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

noctua.at

151–160 of 311 posts

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

#151
post #146
post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get why. But that still seems wasteful

If the old one could still be used, they shouldn’t send a new one anyway.

Well, if it can still be repaired but the producer doesn't want to bother and just sends a new fan, that's fine. That doesn't mean a repairable product should be destroyed and sent to a landfill just because it makes Noctua's logistics easier.

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

#152

I wonder why they can't just get the last half a mm of accuracy by just grinding down the tips

Grinding down plastic doesn’t leave a smooth surface, which is why this generally isn’t done, and would especially impact the air flow on a fan.

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

#153
post #2

If you need that kind of precision, yes. But I don't think they really need that.

To be fair, half a millimeter isn’t even that much precision, generally speaking. You wouldn’t be anywhere close to manufacturing a working ball pen at that precision. Or even an acceptable keyboard, if we stay with plastic. With fans blades, the difficulty is probably the precision relative to the fan diameter.

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

#154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love more white, personally. I also don't understand the obsession with black. For me, black objects are very difficult to observe in detail, and that irks me.

Have we solved the yellowing? I guess many of us have memories of old and ugly yellow computers.

TIL: Generally all plastics exposed to UV start to photodegrade. If you google why old computers turn particularly yellow most sources point to bromine-based flame retardant agents in the plastic, but some people make a convincing case[1] that ABS just naturally turns yellow in UV light.

Not much real research into that topic, interestingly.

[1] https://medium.com/@pueojit/a-look-into-the-yellowing-and-de...

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

#155
post #124

I enjoyed reading this. As others have said, it's both interesting and good marketing communication. I'm a dev and for the last year I've been working for a company that manufactures pretty complex and advanced machines. I work with proper engineers - electronic, electrical, control, mechanical - and actual scientists. One of the things I've come to appreciate from this is the hidden depts of detail and complexity in…

When it comes to industrial manufacturing, a think of lot of people are not realizing (by lack of education on the matter in general knowledge or schooling) the difference between levels of manufacturing, the precision required for some things, and how the hard part is having the full chain (making the tool that can make the tool that can make the tool that ...) because you can't jump from nothing to milimeter precis…

This analysis is missing price though.

A lot of times it's cheaper to just full send it than produce a full run at a given quality with a low rejection rate.

The "old" way of making a black fan is you just QC check them, send the good ones to Noctua, send the crappy ones to someone who DGAF because they're putting them some sort of industrial appliance that needs airflow through the box.

Everyone "wins" this way because Noctua gets their fan to spec cheaper and the people building plasma cutters or control units for chemical washers or ATMs get a fan that's "fundamentally good" if sloppily executed and the manufacturer gets less waste. Ain't no different than how the pork belly that doesn't become your bacon becomes dog food and die lubricant.

I suspect this is where a lot of the "X compatible" power tool stuff on Amazon comes from. That and/or the repurposing of "worn out" dies.

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

#156

This is content marketing executed perfectly :) Reading it, I learned something new and interesting and they had an opportunity to show off one of their differentiators against the competition (low leakage flow due to tighter tolerances) and then at the end they casually mention the new product that has just opened for pre-orders.

Seems a little revealing that they tout the clearance and not the difference in efficiency.

Does it? Not everything is a sign of deception.

Even if it is the case, and not simple an omission to focus the narrative, does it matter? Case fans pull what 4 watts? 5 watts? Who cares if it pulls 200 milliwatts more than a competitor when it's cooling a GPU and CPU that consume more than a hundred times what it can consume

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

#157
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love more white, personally. I also don't understand the obsession with black. For me, black objects are very difficult to observe in detail, and that irks me.

I imagine a white PC fan would look terrible if not cleaned daily or used in a room with very filtered air.

Black cars show road dust immediately. White cars don't. I image it's similar for computer fans

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

#158
post #29

I sometimes wonder whether they have an culture that overengineers tbh. The thoroughness & mindset is certainly appreciated, but you can also overdo it - engineer it beyond what the consumers use case requires.

While I don't think they do, I think this is a valid thing to ponder and I'm sorry it's getting downvoted.

Generally, I think it's not overengineering that's the issue, it's how the consumer need for that particular level of quality/performance is marketed to the wrong audience. Cars are the classic example. Most people who drive a car that was precision engineered for speed or offroading capability rarely if ever need that functionality.

That said, in a world of consumer good racing to the bottom and physical enshittification, I'll generally pick the item that's obviously well designed, even if beyond the capabilities I need. The alternative is often a slew of indistinguishable crap.

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

#159
post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the old one could still be used, they shouldn’t send a new one anyway.

Well, if it can still be repaired but the producer doesn't want to bother and just sends a new fan, that's fine. That doesn't mean a repairable product should be destroyed and sent to a landfill just because it makes Noctua's logistics easier.

The point is, if the owner thinks it can be repaired, they shouldn’t call for a replacement in the first place. And indeed they wouldn’t get one, because they wouldn’t break the blade. So it’s completely under control of the owner.

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

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems a little revealing that they tout the clearance and not the difference in efficiency.

Does it? Not everything is a sign of deception. Even if it is the case, and not simple an omission to focus the narrative, does it matter? Case fans pull what 4 watts? 5 watts? Who cares if it pulls 200 milliwatts more than a competitor when it's cooling a GPU and CPU that consume more than a hundred times what it can consume

Case fans pull what 4 watts? 5 watts? Who cares if it pulls 200 milliwatts more than a competitor when it's cooling a GPU and CPU that consume more than a hundred times what it can consume

Yes, exactly. The high precision is marketing, not something needed in the product.

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