🌀 Noctua NF-R8 redux-1200, 80mm Silent Fan, Grey, 3-Pin, 1200 RPM Review

They promised silence and so it was. I can't hear it until I press my ear to my body. Even then I think it's the CPU fan. However, this model is a 1200 rpm version and doesn't move much air. If you need airflow, get the 1800rpm version. For my application (at the moment) that's all I need. As the hardware gets older, I'm pretty sure I'll have to change.

Replaced fans in a pair of server power supplies used in a home lab. A slight modification was required to get the 2 pin connector in the power supply to work. The difference in noise level is really big day and night compared to the standard LOUD server fans that these PSUs had and provides plenty of airflow. They have been running 24/7 with no problems for almost 2 years now. I believe the gray color is better than the standard tan/brown Noctua. While I like the standard Noctua colors, this…

This fan is really quiet. Given all of these junkie fans I've had over the years, I'm quite surprised. Before that I bought a Noctua CPU cooler and was impressed, so I hoped this fan would be quiet too. It's even quieter than a CPU fan. Love it. In fact, now that I have a silent fan in my computer, I hear the sound of a spinning hard drive that I've never heard before.

Synology servers are good machines except for a few parts for home use. One of those overlooked details has to do with the device's ambient noise level, specifically fan and hard drive bay noise. The hum of a loud fan in my home theater rack completely overshadows these faintly audible details that can make or break an experience, the latter being applied here. Since there is no administrative setting to fine-tune the fan speed, the only option left is to switch the fan to a quieter option…

I'm not a fan of Noctua's Redux range. The color scheme is great and I would buy them for a specific look of my build but currently prefer the NF-A8. Much higher speed with the same smoothness. I think the NF-R8 could be a good solution to place in your system where you may have an airflow dead zone, but it is not suitable for a direct intake or exhaust fan. .

I bought these for a Thermaltake TX3 CPU cooler and found them to cool my i5 3570s well. The idle CPU temperature reaches around 34 in winter and 60 in summer, which is quite acceptable given the quiet fans. However, I would not use it to overclock the processor. Not a big fan of overclocking as I find the gain minimal.