I bought an Antec rack-mount computer case about 8 or 9 years ago. I needed this type of case configuration for my recording studio. I use computers for recording work. Most everything around me is rack-mounted so it made sense to rack-mount the PC too. Ambient/mechanical noise is a no-no in this field. If I can hear it, so can a microphone (especially a large diaphragm condenser mic). All these years I never bothered to hook up the front panel fan. I sort of instinctively knew it was going to generate noise so I relied on internal cooling (large CPU fan, power supply fan, fanless video card, etc). Never had an issue. But from one rebuild to another, the internal cooling seemed to get less and less. The new PS I bought has a fan but the fan doesn't turn on at all unless the internal temp exceeds a threshold. I felt the current rebuild needed some additional cooling so I decided to hook up that unused front panel fan. It sounded like a vacuum cleaner. I could hear it in the other room. I can only assume that case fan manufacturers many years ago gave no thought whatsoever to ambient noise. Maybe they figured this case/PC was going to end up in an isolated IT room somewhere. There was no way. I had to replace it.
I looked around, did a little research. Some of the better PC builders (in this field) were using Noctua fans so I just followed their lead. This fan mounted right into the available front panel fan slot. That part was a simple install. The package came with four smallish screws and four rubber vibration insulator stand-offs. You choose one or the other mounting solution. I just went with the metal screws. I didn't think vibration was going to be an issue.
Originally, I wasn't sure what to do with the low-noise adapters. There are two different types included with the fan: LNA and ULNA. They're just shorty extension cables with a resistor soldered in-line. The LNA version supposedly reduces RPM to 1100 and noise to 16.9 dB. I decided to try the LNA version first. For some reason the fan didn't work. I removed the LNA adapter and just went "straight-in" connected to an available fan connector on my MSI motherboard. The fan started working immediately so there must be some issue with these adapters and certain motherboards. In BIOS, I can adjust the fan speed easily so I played around with the different settings. The fan was quiet at all settings but more quiet as I reduced the RPM setting. I chose a middle setting.
Re: noise. The fan makes noise but compared to what I had before, it's night and day improvement. I can hear the fan if I get close enough to the case, but I don't think the noise level is going to pose a problem as far as recording is concerned. I would never record anything that close to the computer case anyway.
I can feel cool air blowing through some small ventilation holes in the rear of the case so I can tell this thing is moving plenty of air.
I'm not an expert on case fans. I couldn't tell you the advantages or disadvantages of one brand to another. But this particular brand/model seems very high quality. It moves air (which is the whole point) and it's quiet. It's not as quiet as no fan, but it's quiet enough and should be absolutely fine for general purpose (non-audio) needs. These days, it seems like the CPU and other internal components are more heat tolerant than before. But audio users often have DSP sound cards and other heat generating devices that mount inside the case so those need to be dealt with. I'm very pleased with this purchase and Amazon got it to me in a couple of days. They absolutely rock when it comes to shipping!
Larry Kriz · 2015-03-01 · via amazon
★★★★★Best fans on the market
This fan has been running like a workhorse for almost 8 years of constant use, and multiple rig changes. I retired it only because I got a completely new rig. These fans don't look the best, and they are pricier, but the sheer quality on display cannot be beaten by any other fan on the market. It's quiet, even through hours of heavy use. Use Noctua fans, your work or battle station will thank you for it.
Gear Masaki · 2026-01-12 · via amazon
★★★★★My Vote for Best Radiator Fans - No Question
This is my 5th Noctua purchase in total and my second build to utilize their fans exclusively. When it comes to quality and performance delivery, I'm not sure you can do better than one of these brown beauties.
I thought it was prudent to write a new review since this is the first one I've purchased from Amazon. I new right away this would be different; the fan doesn't have the plastic covers on the corners like my previous NF fans installed on my Corsair H60 in my multimedia PC. It doesn't come with the low-noise adapter or the PWM splitter cable in the PWM version packaging, but that was expected. I purchased the 3-pin version to replace the stock radiator fan on my EVGA 980 TI Hybrid graphics card. To put it bluntly, this fan made a HUGE difference in audible sound and keeps the cooler at lower temperatures. WIN/WIN
Since you can't see the fan due to the radiator setup, the color is a non-issue. For applications where colors will be present and you're going for a "themed' look, you can plasti-dip the outside of the fan any color to match. I wouldn't recommend painting or dipping the blades due to balance issues that could occur due to uneven painting. That being said, the color doesn't bother me so much anymore, but I did decide to use the light grey "redux" version of this fan in 140mm for my Kraken X61 AIO cooler and the performance is the same.
In conclusion, if you have the need for a static pressure fan without PWM connection, this is a solid choice. If you are looking to replace the stock fan on your AIO cooler for a graphics card, I can't imagine anything that'd outperform this other than some $50+ special German design. Noctua is well-worth the cost and will last for years and years.
DM1986 · 2016-06-20 · via amazon
★★★★★Not bad
I like these fans. I bought 4 of them for my case. I like the feel of them. I don't love the color as most people don't either but it isn't very visible when it's inside the case. The rubber mounts are nice although I don't see any instruction how to properly install them any where. There is a small diagram that doesn't help much. Installing these rubber mounts is pretty difficult because there will always be 1 or 2 holes that is impossible to reach because it's too close to components in a case.
I have an NZXT case with a fan controller. These fans are pretty quiet and are more quiet if they run on slower speeds. Out of the 4 fans that I bought, I have a problem with one or two of them not spinning on the lowest fan controller speed when I turn on the computer. The fan works once I increase the speed to a higher setting and then reduce it back to lowest setting. I find this a little strange. This is a small hassle because if I forget to turn the speed up at first, one or two fans won't be doing their jobs and not cool the system.
Here is my problem with these fans. I really didn't see much of a temperature drop with these from the original NZXT fans that come with the system. The NZXT fans are about $7 and cool the system to a similar temperature. These Noctua fans might cool it to 1 or 2 degrees Celsius lower. I don't know if it is really worth buying fans that are more than double the price to get a similar temperature.
They are more expensive but are some of the quietest ones I've used.
