In vivo fan tests: 14 models in system positions

Testing fans... differently

Here and there we come across the opinion that it is advisable to test fans in real life conditions, which we can easily refute. At the same time, we understand that a layman can best identify with the differences in component temperatures that arise precisely due to different fan airflows. To help you see the correlations of such tests with results from “unnatural” environments, here’s something we remembered.

Conclusion

This time the aim was not to create a comparative database from which the right fan could be selected according to the results. Certainly, a sort of ranking from the most efficient fan to the least efficient fan has emerged from the meticulously worked out tests in the real-life environment. But it should be noted that these results apply to this one particular model situation (of the components used) and even after replacing the case itself, the relationships between fans will more or less diverge as they always do in this type of tests.

That’s why the results from various tests in real-life environments don’t scale too much, and sorting out that this or that fan is a hair more efficient than another is always irrelevant, and we won’t resort to it either. However, if we reduce the resolution and talk about, say, three levels of efficiency (more efficient, moderately efficient, less efficient) within the fans under consideration, that might not be quite as misleading. Still, we’re treading a fine line, but it’s unlikely that a Noctua NF-S12B redux-1200 fan at the tail of the charts, for example, will perform as well as its official specs might make it appear.

By pointing out these results we certainly don’t want to harm Noctua (they really don’t deserve it for doing such a great job on fans, especially the more modern ones) or make them angry, but we need to keep things in order. That’s all we care about. Everything needs to have a clear explanation.

A detailed analysis of the NF-S12B with testing using standard methodology will not be long in coming, and then these materials (tests in a real-life environment) may be very useful. Surely you can already guess that we know that this fan, like the more modern NF-S12A design, will not be among the most efficient as many people consider them to be when it comes to system fans for the case.

The NF-S12A performs better (than the NF-S12B), as you can see in these tests – it’s usually at the front of the peloton among the tested fans. However, it is important to understand the fans it faces. They’re all old, long-outdated designs, and none of them come close in efficiency to the current cutting edge, where Noctua has long had the NF-A12x25. In some of the thermal tests from this article, the NF-S12A is matched by the SilverStone SST-AP123, which occupies the bottom rungs of efficiency results in the competition of current fans.

At the moment, we won’t go into the design details and the reasons why Noctua S-Series fans have some weaknesses aerodynamically, let’s say. But everything will come and you will understand everything. We’ve released this test as a teaser for those who would try to contradict the conclusions of standard tests by saying “but in a real-life environment…”… no, even there, miracles don’t happen.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• Testing fans... differently
• Results: Medium noise level (36 dBA)
• Results: Low noise level (33 dBA)
• Results: Very low noise level (31,5 dBA)
• Conclusion