Noctua rolls out next-gen 140mm fans with improved performance, familiar brown styling

[Shawn Knight]

In a nutshell: Noctua has introduced a new version of its 140mm cooling fan that's nearly a decade in the making. A direct successor to the original NF-A14, the new NF-A14x25 G2 square-frame is billed as the company's most advanced fan to date.

The Austrian cooling specialist claims the NF-A14x25 G2 is well-suited for any application, including as a low-impedance, airflow-focused case fan or on a heatsink or radiator where high-impedance, static pressure is a priority.

The standard the NF-A14x25 G2 is a PWM unit with a max 1,500 RPM rotation speed that flows 155.6 cubic meters per hour (91.58 CFM) at 24.8 dBA. Noctua also has an LS version that slows the fan down to just 800 RPM, resulting in 81.6 cubic meters per hour (48.03 CFM) at just 11.4 dBA. Using the included low noise adapter, you can get it down to 8.6 dBA at 39.73 CFM.

Noctua also has a specially crafted two-pack in which the fans are offset in speed by +/- 25 RPM, which the company says can be beneficial in push-pull operation or when situating two fans side by side to help avoid humming or other acoustic interaction phenomena.

The fans are loaded with advanced technology, including a new ultra-low-loss motor with SupraTorque that can leverage additional torque to keep the blades spinning at their desired speed when fighting the forces of back pressure. An anti-vibration gasket comes pre-installed, which can help cut down on noise and create a tighter seal when mounted to a radiator.

In lab testing, Noctua said its new fan was able to outperform the original by nearly three degrees Celsius on a liquid-cooled setup. If noise is a top priority, note that the new fan can match the cooling performance of the original while running 300 RPM slower and nearly 11 dBA quieter.

Noctua's latest fans come backed by a six-year manufacturer's warranty. The standard and low-noise versions are priced at $39.90 apiece while the two-pack commands $76.90. All are in stock and available to order now over on Amazon.

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Noctua rolls out next-gen 140mm fans with improved performance, familiar brown styling

 

[Namtrooper]

My entire case is fit with their redux fans. But these prices are nuts.

 

[ZedRM]

Don't care about how good they are, that colour scheme is still hideous and is not going into any PC I own or build for others.

 

[fazy shah]

I will have to sell my kidneys.

 

[IcyKn1ght]

Noctua makes it so tempting to spend hundreds on case fans... :c

 

[IcyKn1ght]

Don't care about how good they are, that colour scheme is still hideous and is not going into any PC I own or build for others.

They do market black-only versions of their most popular products for those that dislike their signature color, though not sure if this fan will have a black version.

 

[IcyKn1ght]

My entire case is fit with their redux fans. But these prices are nuts.

Noctua case fans are more or less priced for the same kind of people that would buy an RTX 4090.

 

[Watzupken]

My entire case is fit with their redux fans. But these prices are nuts.

I agree that the price is going wild. While the fan may have improvements, but is it worth paying around another 30% more? I doubt so.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

LMFAO I think I pad $12 a fan for my nf12s and nf 14sm $40 per fan is ludicrous, no matter how iconic the poo brown coloring is.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

I got a 3 pack of Arctic P14 PWM for a lot less than one of the last gen Noctua turd brown 140mm fans. These will be dearer than good coolers in Australia.

 

[kiwigraeme]

I think Noctua, used to be a FAN favorite, but unless you needed the that little extra other companies moved in for great results for OK money

 

[Rapob]

They should lower warranty and price. Noctua is good but value is low.

Also, that brown design got old by now. I usually buy Redux because they are cheaper and better looking, and only slightly worse.

Chromax editions tho, is a straight up robbery.

 

[ZedRM]

They do market black-only versions of their most popular products for those that dislike their signature color, though not sure if this fan will have a black version.

Their black coloured line up is not generally available as much or as widely as the OG, so that's not really a solution. So this is still a pass even if they make a black version.

 

[sauri]

Have a Noctua NH-D14 cpu cooler that works 24/7 for over 13 years, in the 3rd build now, zero maintenance. With the reliability like that, I won't mind even if they'll make them pink + acid green.

 

[Rapob]

Have a Noctua NH-D14 cpu cooler that works 24/7 for over 13 years, in the 3rd build now, zero maintenance. With the reliability like that, I won't mind even if they'll make them pink + acid green.

I have several air coolers in servers, running on year 15-20, this is nothing unusual really.

Thermalright is puttin a ton of pressure on Noctua right now, delivering same or better perf for 1/3 the price. Look reviews, this is 100% fact.

Noctua will be forced to lower prices really. Thermalright is recommended left and right in builds that want aircooling right now.

 

[ZedRM]

Have a Noctua NH-D14 cpu cooler that works 24/7 for over 13 years, in the 3rd build now, zero maintenance. With the reliability like that, I won't mind even if they'll make them pink + acid green.

Fans are easily replaced. However, fan colors this bad that don't match the color scheme & theme of a build, that's something else. If you never see the fan except when you open the case, then colors don't matter. Many(read most) PC cases have see-through windows or side-panels. So Noctua's color scheme is just not acceptable. By refusing to do a wider variety of colors, they are limiting their own potential because at the end of the day, people care about looks and Noctua fans don't fit in..

 

[TooQik]

I got a 3 pack of Arctic P14 PWM for a lot less than one of the last gen Noctua turd brown 140mm fans. These will be dearer than good coolers in Australia.

Just checked out the prices - $75 AUD for the new version verse $49 AUD for the old version. That's a 53% price increase for a fan that gives an 11% airflow increase, 0.8% dB(A) increase and 46% wattage increase (according to Noctua's own specification sheets).

 

[Rapob]

The fun part of this, is that you can replace the fan on pretty much any Noctua heatsink and get identical performance. Noctua fans are still good but there is tons of good options today, and most of them are not sh1tbrown.

Even Noctua knows it, offering Chromax, sadly so expensive it is not worth buying as you pay double compared to other top tier fans.

It took Noctua like 10 years to update D15, which barely delivering anything from D14. G2 is huge and barely better than G1. Aircooling peaked long ago, now price must go down, and this is what Thermalright is doing. They offer Noctua performance for half or lower with pretty much same noise output as well.

Noctua is simply too expensive for what you get. 6 years of warranty, yeah fine, but this is a heatsink with a fan, the only thing that is going to break *maybe* is the fan. Even cheap fans last for 5+ years easily.