r/Noctua

Hello guys,

I recently just purchased a custom gaming PC, picked the parts myself and got the store to build it for me. However when i fired it up first time, i noticed a loud noise (abnormally loud for Noctua fans), mind you this is straight after boot, in Windows on IDLE (300~RPM) - This should be dead-silent! I performed some troubleshooting to eliminate and resolve the issue, but i cannot figure it out, I've got a support case open with the shop, but curious to know if anyone else had any similar issues that they fixed, that i could potentially try.

https://preview.redd.it/fz4z7gqvvh2h1.png?width=661&format=png&auto=webp&s=a5ff62e4d1aff04caeaaa9826749cc2897742f56

https://reddit.com/link/1tjl6so/video/rpo1f8n2vh2h1/player

My 2026 Noctua x Asus build:

Airflow: 3x 140mm front intake | 1x 140mm rear exhaust | 2x 140mm top exhaust

Troubleshooting steps:

• The issue is very intermittent, i unplugged the rear exhaust fan from the fan hub and the loud fan noise sound went away! Plugged back in and it returned. I then unplugged one of the top exhaust fans and the rear became quiet and now the top is loud.
• Its almost like the fans running at full power/voltage, but its at 300RPM~ when checking monitoring - fans. I'm not why the fans are making the loud sound????
• Checked the Q-control fan curves, and they are set very smooth and curve is not aggressive.
  • 30°C - 20% | 40°C - 20% | 50°C - 20% | 60°C - 30% | 70°C - 40% | 80°C - 60% | 90°C - 80% | 95°C - 100%
  • Hopefully this is normal and sweet spot with the build i have? Open to recommendations for even better curves!
• Gone through all my CPU Fan and fan headers in BIOS, set them all to PWM, fan noise persists.
• Ensured all my BIOS/drivers/updates are all up to date, fan noise persists
• When one of two fans - back exhaust fan or top right exhaust fan - are unplugged the computer runs silently. When both fans are plugged in, one of the two will be much louder. It seems to alternate to whichever one was plugged in last being more silent. The fact that it switches which of the two is the louder fan is the most confusing.

I have no idea what it could be, is it a faulty fan hub? something to do with the PSU maybe? BIOS/Software that needs to be checked/configured correctly? or a hardware fault? Any kind of advise or recommendations, would be greatly appreciated!

i'm converting my LIAN-LI 011D build to all black noctua, but only the NH-D12L fits, is there any news on a G2 version? i'm not in a hurry

I just ordered 4 nf-a14x25 chromax black fans off amazon (1 two pack and 2 singles) and none of the boxes came with any sort of seal on it and some finger prints on the box. Is this normal? Additionally the fans inside dont seem to be used, they still have the plastic inside the rings but there seems to be elements that have been introduced to the interior of the box (minor dust particles, nothing serious just doesnt seem pristine). I may just be paranoid because i had a big debacle with amazon earlier this year when i received a used gpu when i ordered it new. I know amazon is known to send you returned items as new.

So please let me know if I need to send these back or if im just being paranoid. Thanks!

Edit: These are the g2 versions

Hi guys, I want to setup my Fractal Design North top fans with Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 PWM Sx2-PP for 1 Intake / 1 Exhaust fan setup
My plan is to use the PPA fan in top front as intake + Noctua inlet spacer, and the PPB fan in top rear as exhaust fan
Also, do I have to connect each fan to their own mobo header or can I use the included Y splitter for both of them? So the intake and exhaust fans can be controlled individually?
May I ask if this will work please or do I have to change this setup?
Thank you!

Hi, will there possibly be other side panels available for the Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition PC case besides the glass one?

I was thinking of a mesh side panel like the Fractal North Charcoal or one made of metal.

That would be fantastic.

So I recently got into getting a fan hub, and eventually ended up getting the Noctua NA-FH1. I followed the instruction manual step by step

port 1 -> that's the port that reads fan RPM so it's plugged in with a 4 pin PWM cable

cable that came with fan hub is connected to system fan #1

fan hub is powered by SATA cable for extra power

---

When I first set it up, system fan 1 was showing no RPM but the fans were spinning at max speed. I eventually solved the no RPM reading because nothing was plugged in port #1.

Now it shows my fan RPM (over 2000+/max speed) but I can't control the fan speed no matter what I do.

Im using the MSI B550 Tomyhawk Max Wifi if that helps; I've tried everything I could think of.

I plugged the fan hub to CPU Fan connection and it's the same issue (RPM showing but can't control speed).

I used the Noctua 4 pin PWM extention cable on one set of my fans (it's a daisy chain 3 fans) and that didnt change anything too.

My last fan hub before the Noctua NA-FH1 also had the same exact problem, where the RPM reading was being shown but I could not control the fan speed. I ended up replacing that last fan hub with the Noctua NA-FH1 because I thought it could have been due to the 3 pin cable that provided, but I still have the same problem :(.

I am a Noctua fan. I buy Noctua because I want the best engineering, the best acoustic profile, the best accessories, the best long-term quality, and the least annoying sound character.

But after comparing the NF-A12x25 G2 against the Arctic P12 Pro used on the Liquid Freezer III Pro 360, I think Noctua has a real gap in its 120 mm lineup.

This is about a missing product category: a modern high-RPM Noctua 120 mm fan.

The NF-A12x25 G2 PWM is an amazing 120 mm fan, but its official maximum is:

NF-A12x25 G2 PWM

>Max RPM: 1800 rpm
Max airflow: 107.3 m³/h
Max static pressure: 3.14 mmH2O
Noise: 22.5 dBA

The Arctic P12 Pro used on the Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 is specified as:

Arctic P12 Pro

>Max RPM: 3000 rpm
Max airflow: 131 m³/h
Max static pressure: 6.9 mmH2O
Current: 0.33 A

On paper, the Arctic has:

Airflow advantage:

131 / 107.3 = 1.221 ≈ 22.1% more airflow

Static pressure advantage:

6.9 / 3.14 = 2.197 ≈ 119.7% more static pressure

For a 360 mm radiator with three fans, the free-airflow totals become:

3× NF-A12x25 G2:

3 × 107.3 = 321.9 m³/h

3× Arctic P12 Pro:

3 × 131 = 393 m³/h

That is a free-airflow gap of:

393 - 321.9 = 71.1 m³/h

Obviously, max airflow and max static pressure are not achieved at the same time. These are endpoints of the P/Q curve, and radiator performance depends on the full curve, noise level, radiator restriction, fan spacing, gaskets, case impedance, and air temperature.

The math is pretty simple if we use fan affinity laws as a first-order estimate:

>Airflow Q ∝ RPM
Static pressure ΔP ∝ RPM²
Power roughly ∝ RPM³

Starting from the NF-A12x25 G2 baseline:

>1800 rpm
107.3 m³/h
3.14 mmH2O

To match the Arctic P12 Pro airflow of 131 m³/h:

Required RPM ≈ 1800 × (131 / 107.3)
Required RPM ≈ 2198 rpm

At that speed, estimated static pressure would be:

3.14 × (2198 / 1800)² ≈ 4.68 mmH2O

So a roughly 2200 rpm NF-A12x25 G2 variant could theoretically match the P12 Pro’s airflow rating, but it would still be far below the P12 Pro’s 6.9 mmH2O pressure rating.

To match the P12 Pro static pressure of 6.9 mmH2O:

>Required RPM ≈ 1800 × sqrt(6.9 / 3.14)
Required RPM ≈ 2668 rpm

At that speed, estimated airflow would be:

107.3 × (2668 / 1800) ≈ 159 m³/h

So the target range is pretty obvious:

A 2200 rpm version would close the airflow gap.

A 2650–2700 rpm version would be the real banger option.

Estimated NF-A12x25 G2 scaling:

2200 rpm:

>Airflow ≈ 131.1 m³/h
Pressure ≈ 4.69 mmH2O

2700 rpm:

>Airflow ≈ 161.0 m³/h
Pressure ≈ 7.07 mmH2O

Of course, real fan design is not just spinning the same fan faster. Blade stress, motor torque, bearing load, tip clearance, turbulence, acoustic tonality, and efficiency all change. But this gives a reasonable engineering target.

What many Noctua fans actually need is not another low-speed variant.

We need something like:

NF-A12x25 G2 HS-PWM

>120 × 25 mm
Max speed: 2400–2700 rpm
Target airflow: ~140–160 m³/h
Target static pressure: ~5.5–7.0 mmH2O
4-pin PWM
0 rpm stop support
NA-AVG1 radiator gasket included
Sx2-PP version with RPM offset

Yes, Noctua has the NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM:

>Max RPM: 3000 rpm
Max airflow: 186.7 m³/h
Max static pressure: 7.63 mmH2O
Noise: 43.5 dBA

But that is not the same product category.

The industrialPPC exists for industrial/high-speed use. It is powerful, but it is not a modern NF-A12x25 G2-class PC radiator fan with Noctua’s current acoustic refinement, radiator gasket, Sterrox-style tight-clearance design philosophy, and Sx2-PP-style RPM-offset option.

That is what I want.

A high-RPM NF-A12x25 G2 variant would not need to be silent at 2700 rpm. Physics exists. Nobody expects magic.

But I want the option to run it at 1000–1200 rpm most of the time, 1500–1800 rpm under normal load, and 2400–2700 rpm when I actually need maximum radiator performance.

Noctua, please fill this gap.

Give us a high-RPM NF-A12x25 G2 HS-PWM.

And please make an Sx2-PP version for 240/360 mm radiator arrays.