it is something you will get rid of in a year or two's time like most of your other components.

You buy a decent fan or two, and no matter what setup you have you are guarenteed good airflow and therefore most likely cooling, and silence. You do not really have to ever worry about case cooling ever again after that initial purchase.

Shop around though, in real world terms, there is little to no difference between the Noctua's, Scythe Glide Stream or Corsair AF's (for your case, not heatsinks)
 
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