What is the difference between Noctua NF A12 and NF F12? They are certainly different in the case of static pressure and airflow. Several other differences between them exist as well.
The award-winning NF-F12 model is a specialized solution for particular applications. On the other hand, the NF-A12 has been considered a genuine all-rounder with higher performance in the most common configuration.
In this guide, we will differentiate between nf f12 vs nf a12. These fans have many differences, including static pressure and airflow, noise level, radiators, and more. Let’s check all the differences.
Noctua Nf f12 Vs Nf a12
In detail in the guide below, let’s check the differentiation between nf-f12 vs nf-a12x15. Hopefully, it will give you a broad spectacular understanding of it.
Differences Between Static pressure and airflow
The NF-F12 is optimized for supreme static pressure. It uses a system recognized as pulse width modulation. Envision you are operating a car. You would possibly go quite quickly if you were to floor the gas pedal.
However, let us assume that you controlled your feet, so it was on the gas for just 1 second and off the gas for another 1 second. Although your feet are just on the gas half the time, still you would not go at half the speed. PWM works on a similar rule, just multiple times each second.
It lets NF-F12 premium quiet PWM fan spin at 1500 revolutions per minute and push an enormous air volume. Due to the PWM system, this speed is not very correct. Momentum can change up to ten percent relying on airflow situations. The concluding outcome is that the NF-F12 produces a pressure of 2.61 millimeters H20, sufficient to make a pretty substantial amount of airflow.
In contrast, the pressure to airflow curve of the NF-A12 has been cautiously fine-tuned in the mid-section which is crucial for acquiring the best outcomes in every common application. The NF-A12 fan gives a better balance of static pressure and airflow than the NF-F12 fan.
It is the foundation of the NF-A12x25’s excellent actual-world performance despite neither static pressure nor an airflow-optimized model. The nf-a12x25 gives an extremely strong and dense airflow, ideal for frittering hot air from radiator coolers. With the NF-A12 fan, you will get an airflow of 60 cubic feet per minute and an abundance of static pressure for a solid installation.
Noise level Dissimilarities In Both NF A12 and NF F12
The NF-F12 fan is well-known for its great silence of operation. It has a broad range of developed aerodynamic design measures, second-generation SSO-Bearing, and custom-designed PWM IC for incredible operation silence. In this fan, you will notice that there are what seems to be 2 sets of blades.
You will see that the smooth bends of the dark brown blades are the real fan itself, and the tan blades behind them are named stator guide vanes. The objective of these vanes is to steady the air coming out of the fan, decreasing noise and letting it spread more efficiently. For instance, you may hardly hear the sound of the NF-F12 running at lower or intermediate speeds.
It was just at the maximum speed, 1500 revolutions per minute, that one witnessed a soft whirring sound. Except you are pushing severe temperatures, not every consumer will require to run at this speed.
Therefore, the Noctua brand has incorporated a little adapter attached in series with the NF-F12. It will decrease the highest fan speed to 1200 revolutions per minute when connected. At this rate, you can relish effectively quiet air cooling.
Noctua nf-a12x25 pwm 12V fans are identical to Noctua nf-f12 PWM fans regarding the impeller, frame, and 6/4 pin power cables. The main difference is that they have a 3-pin voltage reducer built-in, which allows them to run at 7V on systems with 3-pin fan headers.
The NF-A12 has a noise rating of only 22.6 decibels. It is the most noiseless fan when running at lower revolutions per minute. But the NF-A12 ultra-quiet fan with a noise level of 12db can surprise you. The NF-A12 makes a noise at 1200 revolutions per minute, while some fans run 300 revolutions per minute slower.
This fan features enhanced aerodynamic design standards like Flow Acceleration Channels and Noctua’s AAO frame. The nf-a12x25 PWM is a highly optimized, premium, noiseless fan size 120×15 millimeters.
Radiators Performance On NF A12 and NF F12
In the NF-F12, there are 11 stator guiding vanes and only seven impeller blades, but they work well together. Its Focused Flow system produces tremendous static pressure and concentrates the airflow on heatsinks and radiators for excellent performance. Of every radiator fan out there in the market, the Noctua nf-a12x25 black is the one to beat.
Meanwhile, the nf-f12 chromaxblack fan has a stunning black design and excellent quiet cooling performance with a 22.4db noise level. It is an established winner in pressure-demanding scenarios like heatsinks and water-cooling radiators.
Case intake and exhaust
Though NF-F12 is the best suitable case intake for radiators or passive coolers because of its high static pressure, the NF F12 ippc with 3000 rpm fan speed beats all the records.
Besides, you can mount NF-F12 directly on a CPU cooler as an intake. Maximum quality cases have more restricted grills than cooler ones have and filters that add even more airflow restriction.
The concluding outcome is case intakes have more resistance to airflow than any other computer application. As a result, higher static pressure fans work much better. The dense airflow is ideal for the radiator or passive part of the cooler.
The NF-A12x25 has a larger surface area and thus can dissipate more heat than the NF-F12. In addition to that, the nf-a12x25 also supports PWM for automatic speed control through the motherboard BIOS or dedicated fan controllers. At the same time, the NF-F12 does not support it.
That is why nf-a12 is suitable as a case exhaust because there are little to no barriers. The A12x25 is an excellent exhaust from the CPU cooler precisely because it spreads air all around.
Price Ranges Comparison On Both
NF-A12 is more expensive compared to NF-F12. Generally, the price of NF-A12 is above 40 dollars. The cost of NF-F12 is generally below 40 dollars. The nf-a12x25 is a premium fan with the highest efficiency on the market. It has the same technology and materials as the NF-F12 but is used in a bigger casing.
The fan speeds of both models are electronically controlled and have PWM support for automatic speed control through the mainboard.
Many people have been asking why nf-a12x25 is more expensive compared to NF-F12x25. One of the main reasons is material cost.
The NF-A12x25 uses an aluminum frame and backplate, while the NF-F12x25 uses steel. But NF a12 flx fan from Noctua is cheaper with a slim fan design.
The price difference mainly comes from the more complex motor hub design. To better balance performance and noise level, the nf-a12 uses several different magnet sizes optimized for specific RPM ranges. However, this makes it possible to use a smaller motor hub size, which reduces costs for materials and production.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Noctua NF F12 good?
Yes, the Noctua NF-F12 fan is good. It has a 2.61 H20 static pressure, which is quite good. The NF-F12 has relatively low noise levels also. This fan also moves decent air at more proletarian revolutions per minute. It is an excellent fan for use as a heatsink fan or on radiators. Apart from it, this fan is a premium quality product with a high number of features that enhance its performance and make it worth the value.
How do I choose Noctua fans?
Noctua’s 120 mm fans are top-quality solutions that have been comprehensively optimized to acquire the best possible outcomes in particular sectors of application. It has versatile fans for all applications, optimized airflow fans for case cooling, and pressure optimized for radiators. You need to choose the best appropriate model for your application and aid you in getting even better outcomes.
Which 140mm fan is right for me, Noctua?
There is no such difference for 120×15 millimeters, 140 millimeters, and other sizes as it only involves 120 millimeters fans. For instance, the NF-A14 and the NF-P14 redux models are genuine all-rounders that function outstandingly for case cooling and use on radiators and heatsinks.
Why are Noctua fans so quiet?
Noctua fans generally have two big rigid fan blades, which let the fans be noiseless.. The whole fan vibrates, generating noise, which is why Noctua packages their fans with anti-vibration pads on the corners. It does not really move at incredible velocities, so the fans stay quiet. Furthermore, the fan rotors are optimized to circulate the least amount of air while still circulating adequate airflow around Finn to cool a part. This implies that they will operate more slowly, but it also entails that they’ll be extremely quiet.
Overall Thoughts
In conclusion, it is a significant problem when choosing between nf a12 or nf f12. Both of them are great fans. Noctua provides a broad selection of fans for several demands and objectives. These two fans are the best among them. The NF-F12 is cheaper than the NF-A12.
However, the NF-F12 is good as case intake, and the NF-A12 is good as case exhaust. All the other aspects are won by NF-A12.
In this guide, we have elaborately discussed nf f12 vs nf a12. After reading this guide, we are hopeful that you have known all the things about the differentiation between NF-F12 and NF-A12.
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