Last Updated: July 11, 2020 (Refresh Now)

Noctua NF F12 PWM Premium Quiet Fan 4 Pin 120mm Brown

Last Updated: July 11, 2020 (Refresh Now)
9.3
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
1000
Old Reviews
723
Unverified
33
Spam Test
PASS

Review Analysis - 244 recent, verified reviews

Detailed Mode
Sound Quality
 55
quiet, low noise, rpm, silent, nf
+91%
-9%
comment
" ...  Ml120's were able to go much higher rpm so they were performing much better but it was really loud when they were at max rpm. ... But I would like them to perform really good when I game even though sound is high but not bothering. ... It is like 800 rpm nf-f12's are equal to ml120's 1000-1100 rpm. ... If ml120's didn't started to have that rattling noise they were excellent. ... Silent when you want them to and high performence when you need. ... Still nf-f12's sound signature is better then most fans at low rpm(not better than ml120's when they don't rattle).  ...  "
comment
" ...  Noise is completely gone.  ...  "
comment
" ...  These are not the quietest fans, but they certainly have some of the best performance:sound ratios.  ...  "
comment
" ...  They are completely silent (in comparison) to the stock H105 fans.  ...  "
comment
" ...  It comes with a 4 pin connector and a Y splitter, along with a low noise adapter which I doubt you will need.  ...  "
comment
" ...  very quiet and moves air well.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I would have to say best fan for static pressure and quieter operation.  ...  "
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" ...  The difference in airflow and sound is like night and day even with my single front intake and single rear exhaust fan still being stock.  ...  "
Cooling
 38
fan, quiet, fans, noctua, cpu
+100%
comment
" ...  Quite a nice cooling fan that's dead silent.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Works good as a case fan, CPU coolers, radiators.  ...  "
comment
" ...  This could be a personal cooling fan with no issue - it's dead silent in use.  ...  "
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" ...  I had to have the system relearn the fan cooling curves due to the superior effectiveness of these units.  ...  "
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" ...  Quiet and moves air.  ...  "
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" ...  Just a Quality Fan For Computer Cooling.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Big improvement even from my old quiet cooler master fans.  ...  "
comment
" ...  The fan is perfectly balanced, quiet and keeps the CPU cool.  ...  "
Overall performance
 33
full speed, fan, quiet, silent, rpm
+97%
-3%
comment
" ...  I love all Noctua's fans.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Although this isn’t necessarily uncommon in higher-end computer fans, it is still appreciated. ... Never once have I had to worry about my computer overheating with these fans, and even when I pump everything up to full throttle, they hardly make a sound at all.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Not RGB but if you’re just concerned about performance this will do the trick and it’s truly not that expensive at that.  ...  "
comment
" ...  On lower speeds, it's silent.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Keeps my overclocked Ryzen 7 2600 cpu smiling the cool of it all.  ...  "
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" ...  At full speed, they are audible but much less than competitors. ... Yes they are a little bit more expensive than other brands, but the increased quality and performance is most definitely worth it.  ...  "
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" ...  Full speed is not quiet at all, but 800rpm speed its really quiet.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Went into BIOS and set up Qfan and I noticed that the new fans were on full speed.  ...  "
Build Quality
 32
rubber, fans, build quality, rubber mounts, noctua
+88%
-13%
comment
" ...  But it's a solid build and does a better job then the other fans from what I can tell.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I had a heck of a time installing them because I used all of the available rubber mounts, no screws. ... Depending on how your case is constructed, it can be a bit fiddly.  ...  "
comment
" ...  no issues at all and am very pleased to finally years later have a few in the case!  ...  "
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" ...  Superior build quality, materials, and overall performance.  ...  "
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" ...  Top notch fan, extremely high quality.  ...  "
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" ...  They are always so quiet and great build quality. ... The quality of materials seems very high and I expect this to last for years.  ...  "
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" ...  They also come with a variety of mounting options via screw options or rubber "snap-in" fasteners. ... I already am planning their use in my next build which will be a positive pressure case.  ...  "
comment
" ...  But they look durable and nice quality  ...  "
Setup
 19
install, super quiet, easy, super, setup
+100%
comment
" ...  The rubber mounts included with them make them easy to install and reduce sound.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Easy to install and seems to be high quality.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Install was a breeze.  ...  "
comment
" ...  It was super easy to install and I'm on the verge of replacing my stock case fans with a whole set of these.  ...  "
comment
" ...  It is super super quiet in my case and was easy to install.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Install was plug and play.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Shipping was quick, packaging was easy and secure, and installation was a hitch.  ...  "
comment
" ...  (running in a push/pull config).  ...  "
Fit
 18
screws, rubber mounts, noctua, anti vibration, radiator
+83%
-17%
comment
" ...  I had a heck of a time installing them because I used all of the available rubber mounts, no screws.  ...  "
comment
" ...  The anti-vibration rubber mounting screw system is super easy to work with and helps keep noise down.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I have run these for about a month with the computer case sides off, and these are whisper quiet.  ...  "
comment
" ...  In the package, they provide you with four rubber “anti-vibration mounts”. ... When you purchase these fans new, the screw holes don’t have any threading that they come with. ... The reason for this is two-fold: it allows for the use of the anti-vibration mounts, as well as reducing the tooling necessary to manufacture these fans.  ...  "
comment
" ...  They come with lots of attachments to make them fit your needs.  ...  "
comment
" ...  They also come with a variety of mounting options via screw options or rubber "snap-in" fasteners.  ...  "
comment
" ...  They do come with wiring extensions and rubber mounts for mounting.  ...  "
comment
" ...  ended up with two of these in a push/pull position they are beautiful.  ...  "
Product Reliability
 12
fans, later, quiet, stopped working, setup
+75%
-25%
comment
" ...  no issues at all and am very pleased to finally years later have a few in the case!  ...  "
comment
" ...  I will GLADLY pay a little more for a GOOD RELIABLE product. ... I am well aware that I have had these fans (I bought three) for just a couple of weeks, but the product comes with a six-year warranty.  ...  "
comment
" ...  This is something that hasn’t changed in all 4 years I’ve been using these fans. ... (That is actually a phrase I’ve used in the context of one of my IT classes in the past week).  ...  "
comment
" ...  It's really quiet and I hope it lasts longer than 3 years. ... It's been about a month and still no problem.  ...  "
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" ...  I've been building PC's for almost 20 years.  ...  "
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" ...  My machine runs 27/7 and the fan just keeps working almost silently.  ...  "
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" ...  Put this one in a few days ago, and I've been very satisfied with how quiet it is.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Had it for 6 months and still works.  ...  "
Color
 11
brown, fans, colors, color scheme, noctua
+82%
-18%
comment
" ...  I love these fans, the colors are awesome, why do people hate on the brown?  ...  "
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" ...  While the color scheme isn't for everyone, these fans are fantastic.  ...  "
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" ...  Even though you now can get these fans in alternate colors, that trademark brown is a sign of excellence.  ...  "
comment
" ...  No more - to heck with the pretty colors.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Works great always recommend noctura unless you have ocd and color clashing problem.  ...  "
comment
" ...  The colors kind of ugly but as no one but he even looks at my computer I don’t care if you really care that much they make black ones for like 2$ more but I didn’t other than that there are awesome and with excellent helped cool my system a lot better than the stick fractal design and stock Corsair ones I was using.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I do wish there was some other color option, but it's a minor quibble when they move so much air so quietly.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Received the classic Noctua brown color, though I ordered the grey variant.  ...  "
Price
 10
price, worth the money, dollars, totally worth, silence
+100%
comment
" ...  Worth every penny!!!  ...  "
comment
" ...  A bit pricier than other fans, but the premium quality is worth paying a bit more.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Worth the money.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Dont waste your money on the others.  ...  "
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" ...  Peace of mind is worth a few extra dollars, trust me.  ...  "
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" ...  I highly recommend their products (if you have the budget!)  ...  "
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" ...  Great fan at a great price!  ...  "
comment
" ...  It costs 10 dollars more at the moment and appears to be a newer model.  ...  "
Cables
 10
cables, splitter, pwm, extension, noctua
+100%
comment
" ...  These are very quiet, and the cables and hardware that they come with is a big plus. ... I only had one extra fan header on my motherboard, so the splitter cable and extension cable came in very handy.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Installation was simple plug and go with no problem, I do wish the cord was slightly longer but it's not causing any issues after having this for a few months now.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Noctua’s fans come from the factory with very short cables, which is really great usually only for the CPU cooling fan. ... However, in the box, they offer a variety of additional cables, including long and short extensions, and a splitter. ... The splitter is really nice for computers with lower-end motherboards with fewer fan connectors, typically for the front of the case. ... All of the wires included are very high quality, wrapped in a black mesh-looking sheath. ... Another small, yet important design feature of these cables is that they are all multiples of the length of the sides of the fan. ... This makes wiring multiple fans in a row up very clean, making the length of wiring perfect in a lot of cases.  ...  "
comment
" ...  The fan comes with damaged Y Cable the overall material quality is excellent I bought it for my Noctua NH-D15S CPU cooler as a second fan.  ...  "
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" ...  It comes with fan splitter wires (Y-cable) and extension cables which were useful because these were actually longer and more durable looking than the ones I bought previously.  ...  "
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" ...  The cabling and packing is class leading.  ...  "
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" ...  Love this fan, the packaging was great, it came with extra cables from 3 pin to 4 pin including 2 forms of attachments for the fan to the PC.  ...  "
comment
" ...  They come with extra cables that enable you to connect multiple fans together and extend the plug.  ...  "
Ease of Use
 8
easy, install, good, fan, works
+100%
comment
" ...  Easy setup and install!  ...  "
comment
" ...  Easy to install and seems to be high quality.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Replacing it with a Noctua fan was easy.  ...  "
Device Compatibility
 5
pc, computers, computer, use, know
+100%
comment
" ...  Works perfectly in my custom PC.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I used two of these in my rebuild of my desktop.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Other color options are available, however, anybody very into building computers will recognize that distinctive color palette, and know immediately that you only use the best of the best for cooling of your computer.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I have two sizes of these in my new computer.  ...  "
comment
" ...  This PC is about 2 feet away from my favorite spot in my home theater, and I've never had any concerns about performance or noise.  ...  "
Gaming
 4
fans, playing, games, temps, gamer
+100%
comment
" ...  I have yet to see my CPU temps reach 70c playing games for hours on end.  ...  "
comment
" ...  A person invests 2-3 thousand dollars on a gaming/media system.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I have a high performance gaming PC.  ...  "
comment
" ...  My pc has never been so quite even when gaming with 8 fans on it is WAY quieter.  ...  "
Volume
 4
rpm, quiet, ml120, fans, fan
+75%
-25%
comment
" ...  Doesn't get too loud, but blows nice and strong.  ...  "
comment
" ...  The AIO set up went from being annoyingly loud to extremely quiet.  ...  "
comment
" ...  Ml120's were able to go much higher rpm so they were performing much better but it was really loud when they were at max rpm.  ...  "
Packing
 4
quality, premium, even
+100%
comment
" ...  Even their packaging is delightful and just shows the quality commitment by them.  ...  "
comment
" ...  premium fan with premium packaging  ...  "
comment
" ...  Very nice packaging.  ...  "
Comfort
 4
quiet, fan, ear, hands, ears
+50%
-50%
comment
" ...  When opening the top of the box, I’ve always found it difficult to get my finger in the box to pull up on the flap, and it seems like I always end up bending the top of the box slightly to get it open. ... After lifting up on the top, the bottom part containing everything gradually slides away from it, gently falling to the table after another very satisfying second or two.  ...  "
comment
" ...  The original fan became noisy over time to my sensitive ears.  ...  "
Ports
 3
splitter, cables, pwm, headers, fans
+100%
comment
" ...  The splitter is really nice for computers with lower-end motherboards with fewer fan connectors, typically for the front of the case.  ...  "
comment
" ...  I only had one extra fan header on my motherboard, so the splitter cable and extension cable came in very handy.  ...  "
comment
" ...  They come with extra cables that enable you to connect multiple fans together and extend the plug.  ...  "
Design
 3
look, quiet, looks, gorgeous, color
+100%
comment
" ...  After marveling at the gorgeous design of the boxes for a few minutes, you move on to open them.  ...  "
comment
" ...  The design is sleek, they are powerful, and they are quiet.  ...  "
comment
" ...  But they look durable and nice quality  ...  "

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Specifications

No specs available.