Noctua launches second-generation of ultra-quiet, high-performance NF-A12x25 case cooling fans for serious PC builders

If building PCs is a fun pastime for you as it is for me, then chaces are you might have heard of Noctua, a brand renowned for its quality and near-silent operating PC components, especially fans and coolers. Although recently, they’ve been collaborating with other PC component manufacturers to co-develop near-silent and high-performance products.

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As we already noted, one of Noctua’s core missions is to develop near-silent PC components that still perform to a high standard, and as a result, their case fans have been a fan-favorite (pun intended) for PC building enthusiasts for quite a long time thanks to their mix of high static pressure, optimized airflow, cooling performance, quiet operation, and long-term reliability.

Noctua is perhaps best known for its brown case and CPU cooler fan color. While this color has long been a point of contention among PC-building enthusiasts, with some supporting it and others staying far away from it, Noctua offers black versions of its fans as well, called Noctua’s Chromax line that offers various colors of vibration dampers for further sound reduction when screwed into the PC case.

One of Noctua’s flagship products, the 120mm NF-A12x25 case cooling fan, earned a reputation for being not only near-silent during normal operation, but also for its longevity, ability to adequately cool even the most demanding computer processors, and its exceptional airflow dynamics. And on Tuesday, Noctua announced the second-generation of their popular case fans, called the NF-A12x25 G2.

Now we know what you’re probably thinking – a fan is just a fan, right? Well, not so fast. In fact, there’s a particularly heated debate among PC enthusiasts over what cooling fan is the best, and Noctua are certainly one of the most highly recommended varieties in the PC building community thanks to the high standard they set for other brands to try and compete with.

The Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 feature an impeller made from Sterrox liquid crystal polymer, which has not only a high tensile strength to resist impacts, but a low thermal expansion coefficient, which helps the engineers achieve a mere 0.5mm clearance between the tip of the blade and the fan frame, maximizing airflow inside of the tight space.

New with the G2 is a refined blade geometry featuring a progressive bend impeller that accelerates airflow better than the previous generation, combined with winglets that help reduce fan blade tip vortices that can impact efficiency. Moreover, the hub of the fan features a centrifugal turbulator that moves more air outwards and toward the impeller – another efficiency improvement.

Noctua pairs these improvements with a new etaPERF motor, which sets new standards in energy efficiency due to reduced electric impedance and ultra-sensitive Hall effect sensor that offers precise commutation performance. This is part of what helps make the fans so quiet.

While some might think that these small refinements are nothing more than marketing gimmicks, they do translate to real-world gains that can have a significant impact on cooling performance. While the first-generation Noctua NF-A12x25 fans offered an airflow rate of 102.1 m³/h and static pressure of 2.34 mm H₂O at a maximum of 22.6 dB(A), the G2 feature an airflow rate of 107.3 m³/h and static pressure of 3.14 mm H₂O at a maximum of 22.5 db(A). In other words, better performance while being quieter.

In case you’re wondering, airflow is an important aspect of keeping air moving throughout a computer’s case to prevent heat soak from actively warming components like the CPU and GPU. Static pressure, on the other hand, is the amount of continuous air pressure that a particular cooling surface, such as a heatsink or radiator, receives as the fan blows through it.

For PC builds where fan counts can reach 10 or more, noise levels are an important factor to keep your computer from sounding like a rocket going off on your desk. This is where Noctua’s fans shine, as they’re among some of the quietest in the industry while cooling just as well (or better) than much of the competition. For comparison, most PC case cooling fans of this size are closer to 30dB(A), which is a lot louder.

Currently, Chromax versions of the Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 fans are not yet available, but they are on the road map for a future release. This means that while brown versions of these fans are available from retail outlets starting today, those wanting blacked out versions with customizable colored sound dampeners will need to wait a little longer for those to be announced.

If you’re considering a case fan upgrade for your PC build, then you can currently acquire some of Noctua’s new 120mm NF-A12x25 G2 case fans from Amazon for roughly $35 apiece. You will also find 140mm versions of this fan, called the NF-A14x25 G2, on Amazon for roughly $45 apiece.

With their 4-pin PWM connectors, they’re compatible with almost all modern PC motherboards. So, whether you’re building a gaming Windows PC or a modern Hackintosh, this is a good quality option to consider.

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