Noctua's Next-Gen NF-A14 Fans Use Liquid Crystal Polymer Impellers

[btarunr]

Noctua is preparing a major design update for its NF-A series fans. The company is preparing its next-generation fans with the new Sterrox liquid-crystal polymer material. LCP provides superior structural stability for the blades at high RPM, allowing them to maintain their correct profile, and maximizing their airflow and noise characteristics; in comparison to impellers made from conventional thermoplastics such as LDPE, PBT, PVC, ABS, etc. LCPs also feature very high strength-to-weight ratio, which is what makes another popular kind of LCP, Kevlar, the material of choice for anti-ballistic armors.

For case fans, the impeller has such structural strength to hold its shape, that Noctua has reduced clearance between the impeller and the bore of the frame to under 1 mm, which helps guide all of the fan's airflow axially. Other design innovations to the impeller include channels that accelerate airflow toward the edges of the fan blades, and a stepped inlet structure toward the impeller hub that creates a pressure-differential, and guides the air better toward the impeller blades. The fan hub is metal reinforced, and the motor uses an SSO2 fan bearing. The frame of the fan, has integrated anti-vibration pads. Noctua plans to launch the next-gen 140 mm A-series case fan in Q1-2024.



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[freeagent]

Waiting for CFM and pressure ratings, the rest is just noise

 

[bonehead123]

Waiting for CFM and pressure ratings, the rest is just noise

AND non-fugggily colors too, hehehe

 

[Dristun]

Brown on beige is good. Black and white - not good! I hope they're taking the top spot with regards to performance/noise to justify the cost. I want my brown fans to be the best!

 

[Mr. Perfect]

Ah man, there's the corner of a graph of specs and performance in the background of the last picture. Anybody got the rest of it?

 

[VSG]

Ah man, there's the corner of a graph of specs and performance in the background of the last picture. Anybody got the rest of it?

TechPowerUp

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[Rubble]

The frame on these also appears to be made of LCP judging by the texture, Gamers Nexus has a great interview with them up on YT that came out recently that touches on the engineering of these a fair bit and its well worth the watch

 

[Ed_1]

 

[watzupken]

I really like the way Noctua pays a lot of attention to details and trying to make small changes improve their product. But a part of me cannot help but feel they may be taking too much time. So much so that their competitors have caught up with them when it comes to fan and heatsink and at a lower price point.

 

[Ed_1]

I really like the way Noctua pays a lot of attention to details and trying to make small changes improve their product. But a part of me cannot help but feel they may be taking too much time. So much so that their competitors have caught up with them when it comes to fan and heatsink and at a lower price point.

I agree, what they could of done is release the new D15 V2 with old fan and then have option for new when they come out in a yr.
I can see why the fans take so but but to hold other HS models back seems odd.

Unless the HS design changes so much that it needs the improved fans but I don't think thats the case as the improvement is less than 10%, total improvement (HS=fan).

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

Wish they'd make some white fans. I also think Noctua could make a lot of money if they made something akin to the Phanteks Halo frame, a noctua product that would give customers the option to add RGB if they want it....I get that it's probably considered heretical to many, and even to Noctua itself, but whereas I'll never spend $30+ per fan on a corsair RGB fan (or any corsair product for that matter), even the ones that claim to be top performers, I WOULD definitely consider spending that amount on a Noctua fan with RGB.

 

[ymdhis]

AND non-fugggily colors too, hehehe

Whatever for? It's inside the case, you see it once when you install it and once when you change components. For a normal person that averages to once a year.

 

[huggi]

So this will probably be the NF-A14x25 I guess? To be partnered with the already existing 120mm A12x25? Surprised how different the blade design is so that might mean the increase in size required a redesign of the blades to meet Noctua's standards rather than simply upscaling the A12x25... Also, the hub seems to be smaller now which is a good thing.

 

[Ed_1]

So this will probably be the NF-A14x25 I guess? To be partnered with the already existing 120mm A12x25? Surprised how different the blade design is so that might mean the increase in size required a redesign of the blades to meet Noctua's standards rather than simply upscaling the A12x25... Also, the hub seems to be smaller now which is a good thing.

In vid I posted above they talk of going from 120mm to 140mm, yeah you can't just scale size up, blade strength and flex come into play, especially by hub.

 

[TheDeeGee]

Impatiently awaiting the Chromax versions in 2025.

 

[RegaeRevaeb]

Whatever for? It's inside the case, you see it once when you install it and once when you change components. For a normal person that averages to once a year.

Many cases have TG sides with owners who have them facing in areas where they will see inside those PCs. And for many of the same owners, colour aesthetics matter (I'm not arguing for or against that -- just sayin').

There is an argument to be made about why Noctua doesn't just release Chromax Black fans concurrently with what I'll call 'classic' versions. During the first development of Chromax products, the company had to work out how to get that black while maintaining equal performance. But, it's years later and the line must be successful.

So, is it because Noctua doesn't want to cannibalize any 'classic' sales? Is it possible there isn't enough production capacity for Chromax as well at the get go? Is it both? Or is it Austrian outfit would prefer to spend its time considering Schrodinger's cat and won't walk and chew gum at the same time?

 

[freeagent]

To me, what they showed does not represent 8 years of work. I do not buy into their “mystique”.

8 years later and everyone is taking about a fan? Who cares about the fan, I care about the cooler, and it’s potential performance with a high performance fan.

 

[Mr. Perfect]

TechPowerUp

www.techpowerup.com

That's a helpful collection, thanks. Unfortunately, the little bit of graph in Noctua_029.jpg doesn't seem to have bee captured in full anywhere. Looks like a apples-to-apples comparison of the NF-A14 and the next-gen 140mm.

 

[bonehead123]

Many cases have TG sides with owners who have them facing in areas where they will see inside those PCs. And for many of the same owners, colour aesthetics matter (I'm not arguing for or against that -- just sayin').

^^THIS^^

I won't put no stinkin, smelly, butt-fuggily parts in me pc's, fans or otherwise, simply 'cause I would KNOW it was in there and would cringe/barf every time I looked inside the case, or worse, have to explain my poor choice to friends, colleagues, clients, and coworkers....

I can hear them now: "Hey man, cool looking rig, but why did you use those poop-colored fans ?"

End of story !

 

[progste]

I like how people ask for "non-fugly colors", then you look at their case and it's all black or rainbow barf.

 

[Wirko]

If those fans have liquid crystals inside, they should at least change colour according to temperature.

 

[Chrispy_]

Don't get me wrong, this will be a great fan, just like the A12x25 but they are so expensive like the other LCP models.

In most big fan review roundups, the much cheaper ring design solves the problem of minimising blade-tip clearance and fans like the CM Mobius or Arctic P12 Max get very close to the A12x25's in its niche as a good, quiet radiator fan, whilst also having higher peak performance and significantly lower costs.

I'd like to see Noctua ditch the LCP, and just add a ring to their new design - it clearly works for other manufacturers and I'll buy the Arctic P12 Max at 1/4 the price of an A12x25 Chromax, thanks. If I really need a quiet radiator fan, which is the one niche the A12x25 held for so long, I'll grab Phanteks T30 because they're higher flow and pressure per decibel than the A12x25 whilst being about $25 cheaper for three.

 

[mechtech]

Waiting for titanium noctua

sorry

 

[Minus Infinity]

Waiting for CFM and pressure ratings, the rest is just noise

I'm waiting for the massive price increase. Already costs $80 for a 140mm chromax fan in Australia. I'll bet we hit $100.

 

[Todestrieb]

I'm a desktop-under-desk-with-solid-panel guy, I understand the color scheme is divisive, but...

If someone questions "why brown fans !?!?!?!?" they probably don't know enough about DIY PCs, or they know enough to have their prefered brand of high-end/great budget fans... or they just hate the color scheme that much.

I proudly use a Noctua brown fan (S12A) as desk fan sitting beside my working monitor on my office desk, and only got questioned once (and it's not about color scheme), so I would doubt how many people would have the question "why brown fans !?!?!?!?" outside Internet forums.