Noctua's NF-A12x25 - Magic on Radiators!

Amazon (US)
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM: amzn.to/2MpMm66
Noctua NF-A12x25 ULN: amzn.to/2IoiYdW
Noctua NF-A12x25 FLX: amzn.to/2K7ZMa6
EK Vardar EVO 120ER: amzn.to/2NNYHT9
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[@volodymyrm.3848]

The normalized results are awesome! That's what each fan and case test should have!

[@strikye7]

very true

[@xjmnz]

4real

[@bananya6020]

what about gn

[@TryhardTechy]

i love these fans, they have the perfect blade design that i have been waiting for going on 7 years now. they are high performance beasts and probably Noctua's best fan yet. as soon as black versions of these come out i will be buying 4 of them for some killer push pull action on my H100i.

[@Oldsah]

We need black a12x25 we really do.

[@cthulhu4606]

just paint them dude

[@vincentv.berchem2085]

@@cthulhu4606 does painting them lower the performance?

[@MrCaine69]

@@vincentv.berchem2085 O.o

[@Lukas-pj5ls]

@@vincentv.berchem2085 Just a bit

[@eLmY-ni4ye]

@@cthulhu4606 what spray should i use? Do you have any recomendations?

[@xavierbedouet2323]

You really make a great job at reviewing with precision with all real world scenarios in mind. Congrats ! Can't wait to see channel evolve on KZbin !

[@beanc2982]

"streamers could benefit from the quietest system possible as well, so it doesn't interfere with their scream" You made my entire morning, thank you! Can't wait to get my cooling setup started, this was very helpful!

[@ericvanree2385]

I really appreciate the quality of your videos. Keep up m the good work!

[@jkaustok]

THANK YOU for adding a chart that compares sound level to temperatures. In all honesty I think that's the most important chart that most fan comparisons leave out.

[@jamestech9109]

This channel actually talks about computer stuff i want to know about. The other channels are hype blah blah 4090 rumors. Optimum tech hands down gives the most useful information.

[@GuyFromJupiter]

You compete with gamers nexus and hardware unboxed in quality, but you test very relevant stuff that they never do. Well worth subscribing to. Keep up the great work!

[@devilboykillz]

on mesify c. you can take front pannel off. cut the plastic lines out of it and put the radiator in it. looks way better and gives some extra room.

[@Rhamnusia]

Im sad that im dont see BQ's Silent Wings 3 fans in theese kind of videos. Anyway content is always top level, good job.

[@szeimanncsabi]

My thoughts exactly

[@G3rain1]

I have both Noctuas and Silent Wings 3. While the SW3 is very quiet, in fact nearly silent even at full speed, its air flow and static pressure performance are only mediocre at best.

[@Rhamnusia]

Geo in paper both should have the same or very close perfomance. Thx for the info anyway

[@Denois95]

According to thermalbench's reviews, the SW3's are THE objective best fans for radiator use with regards to performance / noise ratio in low - medium RPM ranges, or at least they were before the A12x25's came out. I would assume the A12'^s perform better.

[@JOHN-wm2on]

I wouldn't recommend silent wings 3 for radiators. The open fan frame design results in a loss of performance. Those types of frames are generally not recommend for radiator use.

[@adeliokilcullen263]

8:07 My man has lost his io shield.

[@hakont.4960]

Or he does what I do and not install it in the first place.

[@MrLincoln87]

Hey Ali, would it be possible to do some testing on push/pull vs push+pull ? Noise normalized what would be better ? for example .. 4x fans at say 1200rpm, or 2 fans at 1600rpm ??

[@Republic3D]

I've always chosen Noctua due to their performance in both temperatures and noise. They're simply the best.

[@FlesHBoX]

I've been quite happy with 8 120mm Noiseblocker M12s in my case. Great temps (typically under 45C under heavy load with two GPUs in the loop), and it's ACTUALLY silent, lol. The first time I fired it up, I thought I had missed the button, or forgotten to plug the fans in, it's that quiet.

[@shaneheimanjr9178]

I've watched quite a few of your videos and I'm terrible at actually listening to the end about liking afterwards and I feel bad for not liking every single one because you make great vids

[@terp02Andrew]

Finally a thorough review on these fans! I was hoping for Thermalbench to release their results, but seems like there's no ETA in sight for them lol.

[@atticusrussell1225]

Hey today I was literally looking for info on EK Vardar fans on rads compared to Noctuas for a build of mine and this delivered! Perfect!!!

[@bronzeagehuman]

If you have the possibility in the future, I suggest considering doing comparisons on 15mm fans since you already are invested in the SFF market in general. Either way, nice work.

[@e2622]

This is a killer video man. You should be proud of the work you put in. Easily accessible, easily understood, plain to read. I know this is an old video but it's a good one.

[@KC-bg1th]

I have 14MM PPC case fans on a Fractal Define R5 (No window, has sound padding on side panel). I wouldn't get them unless you don't mind the volume.

[@Netsuko]

Amazingly put together video. Thank you very much for all that effort and clear info! This was the first video I have seen from you, subbed right away! edit: BTW, that B-Roll material is done really well!

[@oferkrupka]

*Don't like the brown shit color of the NF-A12x25?* Noctua said they are going to release Black version of it around Q1 2019. But it might be delayed because it's not a simple drop of color at 0.5mm clearance, the materials of the fan are delicate and any little change can cause the fan to touch the frame overtime.

[@tomwes8390]

Oferk99 Its a coffee and leather color. Not shit as shit is alot darker

[@Gungarr]

it depends on the shit x) and i understand his frustration to wanting to buy Noctua stuff but just can't because of the color.

[@oferkrupka]

generaldwarf Yep, it will ruin my beautiful build, and I don’t want to buy last gen fans. I’m better to wait for black NF-A12x25 and NF-A14x25

[@mdexterc2894]

It depends on how your food was digested. Noctua brown can mean healthy digestion, while pcb green can mean stomach flu. Case fan black can mean stomach ulcers, while AMD red can mean internal bleeding. If your poop is Intel blue, it probably means you live in Chernobyl and need to move out. If your poop is Zotac yellow, you probably ate too much corn. Finally, RGB lighted poop means you partied too hard and had too much drink Hope this helps

[@KillJD]

@@mdexterc2894 Lol! Nice one! Got a chuckle out of me.

[@Termiux]

Man everytime that I start one of your videos I feel I'm watching Hardware Canucks nice shots and editing 👌

[@IndrasilDesignStudio]

Thank you for the outstanding review. I have a request though - could you please compare the NF-A12 to 140mm fans on a radiator the same way you did here?

[@goblinphreak2132]

noctua doesnt make sterrox 140mm fans yet. only in 120mm

[@tech_splitter]

excellent video and graphs man

[@literate-aside]

Great case choice, want one in white.

[@Scoobydcs]

im about to put 13 or 16 (depends if i have the room to push/pull both rads) of these things into my new case!

[@troyn14]

Noctua GIVE ME THESE FANS IN 140 AND MAKE EM BLACK FFS xD

[@classicmartini]

Chromax!

[@haroldng5897]

pretty sure there's a 120mm to 140mm adapter that noctua makes

[@troyn14]

Mainly bacause the 140mm version would be better performing 😂

[@KingdaToro]

@Superfly29rr Their current 200mm fans are an old design. These new fans with Sterrox impellers and ultra low tip clearance only come in 120mm so far, but the 140mms are coming next.

[@KingdaToro]

@Superfly29rr Because it's new, and because Noctua engineers each size of fan separately. They don't just scale them up and down. 120mm is the most common size, so it got the Sterrox redesign first, and 140mm is next. 200mm is very low priority for it, and would likely make them too expensive because of the size. Besides, 200mm fans are typically silent as they only run at 800 RPM.

[@FlumenSanctiViti]

I confirm this test. I've been running Vardars for over a year now and recently replaced them for new Noctua's NF-A12x25's because of the noise they make. At full speed, Vardars do *slightly* outperform Noctuas, but they also run 200 rpm faster. However, noise is *significantly* lower with Noctuas! I only used my ears as a measurement, but they seem more than twice quieter. I couldn't be happier with Noctuas, even though they are *ridiculously* expensive. And just as he mentioned in the end of the video, if you need top of the line fans in a system that is sitting right next to you, new Noctuas are a must! Otherwise, you might consider some other fans, like Vardars.

[@scottwangkl8882]

Do a case fan test like this but with fans from Arctic, Scythe, Noctua and be quiet! Although I already know Noctuas will be king again but will be good to have them as the highest bar to compare against

[@Bandit5317]

Great review. I noticed that you didn't use the radiator-mount rubber gasket that's included with the NF-A12s, though. Those may have improved performance even further.

[@jradish]

8:45 says r5 2700x instead of r7, but this video was absolutely amazing nice job

[@phaselaser]

also at 4:20

[@DoomOfConviction]

The stock fans of my 2080 Ti AIO keeping my gf awake so I need the a12x25!

[@mikemercenary6071]

This is the test review that should be done, clear and precise tests, so glad to find your channel. Just digging all your vids here :P

[@michaeljhonny9570]

Pretty mich overpriced trash, lower noise my azz, im not gonna spend 3 times more for a little more silencr, its stupid amd senseless

[@Demon09-_-]

man the day noctua makes these fans in black with colored squares like the current cromax or rgb it will be a bad day for my wallet

[@magnusnilsson9792]

I feel sorry for your wallet.

[@edgarsnezinu1439]

To use 1000 rpm i need voltage 1.45v so it will heat up but if you running 1.32v no point to have 1000 rpm only on max load and heavy gaming or editing you will reach 1000rpm or if you live in some Australia or Africa where you need massive rpm day to day usage not going heat up radiator

[@sgtsixpack]

How about the redux version? Its 1700rpm max is half the price, it does have the old bearing but is at least grey/black. Also you should run the fans at full speed, which is where the IPCC fans will beat any other not running @ 3000prm. I have 3 set to respond to my X72's water temperature. They need a little fine tuning now that its summer. They also have the latest SSO2 bearing, and are more efficient at 2000rpm than 4 pole fans. They have the low speed accoustic tuning of a less sharp PWM pulse.

[@EssZee323]

Great info Thanks

[@Dracossaint]

I can confirm the noctua industrial fans sound like a jet engine at max, but oml how dose noctua keep out doing themselves o.o . Edit: no auto fail noctua is not no tuna or nocturnal. Shush

[@megapro125]

yeah and you can even turn them up to 3000 rpm he was just testing them at 2000.

[@komi1834]

there are 2000rpm and 3000rpm versions 2000rpm ones can't go 3000rpm, there are also 140mm 3000rpm ones, saw a post on reddit of a guy cooling delided and overclocked 10 core i9, and 2 of some nvidia workstation cards, quadros, dunno which ones with 280mm radiator with just 2 fans on extra thicc radiator, he even posted video of those noctuas on top speed and it's def loud, but they got magical performance

[@larrygall5831]

I have 3x 120mm (iPPC-3000) on rads, and 2x 140mm (iPPC-3000) on the case. I have a 4-channel fan controller (4 knobs in a PCIe slot). I keep it all the way down for silence (fans still blowing), and crank them up to 75%-100% when I'm playing games with headphones. I also have one of these NF-A12x25 fans I recently bought to replace a noisy fan that was making clicking noise. All the way up with no adapters on, the fan is quite quiet. Although they don't push as much air as the 3000rpm fans, they do a great job. My water is always under 30°c even while gaming. Not bad for southern Florida.

[@SIedgeHammer83]

Looks like I'm keeping NF-F12 PPC for quite a while. Thanks for uploading this video, you are the only person on youtube who compares it to NF-F12 which helps with my decision. Subscribed and shared.

[@optimumtech]

Artorias - glad you enjoyed, thanks for the support

[@slims2503]

You are right, i am really debating hard which one of these 2 fans to get for my rads. 1x60mm rad and 2 x45mm, i belive i can stick with the 3000rpm ppc as when they go into turbine mode they can remove a lot of heat. Also the ip stuff regarding dist modt likely is superior to the new A version. Though decision.

[@silver_]

Not gonna lie, I have 5 of the A12x25s in my system it's bliss :')

[@psykobibi]

do you use them to cool your case ???

[@raymondtrinh8734]

@@psykobibi What else would you use them for

[@psykobibi]

By the time right this comment I was a bit lost because there is 3 versions of this noctua Fan PWN, FLX and ULN , which one to choose xD they all look the same

[@raymondtrinh8734]

You can also check the specs when you search it on Amazon, scroll down to see the specs. Automatically the PWN comes 2000 RPM, but with low noise adapter, it goes to 1700 RPM. You can always can the speed in the BIOS or with a software.

[@cactuarking4138]

Wow, they did so much better than fans that have higher static pressure and airflow stats I'm confused lol

[@cbdwolf7819]

Just run push-pull at 1000rmp with the Noctua A12. I have 4 Varders for a 480 mm Radiator. Need 4 more for push pull.

[@Wistbacka]

Comon Noctua! Give us 140 mm sterox fans already! These results are sooo good!

[@onionsonstilts]

This is as close to a perfect fan review as I can find, good job!

[@Demonwicked]

what an awesome review, good job m8

[@tomwes8390]

Test the noctua's vs Silent Wings 3 PWM 120mm and 140mm as Noctua said it can match 140mm

[@joaopelosi.]

Great vídeo! Would be nice to add the be quiet! fans in the comparison.

[@optimumtech]

If they'd be happy to send some over, I'd be happy to add them to the chart. I can only buy so many fans before I'm clinically insane.

[@atticusrussell1225]

Optimum Tech that would be fantastic!!

[@Joey-bq4hu]

The A12x25 has a high pitch that I can't stand. Would rather have slightly louder but a lower pitch!

[@Dogzilla07]

Would be awesome if you could get a few more fans to compare like the Be Quiet! Silent Wings 3 120mm PWM high-speed, Phanteks PH-F120MP, Corsair ML120 Pro, the basic Thermaltake Riing 12 LED and Cooler Master Silencio 2400RPM (also know as NEPTON 120XL FP FAN) or atleast the 1400RPM version of the Silencio.

[@ottrr_]

Great video! Thanks for the last test, that's very helpful and so few ppl do that. Do you think you could do a similar 140mm roundup video?

[@sephiroth_vg460]

Dude can you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do this kindof video for 140mm Fans?!

[@Jerome-iwnl]

NF A12 FTW!!

[@PAPO1990]

You really don’t seem to have the test granularity for the lower noise levels, in a quieter room there will likely. E more difference between 500 and 1000rpm. The rest of the information was quite useful though. I’d be curious about different radiator thicknesses though, thicker radiators will show more substantial differences in static pressure performance (assuming enough heat in the system that the ticker rad doesn’t totally over-cool the system on its own)

[@billnwa2250]

Thanks for the info.

[@GrayFox370]

I really wanna see you try the Raijintek Morpheus 2 with Noctua 2x Noctua A12x15 slim fans in the Ncase M1 and compare that to the Accelero with 25mm fans.

[@Mikkel111]

I noticed you didn't use the included silicone frame which helps further reduce vibration noise and air escaping before entering the radiator. I know it probably won't make the largest impact, but it'd be cool to know.

[@RhinoTV]

I just got a 8700k. Had the kraken x62 but (Its my fault ) but I don’t think I could get it on right and was giving me high temps. I was going to get ether a Corsair h115i or a regular cooler that’s good and quite eg be quite dark rock pro 4. I don’t know what to get. I want the pc to be as quiet as possible but also be very cool as I do a lot of video rendering and editing. I also need all 4 ram slots to not be touching the cooler ie be able to fit in the cpu cooler without giving up ram slots. What should I do?

[@optimumtech]

The X62 should give you reasonably good temps. Just work on getting that mounted correctly and problem solved.

[@RhinoTV]

Optimum Tech I’ve actually broken the backplate so had to send back. The 4 stand off screws at the back, one popped out of the back plate. Don’t know how that works but then I could actually take the cooler off the cpu stand off. Very confusing. Any ones nzxt isn’t an option now so what you think I should do ??

[@rothgartheviking858]

I run the Noctua D15 aircooler its really good. keeps temps low. Slightly better than the Dark rock pro. Plus when you upgrade the CPU, and intel changes the Socket, Noctua gives free mounting hardware. On Noctua's website they have a compatibility chart for your motherboard. The chart will tell you if it covers any ram slots. If your Overclocking the 8700K to 5G i would delid before making any decisions on cooling. You will see 10 to 20 degrees benefit no matter the cooling solution. Otherwise the EK aluminium line of expandable water cooling is very tempting.

[@supportyou10]

Can you do the same thing to the gpu? Cause I’m looking into the gpu cooler video that you did.

[@optimumtech]

I have a video coming up comparing the G12 to the Accelero III for GPU cooling. That might help you out.

[@supportyou10]

Omg thank you. I’m stuck with this loud ass blower rn 😂

[@ydihtty]

Tbh I'd like to see a direct comparison between the NF-A12x25, Nidec Gentle Typhoon, and Arctic P12 fans.

[@joaquinrp7784]

Question, isn't that AIO using 140mm fans? How are the 1200mm NF-A12x25 fitting? Or is the kraken x52 using 120mm?

[@Rucarlos]

I spent the last few days trying to find a comparison like this between stock radiator fans and Noctuas, this is even better than I hoped! Now is there any hope they're releasing a black Chromax edition of these new fans?

[@rendermanpro]

Noctua if not make whole fan of diarrhea, but at least crap out corners of black. We need case with curtain to hide that "thing", such a stupid from Noctua if everyone complain about colors

[@yunu5]

Yet again one of the best videos for the topic. I like your channel and the aesthetics of your videos. But... your graphs are very chaotic. I like that you put the different rpms in the same graph, but if you would use different colors for the different fans, as an example, your graphs would look better organized.

[@TITANSofTheEARTH]

I have the Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM running at 2000rpm all time because they are so fucking silent... my triple fan-gpu card is always louder at 50% fanspeed

[@nathanpurss4582]

Some impressive results. Goes to show what 5 years of development does lmao

[@ahmedsolieman598]

That video is gold. Subscribed.

[@warnacokelat]

replaced stock corsair fans on h100i with this. had to double check if the fans are running because i cant hear a thing at full rpm.

[@Layarion]

Those new Noctua ones have a strange hum to them

[@Joey-bq4hu]

Yeah, that A12x25 has a high pitch that I can't stand. Would rather have slightly louder but a lower pitch!

[@yuxianwang3238]

really looking forward to see be quiet silent wings 3 in this test

[@zalatanyy]

NF-A12x25 at 1000RPM is overkill

[@cryptonymsslc]

This must've taken some time. Thanks for your hard work to show us these results!

[@Vinametal3d]

useless. front rad? about temps? noise, who cares? omg, i want my time back. aehuaehaeuhaeueahuaeh

[@theforge4591]

Nothing beat the Puke Brown Fan from Noctua!!

[@deinemuddaisdoof]

04:11 How even does the NF-A12x25 beat the NF-F12? What kind of sorcery is this? :D The NF-F12 is rated at 3.94 mmH2O, 2000rpm, 121.8 m3/h, 29.7db The NF-A12x25 is only 2.34 mmH2O, 2000rpm, 102.1 m3/h, 22.6db EDIT: www.overclockers.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/noctua_nf_a12x25_pq_compared.png

[@UltimateByte]

What about the NF-F12? It's supposedly even better and less expensive.

[@haris525]

Bro I have to respectfully disagree with your review. They might be good with the radiator you are using (noise wise) but they sound very annoying with my radiator (hardware labs GTR 480) - I have 16 of these fans in my SMA 8 case - and although they are quite they have a really annoying buzzing. Almost like I have bees buzzing - @ 1350 rpm

[@Moqqot]

Lol, a better comparison would be to the Corsair ML pro fans...

[@cthulhu4606]

same shit

[@antiMatterDynamit]

now if only they made them in black like the industrial ones

[@koford]

cool test, before this.. i was actually looking for Noctua NF-F12... but seeing this video, might change my mind. The only and only reason i dont like.. is the colour. If this NF-A12x25 was the same as NF-F12.. then yea, totally buy it.

[@Metalhead-4life]

The Noctua roadmap says the Black NF-A12X25's are coming out Q3 2020 which means any day now. You should contact Noctua & have them send you a couple of them for review

[@Rockmantic21]

Ali! The Noctuas NF-A12x25 Chromax are here. I repeat. The Noctuas NF-A12x25 Chromax are here. You already know what to do.

[@filiplaskovski9993]

NZXT'S fans on my x73 are super noisy and not the good noise, they make a little chirping noise they're rubbish!!! swapped them for some a12x25's

[@GucciGamerTV]

I really liked that you had results for 500RPM in this testing. Especially since we can see here that the Noctua F12 can actually perform better in low RPM situations. As someone that like to run my case fans extremely low, seeing 500RPM results for fan tests is great!

[@StaticLowLife]

How does the sound of that Nzxt pump compare to the NF-A12 fan?

[@MTBScotland]

what about the actual sound - previous noctua fans sound nasty even though the db tends to be lower.

[@randomuser6306]

Pump speed has almost no impact on thermals. Your statement at 3:30 is wrong.

[@philipbaker6516]

Thanks for the normalized dB testing!. This is what I like to see.

[@icanthelplt90]

Hey, pretty sure you will never see this or care to comment on it, but i wonder what the performance of the slim a12x15 would be in comparison to these fans. Haven't seen anyone really try/comment and show testing with using them, but in SFF all the clearance you can get matters :D

[@AtakanArisoy]

09:10 From what I see here, the place where the heat comes out from the radiator is facing inwards. Wouldn't this cause a serious temperature increase inside the case? Fans cannot remove heat by pulling it out from here. Additionally, the exhaust fan at the back cannot drain the unnecessary heat inside. I don't understand why such a thing was done.

[@megapro125]

I put 2 of the Noctua NF-F12 industrial fans in the 3000 rpm version on my radiator. They are blasting the air through that thing lol

[@korup7ion951]

what about the new NFA12's vs the stock fans of the NHD15?

[@Pertamax7-HD]

Noctua powered

[@grivful]

Se agradece mucho este video, si bien los ventiladores noctua son los mas feos, son los que mejor rendimiento tienen. Estoy por comprar el waterblock para mi 1080ti gaming x y ya se que fancooler colocar.

[@johnathancrotzer5491]

If you stepped up from an Intel i7. Ryzen actually puts out less heat according to ltt testing because amd expects full load and some boost clocks and Intel just trys to prevent thermal throttling

[@kickazzdrummer666]

Scythe Gentle Typhoon?

[@SaccoBelmonte]

I recently got 4 of the normal 120mm noctuas for over 30 euro each. I wonder how can I get Noctua to give me 4 of these for free haha!...I live in Austria...Noctua?

[@Reedith]

I'd like to see this done with their new slim black fan. It's the only way you can water cool and use a full-size graphics card in the the fractal design meshify c

[@Teh-Penguin]

33.4dBa - 34.2dB is exactly the same. I don't think that tiny thing can measure that precisely.