Noctua NF-F12 PWM Review

Testing:

These latest Noctua fans will be tested by comparing them directly to the Noctua NF-P12 fans delivered on the Noctua NH-U12P SE 1366. Testing will include a comparison of both fans running at 100% fan speeds, as well as using the PWM function of the NF-F12 PWM "Focused Flow" fan. All hardware and settings will remain the same throughout each test. Ambient temperatures were 23°C during testing.

• Processors: Core i7 2600K @ 4.4 GHz 100 x 44 1.325 V
  
• CPU Cooling: Noctua NH-U12P SE 1366
• Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68AP-D3
• Memory: Mushkin 991996 Redline PC3-17000 9-11-10-28 8 GB
• Video Cards: XFX HD 7970 Black Edition
• Power Supply: Corsair AX1200
• Hard Drive: 1 x Seagate 1TB SATA
• Optical Drive: Lite-On Blu-Ray
• Case: Corsair Graphite Series 600T
• OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Comparison Fan:

• Noctua NF-P12

Testing:

Lower = Better

In the testing, there really was not a lot of variation in the results between the NF-P12 and the NF-F12 PWM fans. The idle results between them were identical when the PWM control was disabled and 5°C higher on the NF-F12 when the PWM function was enabled. The load testing shows that the Focused flow design of the NF-F12 PWM fan does provide an improvement in temperatures when using the Noctua NH-U12P SE 1366 as the heat sink of choice for this test. When the PWM function was enabled under load, the fan speed rises to follow the specified fan profile, with just a small hit to the temperature at idle. The high static pressure, innovative design, and improved airflow help here.