Noctua IndustrialPPC Fans Review

Noctua’s new Industrial fan line is a very capable fan performance-wise even before factoring in the Industrial protection aspect. Against Cooler Master’s JetFlo 120, both NF-F12 and NF-A14 Industrial PPC was a match with the NF-A14 producing less noise. Measured noise is one thing but perceived noise can often be worse depending on the sound signature. The JetFlo 120 for example, although registering on the same level as the NF-F12 iPPC on the SPL meter, produced considerably more apparent noise and sounded true to its name and also vibrated the most. The NF-F12 although loud as well felt much more controlled. When positioned as intake, fans generally produce very high pitched noise and the JetFlo was no exception but the built-in corner dampening pads of the NF-F12 minimized the noise by elevating the fan from the intake by a millimeter and when this gap is raised to 2mm the noise is even more significantly reduced.

The NF-A14 iPPC impressed me the most with its high airflow output and is certainly much quieter than the noise level meter suggests, especially when inside the case. The airflow has a nice spread inside a case and would work well for full-tower case intakes. Compared to the rest of the test fans, only the Gentle Typhoons were better in terms of noise-performance ratio as the Corsair SP120 Performance fans, despite their 2350+ RPM did not perform as well as both the Noctua Industrial PPC fans.

Add industrial protection to the mix and the Noctua NF-A14 and NF-F12 Industrial PPC fans are certainly winners. Extra protection features are reflected in the price but they are not too far off as you would think compared to other high-performance fans. One big advantage with Noctua fans is definitely their 6-year warranty, which really comes in handy especially if you are going to be putting these IP52 and IP67 rated fans to the test.