spot the differences Noctua NF-A14 PWM and NF-A14 FLX - difference?

[ThomJV]

Sup folks,

I'm shopping for some good 140mm intake fans for my Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX and came across the Noctua NF-A14 PWM and the Noctua NF-A14 FLX. What's the difference? They look identical, cost exactly the same and are both 140mm. Can someone please explain to me what the differences are - if there even are any - and which one I should buy?

Thanks in advance,

 

Regards,

TJ

 

(possible useful information:
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WIFI
CPU: Intel Core i7 6700k

16GB of RAM (Ballistix Sport LT, 2x 8GB)
Nvidia GTX1070 Founders Edition
PSU: Rmx 550
1TB WD Blue HDD
256GB SSD (Samsung 750 EVO)
Corsair H110i AIO)

[oskarha]

The PWM has 4-pin PWM fan control while the FLX uses 3-pin voltage based fan control

[ThomJV]

1 minute ago, oskarha said:

The PWM has 4-pin PWM fan control while the FLX uses 3-pin voltage based fan control

So which one do you recommend, if there's even a basis to recommend either one?

[oskarha]

Just now, ThomJV said:

So which one do you recommend, if there's even a basis to recommend either one?

Depends on how your are planning to control the rpm of the fan.

[ThomJV]

2 minutes ago, oskarha said:

Depends on how your are planning to control the rpm of the fan.

That's all new for me, I'll investigate some more on the Googles

[Aereldor]

The Noctua PWM fans. Also, ditch the Founders' Edition 1070. It's loud and hot and looks silly, and is outperformed in every department by cheaper board-partner cards. The only difference I can think of is that Founders' Edition cards might be higher-binned chips for enthusiasts, but you aren't using an aftermarket waterblock anyway.

 

Here is a thread with several thorough replies detailing upon the differences between PWM and FLX fans. The PWM fans lend themsleves better to being controlled by PWM cycles through your motherboard, rather than decreasing the voltage with, say, a fan controller. Of course, you can still use a fan controller with PWM fans; but I don't know if you can control FLX fans with software.

 

http://www.overclock.net/t/1538045/pwm-vs-flx-fans

[ThomJV]

7 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

 Also, ditch the Founders' Edition 1070. It's loud and hot and looks silly, and is outperformed in every department by cheaper board-partner cards. The only difference I can think of is that Founders' Edition cards might be higher-binned chips for enthusiasts, but you aren't using an aftermarket waterblock anyway.

The reason I'm going for the Founders Edition is because I've got a mini-ITX case with a PSU shroud right below the GPU. I'm open to other suggestions of course, but I'd imagine a blower-style fan works better than regular pushfans, as those can't suck up air from between the PSU shroud.

As for the article, thanks, I'll read through it thoroughly

(Quick edit: The 1070 founders is actually cheaper than most aftermarket cards where I live)

[Aereldor]

4 minutes ago, ThomJV said:

The reason I'm going for the Founders Edition is because I've got a mini-ITX case with a PSU shroud right below the GPU. I'm open to other suggestions of course, but I'd imagine a blower-style fan works better than regular pushfans, as those can't suck up air from between the PSU shroud.

As for the article, thanks, I'll read through it thoroughly

(Quick edit: The 1070 founders is actually cheaper than most aftermarket cards where I live)

How much space do you have between the PSU shroud and the GPU?

[Aereldor]

@ThomJV- You can use any card you want, because the PSU shroud is perforated. It's full of holes. Just turn the power supply upside down to take air in through the bottom so it doesn't compete with the GPU for air. Most of the heat will exhaust out the back off the PSU, creating its own thermal 'zone', and it won't heat up the air around the GPU significantly.

[ThomJV]

1 minute ago, Aereldor said:

@ThomJV- You can use any card you want, because the PSU shroud is perforated. It's full of holes. Just turn the power supply upside down to take air in through the bottom so it doesn't compete with the GPU for air.

You sure it won't affect performance/thermals/noise? One fan will always be trying to pull air from between the shroud and the card, as it might be perforated, but the PSU is right below at least one fan

[Aereldor]

44 minutes ago, ThomJV said:

You sure it won't affect performance/thermals/noise? One fan will always be trying to pull air from between the shroud and the card, as it might be perforated, but the PSU is right below at least one fan

Not sure what you're trying to say. Why will there be a fan between the shroud and the GPU cooler? There are fans in the front and back. They pull air in from the front of the case and push it out through the back. The GPU and CPU serve to regulate the direction of the air that has already made it into the case.

 

You'll be fine.

[ThomJV]

3 hours ago, Aereldor said:

Not sure what you're trying to say. Why will there be a fan between the shroud and the GPU cooler? There are fans in the front and back. They pull air in from the front of the case and push it out through the back. The GPU and CPU serve to regulate the direction of the air that has already made it into the case.

 

You'll be fine.

I'm talking about the fans on the GPU.

Push-fans pull air from underneath the card and push it up through the heatsink and into the case. If the PSU is underneath it (or at least partially) one, or both of the fans can't get any air from in between the GPU and the PSU. The shroud might be perforated, but if the PSU is right beneath it, then it still can't breathe.

 

I'd want a blower-fan GPU, as those pull air in from the front of the GPU and exhaust it out the back. The PSU shouldn't interfere then. 

[flibberdipper]

2 hours ago, ThomJV said:

I'm talking about the fans on the GPU.

Push-fans pull air from underneath the card and push it up through the heatsink and into the case. If the PSU is underneath it (or at least partially) one, or both of the fans can't get any air from in between the GPU and the PSU. The shroud might be perforated, but if the PSU is right beneath it, then it still can't breathe.

 

I'd want a blower-fan GPU, as those pull air in from the front of the GPU and exhaust it out the back. The PSU shouldn't interfere then. 

If you were to go with a custom card, I can guarantee you'd have temps reaching Founder's Edition, unless you had a STRIX, but that might not even fit.

 

I've got personal experience with this. I ran a 7950 right above a PSU with the reference GTX 480 above it, and the 480 was actually running cooler (then again, my card hasn't passed 80C under load so I'm special).

[Aereldor]

9 hours ago, ThomJV said:

I'm talking about the fans on the GPU.

Push-fans pull air from underneath the card and push it up through the heatsink and into the case. If the PSU is underneath it (or at least partially) one, or both of the fans can't get any air from in between the GPU and the PSU. The shroud might be perforated, but if the PSU is right beneath it, then it still can't breathe.

 

I'd want a blower-fan GPU, as those pull air in from the front of the GPU and exhaust it out the back. The PSU shouldn't interfere then. 

It can. I don't know why you've convinced yourself otherwise, but there's plenty of room for airflow between the shroud and the GPU, and even more since the shroud is perforated. The GPU doesn't sit flush with the shroud- there's still plenty of room between the top of the shroud and the PSU.

[ThomJV]

2 hours ago, Aereldor said:

It can. I don't know why you've convinced yourself otherwise, but there's plenty of room for airflow between the shroud and the GPU, and even more since the shroud is perforated. The GPU doesn't sit flush with the shroud- there's still plenty of room between the top of the shroud and the PSU.

The perforation won't matter if the PSU is right below the shroud. Also there really isn't that much space between the shroud and the GPU 0.5 to 1cm MAX. Unless you can convince me a great deal that that won't affect performance/thermals and noise, then I'll be going for a blower-style card

[Aereldor]

1 minute ago, ThomJV said:

The perforation won't matter if the PSU is right below the shroud. Also there really isn't that much space between the shroud and the GPU 0.5 to 1cm MAX. Unless you can convince me a great deal that that won't affect performance/thermals and noise, then I'll be going for a blower-style card

Measure it. Measure the space between the PSU and shroud, and the space between the shroud and GPU. You may be right, but you can't be certain until you know exactly how much space there is. If it's an inch or more, I don't think it'll pose any problems.

 

Also, you could get an SFX power supply, which will allow for a lot more room. However, very few of the Enthoo Evolv builds I've seen have blower-style cards in them. 

[ThomJV]

12 minutes ago, Aereldor said:

Measure it. Measure the space between the PSU and shroud, and the space between the shroud and GPU. You may be right, but you can't be certain until you know exactly how much space there is. If it's an inch or more, I don't think it'll pose any problems.

 

Also, you could get an SFX power supply, which will allow for a lot more room. However, very few of the Enthoo Evolv builds I've seen have blower-style cards in them. 

This image shows it really well, space is minimal (not my own image, don't yet have the GPU, the specs above is my planned build)

This is the reason why I think a blower-fan card will be better.

[LogicalDrm]

Gigabyte is about the worst mobo manufacturer to go for in terms of fan control. That doesn't mean you can't control fans. The board has 1 PWM header (CPU) and another which is voltage controlled. So having more than 2 fans overall means splitters. No problem with Noctuas as they come with 1 included in package of every fan. If you want more than 2 PWM fans, you need powered PWM splitter or hub.

 

PWM is better fan in general as you can have more accurate controlling and lower speeds than with voltage controlled ones. Problem with Gigabyte is that their included control options are very limited. It won't matter much with single header and need for splitter. All fans will follow one setting which should be just fine.

[ThomJV]

1 minute ago, LoGiCalDrm said:

Gigabyte is about the worst mobo manufacturer to go for in terms of fan control. That doesn't mean you can't control fans. The board has 1 PWM header (CPU) and another which is voltage controlled. So having more than 2 fans overall means splitters. No problem with Noctuas as they come with 1 included in package of every fan. If you want more than 2 PWM fans, you need powered PWM splitter or hub.

 

PWM is better fan in general as you can have more accurate controlling and lower speeds than with voltage controlled ones. Problem with Gigabyte is that their included control options are very limited. It won't matter much with single header and need for splitter. All fans will follow one setting which should be just fine.

Well, shoot. The Gigabyte GA-Z170N is one of my only options.

My case will have 5 fans:

1×120mm exhaust, 2×120mm radiator exhaust, 2×140mm intake.

Should I try to go for another motherboard you reckon?

[LogicalDrm]

11 minutes ago, ThomJV said:

Well, shoot. The Gigabyte GA-Z170N is one of my only options.

My case will have 5 fans:

1×120mm exhaust, 2×120mm radiator exhaust, 2×140mm intake.

Should I try to go for another motherboard you reckon?

What are the other options? And how would you like to control those fans? Controller like Grid+ which uses NZXT CAM for settings is another option. It will be only 3pin/FLX but you can set each fan individually vs using single mobo header and setting one curve to all connected fans.

[ThomJV]

4 hours ago, LoGiCalDrm said:

What are the other options? And how would you like to control those fans? Controller like Grid+ which uses NZXT CAM for settings is another option. It will be only 3pin/FLX but you can set each fan individually vs using single mobo header and setting one curve to all connected fans.

Fan control is new to me, haven't had the time yet to research it.

 

And as far as I know there are few good mini ITX mobos. I'm looking at a price range of 100-200 euros. Although there's plenty of choice, most mobos have a red and black colour scheme, exactly the opposite of my colour scheme of white and blue (and black). I have found the EVGA Z170 Stinger, but that unfortunately costs €300.

 

So I'll be looking for alternatives, and will research some more on fan controllers and PWM/FLX fans.

 

If you've got any suggestions they're welcome!

[ThomJV]

23 hours ago, oskarha said:

The PWM has 4-pin PWM fan control while the FLX uses 3-pin voltage based fan control

So I found this powered fanhub from Phanteks (my mobo only has one chassis fan connector). It says it's a PWM controlled fan hub (it does connect to the motherboard's 4pin Chassis fan connector, but the hub itself has 3pin fan connectors. I'm not entirely sure how that works. With this fan hub, will I need 4pin PWM fans or 3pin FLX fans?

 

Help is much appreciated!

[LogicalDrm]

1 hour ago, ThomJV said:

Fan control is new to me, haven't had the time yet to research it.

 

And as far as I know there are few good mini ITX mobos. I'm looking at a price range of 100-200 euros. Although there's plenty of choice, most mobos have a red and black colour scheme, exactly the opposite of my colour scheme of white and blue (and black). I have found the EVGA Z170 Stinger, but that unfortunately costs €300.

 

So I'll be looking for alternatives, and will research some more on fan controllers and PWM/FLX fans.

 

If you've got any suggestions they're welcome!

 

From mobos Asus and MSI have best fan control capabilities. But you can't trust spec sheets saying that mobo has x amount of 4pin headers. They might be like system header on Gigabyte and only imitate 4pin connection. More headers with PWM control the better.

 

51 minutes ago, ThomJV said:

So I found this powered fanhub from Phanteks (my mobo only has one chassis fan connector). It says it's a PWM controlled fan hub (it does connect to the motherboard's 4pin Chassis fan connector, but the hub itself has 3pin fan connectors. I'm not entirely sure how that works. With this fan hub, will I need 4pin PWM fans or 3pin FLX fans?

 

Help is much appreciated!

That hub controls 3pin fans. It will use voltage control to them, but get as accurate as you can with PWM connection (since most mobos only offer pure fan control on CPU header anyway).

[ThomJV]

52 minutes ago, LoGiCalDrm said:

 

From mobos Asus and MSI have best fan control capabilities. But you can't trust spec sheets saying that mobo has x amount of 4pin headers. They might be like system header on Gigabyte and only imitate 4pin connection. More headers with PWM control the better.

 

That hub controls 3pin fans. It will use voltage control to them, but get as accurate as you can with PWM connection (since most mobos only offer pure fan control on CPU header anyway).

So I can use PWM fan control with this hub, but the control is still restricted by the FLX voltage based regulator of the fans, correct? So if I were to go with this hub I would have to order FLX fans?

[LogicalDrm]

19 minutes ago, ThomJV said:

So I can use PWM fan control with this hub, but the control is still restricted by the FLX voltage based regulator of the fans, correct? So if I were to go with this hub I would have to order FLX fans?

Yes. Hub imitates PWM fan so mobo thinks its controlling PWM fan. It will still be one speed for all fans connected to hub. Versus having 2-3 mobo headers with different fan curves (so you could have intakes and exhaust going different speeds).

 

For the hub 3pin/FLX is best. Places for headers seem spacious to fit PWM too. But control will be only with 3 fans.