I'm sorry but NF-F12's are a waste of money.

[KarateHottie93]

I just bought four of these for my next build. Decided to try them in my current rig in place of the four JetFlo 120's and I'm not impressed. RPM for RPM, the sound is almost identical. Everyone talks about how these are so quiet while the JetFlo's are too loud but at the same speed it's no different. What really gets me though are that my temps have went up noticeably.

 

Will keep them for next build cause fans are fans and too lazy too return but I don't get why people pay so much for these over other cheaper options. I get that Noctua makes the best CPU air cooler but these case fans are nothing special.

 

Edit:

Why does everyone have a problem with me using them as case fans? The static pressure is in the area I prefer for my case fans which is what matters. At the end of the day, spec for spec and marketing aside, these should be VERY similar to the JetFlo 120's...and they are. They also cost more, are just as loud which was my biggest issue, and a couple degrees hotter.

[Aytex]

They are overrated I can agree. kek

[Flowey]

2 minutes ago, Aytex said:

They are overrated I can agree. kek

CPU fans are glorious. Case fans tho, hum..... I think I'll pass

[Sakkura]

5 minutes ago, KarateHottie93 said:

Will keep them for next build cause fans are fans and too lazy too return but I don't get why people pay so much for these over other cheaper options. I get that Noctua makes the best CPU air cooler but these case fans are nothing special.

They're not case fans... This looks like user error.

[Lurick]

1 minute ago, Sakkura said:

They're not case fans... This looks like user error.

Yah, straight from the Noctua website:

NF-F12’s Focused Flow system creates outstanding static pressure and focuses the airflow for superior performance on heatsinks and radiators

[DocSwag]

Noctua fans are great for rads and heat sinks due to high static pressure. They are really good in that regard. They aren't designed that much for airflow, and so aren't great case fans.

 

You can try putting them on your rad. Then you might see some improvements.

[Nacho Marco Segui]

I have swapped the stock fan on my Scythe Kotetsu with a NF-F12, and, while temperatures are the same,Noise levels are a bit lower

[Sakkura]

4 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

Noctua fans are great for rads and heat sinks due to high static pressure. They are really good in that regard. They aren't designed that much for airflow, and so aren't great case fans.

 

You can try putting them on your rad. Then you might see some improvements.

Depends which fans. Noctua has some fans that are optimized for radiators, and some that are optimized for airflow (case fans). They are good in their respective roles, but it's not like they're far and away the best on the market. They're just really good, and Noctua has epic support. Whether that justifies the big price premium is a matter of preference, I think.

[Enderman]

which nf f12s are you talking about

there are many models

[Octavialicious]

They're not case fans.... HUGE mistake. The S12A is the quietest fan on the market, and it still moves a great amount of air. The F12 was never meant to be a case fan; that's not Noctua's fault, that's on you 

[Energycore]

26 minutes ago, KarateHottie93 said:

 

If you're interested in high-quality quiet fans, check out SPCR's recommended list.

 

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article63-page2.html

[KarateHottie93]

48 minutes ago, Sakkura said:

They're not case fans... This looks like user error.

Are you being serious? Any fan can be used as a case fan no matter the SP.

[KarateHottie93]

38 minutes ago, Octavialicious said:

They're not case fans.... HUGE mistake. The S12A is the quietest fan on the market, and it still moves a great amount of air. The F12 was never meant to be a case fan; that's not Noctua's fault, that's on you 

Just so you kbow, the marketing means nothing. The static pressure of the F12 are lower than a lot of fans sold as PWM "case fans"

[Sakkura]

9 minutes ago, KarateHottie93 said:

Are you being serious? Any fan can be used as a case fan no matter the SP.

And using a product for something it's not designed to do well, then complaining when it doesn't perform well, it's pretty silly.

[Sakkura]

10 minutes ago, KarateHottie93 said:

Just so you kbow, the marketing means nothing. The static pressure of the F12 are lower than a lot of fans sold as PWM "case fans"

Are you referring to the fan specifications? Or is there some particular review you get it from?

[KarateHottie93]

9 minutes ago, Sakkura said:

And using a product for something it's not designed to do well, then complaining when it doesn't perform well, it's pretty silly.

They have it on their website in a chart that they make adequate case fans, which they do. I like high SP fans in my case and guess what...the JetFlo's are "case fans" and have a higher SP than these. Marketing terms mean nothing here. An SP fan for airflow and an AF fan for rads/heatsinks are two completely different scenarios.

[Bcat00]

2 hours ago, KarateHottie93 said:

I just bought four of these for my next build. Decided to try them in my current rig in place of the four JetFlo 120's and I'm not impressed. RPM for RPM, the sound is almost identical. Everyone talks about how these are so quiet while the JetFlo's are too loud but at the same speed it's no different. What really gets me though are that my temps have went up noticeably.

 

Will keep them for next build cause fans are fans and too lazy too return but I don't get why people pay so much for these over other cheaper options. I get that Noctua makes the best CPU air cooler but these case fans are nothing special.

 

Edit:

Why does everyone have a problem with me using them as case fans? The static pressure is in the area I prefer for my case fans which is what matters. At the end of the day, spec for spec and marketing aside, these should be VERY similar to the JetFlo 120's...and they are. They also cost more, are just as loud which was my biggest issue, and a couple degrees hotter.

Yep you are right, i got one of those fans too and i say it is complete garbage. It also makes a high pitched whine on run up, so imagine having it constantly rotate between on and off due to temp bouncing.

 

If you are going to return those fans, i suggest getting the NF-P12 or the NF-A15. These two fans are the only one in Noctua's lineup that actually stands out without any issues. 

[Sakkura]

1 hour ago, KarateHottie93 said:

They have it on their website in a chart that they make adequate case fans, which they do. I like high SP fans in my case and guess what...the JetFlo's are "case fans" and have a higher SP than these. Marketing terms mean nothing here. An SP fan for airflow and an AF fan for rads/heatsinks are two completely different scenarios.

The "higher SP" is a marketing term, since you're just parroting official (ie. unreliable) specs.

 

The chart on their website shows it's not optimized for use as a case fan, so don't complain when it doesn't wow you when you misuse it as a case fan.

[Sakkura]

41 minutes ago, Bcat00 said:

Yep you are right, i got one of those fans too and i say it is complete garbage. It also makes a high pitched whine on run up, so imagine having it constantly rotate between on and off due to temp bouncing.

 

If you are going to return those fans, i suggest getting the NF-P12 or the NF-A15. These two fans are the only one in Noctua's lineup that actually stands out without any issues. 

Yeah it's complete garbage. We can clearly see that in reviews:

 

Quote

Finally, if you want a proper balance of noise and performance, I'm mostly pleased to report that some of the common wisdom on forums is actually true: Noctua's NF-F12 and Enermax's Magma are both excellent fans. I think the Enermax Magma overall has to get my best in show award for producing performance that typically takes a much louder fan to achieve, and at $13.99 it's a pretty wicked deal. It's not perfect but it's mighty close.

 

Now, with that said, which one would I actually choose to put in my own system if money were no object? Honestly I'd probably go with the Noctua NF-F12. The NF-F12 is a more flexible fan with a pleasant noise character and excellent performance. That $29.99 sticker price is vicious, though. For most users, I'd strongly recommend sticking with the Enermax Magma for the best blend of performance and price.

Wait, what? Oh... turns out it's actually just about the best fan in a large roundup.

[Bcat00]

You clearly never owned one of those fans. For anyone that want to get the NF-F12 fans, you can go ahead, but you were warned from me and the starter of this topic. 

 

You can take the advice from someone that actually used it in real life or someone that tested the fans for no more than 1 minute in those article reviews that Sakkura linked.

 

[WoodenMarker]

3 hours ago, Enderman said:

which nf f12s are you talking about

there are many models

All NF-F12's are very similar at the same rpm's.

2 hours ago, KarateHottie93 said:

Are you being serious? Any fan can be used as a case fan no matter the SP.

Yes, you can do that but NF-F12's are better suited to more restrictive areas like on rads. NF-P12's and NF-S12's are better suited as case fans. 

2 hours ago, KarateHottie93 said:

They have it on their website in a chart that they make adequate case fans, which they do. I like high SP fans in my case and guess what...the JetFlo's are "case fans" and have a higher SP than these. Marketing terms mean nothing here. An SP fan for airflow and an AF fan for rads/heatsinks are two completely different scenarios.

Jetflos are fast, loud, and perform well--they aren't meant to be quiet. The benefit of quiet fans like Noctuas is that they can be quieter than average fans ever could while maintaining performance. NF-F12's aren't meant to be quiet and perform as well as a Jetflo which is far from the average fan.

1 hour ago, Bcat00 said:

Yep you are right, i got one of those fans too and i say it is complete garbage. It also makes a high pitched whine on run up, so imagine having it constantly rotate between on and off due to temp bouncing.

If a fan is constantly changing rpm, it's due to the fan curve and not the fan. 

[typographie]

26 minutes ago, Bcat00 said:

You can take the advice from someone that actually used it in real life or someone that tested the fans for no more than 1 minute in those article reviews that Sakkura linked.

Where did you get the idea that they were only tested for one minute in that Anandtech article? I think you missed their handy Testing Methodology section:

Quote

First, the system is left powered and idle for fifteen minutes. At this point the sound level is tested, room ambient temperature is recorded, and idle temperatures are recorded. Then eight threads of small FFTs in Prime95 are run for fifteen minutes, and load temperatures are recorded; since the block runs the fans at a constant 12V, the only fan that changes speed (and thus noise) is the stock H80 fan, so the noise level for that fan is recorded again during the Prime95 run.

Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6391/120mm-radiator-fan-roundup-part-2-fan-harder/2

[Bcat00]

A fan like the NF-F12 should not have any major defects considering its price point. 25$+ come on man, it should be perfected. 

 

Take the NF-P12, there is no downside to that fan, literally none. 

[WoodenMarker]

3 minutes ago, Bcat00 said:

A fan like the NF-F12 should not have any major defects considering its price point. 25$+ come on man, it should be perfected. 

Take the NF-P12, there is no downside to that fan, literally none. 

There's no perfect fan for every scenario. Airflow isn't that simple. 

The NF-P12 isn't a perfect fan either. In the right scenarios like on a rad or a heatsink with a less dense fin array, a NF-F12 or NF-S12A will perform better at the same noise levels. 

[Bcat00]

I may not have phrased the last reply properly. What i mean is a fan of that price point should not have anything someone can think its horrible. The NF-F12 not only has a higher noise level than most of the other Noctua fans at the same rpm, it also makes a serious high pitched whine if your fan curve causes it to bounce between on and off.

 

The worst of all is that it was suppose to cool better with the static pressure, but you know what, i tried it myself and rotated a 5 hour play through with the NF-F12 and the NF-P12. The result is that the NF-F12 actually lost out by 6 degree,,,,, So you tell me, why should anyone bother with the NF-F12 when both of Noctua's NF-P12 and  NF-A15 is better?