Noctua

The NH-D15 chromax.black, a thing of great beauty

Noctua of Austria makes some boss-ass fans and tower coolers. When I first saw the magnificent NH-D15 chromax.black in 2019, I wept. They have no peer in air cooling (well, they *had* no peer), and their tower coolers can hold their own with AIO liquid cooling solutions.

NA-AVP1 anti-vibration corner pads come in various colors, and can be swapped. Round form factors are wider than their nominal size (150mm vs 140mm) with the mounting holes of a smaller form factor (120mm vs 140mm), and intended for use on tower coolers. NA-SAVP1 is a pack of NA-AVP1s.

I have similar tables for EK-Vardar and Phanteks. Disclaimers: data were taken from Noctua's site, and generally refer to maximum levels. Power, noise, pressure, and airflow are not generally linearly related. Performance curves were taken from wherever I could find them; I cannot speak to their accuracy, and they probably do not reflect equal testing conditions.

"Beherrscht dich ein Gedanke, so findest du ihn überall ausgedrückt, du riechst ihn sogar im Winde." (If you are possessed by an idea, you find it expressed everywhere.)
—Thomas Mann, Tonio Kröger (1901)

120mm fans

Model	RPM	dB(A)	m³/h	mm H₂O	Color	Power(W)	Comments	Curves
NF-A12x25 PWM	450–2000	22.6	102.1	2.34	Brown	1.68	4-pin PWM
NF-A12x25 FLX	1350–2000	22.6	102.1	2.34	Brown	1.68	3-pin
NF-A12x25 ULN	1200	12.1	55.7	0.82	Brown	0.6	3-pin No speed control
NF-A12x25 5V PWM	450–1900	21.4	96.2	2.07	Brown	1.75	4-pin PWM
NF-A12x25 5V	1900	21.4	96.2	2.07	Brown	1.75	3-pin Single speed
NF-A12x25 chromax	450–2000	22.6	102.1	2.34	Black	1.68	4-pin PWM NA-AVP1 corners
NF-A12x15 PWM	1850	23.9	94.2	1.53	Brown	1.56	4-pin PWM
NF-A12x15 FLX	1400–1850	23.9	94.2	1.53	Brown	1.56	3-pin
NF-A12x15 chromax	450–1850	23.9	94.2	1.53	Black	1.56	4-pin PWM NA-AVP1 corners
NF-F12 PWM	1500	22.4	93.4	2.61	Brown	0.6	4-pin PWM
NF-F12 5V PWM	1500	22.4	93.4	2.61	Brown	0.75	4-pin PWM
NF-F12 5V	1500	22.4	93.4	2.61	Brown	0.75	3-pin
NF-F12 PWM chromax	300–1500	22.4	93.4	2.61	Black	0.6	4-pin PWM NA-AVP1 corners
NF-F12 iPPC-2000	450–2000	29.7	121.8	3.94	Black	1.2	3-pin molex
NF-F12 iPPC-3000 PWM	750–3000	43.5	186.7	7.63	Black	3.6	4-pin PWM
NF-S12A PWM chromax	300–1200	17.8	107.5	1.19	Black	1.44	4-pin PWM NA-AVP1 corners
NF-S12A PWM	1200	17.8	107.5	1.19	Brown	1.44	4-pin PWM
NF-S12A FLX	1200	17.8	107.5	1.19	Brown	1.44	3-pin
NF-S12A ULN	800	8.6	74.3	0.62	Brown	0.72	3-pin
NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM	450–1700	25.1	120.2	2.83	Grey	1.08	4-pin PWM
NF-S12 redux-1200 PWM	400–1200	18.1	100.6	1.31	Grey	0.9	4-pin PWM
NF-P12 PWM	300–1300	19.8	92.3	1.68	Brown	0.6	4-pin PWM

140mm fans

Model	RPM	dB(A)	m³/h	mm H₂O	Color	Power(W)	Comments
NF-A14 iPPC-2000	500–2000	31.5	182.5	4.18	Black	2.16	4-pin PWM
NF-A14 iPPC-3000	800–3000	41.3	269.3	6.58	Black	6.6	4-pin PWM
NF-A14 chromax.Black.swap	300–1500	24.6	140.2	2.08	Black	1.56	NA-AVP1 corners 4-pin PWM
NF-A14 PWM	300–1500	24.6	140.2	2.08	Brown	1.56	4-pin PWM
NF-P14s redux 900	900	13.2	83.7	0.77	Grey	0.84	NA-AVP1 corners 3-pin molex
NF-P14s redux 1200	1200	19.6	110.3	1.29	Grey	1.44	NA-AVP1 corners 3-pin molex
NF-P14s redux-1200 PWM	350–1200	19.6	110.3	1.29	Grey	1.44	NA-AVP1 corners 4-pin PWM
NF-P14s redux-1500	450–1500	25.8	133.7	1.91	Grey	2.4	NA-AVP1 corners 4-pin PWM
NF-P14r redux-1500	450–1500	25.8	133.7	1.91	Grey	2.4	Round fan 4-pin PWM
NF-P14 FLX	750–1200	19.6	110.3	1.29	Brown		Round fan 3-pin molex
NF-P14 PWM	900–1300	19.6	110.3		Brown	1.2	Round fan 4-pin PWM Center fan of NH-D14
NF-A15 PWM	300-1200	19.2	115.5	1.51	Brown	0.96	Round fan 4-pin PWM Installed in NH-D15

80mm fans

Model	RPM	dB(A)	m³/h	mm H₂O	Color	Power(W)	Comments
NF-A8 chromax.Black.swap	2200	17.7	55.5	2.37	Black	0.96	NA-AVP5 corners 4-pin PWM
NF-A8	2200	17.7	55.5	2.37	Brown	0.96	4-pin PWM

Tower coolers

Tower coolers typically ship with a tube of NT-H1 thermal compound and LNA (low-noise adapter) cables.

Model	RPM	dB(A)	Color	Fan(s)
NH-D15 chromax.black	300–1500	24.6	Black	2x NF-A15 HS-PWM chromax.black
NH-D15	300–1500	24.6	Brown	2x NF-A15 PWM
NH-D15 SE-AM4	300–1500	24.6	Brown	2x NF-A15 PWM
NH-D15S	300–1500	24.6	Brown	NF-A15 PWM
NH-D14	900–1300	19.8	Brown	NF-P14 PWM + NF-P12 PWM
NH-U14S	300–1500	24.6	Brown	NF-A15 PWM
NH-U14S TR4-SP3	300–1500	24.6	Brown	NF-A15 PWM
NH-U14S DX-3647	300–1500	24.6	Brown	NF-A15 PWM
NH-U12A	450–2000	22.6	Brown	2x NF-A12x25 PWM
NH-U12S chromax.black	300–1500	22.4	Black	NF-F12 PWM chromax.black
NH-U12S	300–1500	22.4	Brown	NF-F12 PWM
NH-U9 TR4-SP3	400–2000	22.8	Brown	2x NF-A9 PWM
NH-L9i chromax.black	600–2500	23.6	Black	NF-A9x14 HS-PWM chromax.black
NH-L9i	600–2500	23.6	Brown	NF-A9x14 PWM

Comparison of different sizes

I've selected a representative 120mm, 140mm, and 200mm fan (coincidentally, these are the same three sizes of Noctua fan that can be placed as designed into a MO-RA3 external radiator). Note that the 200mm has less than half of the static pressure of the other two fans, though it moves more total air (at less RPMs, and more quietly).

Model	Size(mm)	RPM	dB(A)	m³/h	mm H₂O	Power(W)
NF-A20	200	800	18.1	146.9	1.08	0.96
NF-A14	140	1500	24.6	140.2	2.08	1.56
NF-A12x25	120	2000	22.6	102.1	2.34	1.68

A MO-RA3 420 can equip (on both the front and back on the Pro, or just the front) 9 120mm fans, 9 140mm fans, or 4 200mm fans. Assuming we fully load it, the differences described earlier are exacerbated. The 4x200mm configuration now falls far behind in total air moved, but also requires only about 25% the power of 9x solutions (its acoustic maximum is also about half as loud as the other two; the 9x140mm configuration is exactly twice as much sound energy). Note that only the 9x140mm arrangement fully partitions the 420x420mm area of the MO-RA3.

Model	Size(m²)	RPM	dB(A)	m³/h	mm H₂O	Power(W)
NF-A20 x4	0.16	800	24.1	587.6	4.32	3.84
NF-A14 x9	0.1764	1500	34.1	1261.8	18.72	14.04
NF-A12x25 x9	0.1296	2000	32.1	918.9	21.06	15.12

The maximum power draw is the 9x120mm setup at 15.12W of 12V power. A SATA power cable provides 3 pins of 12V power at 1.5A each, for a total of 4.5A of 12V power, 54W. A single SATA power cable at spec ought be able to more than sufficiently power even a push+pull 18-fan configuration. The calculation changes if pumps are also involved, of course. Either way, everything here ought be 12V.

So which configuration is best with a MO-RA3? While it depends on the installation's needs, I'll likely go with the 9x140mm. I could make an argument about it running at less than maximum speed and still moving more air, so who knows how loud it would be, but mostly I just don't want unsightly gaps in my radiator coverage lol.