Noctua NF-A14 iPPC-2000 PWM, Heavy Duty Cooling Fan, 4-Pin, 2000 RPM

As the title suggests is this $30 fan worth your money? I've compiled some figures that I find interesting and hopefully they will help you in choosing. I purchased 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 Quiet fan. I got the PPC version because of its superior static pressure and wider range of RPM, while hoping I can find the perfect balance between cooling performance and sound.Due to the design of my Ibuypower Revolt Mini ITX case there is no room for a case fan. My Kraken X40 Liquid Cooler and its single 140mm fan is the only thing I have extracting heat out of the case. So with that in mind I needed something that had very good static pressure and could hopefully be quieter than the stock fan my cooler comes with. Even the fan intake is obstructed by the CD/DVD Drive, making a high static pressure fan even more important. Based on the specifications the Noctua should easily out-perform with lower RPMs and more pressure.My method for testing might not be the most scientific but the results are repeatable and I'm confident in their figures. Your numbers may vary based on your own system, location, software and tools but my purpose is just to compare and demonstrate the various properties of this fan compared to the one it is replacing.Software for testing~ NZXT Kraken ControlI can manually control fan speeds using the NZXT software as well as monitor liquid temps. Fans will be running the stock 12 volts.~ Intel Extreme Tuning UtilityIntel Extreme Tuning Utility allows me to test the cooling performance gains if any. Each Stress test will run for 10 minutes, waiting until liquid temperatures settle back under 37c before testing again.~ Sound Meter via Smartphone AppThis is an application that turns your smartphone's microphone into a Decibel meter. The decibel reading won't be an exact representation of the fan dBA but it will give me something to compare the sound of the two fans I'm testing, while removing my own ears from trying to guess which one sounds quieter. The fan will be installed within the computer with the case closed. The computer is inside its own cabinet within an enclosed entertainment center (backing removed). The phone is about 6 inches away from the computer itself and not the fan.Noctua NF-A14 PWN fan500-2000 RPM4.18 mm-H2O31.5 dBA107.4 CFMNZXT FX-140 PWM fan800-2000 RPM0.8-2.2 mm-H2O21-37 dBA54.0 - 98.3 CFMThe NZXT FX-140 PWM Stress tests100% [*1950 RPM] fan speed keeps the liquid temperature at 41.8c Decibels: 64.550 % [*1350 RPM] fan speed keeps the liquid temperature at 44.3c Decibels: 53.525 % [*950 RPM] fan speed keeps the liquid temperature at 48.0c Decibels: 51.5 * Fan speeds are +/- 30 RPM, observed with NZXT Kraken Control.The Noctua NF-A14 Industrial PPC Stress tests100% [*1800 RPM] fan speed keeps the liquid temperature at 39.8c Decibels: 56.050 % [*1075 RPM] fan speed keeps the liquid temperature at 43.0c Decibels: 50.525 % [*540 RPM] fan speed keeps the liquid temperature at 46.8c Decibels: 49.5 * Fan speeds are +/- 30 RPM, observed with NZXT Kraken Control.ConclusionThe Noctua fan only has 7 blades with a gap large enough to fit a finger between them. This is by no means a quiet fan, anything over 50% fan speed is quite audible but its smooth operation makes the noise less annoying even at 100%. It's build quality holds up to its reputation and the results are in black and white. This is quite an expensive fan ($30) but for me it offers a lot of advantages over cheaper alternatives. For my purposes, and lucky to only need a single fan, I feel slightly ok with its price but of course wish they were a little less expensive. Open Hardware Monitor and Kraken Control both show the Noctua fan reaching maximum speeds of 1850 RPM, so within the +/- 10%. The fan simply outperforms the outgoing fan in every category offering lower temperatures, RPMS, and noise. The static pressure is definitely showing its worth and it's unfortunate to not know the minimum specs of this fan since Noctua doesn't advertise them. Still though even at 100% this fan is much quieter and because of its awesome cooling it won't need to stay at 100% for very long.So to answer the question... is it worth $30? That's for you to ultimately decide. I'm happy as I can now live in relative peace without the ramping up of a loud fan while also and getting cooler system temperatures. It didn't make as big of an impact on cooling as I would have liked, but that shows the radiator isn't that restrictive. I can also set my fan curve to be a little more aggressive without the obvious added noise. I think this may be the current king of 140mm SP fans, but not without a price.

Using four of these in push/pull on a Corsair H115i radiator and I am loving them. Gives truly exceptional flexibility between near silent to quiet performance from 550 to 850rpms via PWM control. These can also move air with authority at 100% but noise does begin to be a problem. Although with four working together they are moving around 200 cubic feet per minute with essentially just the sound of rushing air. The 3 phase motor, Self-Stabilizing Oil Bearing, and rubber corner inserts work well to help mitigate unwanted vibration.My personal experience with their cooling capability while paired with the Corsair H115i is that while using a PWM hub and Corsair's Link software absoloutely surpases the stock Corsair 140mm fans. They cool the radiator more effectively and quietly. I can usually just keep Corsair's Link software at quiet to balanced which results in water temps not going above 29 degrees C in a 68 to 70 degree F room. This will keep my overclocked I7-5820k (4.5GHz at 1.31v) under 60 degrees C for gaming and even some other CPU intensive tasks. I have these fans mounted as an exhaust for my case.Pros:- Top quality construction materials- Vibration isolating rubber inserts- Smooth PWM control through entire RPM range- 3 Phase motor- 150,000 hour MTBF and 6 year warranty- Square frame for better performance on radiators- 4.18mm H2O of static pressure - good for use on radiators- 107 CFM (182.5m^3/h) open air flow rate at 31.5 dB/ACons:- Cost, but you're getting top of the line- Higher noise output than usual for Noctua but that can be remedied with PWM control- Stock vibration isolating rubber inserts are still brown, although you can get other colorsBottom line:You are getting great fans that will last for years with a warranty to match. Their performance to noise ratio is tough to beat and they deliver exceptional cooling when circumstances require exceptional solutions.

I know other reviews will mention the sound but do know they are fairly loud. These are industrial fans no louder than rack mounted pc fans but considerably louder than traditional case fans. You have been warned.My AIO died which prompted me to swap to an air cooler and upgrade fans. A year ago I upgraded to Noctua Chromax fans trying to limp my AIO along but once it finally died I opted to replace my intake and exhaust fans to 140mm fans but didn’t want the regular 1700rpm Noctua Chromax 140mm fans.I am now using a Thermalright Phantom Spirit Evo w/ 2 120mm Chromax fans in place of Thermalrights fans on the cooler itself and now 2 140mm Noctua 140mm 2000rpm intake and exhaust fans in a Thermaltake Tower 100 ITX case. With the new cooler and 120mm Chromax fans I was hanging at 48c idle. After the 140mm case fans idle was 42c and 85c at 70% running Cinebench. So far I have not had them ramp up to a full 100% with a custom fan curve. At full 100% these fans maintained 32c idle and did not test Cinebench to provide a load test though I should have. Might try it later and update this review.I am happy with the results so far they move a noticeable amount more air with an an acceptable amount of noise over the 120mm Chromax. Again just know these are louder fans and might require playing with the fan curve in the device bios. I will update this review later.