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We've reviewed quite a few Noctua
products here in our time, and they're one of my favorite companies
actually, and for good reason, they make quality products that
perform very well. I'm running a Cooler
Master Black Label PC case, and I've swapped all of the fans out
for Noctua fans, the reason being is that they're quiet and they
perform well.
Today for review I've got another 120mm
fan entry from Noctua, it's called the NF-S12B FLX, the FLX meaning
flex, or that it can be run at variable speeds. I've put the NF-S12B
FLX up against several other fans I've got on hand, including Noctua
ones, and it performs admirably well.
Product
Name: Noctua
NF-S12B FLX 120mm Fan
Author: Kristofer Brozio
Sponsor: Noctua
Tech
Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
NF-S12B
FLX
Succeeding the vastly
successful NF-S12, the NF-S12B is a next generation quiet fan
featuring Noctua's advanced SCD2 technology as well as a highly
optimized blade geometry with Beveled Blade Tips that improves its
award-winning predecessor's airflow efficiency by up to 10%. Topped
off with Noctua's time-tested SSO-Bearing, 6 years warranty and
versatile 1200/900/600 rpm speed settings, the NF-S12B FLX is a
premium quality fan that offers full flexibility in quiet to
ultra-quiet case cooling.
Features:
Highly optimized impeller with
Beveled Blade Tips
Thanks to its further refined
blade geometry with extended leading edges and Beveled Blade Tips,
the NF-S12B achieves up to 10% more airflow and static pressure than
its much acclaimed predecessor at the same noise level.
3 speed settings for full
flexibility
Providing 1200, 900 and 600 rpm
speed settings via the supplied Low-Noise and Ultra-Low-Noise
Adapters, the FLX (Flexibility) version can be fine-tuned for
superior airflow or maximum quietness.
Smooth Commutation Drive 2
The latest version of Noctua’s
advanced SCD drive system ensures superb running smoothness by
eliminating torque variations and switching noises
SSO-Bearing
Noctua’s time-tested
SSO-Bearing technology has become synonymous with supremely quiet
operation and exceptional long-term stability.
Specs:
Size: 120x120x25 mm
Bearing: SSO-Bearing
Blade Geometry: NF-S12B Blade
Design with BBT
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%):
1200 RPM
Rotational Speed with L.N.A.
(+/- 10%): 900 RPM
Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A.
(+/- 10%): 600 RPM
Airflow: 100,6 m³/h
Airflow with L.N.A.: 75,8 m³/h
Airflow with U.L.N.A.: 49,2
m³/h
Acoustical Noise: 18,1 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with L.N.A.:
10,6 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A.:
6,2* dB(A)
Static Pressure: 1,31 mm H2O
Static Pressure with L.N.A.:
0,76 mm H2O
Static Pressure with U.L.N.A.:
0,34 mm H2O
Input Power: 1,2 W
Input Current: 0,1 A
Voltage Range: 12 V
MTBF: > 150.000 h
Scope of Delivery
* Ultra-Low-Noise Adapter
(U.L.N.A.)
* Low-Noise Adapter (L.N.A.)
* 4 Vibration Compensators
* 3:4-Pin Adapter
* 4 Fan Screws
Warranty: 6 years
A
Better Look at Things:
Noctua sent me two of the NF-S12B
FLX fans for review, which was nice of them, so I can test them in
single and dual modes. The boxes are familiar, they look like other
Noctua Fan boxes, with specs and features listed along with a nice
back section that folds out to reveal more information.
 
Inside the box, we find another
plastic box, in that box is the fan, silicone bolts, screws, two
power adapters and a 3-pin molex adapter.
 
The NF-S12B FLX is the beige and
brown color of the other Noctua fans, an odd color, but I like it.
The blades are thin and have notches taken out of the tips of them to
promote airflow and keep the quiet.
 
Installation,
Testing and Comparison:
For
my testing of fans I like to use them with CPU coolers to really good
a good idea of their performance, so I installed the NF-S12B fans on
my Thermalright
Ultra 120 Extreme CPU Cooler.
 
For comparison I've got:
Gelid Wing12 1500Rpms
Nanoxia FX-12
1250Rpms
Noctua NF-S12
1200Rpms
Noctua NF-P12 1300Rpms
Thermaltake ISGC 12 800/1200Rpms
I've got an Intel C2Q9650 CPU
under the Ultra 120 Extreme cooler.
Ambient room temperature was 26.8C
(+/- .3C)
To get load on the CPU, two
instances of Orthos Stress Prime were used.
It should be noted that the
NF-S12B FLX fans are not really made for CPU cooling, they are
designed more to be used as a case fan.
I used Coretemp64 to record/log
the temperatures at idle and load, and then averaged them out to get
on temperature for the charts.
I've got testing results for both
single fan and dual fan configurations:
As you can see running at 1200RPMs
the NF-S12B FLX fan is not a bad performer under load, when we slow
it down a bit performance decreases as expected.
Running the two of the fans
together greatly increased their performance, bumping them up to
third place on the charts.
They've got good cooling
performance, especially since they were designed as case fans.
Running at any speed though the
fans are silent.
There really isn't anything bad to
say about this product, unless of course you consider the high price,
coming in at around $25 plus shipping, it's pretty steep for a single
120mm fan, but I think they are well worth the cost for their build
quality and performance.
Summary
and Comments:
High price aside, the Noctua
NF-S12B FLX Fans are a great addition to anyones' case setup, be it
as a case fan or even a CPU cooling fan, these will work great for
either situation.
They are quiet, which to me means
a lot, and they are very well made, along with the nice 6 year
warranty, this are well worth the price.
DragonSteelMods gives the Noctua
NF-S12B FLX fans a 5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as
well.
 
Pros:
+Decent performance
+Quiet
+Variable speeds
+Very well made
+Lots of extras included
Cons:
-Expensive
I
would like to thank Noctua for the chance to review the NF-S12B
FLX and
for their continued support of DSM.
review#587
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