Review on Noctua NF-A14 iPPC-2000 PWM 4-Pin Heavy Duty Cooling Fan – Ultimate Performance at 2000 RPM (140mm, Black) by Matthew Augustin

As the name suggests, is this $30 fan worth the money? I've collected a few characters that I found interesting and I hope they help you make your choice. I bought this fan to upgrade the NZXT FX-140 PWM fan that came with my Kraken X40 liquid cooler. It was between this fan and the Noctua NF-A14 Premium silent fan. I bought the PPC version for its superior static pressure and wider RPM range, hoping I could find the perfect balance between cooling efficiency and sound. Due to the design, there is no space for a case fan on my Ibuypower Revolt Mini ITX case. . My Kraken X40 liquid cooler and its single 140mm fan are the only thing I have to keep the heat out of the case. With that in mind I needed something that would have very good static pressure and hopefully be quieter than the standard fan that my cooler comes with. The CD/DVD drive even blocks the fan intake, making the high static pressure fan even more important. Based on the specs, the Noctua should easily outperform it at lower RPMs and more pressure. My testing method may not be the most scientific, but the results are reproducible and I have confidence in their numbers. Your numbers may vary based on your own system, location, software and tools, but my goal is simply to compare and demonstrate the different characteristics of this fan versus the one it replaces. NZXT Kraken Control Testing Software I can manually control the fan speed with the NZXT software and also monitor the fluid temperature. The fans run on standard 12 volts. Intel Extreme Tuning Utility The Intel Extreme Tuning Utility allows me to check the cooling performance gain, if any. Each stress test runs for 10 minutes, waiting for the fluid temperature to drop below 37°C before running the test again. Sound Meter Via Smartphone App This is an app that turns your smartphone's microphone into a decibel meter. The decibel value won't be an accurate representation of the fan's dBA, but it gives me a chance to compare the sound of the two fans I'm testing without trying to guess which one sounds quieter to my own ears. The fan is built into the computer with the case closed. The computer is in its own cabinet in a closed entertainment center (rear removed). The phone is about 6 inches from the computer itself, not the fan. Noctua NF-A14 fan PWN500-2000rpm4.18mm-H2O31.5dBA107.4 CFMNZXT FX-140 fan PWM800-2000rpm0.8-2.2mm-H2O21-37dBA 54.0 - 98, 3 cube feet per minute NZXT FX-140 PWM stress tests 100% [*1950RPM] Fan speed maintains fluid temperature at 41.8 decibels db: 64.550% [*1350RPM] Fan speed maintains fluid temperature at 44.3s decibels: Fan speed 53.525% [*950RPM] maintains the liquid temperature to 48.0 °C. Decibels: 51.5 * Fan speed is +/- 30 RPM as observed on NZXT Kraken Control. ] Fan speed maintains fluid temperature at 39.8°C dB: 56.050% [*1075 rpm] Fan speed maintains fluid temperature at 43.0°C dB: 50.525% [*540 rpm] Fan speed maintains fluid temperature at 46, 8°C decibels: 49.5 * Fan speed is +/- 30 rpm monitored with NZXT Kraken Control. Conclusion The Noctua fan only has 7 blades with just enough spacing to fit a finger between them. It's not a quiet fan by any means, fan speeds above 50% are quite audible, but its smooth operation makes the noise less annoying even at 100%. The build quality lives up to its reputation and the results are in black and white. This is a fairly expensive fan ($30), but for me it offers many advantages over cheaper alternatives. For my purposes, and I'm lucky that I only need one fan, I think the price is a bit ok, but of course I would have liked them to be a little cheaper. Open Hardware Monitor and Kraken Control show that the Noctua fan reaches its maximum speed of 1850 rpm, which is within +/- 10%. The fan easily outperforms the traditional fan in every category, offering lower temperatures, RPMs and noise levels. The static pressure definitely shows its worth, and it's a shame you don't know the minimum specs for this fan as Noctua doesn't advertise them. But even at 100%, this fan is much quieter, and because of its amazing cooling, it doesn't need to stay at 100% for very long. So let's answer the question. does it cost $30? It's ultimately up to you. I'm glad that I can now live relatively quietly without having to increase the performance of the noisy fan, and also with a lower system temperature. It didn't have as much of an impact on cooling as I would have liked, but it does show that the heatsink isn't as restrictive. I can also adjust the fan curve a bit more aggressively without any obvious extra noise. I think this could be the current king of 140mm SP fans, but not without a price.