Phantom: Antique Noctua

CJPowell27 · March 25, 2014

Are you going to make the Noctua letters backlit? It would look cool if it was like the H440

Kiwiandapple · March 25, 2014

Are you going to make the Noctua letters backlit? It would look cool if it was like the H440

Thats the plan, I only have never worked with acrylic. So I will have an awesome time working with it.

I will order 1kg of left over pieces of acrylic. This will be my practice bunch.

I'll have to spend some time and learn this.

I as well am thinking about making my own LED light feet with clear acrylic.. But, yeah will have to see if i can afford this all.

NerdNinja · March 25, 2014

Are you going to make the Noctua letters backlit? It would look cool if it was like the H440

I agree! While the case isn't the H440, backlit Noctua writing would look absolutely stunning! You could just have a white light shining through some transparent material.

Edit: You posted one sec before be! Sounds awesome!

Kiwiandapple · March 25, 2014

I agree! While the case isn't the H440, backlit Noctua writing would look absolutely stunning! You could just have a white light shining through some transparent material.

Edit: You posted one sec before be! Sounds awesome!

Haha, I will see what I can do. I was thinking of either using white LEDs and yellow/orange acrylic or the other way around. Orange LEDs with clear acrylic.

Will likely order both LED strips and go from there and check what looks best.

So question for you guys, if I will use the white LEDs and a colored acrylic plate, wich color would you pick? Orange or yellow?

Orange

Yellow

I first need to manage to cut the "noctua" into the acrylic. I will only have 1 shot! So I want to make sure I can do this. Will work on other acrylic first.

Maki Role · March 26, 2014

I first need to manage to cut the "noctua" into the acrylic. I will only have 1 shot! So I want to make sure I can do this. Will work on other acrylic first.

Sadly sod's law dictates that you shall cut it perfectly the first time... into the one you don't like.

NerdNinja · March 26, 2014

-Snip-

Hmmmm.... My vote is on orange.

Kiwiandapple · March 26, 2014

Hmmmm.... My vote is on orange.

Why not both? I ordered both the orange and yellow and will see what looks best.

NerdNinja · March 26, 2014

Why not both? I ordered both the orange and yellow and will see what looks best.

Awesome! Although I think orange will look better

Kiwiandapple · March 26, 2014

Awesome! Although I think orange will look better

Will have to wait and see! :]

ArumanBE · March 27, 2014

i didn't think noctua fans would look good in any window build, but mate ... you did it. Very nice build, keep it up can't wait to c more of it.

Subbed!!!

Rainmaker · March 29, 2014

I see what you are getting at with the acryllic, it is however hard to get paint to stick correctly to it (best way would be to sand it all down and make sure you use a good primer before paint and finish it off with a clear coat for the top notch finish). Personally I would just buy the entire acryllic that you want to use for your PSU cover in either the yellow or orange, then just use tape to mask the text layer while painting. Then take off the tape and use a clear coat to make it all stick. I might have missed something though so if this is what your going for then great

Oh and I would use orange acryllic since it's closer to the fan color in the noctua fans then the yellow is to the frame. Either way you're best off using the same colour scheme for your entire build, I have made the error of using blue, green and white for mine and the don't mix that well (involuntarily, with my equipment having blue power leds and the nanoxia case having a green power led)

On a site note: I got my new radiator and tested the fans out, they have really good airflow but they are far from quiet (Corsair SP120L fans, mostly it's the engine noise). The thing is though that if I get more Noctua fans I will have spent over 300 USD on fans alone... Anyone think 11 Noctua fans are to many?

TheProfosist · March 29, 2014

@Rainmaker More Noctua fans!!!

Maki Role · March 29, 2014

Anyone think 11 Noctua fans are to many?

Personally I think 1 Noctua is too many. They're good fans, but they're not the be all and end all of things, there are better options out there. I'm okay with them in certain themed builds though (like beige/brown/wood etc.), but I don't see the point in using them if the aesthetics are suspect, not to mention they're bloody expensive for what they offer.

TheProfosist · March 29, 2014

Personally I think 1 Noctua is too many. They're good fans, but they're not the be all and end all of things, there are better options out there. I'm okay with them in certain themed builds though (like beige/brown/wood etc.), but I don't see the point in using them if the aesthetics are suspect, not to mention they're bloody expensive for what they offer.

you can never have too many fans!

and I disagree they are good fans and are perfect when you have different sized fans in the same build.

Maki Role · March 29, 2014

you can never have too many fans!

and I disagree they are good fans and are perfect when you have different sized fans in the same build.

Yeah okay... Personally I like to stick with the right number of fans rather than a completely unnecessary number, they just add noise, expense and extra wiring after a point. But then overkill is certainly fun too, planning a build with 32 140mm rad fans in it currently, so I'm not really one to talk about keeping numbers low at all times.

However I do stand by my assessment that they're okay fans. Scythe GTs were definitely better, although it's a bit annoying they're not in production anymore. Plus there are loads of amazing fans outside of the standard PC consumer market made by the likes of Yate Loon, Delta (probably wouldn't choose those for silence mind), San Ace etc. It definitely is handy though that they made fans in both 120mm and 140mm sizes, 140mm is largely ignored by many, hopefully all the recent CLCs will help to alter that.

Kiwiandapple · March 30, 2014

Sadly sod's law dictates that you shall cut it perfectly the first time... into the one you don't like.

Personally I think 1 Noctua is too many. They're good fans, but they're not the be all and end all of things, there are better options out there. I'm okay with them in certain themed builds though (like beige/brown/wood etc.), but I don't see the point in using them if the aesthetics are suspect, not to mention they're bloody expensive for what they offer.

Well, this is why I ordered multiple black parts that will be used so I can practice it all before I go ham on my real PSU cover.

You are correct about Noctua fans, they are not the be all and end all. But better options depends on better at what? Price? Yes almost all! Looks? Totally a good amount, but still subjective! Performance? Maybe, but it's hard to find fans that can do the same thing as noctua's on a very quiet level.

It's just what people are after. I wanted to have good working fans that were silent. Think I did get that.

I see what you are getting at with the acryllic, it is however hard to get paint to stick correctly to it (best way would be to sand it all down and make sure you use a good primer before paint and finish it off with a clear coat for the top notch finish). Personally I would just buy the entire acryllic that you want to use for your PSU cover in either the yellow or orange, then just use tape to mask the text layer while painting. Then take off the tape and use a clear coat to make it all stick. I might have missed something though so if this is what your going for then great

Oh and I would use orange acryllic since it's closer to the fan color in the noctua fans then the yellow is to the frame. Either way you're best off using the same colour scheme for your entire build, I have made the error of using blue, green and white for mine and the don't mix that well (involuntarily, with my equipment having blue power leds and the nanoxia case having a green power led)

On a site note: I got my new radiator and tested the fans out, they have really good airflow but they are far from quiet (Corsair SP120L fans, mostly it's the engine noise). The thing is though that if I get more Noctua fans I will have spent over 300 USD on fans alone... Anyone think 11 Noctua fans are to many?

I do not plan to paint them at all. I ordered them black and will keep them black, this is because I don't want to have the Noctua colors everywhere. They are allready very dominant now, so adding more of this color will not go well.

I do however plan to make them mat black, the ones I ordered will be glossy. Wich I will test and see how it looks, but i suspect myself to make it mat. Then my plan was to cut out the "Noctua" text and place a yellow or orange plexi behind it and lid it up with a white led.

Side note: 11 Noctuas is expensive. I dont think it's to many, but you should really look at the whole build and figure out if you really need all off them. If so, then look at your budget.

There are other options out there that are good and better priced.

@Rainmaker More Noctua fans!!!

Personally I think 1 Noctua is too many. They're good fans, but they're not the be all and end all of things, there are better options out there. I'm okay with them in certain themed builds though (like beige/brown/wood etc.), but I don't see the point in using them if the aesthetics are suspect, not to mention they're bloody expensive for what they offer.

you can never have too many fans!

and I disagree they are good fans and are perfect when you have different sized fans in the same build.

As said earlier. You should shop for fans based on multiple things and have them prioritzed in your own order.

My order was; performance, looks, price.

NerdNinja · March 30, 2014

I do not plan to paint them at all. I ordered them black and will keep them black, this is because I don't want to have the Noctua colors everywhere. They are allready very dominant now, so adding more of this color will not go well.

Wait, so the back noctuas are out!?

Kiwiandapple · March 30, 2014

Wait, so the back noctuas are out!?

I was talking about the PSU cover!

Sorry to crush your dreams.. I as well heard that the black ones wont be avaible for us. Only industrial. But who knows!

jscho · March 30, 2014

Yeah okay... Personally I like to stick with the right number of fans rather than a completely unnecessary number, they just add noise, expense and extra wiring after a point. But then overkill is certainly fun too, planning a build with 32 140mm rad fans in it currently, so I'm not really one to talk about keeping numbers low at all times.

However I do stand by my assessment that they're okay fans. Scythe GTs were definitely better, although it's a bit annoying they're not in production anymore. Plus there are loads of amazing fans outside of the standard PC consumer market made by the likes of Yate Loon, Delta (probably wouldn't choose those for silence mind), San Ace etc. It definitely is handy though that they made fans in both 120mm and 140mm sizes, 140mm is largely ignored by many, hopefully all the recent CLCs will help to alter that.

With adding more fans, you can lower fan speed, thus decreasing fan noise. It's up to the builder to choose what fans and why, and obviously to Kiwiandapple, a budget isn't too much of a worry with this build. Noctuas are loved by many, but unused quite often because they tend to completely and utterly destroy PC asthetics. Building a PC based around the Noctua colours actually looks awesome! If you're sticking to a colour scheme, it can heavily affect the parts you buy. Some schemes cost more, for often the same performance. But so be it, we're all enthusiasts! :lol:

TheProfosist · March 30, 2014

Yeah okay... Personally I like to stick with the right number of fans rather than a completely unnecessary number, they just add noise, expense and extra wiring after a point. But then overkill is certainly fun too, planning a build with 32 140mm rad fans in it currently, so I'm not really one to talk about keeping numbers low at all times.

However I do stand by my assessment that they're okay fans. Scythe GTs were definitely better, although it's a bit annoying they're not in production anymore. Plus there are loads of amazing fans outside of the standard PC consumer market made by the likes of Yate Loon, Delta (probably wouldn't choose those for silence mind), San Ace etc. It definitely is handy though that they made fans in both 120mm and 140mm sizes, 140mm is largely ignored by many, hopefully all the recent CLCs will help to alter that.

I think i have roughly 14 in my build which the case could hold 15 if i did something a bit differently

I would say they are far abover average not just OK. I can get a OK fan for $10 or just over. Noctua fans are high end and just high end fan wise there are few competitors in general. If you look at 120mm I would say there are 3 maybe 4 other brands/fans that compete.

GT are nice but they also have a few draw backs. A big one in my book is the fact that they lack PWM. Besides that the motor is super quality but other fans do use better plastics. From my experience with those that you mention is that they are generally overkill since they arnt meant for the consumer environment. I experienced this with my 3000rpm Gentle Typhoon High Speeds, even after converting them to PWM I can only get them down to ~1100 rpm which is still loud.

With adding more fans, you can lower fan speed, thus decreasing fan noise. It's up to the builder to choose what fans and why, and obviously to Kiwiandapple, a budget isn't too much of a worry with this build. Noctuas are loved by many, but unused quite often because they tend to completely and utterly destroy PC asthetics. Building a PC based around the Noctua colours actually looks awesome! If you're sticking to a colour scheme, it can heavily affect the parts you buy. Some schemes cost more, for often the same performance. But so be it, we're all enthusiasts! :lol:

I think too many people worry about aesthetics with their PC, unless you have excess money its not something that should really be considered in my eyes. Well unless its the same part you want but available in different colors then yes pick the one you want. I have a feeling many of the people who complain about noctua's color are just riding the hate train and wouldnt have pony'd up for them even if the were black or what ever color they wanted.

I for one also like the more natural colors they bring in to the PC since we have all these bright starkly contrasting colors most of the time. i kinda want to do a build with these http://goo.gl/QWxVaQ but I would prefer PWM and the only come in white . I know im in the minority here as I am a enthusiast, not a gamer. My systems will never look bad but will rarely be built to look amazingly good. This partially because I will take convenience over looks as well.

Maki Role · March 30, 2014

This is an Interesting discussion. For me the only reason I would opt for Noctuas over another brand are because they have that unique colour scheme. It works if you are doing a themed build, much like the one here. Outside of that is when I think it gets sketchy. It's mostly down to how lately I've noticed a massive uptake of Noctua products, with many fervently believing they are the best without actually looking at the competition. I get a little bet up about it as people who don't know any better (i.e some of the people potentially viewing this thread rather than commenting in it) might end up simply perpetuating a myth, which works in nobody's favour. You see it quite often in communities where the focus is getting people into PC building to begin with, such as the BuildaPC subreddit. You wouldn't think it's a problem, but when you start seeing posts about how an NH-D14 heatsink outperforms a Kraken X60 you know something's up. Not the case in this thread, but I like to add a little balance just in case, it's why I hardly ever list things as "the best" in my own threads/posts around the net.

If people choose to use their fans whilst know they aren't the best, then I'm completely fine with it. Heck I do that with some products too, look at Dominator platinum RAM. I would choose that in an instant now despite it being so expensive compared with other sets, not to mention performance isn't quite as good either, they just look damn sexy. I've just remembered that I'm actually a pretty new member here, so nobody will know me from last builds (as I only have one WIP here ATM). I'm very much a WC, aesthetics and general case modding enthusiast, so understand the angles you're all coming from, which are all valid.

So I'm definitely not knocking OP's build nor choices, really looking forward to seeing how it all pans out.

NerdNinja · March 30, 2014

I was talking about the PSU cover!

Sorry to crush your dreams.. I as well heard that the black ones wont be avaible for us. Only industrial. But who knows!

Awww Well there's always modding! B)

Rainmaker · March 30, 2014

Just want to point out that I already have 7 of those Noctua fans in my case. The theme is however something I quite like although I will never EVER see them as my case is fully closed (Nanoxia Deep Silence 1). Another fact is taht Noctua fans only seems to be really over priced when you cross the Atlantic, as I live in Norway they are priced roughly the same as Corsair fans and at that price they really give you most for your money (Corsair SP120's at 160 NOK and Noctua fans usually at about 190 NOK). As for choosing other brands then there is really only 1 other brand that I do trust (based on my friends experienses, not mine) and that is Scyhte and since they cost about the same as Noctua it's really up to the buyer.

As for how I would place 11 fans:

2 Noctua nf-A14 PWM in push/pull with a single 140mm rad in the back

2 Noctua nf-S12A FLX sucking air thrugh the top of my case (was left over after changing to my current case, would have gone with nf-A14 if not)

4 Noctua nf-F12 in push/pull with my dual 120mm rad in front of the case

1 Noctua nf-S12A FLX sucking air thrugh teh bottom of the case

1 Noctua nf-S12A FLX in the side door

1 Noctua nf-B9 blowing air over the GPU VRM mounted on an NZXT Kraken G10

As far as I know that's not entirely overkill, although I might end up just going for 2 F12's in push instead of push/pull, and maybe remove the fan in the side door for a quieter experience.

Does it make more sense now or did I miss something?

Kiwiandapple · April 21, 2014

Oké since I was pretty busy, I feel like I should give at least a little bit of pictures to keep you guys and girls interested!
So I decided to make some of the stuff I bought as of recent.

I can say that I bought plexiglass that hopefully gets to me somewhere next week.

Most of it should be pretty clear what it will be used for. But you can let your mind go crazy as well if you want.

These first few pictures are all about the MDPC letter I got a few weeks ago. I honestly am really happy with the package and the quality of his products. I just tested out the molex pin remover and it works like a charm!
After reading some top secret guide that is! Can't wait to get the rest of my cables to work on this all.

Fun little drawing on the letter!

The goodies!

A molex pin remover! The Joey Edition.. Love this! This will be needed soon.

Nils does not lie when he tells you the screws are still "wet"

The next few pictures are just all kinda random stuff I bought. Most of it was bought from conrad but a few parts are from the car shop my sister works at!

I will make use off everything! But sadly have to wait a little longer.. I hope to give a next update in a few days!

A 3M tap to cut holes.. in something! Sanding paper, black wire, double sided tape and a diamand milling drill?

LEDs!? And.. something extra!

And these are parts that came from Azerty! The fans are for my front door that I will cut open! And the LED strips are for the plexi.

30cm white, 12cm white and a 12cm orange.

Noctua packaging is so sexy! 2 times an NF-S12A ULN

And lastly.. this was aswell bought from Azerty and my plan is to do an unboxing + review of these 2 items! I hope to get this done by the end of next weekend.
Will post it in the review section of course.

Dell P2314H

Edifier M1380

So as said, next update will come in a few days! Hope you enjoy it all!