Cooling systems from Noctua are incredibly efficient and famous worldwide for the quality of their products, both in cooling and in its high-quality fans. Today, the article is on PC case fan “Noctua NF-A14 Review (Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin 140mm)”.
The market for different sizes of PC fans is vast, making it difficult to choose a specific model and even a manufacturer. Moreover, each user has ideas about how much the fan should cost and what its characteristics should be paid attention to when buying.
Here, I will discuss 140-mm solutions, and then there is, even more, to think about because often such fans are chosen not only as case fans but also for active cooling of the processor.
The purchase of a low-quality propeller can result in highly undesirable consequences associated with overheating the CPU. So, in the article, I will thoroughly review one of the best 140mm fans, the Noctua NF-A14 PWM Fan.
Noctua NF-A14 140mm case fan is a premium quality model with a square frame that complies with high functionality and excellent quietness even at high rotation.
So, let’s get started ‘Noctua NF-A14 Review’.
Noctua NF-A14 Review
1. Specs
First, let’s know the highlighting specs of Noctua NF-A14 fan:
Quick Specs:
2. Packaging & Equipment
Even the way Noctua packages its products feels premium.
The cardboard boxes are minimalist. In the case of the fans, you can see the brand logo, model name, simple background image, and brown, black, and white colors.
The box is interestingly decorated, made the large planes fold back both front and back, it opens like a book cover.
After unboxing, the fan itself and the silicone pins are looking at me. The rest of the equipment is hidden in the bowels of the box. There is also a list of the complete set and some of the main features of the fan, such as a unique blade design, a hydrodynamic bearing with magnetic centering, and a unique design of the fan frame.
The complete set of the Noctua NF-A14 fan pleasantly surprises with its size and the presence of many small bonus items. The package contains the following items:
- Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.),
- 4-Pin Y-Cable,
- 30cm Extension Cable,
- 4 Vibration-Compensators,
- 4 Mounting Screws.
In my impression, this is the best fan configuration I’ve ever seen. There is everything that can be imagined, and that may be required when installing into the system unit.
3. Appearance
Noctua NF-A14 PWM is designed in beige-brown and has standard dimensions for its type – 140 x 140 x 25 mm. The fan itself is a typical representative of the 14cm family. Therefore, no problems with installation in modern system blocks should arise.
The fan uses an exclusive magnetic suspension bearing (self-stabilizing hydrodynamic second generation) called SSO2-Bearing. This type of bearings is one of the best. Models based on it have a low noise level and an impressive service life. The manufacturer claims a failover time of ~ 150,000 hours.
It is worth noting the operating speed of the model with a range from 300 to 1500 rpm, low power consumption – 1.56 W, and, finally, a small current strength – only 0.13 amperes.
Silicone pads on the corners of the case partially reduce the noise level and depress vibrations transmitted to the case.
In addition, three unique notches can be seen on each blade.
To prevent the wire from falling out, it is carefully secured with an additional black insert. The wire itself is neatly hidden in a braided tube, and the ends are made in heat shrink. All these are little things that do not affect the work, but they create that very feeling of a “good-quality product.”
And the last is an extension cable in a fabric braid for 30cm. At its end, there is a four-pin connector, which is fully compatible with the capabilities of the PWM controller of any motherboard.
4. Installation
The packaging contains everything you need, including connectors, to install quickly. In addition, the rubber grommets minimize/eliminate any vibration when mounted against your case.
They are very quiet, easy to install using the anti-vibration mounts, and the 4 pin PWM connection allows you to monitor your fans and to set up your fans according to CPU heat using your motherboard software.
Much more accessible and more efficient than using your bios to control fan speeds. Also, the durability of Noctua fans is excellent, comes with 6 years warranty along with 150,000 working hours.
5. Noise
The fan is super quiet while running. I have to pretty much turn them up to 100% to hear them. Very low noise at 75% and almost silent at 50%. It moves plenty of air and doesn’t produce much noise. Overall very pleased with these fans.
These fans move a lot of air, and though the fans themselves are silent, you will still have the sound of air being moved. I don’t hear the fans until they reach above 50% speed, and even then, once they are audible, it is just a non-annoying low-frequency humm…
It is provided with a Noise Reduction Adapter that reduces the maximum speed from 1500 to 1200 rpm during PWM control. Thus, it is ideal for users striving to find the perfect balance between excellent cooling capacity and quiet operation.
Either in liquid cooling radiators, in heatsinks, or in case ventilation. Therefore it offers the highest possible performance.
In this usage setup, It contains everything that you would ever need for this fan. It has both case screws and rubber attachments to help reduce noise from vibration to your case. It also contains a cable to reduce the fan’s speed, which is especially useful if you are connecting the fan to a 3 pin fan header.
Not only are these quiet, though, they specifically designed it to have a different (less pronounced) noise profile. As a result, it is much nicer in the background than many other 140mm fans in the market.
High-performance coolers are generally quite noisy. A fan with a noise level of 30 – 35 dB can be considered quiet. Silent – 20 dB (almost unattainable value in actual conditions of active cooling).
Pros & Cons: Noctua NF-A14 Review
Final Verdict
The NF-A14 PWM fan, with their wide impeller and rich set of proprietary technologies, have proven to be very effective solutions for use in cooling systems for processors and radiators of LSS.
Noctua fans do the job well. They really make it possible to build a quiet system by allowing all internal components of a computer to be cooled.
Moreover, the Noctua NF-A14 reviewed today can be safely called leaders in the class of 140mm fans. As it maintains its characteristics intact, ultra-quiet, premium quality with outstanding performance.
You might think it’s a little expensive to spend, but considering performance and good warranty support, which lasts for six years, it’s reasonable. If you just can’t like the distinctive color scheme, it’s unavoidable.
Bottom line: I got what I wanted. Extended the life of my power supply. Made it quieter in the entire fan range. The overall internal view of the system unit has become more Noctua-style (at the same time, I changed all the case fans to Noctua too).
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