Noctua NF-S12A FLX, NF-S12A ULN and NF-S12A PWM Test and Review

A long time ago Noctua’s portfolio offered only a few fans models made to cover the full range of needs, performance and noise levels and all of those products offered nice features and quality at a decent price.

I am pretty sure everybody knows what is Noctua NF-S12, Noctua NF-S12B FLX and Noctua NF-P14 FLX and for the last year the guys from Noctua announced some new models to replace the older versions with providing better performance, technologies and better quality at lower noise levels and same prices

And yes, 2 weeks ago we saw 3 new versions of the classic Noctua NF-S12 series to be announced and in this article I will describe all 3 models and do tests to check how they perform.

All 3 new models from Noctua NF-S12 series were provided to me in the new type of package, which is now pretty standard for the company and is a carton box painted in the white/black/brown colour scheme and of course the typical front flap covering a see through cut, through which you can see the shape of the propellers and part of the frame and a second back flap covering the additional information for the technologies used to create the fans. So I believe I should start reviewing the products one by one.

Noctua NF-S12A FLX

After I opened the front flap I got a really nice view and as you can see from the picture above on the left side there are some technical details regarding the structure of the propeller and the way the airflow is focused while on the right side there is a see through cut, through which you can see the shape of the propeller and part of the frame and of course there are some details regarding the additional accessories included in the package, for which I will talk a bit later.

 

On the back, as usual there are details for all of the technologies used to create this product.

First thing to notice after I took the fan out of it’s package is that the new models offer pretty much the classic design of the Noctua NF-S12 series with some modifications.

Noctua NF-S12A FLX is made, as every other fan of 3 major components designed to provide awesome performance at very low noise level which are:

1. The model is made with the latest very good design, of course featuring the  AAO (Advanced Acoustic Optimisation) offering rubber pads painted in brown for reducing the vibrations, Stepped Inlet Design and Inner Surface Microstructures for reducing the noise created from the air passing through the square frame with dimensions of 120x120x25 mm and as usually entirely painted in light pink.

2. A typical for the Noctua NF-S12 series propeller featuring 7 very thin blades with not very sharp angle upgraded with Anti-Stall Knobs just to boost the performance by focusing the airflow and decreasing the flow separation and the turbulence created by the air when passing through the blades. Of course as usually the propeller is entirely painted in brown. According to the official technical details for this model, the propeller is supposed to rotate with maximum 1200 (+/- 10%) revolutions per minute, providing maximum airflow level of 107,5 m³/h, maximum static pressure of 1,19 mm H₂O at only 17,8 dB(A).

3. The very well known SSO2 Bearing used in all new fans from the company including the CNC milled made of brass Metal Bearing Shell to provide long realibility and performance.

The fan is powered and regulated by a 3-pin connector and 3 wires sleeved in black cable. Anyway, since the typical colour scheme of all Noctua products is brown and pink I always wonder why they don’t make the connector and the cable in brown or pink sleeve too.

The standard Noctua NF-S12A FLX package offers:

1. Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) sleeved in black
2. Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.) sleeved in black
3. 30cm Extension Cable sleeved in black
4. 3:4-Pin power adapter sleeved in black
5. 4 rubber dumpers
6. 4 metal screws
7. Installation manual

As usual Noctua announce at least 2 very similar models one made to provide big performance sacrificing a bit the noise level and a second model made to work at very low noise level sacrificing a bit the performance. I already spoke about the performance version and now is the time to say a few words about the silent version.

Noctua NF-S12A ULN

Noctua NF-S12A ULN arrived in absolutely the same package again with tons of information and pictures all around the case. Again we can see the shape of the propeller and part of the frame through the see cut in the carton box.

Again the full details for the technologies used to create this product are hidden under the back flap.

The model offers all of the features like Noctua NF-S12A FLX  but is made to work at a bit lower revolutions speed, providing a bit lower airflow level and no noise at all. The ULN version is made to work at maximum 800 (+/- 10%) revolutions per minute with airflow level of 74,3 m³/h, static pressure of 0,62 mm H₂O at only 8,6 dB(A).

After I took the fan out of the package I noticed that the model visually is the same and is packaged in absolutely the same transparent plastic box as the FLX version.

The fans offers absolutely the same structure and technologies mix as the FLX version so I don’t think it is necessary to describe them again.

Again the fan is powered and regulated by a 3-pin connector with 3 wires sleeved in black cable.

The standard package content for this product is a bit smaller and offers:

1. Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) sleeved in black
2. 30cm Extension Cable sleeved in black
3. 3:4-Pin power adapter sleeved in black
4. 4 rubber dumpers
5. 4 metal screws
6. Installation manual

 

As you can see on the first picture and the title of this article the new models from the renewed Noctua NF-S12 series offers a third model which is absolutely the same as the Noctua NF-S12A FLX model with one minor difference. The Noctua NF-S12A PWM offers a PWM power and regulation.

Noctua NF-S12A PWM

 

The third model was packaged in the same way as the others in almost the same carton box with some minor diferences regarding the description of the additional package content.

And for the Noctua NF-S12A PWM version the additional accessories are slightly modified:

1. Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) sleeved in black
2. 4-Pin Y-splitter cable sleeved in black
3. 30cm Extension Cable sleeved in black
4. 3:4-Pin power adapter sleeved in black
5. 4 rubber dumpers
6. 4 metal screws
7. Installation manual

After I took the fan out of the carton box I saw that Noctua NF-S12A PWM as the other 2 models arrived in a transparent plastic box placed inside the carton shell carefully protecting the product itself and to guarantee a best quality product and great performance for 6 years.

The third competitor in this test is made of absolutely the same square frame with additional features such as AAO frame, Stepped Inlet Design and Inner Surface Microstructures making the fan  work at maximum 1200 (+/- 10%) revolutions per minute, providing maximum airflow level of 107,5 m³/h, maximum static pressure of 1,19 mm H₂O at only 17,8 dB(A). As you’ve probably already noticed this model is made to perform in absolutely the same way as the FLX version with included PWM power and regulation.

 

Now let’s do some testing:

The tests for the test samples will be conducted in my standard way. I will mount all 3 test samples together and test them at 5V/7V/9V/12V and my goal will be to check the performance of the fans in real conditions. The products will be tested under close-to-perfect conditions, not taking into account any external factors. The results achieved during the test can in no way be the same if the fans are mounted on a cooler or on the case fan hole of any modern computer case. I will measure the amount of air going through the fans for one hour and its speed. For this I use a fan controller, a voltage meter, an anemometer and a stand made specifically for this purpose.

And this is how all 3 models look installed on my test stand:

The test results are shown in the following charts:

Airflow through the fans at 5V, 7V, 9V, 12V.

Propellers rpm during the tests at 5V, 7V, 9V, 12V.

The anemometer showed the following air speed passing through the fans:

 

After mounting the fans onto the stand and leaving them to run for about 30 minutes at maximum speed, it was time for the tests to begin.

As with my other tests, again I started with a gradual increase of the voltage through the Lamptron FCT starting at 0V and Noctua NF-S12A FLX and Noctua NF-S12A PWM did at least one full revolution at 4.5V, while Noctua NF-S12A ULN started rotating at about 6.5V. To do the tests I had to decrease the voltage for the silent version to 5V.

Test at 5V:

Noctua NF-S12A FLX reached airflow level of 51.36 cubic metres per hour and Noctua NF-S12A PWM reached 50.4 cubic metres per hour rotating with 600 revolutions per minute, while  Noctua NF-S12A ULN was rotating at 390 revolutions per minute with airflow level of 25.92 cubic metres per hour. All 3 fans were completely silent.

Test at 7V:

At the second test Noctua NF-S12A ULN was running at 510 revolutions per minute with airflow level of 40.32 cubic metres per hour. The other 2 test samples were running at 700 revolutions per minute and offering airflow level of 71.52 cubic metres per hour for Noctua NF-S12A FLX and 70.56 cubic metres per hour for Noctua NF-S12A PWM. There was no noise at all coming from any of the fans.

Test at 9V.

The third test conducted at 9V made the FLX version run at 945 revolutions per minute with airflow level of  86.4 cubic metres per hour and PWM version to run at 930 revolutions per minute with airflow level of 84.96 cubic metres per hour. The ULN model was rotating at 630 revolutions per minute with airflow level of 54.72 cubic metres per hour. Again all 3 test models remained completely silent.

Test at 12V.

The last test at 12V made all of the fans reach their maximum performance. Noctua NF-S12A FLX was rotating at 1170 revolutions per minute with airflow level of 106.56 cubic metres per hour. Noctua NF-S12A PWM was rotating again at 1170 revolutions per minute with airflow level of 105.12 cubic metres per hour. The Noctua NF-S12A ULN was providing airflow level of  68.16 cubic metres per hour at only 810 revolutions per minute. The FLX and PWM versions started to generate a tiny noise from the air passing through the propeller, while the ULN version was completely silent.

I believe it is time to share my conclusions:

1. Performance: As we already saw from the test results we have one performance model which is marked with the title FLX and we have a second version of it, upgraded with PWM power and control method. Both of the fans perform in absolutely the same way even though there were tiny variations while measuring the tests. I saw very, very nice airflow level from both of the models at all tests and I can recommend them to be used as CPU cooler fans or mounted inside the case supporting the airflow. I am sure they will handle both tasks. As usual the ULN version is actually a bit slower model with a bit lower airflow level made especially to be used as a case fan only supporting the airflow inside the case and I can’t really recommend it to be installed on a CPU cooler, especially if the processor beneath the cooler is overclocked.
2. Noise level: Noctua NF-S12A FLX and PWM models remain silent at tests conducted at 5, 7 and 9V but there was a tiny noise coming from the air passing through the propeller when the fans were working at 12V. The Noctua NF-S12A ULN was completely silent at all tests.
3. Apperance:  Again we have the typical Noctua colour scheme offering great visual appearance and still I wonder why they never sleeve the cables and the connectors in same colours.

According to this article I believe that:

Noctua NF-S12A FLX and Noctua NF-S12A PWM deserves the following reward:

and Noctua NF-S12A ULN deserves:

Noctua NF-S12A FLX, NF-S12A ULN and NF-S12A PWM  have been added to the 120mm fans catalogue.

Official price (MSRP):

Noctua NF-S12A FLX – unknown

Warranty: 60 months

Noctua NF-S12A ULN – unknown

Warranty: 60 months

Noctua NF-S12A PWM – unknown

Warranty: 60 months

I thank Noctua for the samples.