In this test, we’ll take a look at Noctua’s anticipated first representative and how it ranks next to other fans. We’ll start from the bottom with the most affordable one from this Austrian company. It should be noted that Noctua views this class of fans slightly differently than other brands, and has the base perched very high. However, there is one BUT, which is rather insignificant, but still “lifted some people out of their chairs”.
Results: Cooling performance per watt, static pressure
Explanatory note: From static pressure measurements, you know how efficient the fans are when set at the same noise level. We also measure the operating power draw in fixed noise level mode tests, so we can easily quantify which fan is not only more cooling efficient, but also more energy efficient. That is, which fan achieves higher static pressure per unit of power draw.
Why is there a missing value sometimes? There may be more reasons. Usually it is because the fan could not be adjusted to the target noise level. Some have a higher minimum speed (or the speed is low, but the motor is too noisy) or it is a slower fan that will not reach the higher decibels. But the results in the graphs are also missing if the rotor is brushing against the nylon filter mesh. In that case, we evaluate this combination as incompatible. And zero in the graphs is naturally also in situations where we measure 0.00. This is a common occurrence at extremely low speeds with obstructions or within vibration measurements.
Buying the Asus ROG Strix XF120 reading your review! It’s 20-50% better in nearly every category/setup vs the Noctua! Love my high-end Noctuas but for the cheaper side to case cool my new i9 14900k OC’d well over 350W on my custom loop, I need all the fan performance I can get. ASUS ftw again! Plus I have mainly ROG in it as we speak. 🙂