The only thing wrong with this product is the optional rubber mounting plugs designed to replace the four mounting screws - they are impossible to get through the fan mounting holes. Apart from that, it's an excellent fan, it's very quiet, it works very well and it's exactly what I needed. Noctua products aren't cheap but the build quality is everything they claim. However I'd rather they left out the useless rubber mounts and didn't pack in extras like the dual fan extension cable that I'm not going to use because - wait for it - I only bought one fan and it's so quiet, there's really no need for it. Instead they could lower the price a little and keep their competitors further at bay. CCL delivered it early and I can't fault them.

Expensive but very good

This fan makes a perfect case rear exhaust, and works surprisingly well on higher-impedance applications, like aircooler heatsinks and liquid cooler radiators, as shown here: https://noctua.at/en/nf-a12x25-performance-comparison-to-nf-f12-and-nf-s12a Although when used as a radiator fan, the steep angle of attack of the impeller blades causes a fair bit of turbulence, which I guess you would expect given the dip in the PQ curve right around the impedance curve of the radiator. Another thing to keep in mind is that, due to the blades being mostly straight, the airflow has a wider dispersal when compared to fans with forward swept blades, like the NF-A12x25. This doesn't really matter in most applications, as restricting the intake side of an axial fans (like mounting ... MoreThis fan makes a perfect case rear exhaust, and works surprisingly well on higher-impedance applications, like aircooler heatsinks and liquid cooler radiators, as shown here: https://noctua.at/en/nf-a12x25-performance-comparison-to-nf-f12-and-nf-s12a Although when used as a radiator fan, the steep angle of attack of the impeller blades causes a fair bit of turbulence, which I guess you would expect given the dip in the PQ curve right around the impedance curve of the radiator. Another thing to keep in mind is that, due to the blades being mostly straight, the airflow has a wider dispersal when compared to fans with forward swept blades, like the NF-A12x25. This doesn't really matter in most applications, as restricting the intake side of an axial fans (like mounting it up against a filter) always widens dispersion, but its something I've noticed in my usage of this fan as a desk fan. The general performance characteristics of this fan is comparable to something like the Cryorig QF120, but as you would expect for a large price increase, this fan seems to be quieter when moving a similar amount of air, and the tone of the sound produced is less annoying for a couple of reasons:1. Smooth commutation (which the QF120 lacks), important at low speeds where the clicking sound of the torque impulses of the motor would be audible, and2. Less blades, which reduces the pitch of the blade passing tone, important at higher speeds. Turns a higher-pitched whine into a less annoying gentle hum.

Exudes quality, but not noise.

I used this to replace a stock exhaust fan in my Lian Li case. While not exactly loud, it was still the loudest fan in the case. I already replaced the stock intake fan with a Cougar CF-V14HB, because I don't like LED fans. The Cougar is also a bit quieter and moves more air. So, why this fan, which is PWM? Well, the case is a positive pressure design, with removable intake filters. That was a key requirement. I have used a similar case for another PC and found these features to be very effective at reducing dust buildup. However, to maintain the positive pressure characteristic, I wanted to keep the same ratio of CFM between the intake and exhaust fans. I figured that this fan should accomplish that at around 700 RPM, but I liked the idea that it would have ... MoreI used this to replace a stock exhaust fan in my Lian Li case. While not exactly loud, it was still the loudest fan in the case. I already replaced the stock intake fan with a Cougar CF-V14HB, because I don't like LED fans. The Cougar is also a bit quieter and moves more air. So, why this fan, which is PWM? Well, the case is a positive pressure design, with removable intake filters. That was a key requirement. I have used a similar case for another PC and found these features to be very effective at reducing dust buildup. However, to maintain the positive pressure characteristic, I wanted to keep the same ratio of CFM between the intake and exhaust fans. I figured that this fan should accomplish that at around 700 RPM, but I liked the idea that it would have headroom to blow more air, during those relatively rare times when the system is running under high load. At those times, I think it's more important to move more air than to maintain positive pressure. So long as it's for a relatively small % of the time, the impact on dust buildup should be negligible. I'm so pleased with the result, that I might even replace the Cougar intake fan with a 140 mm Noctua fixed-RPM fan! BTW, my mobo has plenty of PWM headers. You should check whether yours has any 4-pin headers for the fan you're replacing (assuming you're not using a separate fan controller). Otherwise, you can save a little money and just go with a fixed-RPM version.

Great case fan!

-Highly recommend as a case fan. (Quiet, decent airflow, low static pressure) -If you are looking for a radiator/heatsink fan, look at the P12 or F12 models. They have much higher static pressure. -Was replacing old Lian Li case fans, these are keeping my case about 2°C cooler on average, for what my uncalibrated ear sensor says is a little less than half the noise. :) -I would love if Noctua offered some other color scheme option(s)...my wife: "whoa, it looks like it came out of a diaper, how much did you pay for those?" -(Later: "wow, those are really quiet! Fans make that big of a difference?" Ha.)

Indeed premium product

This is truly a premium product. I think it is impossible to find and buy a fan for a computer case, for a power supply unit that will be better than this. Even when you see how this product is packaged, you realize that every dollar you pay for it pays off. It even seems to me that this fan is not expensive. It is very high quality, beautiful, with a unique color. The bearing technology is advanced, several very useful cables and mounts are included. And most importantly, the fan is quiet and very efficient. I replaced it with the factory fan of my desktop computer power supply. I used the Low-Noise Adapter (L.N.A.) cable from the package to lower the rpm to 900-1000 per minute and the fan is almost inaudible. I am truly very satisfied.

Just what I was hoping for

Great fan! If you are looking for something quiet, this is a good choice. I replaced three NZXT fans and a Cooler Master that were about 6 years old and had worn out. The difference in noise level is incredible. Where my old setup sounded like a jet turbine, now I can actually have a conversation in the same room as my computer. No longer do my friends comment on a weird noise coming through my headset while gaming. Seriously, these fans are great and worth the price.

Man, as these fans quiet!

I recently built a new system (ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4 board, Ryzen 5 3600 (stock clock), 16GB Crucial Ballastix DDR4-3200, WD SN550 NVMe 1TB SSD, AMD RX560 4GB video, Fractal Design Focus G case). The Fractal Design case came w/ two pre-mounted 120mm fans. I expect to have this system for a while, and didn't hesitate to spend the $$ for Noctua fans. I ended up getting three Noctua NF-S12A PWM fans, along w/ an Arctic Cooling Freezer 34 eSports cpu cooler. Along w/ the Corsair RM650X p.s., this thing is practically inaudible. You certainly don't buy these fans for their appearance, but then appearances don't provide quiet cooling.

Noctua = Silent!

Overall, the NF-S12A PWM fan is a premium fan and comes with a premium price tag but that is to be expected from a company such as Noctua that is specialized in creating high quality cooling components. Holding the fan in your hand easily shows that a lot of R&D has been put into designing this fan and I love the fact that it comes with a lot of useful accessories that you could ever want in a fan. It is crafted with high quality materials built to last a long time and is dead silent even at full speed. The 6 year warranty clearly speaks for itself and you are guaranteed that it will last you a long time. Also, another thing to note is that if you have a radiator and aren't satisfied with the temps you are getting then buying two of these fans (depending how large ... MoreOverall, the NF-S12A PWM fan is a premium fan and comes with a premium price tag but that is to be expected from a company such as Noctua that is specialized in creating high quality cooling components. Holding the fan in your hand easily shows that a lot of R&D has been put into designing this fan and I love the fact that it comes with a lot of useful accessories that you could ever want in a fan. It is crafted with high quality materials built to last a long time and is dead silent even at full speed. The 6 year warranty clearly speaks for itself and you are guaranteed that it will last you a long time. Also, another thing to note is that if you have a radiator and aren't satisfied with the temps you are getting then buying two of these fans (depending how large your radiator is) will drop the temp of your CPU. Not only that but it will also be whisper quiet even under full load. I highly recommend the NF-S12A PWM fan to anyone who wants the best fan on the market. If you have the cash to spend on a high quality fan, then I definitely recommend you get a few of these bad boys because it will make a big difference in the end. I know the color scheme might not be the best thing about this fan but don't let that fool you because this is an amazing fan.

Perfect

I was looking for a pair of replacement fans to go in a PC that I planning to build. My current fans are quite noisy when running and so I was looking for a quiet alternative with a good air flow amount.These fans are exactly what I was looking for they run pretty much silent at all times and move a decent volume of air even when running at low speeds. The fans include a low noise adapter which essentially limits the fans top speed to 900RPM which means I don't need to set this in software.I would highly recommend these fans if you are looking for a quiet and efficient upgrade.