Noctua Redux Fan Series Review
A fleet of new fans from Noctua have recently been introduced abandoning the familiar warm brown and flesh tones for colder gray bodies, not to capitalize on the current “Walking Dead” nerd zombie craze but as an answer to public demand for alternate color styles. Similar to zombies, the new gray Noctua Redux fan series are based on older and some discontinued models now back in the world of the living utilizing some familiar Noctua technology employed in the previous generation of fans at 3/4 the price of the standard model.
Review Sample Provided by: Noctua
Product Name: Noctua Redux Fans
MSRP: see table below
Product was given in exchange for work done to produce this review.
A total of thirteen fans are available from the Noctua Redux fan line with sizes ranging from 80mm to 140mm fans listed at the table below (review samples bolded):
| Dimension (L x W X D mm) | Name | Connector | Max RPM | Acoustical Noise | Airflow | Static Pressure | MSRP (USD) |
| 140 x 140 x 25 | NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM | 4-pin PWM | 1500 | 25.8 dB(A) | 133.7 m³/h | 1.91 mm H2O | 19.90 |
| 140 x 140 x 25 | NF-P14s redux-1200 PWM | 4-pin PWM | 1200 | 19.6 dB(A) | 110.3 m³/h | 1.29 mm H2O | 19.90 |
| 140 x 140 x 25 | NF-P14s redux-1200 | 3-pin | 1200 | 19.6 dB(A) | 110.3 m³/h | 1.29 mm H2O | 19.90 |
| 140 x 140 x 25 | NF-P14s redux-900 | 3-pin | 900 | 13.2 dB(A) | 83.7 m³/h | 0.77 mm H2O | 19.90 |
| 140 x 140 x 25 (round frame) | NF-P14r redux-1500 PWM | 4-pin PWM | 1500 | 25.8 dB(A) | 133.7 m³/h | 1.91 mm H2O | 19.90 |
| 120 x 120 x 25 | NF-S12B redux-1200 PWM | 4-pin PWM | 1200 | 18.1 dB(A) | 100.6 m³/h | 1.31 mm H2O | 17.90 |
| 120 x 120 x 25 | NF-S12B redux-1200 | 3-pin | 1200 | 18.1 dB(A) | 100.6 m³/h | 1.31 mm H2O | 17.90 |
| 120 x 120 x 25 | NF-S12B redux-700 | 3-pin | 700 | 6.8 dB(a) | 56,9 m³/h | 0.44 mm H2O | 17.90 |
| 92 x 92 x 25 | NF-B9 redux-1600 PWM | 4-pin PWM | 1600 | 17.6 dB(A) | 64.3 m³/h | 1.61 mm H2O | 15.90 |
| 92 x 92 x 25 | NF-B9 redux-1600 | 3-pin | 1600 | 17.6 dB(A) | 64.3 m³/h | 1.61 mm H2O | 15.90 |
| 80 x 80 x 25 | NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM | 4-pin PWM | 1800 | 17.1 dB(A) | 53.3 m³/h | 1.41 mm H2O | 14.90 |
| 80 x 80 x 25 | NF-R8 redux-1800 | 3-pin | 1800 | 17.1 dB(A) | 53.3 m³/h | 1.41 mm H2O | 14.90 |
| 80 x 80 x 25 | NF-R8 redux-1200 | 3-pin | 1200 | 9.1 dB(A) | 35.8 m³/h | 0.67 mm H2O | 14.90 |
While all 13 fans differ in feature set, they are all made using the same fibre-glass reinforced PBT material used as the standard Noctua fan. All the cabling on the redux series are sleeved as well with black connectors and a twice as long 40cm cable length. The redux fan series use the older self-stabilizing oil-pressure bearing (SSO) version which has a weaker magnetic force for stabilization compared to the regular series fans, it is still however much quieter and longer lasting compared to double ball, rifle, sleeve bearing fans.
With the lower price, packaging is also a lot more modest and smaller compared to the standard fan series. Accessories include a 4-piece set of metal fan screws and nothing else. Extra accessories for this series can be purchased separately however including extension cables, y-cables and two new additions: NA-SAV2 anti-vibration mounts and NA-SRC7 4-pin low-noise adaptors.
The NA-SAV2 anti-vibration mounts are available in a box containing 20 pieces for support of up to 5 fans. These anti-vibration mounts use the standard Noctua brown color and can be used instead of metal screws for noise dampening and vibration-free fan operation. The NA-SAV2 mounts are double sided so they can be installed conveniently even in tight-spaced environments.
The NA-SRC7 adaptor on the other hand is the 4-pin version of the NA-SRC10 3-pin low-noise adaptor. These adaptors are compatible with a wide range of fans, not just Noctua’s although they are not to be used on powerful fans that draw more than 3W of power such as Noctua’s new Industrial PPC models. The step-down speed of the NA-SRC7 and NA-SRC10 adaptors on Noctua’s redux series can be seen on the table below:
| 4-pin PWM | without adaptor (+/-10%) | with NA-SRC7 (+/-10%) |
| NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM | 1500 RPM | 1000 RPM |
| NF-P14r redux-1500 PWM | 1500 RPM | 1000 RPM |
| NF-P14s redux-1200 PWM | 1200 RPM | 950 RPM |
| NF-S12B redux-1200 PWM | 1200 RPM | 1000 RPM |
| NF-B9 redux-1600 PWM | 1600 RPM | 1300 RPM |
| NF-B9 redux-1600 PWM | 1600 RPM | 1300 RPM |
| 3-pin |
without adaptor (+/-10%) | with NA-SRC7 (+/-10%) |
| NF-P14s redux-1200 | 1200 RPM | 850 RPM |
| NF-P14s redux-900 | 900 RPM | 700 RPM |
| NF-S12B redux-1200 | 1200 RPM | 900 RPM |
| NF-S12B redux-700 | 700 RPM | 550 RPM |
| NF-B9 redux-1600 | 1600 RPM | 1200 RPM |
| NF-R8 redux-1800 | 1800 RPM | 1350 RPM |
| NF-R8 redux-1200 | 1200 RPM | 1100 RPM |
