In order to reduce the noise coming from my Antec Sonata II I decided to invest in a new case fan. After some time checking various reviews I picked a Noctua NF-S12 case fan and ordered it from Overclockers (at the same time as a new Corsair HX520W power supply and an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU cooler).
The Noctua NF-S12 case fan uses a ‘special blade geometry’ to reduce noise output and claims to be 10% quieter than the equivalent competition. It also uses self-stabilising oil pressure (SSO) bearings to further reduce sound and ensure a good lifespan. It sounded ideal and there were plenty of glowing product reviews on the Overclockers website.
Although the Noctua packaging is nothing too exciting, once out of the box the fan itself feels like it is solidly built. The fan body is a cream-coloured plastic that feels strong, while the fan inside is brown. Hardly the most stylish of colour combinations! However, it’s going to be stuck at the back of my case so it doesn’t really matter if the cream/brown doesn’t quite fit with the glossy black paint on the Sonata II.
The power cable is long and braided, which makes it easy to route around the case. It also protects it from any harm if it finds itself getting caught up in a fan (which it shouldn’t). The cable has a three-pin connector on the end for plugging into a fan connection on the motherboard. It can be plugged into a 4-pin connection, using just three of the pins, but also comes with a molex adapter.
The fan attaches to the case using vibration compensators or, to put it simply, four brown rubber plugs. These plugs are fiddly to fit and there is a particular method to fitting them that isn’t immediately obvious as there are no instructions in the box. Instead, you have to check the Noctua website and look in the FAQ section for the fan.
First, you have to fit the plugs into the case by pulling them through the mounting holes from the outside to the inside. Don’t try to yank them through as they might break. Instead, pull the plug from the inside with a bit of pressure while gently pushing it through from the outside with a small screwdriver.
Once the plugs are mounted to the case you have to fit the fan onto them, which is also fiddly. Pop the fan onto the plugs and then pull each one in turn until it’s all the way through the hole in the fan body. Once done the fan will be held securely to your case. Finally, connect the power cable to a 3 or 4-pin connector on your motherboard. If you don’t have one spare use the included molex adapter to attach it to a spare molex cable.
That’s it, job done. When powered up the fan is incredibly quiet, you can hardly tell it’s spinning until you get really close. The 1200rpm fan is rated at just 17dB(A) while still being capable of pushing out 81m3 of air per hour. It’s a big improvement on the standard Antec fan. I thought that was quiet but this shows just how quiet a fan can be.
The Noctua NF-S12 case fan is an excellent product that doesn’t break the bank. It’s exceedingly quiet and pumps out plenty of air, and as a result, it comes highly recommended.
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