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Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?

noctua.at

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Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?

#21

Post by kenhwang »

LiamPowell wrote: post #19
kenhwang wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to really like Noctua fans, for a while they were obviously the best fans by a significant margin. But for all their tight tolerances and exotic materials and a high price to match, they generally don't outperform BeQuiet's more regular materials but use-focused fans that are half the price. Nor are they significantly better than Arctic's general purpose fans at a quarter the price. It'd make more sense to jus…

2×? Try 5× for the Noctua NF-A12x25 compared the the Arctic P12 Pro that matches or beats it in most metrics. Which isn't to say the Noctua fan is bad, it's just a luxury product for reasons other than performance.

2x more than other premium offerings that often perform noticeably better, which I'd say are usually from BeQuiet, LianLi, and Phanteks.

But yes, sometimes up to 5x more than the comparative Arctic in common size categories where it basically trades blows for most metrics that matter. Arctic is seriously unbeatable in value:performance if you just need a basic fan without other QoL or aesthetic features.

120mm is the most competitive category, and it's the most obvious category how Noctua can't keep up with the faster iterating/innovating competition.

Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?

#23

Post by sho_hn »

LiamPowell wrote: post #8
vasco wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They want them to be really silent. There's more details here: https://www.noctua.at/en/expertise/tech/nf-a12x25-technical-...

Last I checked they weren't really any quieter than their competitors at the same airflow and pressure (which is a little subjective because your curve will never match perfectly). They do have a really low number on their specs because they have a really low max RPM, but that's not really relevant when you can just lower the speed of other fans. They're still really good fans, but a lot of this is just marketing. At…

On the other hand, if I recall right the internet is rife with customer reports of the Arctic fans having noose spikes / unpleasant hums or resonances at certain RPMs. Lots of people using config tuning to avoid it.

I ended up buying Pure Wings as mentioned. Also much cheaper than Noctua and seemingly not having those issues.

Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?

#26

Post by MagicMoonlight »

ReptileMan wrote: post #22

Reading about this, just makes me wish I has good 3d scan of their impellers to see how a simple 3d printer will deal with such mythical precision.

Obviously better if you print slow enough. But the fans will be weaker and you won’t be able to pump out thousands every day.

Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?

#27

Post by Guvante »

jFriedensreich wrote: post #25

Why would someone want a beige or brown fan? If it is that complicated why not only make black ones?

Noctua fans have a distinct look, you could say the same about black, if you want to black them out just get a case that hides them since that would look the same.

Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?

#28

Post by RachelF »

SwellJoe wrote: post #3

I like the brown ones. Everything is black, it's dumb, and I'm happy to have any contrast.

Yeah, everything being black on modern motherboards might look cool with RGB lighting, but makes it harder to work on. I like the older green PCBs with white PCI slots.

I also lament the demise of color coded connectors at the back. I knew to plug my speakers into the green 3.5mm jack. Now everything is black, so I need to look at the manual again to see which of the 5 connectors is the right one.

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