It’s not a joke. It may sound silly, but know that we are not presenting you with anti-physics. On the contrary, the foundation in physics here is very good. Different colors of materials, as long as they are not just a surface finish but a homogeneous mass, can (and often do) affect their strength. Our sensitive measurements reveal well the differences that exist between the white and black variants.
Reality vs. specifications
Explanatory note: For a quick overview of how manufacturers “spice up” specifications, we have a sort of “truthfulness” coefficient. We calculate this by putting our measured values in proportion to those given in the specifications by the fan manufacturers. A result of “1.00” means that the claimed parameters match the values we have recorded. After such a finding, we can conclude that the manufacturer has done his job honestly and the way he presents the fan agrees. The more the coefficient number is different from 1.00, the less accurate the claimed specifications are. Of course, the better case for the user is if the coefficient is higher than 1.00 (and it is, for example, 1.20), then the real parameters exceed the paper ones. Conversely, if the coefficient starts with zero, then the fan does not reach the parameters on paper. For example, a value of 0.80 means that the real airflow or static pressure is 20 % lower than the manufacturer claims.
Hey, when are you going to Review the Noctua NF-A12x25 Brown and Chromax version? I’d love to see if it has the same issue as the Corsair AF120 and also see it’s general Performance. Also please Review the Phanteks T30 too, i would love to see how it compares to the Noctua.
Billy, welcome. Thank you for your question. We have all these tests planned, including the comparison of brown and black Noctua NF-A12x25. In order to make these tests viable, we have to build them in some reasonable way, it can’t be all at once (although I understand that would be the most attractive for the readers). It’s a project for several years and we will get to everything sooner or later. But the NF-A12x25 PWM (brown) tests are really close. 🙂