Packaging and Accessories

If you have purchased a Noctua product or even seen one in the wild, the packaging here will immediately be familiar. As a part of their standard (aka non-redux, non-industrial) series of fans, the NF-A12x25 comes in relatively large packaging that uses the tan and brown color scheme to good effect. Indeed, we see a lot of information all over the product box as well—so much so that Noctua has two flaps, one on each side, for some more information. The flap at the front also reveals a plastic window to get a quick look at the fan inside, which also works well as a final QC check for the company and their retailers no doubt. Of interest here, at least to me, is the P-Q curve comparison Noctua makes to some of their own other fans, and those interested can take a look at it on their website here.


There are flaps and seals on the opening sides that help keep the contents in place, and we can see that Noctua has neatly packed up everything in a double plastic clamshell for further protection against shipping and handling mishaps. The cutout in the product box with the front flap open also reveals one of the silicone anti-vibration mounts, which is why you see it in a separate compartment as opposed to with the other three in the top compartment alongside other accessories that come included with the fan.


The provided accessories include an anti-vibration rubber gasket that helps seal it when up against a radiator, for example. It has nibs that are inserted into each of the four corners on the fan, which help with keeping it in place even before the fan is screwed in, so I appreciate this small and user-friendly touch. As mentioned before, we also get four rubber mounts (NA-AV2, for those keeping track of Noctua SKUs) for when using this as a case fan, and these more than suffice in keeping the fan in place when used correctly. Helping justify the price point are also three cables—a 30 cm long extension cable, 4-pin Y-splitter cable, and low-noise adapter (LNA) which reduces the rated speed of the fan from 2000 RPM to 1700 RPM, presumably via an in-line resistor. This is handy for those wanting a slightly quieter fan, which does help if you have no means to control said fan. All included cables come sleeved in a heatshrink application with all-black sleeving and terminals and a brown label I would rather Noctua not add since it takes things more to where it is an ad rather than a means of brand recognition inside of one's PC. There is also a quick note enclosed with a personal message from Noctua thanking the customer for the purchase (online version here).