I like the brown ones. Everything is black, it's dumb, and I'm happy to have any contrast.
Preference. Some people like their PCs to look like a rainbow alien LED spaceship, others would go for vanta black if they could get it
Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
31–40 of 311 posts
Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
It's funny because I replaced my NF-A14 and NF-F12 because they had hums at certain rpms when used on radiators, and neither the Arctics before them, nor the BeQuiets that replaced them, had that issue.
Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
#33If you need that kind of precision, yes. But I don't think they really need that.
Thermalright etc. have definitely shown that a slab of metal and some generic fans can be rather quiet and easily compete with Noctua at a fraction of the cost.
Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
#34If you need that kind of precision, yes. But I don't think they really need that.
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…
The benchmarks do not tell everything.
I have used Noctua fans in computers where they worked for a decade or so, even 24x7, until an upgrade or replacement of the computer was required by other reasons than because of the fans.
I have also had many problems caused by cheaper fans.
So now I always prefer to use rather expensive fans and power supplies, from brands with which I have accumulated many years of experience, for peace of mind.
Perhaps other brands of fans that nowadays give similar results in benchmarks also have similar reliability, but I am not willing to bet on it.
Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
#35I 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.
Where do you draw the line though? They have an amazing reputation for quality fan products, they clearly feel it needs a new injection mould which aren't cheap investments.
I've got a Noctua NHD14 in my current build that I bought in 2011 and it performs perfectly still (including 2 free socket upgrades from Noctua).
Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
#36Anyone else getting the optical illusion of the fans spinning in your peripheral vision while reading the top paragraphs?
Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
#37Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
#38This 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.
Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
#39Re: Why does it take so long to release black fan versions?
#40I like the brown ones. Everything is black, it's dumb, and I'm happy to have any contrast.
Preference. Some people like their PCs to look like a rainbow alien LED spaceship, others would go for vanta black if they could get it
The beige/brown fans give me a woodgrain vibe more than anything. Straight white would probably be more popular with LED folks imo.