Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC Review: The Best Just Got Better
Introduction
Noctua was founded in 2005 and since then, they have taken the silent enthusiasts' hearts by storm and have released high quality products one after another. Noctua has gained a lot of respect in the enthusiasts market for making some of the most advanced and well engineered CPU coolers and fans on the market.
We recently reviewed the NH-D15 which is the successor to the legendary NH-D14 and it performed exceptionally well and received our Elite Award. Noctua's new flagship CPU cooler currently holds the cooling performance crown in our bench tests and you can read our review of the Noctua NH-D15 here.
A few weeks ago Noctua introduced two new fan product lines, the industrialPPC and redux fans. Noctua has sent us reviews samples of all of their new fans but in this review we will specifically focus on the NF-A14 iPPC 3000 and 2000RPM PWM versions. We will focus on the redux line on the next review since they are built for completely different purposes than the industrialPPC line. The redux line is geared more towards budget oriented users while the industrialPPC line is more for users who require enhanced cooling performance and superior pressure capacity.
The NF-A14 industrialPPC (Protected Performance Cooling) fans are a sophisticated version of the popular NF-A14 fans. As you can see, the industrialPPC fans are not in the usual color scheme that we have come to know from Noctua but instead in this new majestic black and brown color scheme. The industrialPPC fans are conceived for industrial heavy duty applications so Noctua has made them entirely from fibre-glass reinforced polyamide construction. They are also water and dust proof certified which makes the industrialPPC fans an ideal choice for highly demanding applications that require superior flow rates and ultimate dependability.
The NF-A14 industrialPPC fans are designed to be case fans but that doesn't mean we can't test them on a CPU cooler.
I know the majority of the people will use them for case fans which is why I decided to test them on a CPU cooler.
So with that being said, we will be creating two sets of configurations by using the NH-D15 heatsink.
For our first configuration, we will be using the NH-D15 heatsink with two NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM fans and the other two NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM fans for our second configuration.
Since Noctua has widened the fin stack in the NH-D15, the new industrialPPC fans will fit in nicely.
So let's find out if the NF-A14 industrialPPC fans are another high quality product from Noctua.
Technical Specifications
| NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Size: | 140x140x25 mm | Connector: | 4-pin PWM |
| Bearing: | SSO2 |
| Blade Geometry: | A Series With Flow Acceleration Channels |
| Frame Technology: | AAO |
| Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): | 3000 RPM |
| Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%): | 800 RPM |
| Airflow: | 269,3 m³/h |
| Acoustical Noise: | 41,3 dB(A) |
| Static Pressure: | 10,52 mm H2O |
| Max. Input Power: | 6,6 W |
| Max. Input Current: | 0,55 A |
| Voltage: | 12 V |
| MTBF: | > 150.000 h |
| Scope of Delivery: | Fan 4 Fan Screws |
| Warranty: | Fan 6 Years |
| Ingress Protection: | IP52 |
| Material: | Fibre-glass Reinforced Polyamide |
| Motor type: | Three-phase |
| NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Size: | 140x140x25 mm | Connector: | 4-pin PWM |
| Bearing: | SSO2 |
| Blade Geometry: | A Series With Flow Acceleration Channels |
| Frame Technology: | AAO |
| Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): | 2000 RPM |
| Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%): | 500 RPM |
| Airflow: | 182,5 m³/h |
| Acoustical Noise: | 31,5 dB(A) |
| Static Pressure: | 4,18 mm H2O |
| Max. Input Power: | 2,16 W |
| Max. Input Current: | 0,18 A |
| Voltage: | 12 V |
| MTBF: | > 150.000 h |
| Scope of Delivery: | Fan 4 Fan Screws |
| Warranty: | Fan 6 Years |
| Ingress Protection: | IP52 |
| Material: | Fibre-glass Reinforced Polyamide |
| Motor type: | Three-phase |
Packaging & Accessories
The Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC fans come packaged in a very attractive premium box that utilizes the new black and brown color scheme of Noctua's industrialPPC fan line-up. I have said this many times before and I'll say it again now, Noctua is hard to beat when it comes to packaging and the packaging of the industrialPPC fans defiantly has an even more premium feel to it. The majority of the fans that you can purchase come in a cheap plastic box but Noctua takes that a step further by making sure their packaging is just as good as the product itself.
When opening up the package, you are presented with a sturdy cardboard box that securely holds the fan in place and four screws. Noctua always includes a ton of accessories with their products but this time don't expect to find more than that.
Noctua has tried to keep the cost as low as possible by not including their traditional accessories such as the Low-Noise-Adapter or Y-Pin cable.
But nevertheless, the overall feel of the packaging feels premium like always.
Noctua has also introduced two new sets of accessories to go with the new industrialPPC fans.
You can choose to upgrade your industrialPPC fans with anti-vibration mounts by purchasing the NA-SAV2 accessory set or you can purchase the NA-SRC7 accessory set for extra Low-Noise Adaptors.
The NA-SAV2 accessory set consists of twenty NA-AV2 Anti-Vibration Mounts for up to five fans. I personally use the anti-vibration mounts in all of my builds since they allow for a convenient and vibration-free installation of fans. The other accessory set that Noctua has introduced is the NA-SRC7 which consists of three fully sleeved NA-RC7 Low-Noise-Adaptors. If you are building a quiet computer and want to reduce the running speed and noise emission of the fans then the NA-SRC7 set will come in handy.
Fan Design
You might look at the NF-A14 industrialPPC fans and think that they are the same as the regular NF-A14 fans but just in a different color scheme. And that's where you are wrong because the color scheme isn't the only thing that's different in these fans so let's talk a little bit about the internal design that has gone into making the NF-A14 industrialPPC fans.
The biggest difference between the NF-A14 industrialPPC fans and the regular Noctua fans is the introduction of the new three-phase motor design. The three-phase motor design is able to provide smoother transitions and thus allowing for even higher running smoothness while reducing vibrations and lowering power consumption.
The NF-A14 industrialPPC fans with three-phase motors are up to 10% more efficient than the standard NF-A14 fans when it comes to power consumption. The standard NF-A14 requires about 2.25W to run at 2000RPM whereas the NF-A14 industrialPPC version requires only 2.0W to run at the same speed.
The second biggest difference is the material that Noctua has used on the industrialPPC fans. Noctua's standard fans are made from fibre-glass reinforced PBT while the industrialPPC fans are made entirely from fibre-glass reinforced polyamide. This is a much more stronger material that can withstand temperatures of up to 140°C and makes the fans even more robust and break-proof.
Another difference is the custom designed PWM IC with SCD. The NF-A14 industrialPPC uses Noctua’s custom designed NE-FD2 PWM IC which integrates Noctua’s proprietary Smooth Commutation Drive (SCD) technology, which suppresses PWM switching noises and thus makes the fan quieter at lower speeds.
The NE-FD2 can withstand a maximum operating temperature of 130°C which makes it suitable for IP67 standard fans that have the entire motor and PCB cast in resin for ultimate water and dust protection. If the temperature exceeds 130°, the NE-FD2 will automatically shut down to prevent damage and re-start when operating temperatures are safe again. These features are what makes the NF-A14 industrialPPC fans ideal for industrial environments such as automotive industries, aeronautics or home appliances where energy efficiency is a key factor.
Test Setup & Methodology
| Test Setup | |
|---|---|
| Processor: | Intel i7 3770K @ 4.6GHz 1.30v |
| Motherboard: | Asus Sabertooth Z77 |
| RAM: | Kingston HyperX 8GB @ 1866 MHz |
| Graphics Card: | EVGA GTX 680 |
| Storage: | Samsung 840 Pro 256GB |
| Power Supply: | Antec Earth Watts 650W |
| Case: | Antec Nine Hundred |
| OS: | Windows 7 64Bit |
| Thermal Compound: | Noctua NT-H1 |
| Heatsinks: | Noctua NH-D15 (2x NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWN) Noctua NH-D15 (2x NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWN) Noctua NH-D15 Noctua NH-D14 Noctua NH-U14S Noctua NH-U12S Noctua NH-C14 Noctua NH-C12P SE14 Noctua NH-U9B SE2 Corsair H100i Corsair H80i Corsair H60 Corsair H55 Cooler Master Hyper 212+ Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Scythe Mugen 3B Phanteks PH-TC14PE Phanteks PH-TC12DX NZXT Respire T20 NZXT Respire T40 BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme |
Noctua has given us two of each NF-A14 iPPC 3000/2000RPM PWM model to test on the NH-D15 so with that being said, we will be creating two configurations.
Our first configuration is going to be the NH-D15 heatsink with two NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM fans and the second one will be with two NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM fans.
This way we should be able to see the difference these fans make over the stock fans that come with the NH-D15 and how they perform overall.
And here's an image that I took of the NH-D15 heatsink with two NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM fans on it.
We know that the NH-D15 with stock fans is more than capable of dissipating a ton of heat but since the NF-A14 industrialPPC fans come with 2000 and 3000RPM variations, it should be able to dissipate even more heat and get even lower temperatures under load. We will be testing these new fans the same way that we tested the NH-D15 and that's with our regular system setup. We will be overclocking our Intel Core i7-3770K to 4.6Ghz with using around 1.30 volts. This will be a good way to test these premium fans because we all know that Ivy Bridge runs super hot once overclocked and it really puts a lot of stress into any modern CPU cooler that's out there.
All of the testing is done with an ambient temperature of ~19C. RealTemp will be used to monitor the temperature of the CPU and Prime95 (Large FFTs) will be used to deliver the full load to the CPU for 20 minutes. After each testing, we let the temperature inside the case to stabilize for 10 minutes to ensure that the temperature inside the case is back to normal. This is something that many reviewers take for granted when testing CPU coolers and believe it or not, it makes a world of difference.
Idle temperatures will be measured after leaving the computer idle for 20 minutes. CPU-Z will be used to verify the CPU speed and the voltage being used in Windows 7. Also, the coolers are tested with the default settings (Turbo, C1E etc) enabled in the BIOS.
We will measure the noise levels for both in idle and load using a dBA meter and point it at the computer at a distance of ~50 CM. It's always difficult to measure noise levels because there are always noises in the background which can affect it so the results may not be 100% precise but it should give you a clear indication of the noise levels for the cooler.
We will rank the NF-A14 industrialPPC fans from highest to lowest by their fan speed, fan size and Airflow. Fan speed and fan size help determine the thermal transfer and noise level of the fan. The Airflow of the fan is measured in CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) and the higher the CFM value, the more air the fan is moving but also the higher the dB.
One thing that I have to say before the test is that I'm using 1.30 volts for the overclock but you clearly don't need 1.30 volts to get the 3770K stable at 4.6Ghz but I'm doing this to stress test the cooler to its limits. You can easily get it stable with using ~1.25 volts and you will probably get much better temperatures than I did so keep that in mind.
Fan Speed, Fan Size & Airflow
In the chart above we have sorted all the CPU coolers from highest to lowest by their fan speed.
From all the CPU coolers that we have in our lab, our first configured NH-D15 with two NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM sits at the top with the highest fan speed.
Our second configured NH-D15 with two NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM sits next to the Cooler Master Hyper 212+/EVO.
Noctua ships the NH-D15 with two NF-A15 PWM fans that spin at a maximum of 1500 RPM so these new NF-A14 iPPC fans should be a nice boost over the stock fans that come with the NH-D15.
This chart should give you an idea of the different fan speeds that come with each cooler.
In the chart below we have sorted each CPU cooler from highest to lowest by the fan size in millimetres.
This chart is pretty self-explanatory but it should give you an idea of the different fan sizes that come with each cooler.
The new NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000/2000RPM PWM fans from Noctua are the same size as the fans that ship with the NH-D15 so they will fit perfectly with the NH-D15 if you decide to replace them.
In the chart below we have sorted each CPU cooler from highest to lowest by the maximum amount of airflow they move in CFM without using the L.N.A/U.L.N.A adapters.
Noctua's NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM is the only fan that we have in our lab that moves a staggering 159 CFM airflow. The NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM fan on the other hand moves 108 CFM airflow which is still a big difference over the stock fans that come with the NH-D15 that move 83 CFM airflow.
Thermal & Noise Level Results
Looking at the chart above, we can see that our first configured NH-D15 with two NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM offers the best idle temperature out of all. The NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWN fan idles at 800RPM while the NF-A15 PWM fan idles at only 300RPM. Our second configured NH-D15 with two NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM offers the same idle temperature as the stock NH-D15. The NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM fan idles at 500RPM which is a little bit higher than the NF-A15 PWM's 300RPM. So far I'm very impressed with the new NF-A14 industrialPPC fans!
Let's now move on to the load temperatures to see how Noctua's NF-A14 industrialPPC fans perform against the stock fans that come with the NH-D15.
Looking at the full load temperatures, our first configured NH-D15 with two NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM manages to shock us by providing a 4 Celsius difference over the stock fans that come with the NH-D15. Our second configured NH-D15 with two NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM still manages to impress us by providing a 2 Celsius difference over the stock fans of the NH-D15. This chart shows exactly what Noctua's NF-A14 industrialPPC fans are truly capable of. The NH-D15 with the stock fans is more than enough for anything but the NF-A14 iPPC fans are completely on a different league than the NF-A15 PWM.
Now let's look at the noise levels for both idle and load.
Since these fans spin a little bit higher than the NF-A15 PWM fans that come with the NH-D15, they are also a little bit louder.
According to my measurements, the NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM fans were about 2 dBA louder and NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM fans were about 3 dBA louder than the NF-A15 PWM fans in idle.
You defiantly feel the extra noise from the industrialPPC fans over the NF-A15 PWM fans but it's not a deal breaker to be honest.
Anything below ~40 dBA is considered to be silent and the industrialPPC fans stay well below that.
Let's now move on to the noise levels for full load to see how much louder the industrialPPC fans are over the NF-A15 PWM fan.
Under full load, the NF-A14 iPPC-2000RPM PWM is, give or take, about 3 dBA louder than the NH-D15 with stock fans.
The NF-A14 iPPC-3000RPM PWM on the other hand is about 6 dBA louder which is a little bit louder than what we were expecting but nevertheless,
it's still very impressive for it's 3000RPM speed. Unless you are trying extremely hard to hear the fans spinning then you won't be bothered by them.
With all those being said, let's now go to the next page where we will wrap this review up.
Conclusion
Noctua's industrialPPC line is conceived for industrial heavy duty applications and the use of the three-phase motor design is able to provide superior airflow and pressure capacity while keeping noise levels and power consumption as low as possible.
The industrialPPC line is made entirely from fibre-glass reinforced polyamide which means it can withstand temperatures of up to 140°C. Noctua's industrialPPC fans are also water and dust proof certified which makes the NF-A14 industrialPPC fans suitable for operation in challenging environments.
Before the release of the industrialPPC fans, most people complained about the color scheme that Noctua used on their fans and now you don't have to any more.
I personally didn't have an issue with the previous color scheme but the new brown and black color scheme is so much better and sexier.
Hopefully this will put a stop to all the users who want to use Noctua fans but at the same time don't want to due to the color scheme.
As we saw, Noctua's NF-A14 industrialPPC fans performed exceptionally well in our cooling performance tests and were able to drop the temperature even more over the stock fans that come with the NH-D15.
The NH-D15 with stock fans is a beast but the NF-A14 industrialPPC fans make it a monster that can't be defeated.
Pros:
+ Stunning Performance
+ Exquisite Build Quality
+ Three-Phase Motor
+ Gorgeous Packaging
+ Majestic Color Scheme
+ High Static Pressure
+ 40cm Cable Length
+ 6 Year Warranty
Cons:
- Price
Overall, Noctua has done a superb job designing the industrialPPC fans and as always, the packaging is as premium as it can get.
I usually nitpick when I'm reviewing products but this time I could not think of anything bad about the NF-A14 iPPC fans.
The new Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC fans are hands down the best fans that I have ever tested and believe it or not, I have tested the majority of the fans that are out there but never been as impressed as the new NF-A14 industrialPPC fans from Noctua.
I strongly recommend the new NF-A14 industrialPPC fans from Noctua if you want the highest quality fans that you can buy.
The customer service is a bonus if you ask me because if the fans ever stop working, Noctua will send you new ones free of charge!
The Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC fans retail for $35.00 for the 3000RPM model and $30 for 2000RPM version.
Beware, these are not necessarily cheap but are also not that expensive if you compare them to other high end fans.
The price might be a little bit steep but in my opinion they are worth every penny because you are getting a high quality product that performs just as you would expect and on top of that, you have a 6 year warranty.
You know you are getting a high quality product when it has the Noctua name on the package.
We strongly recommend the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC fans to anyone who's looking for the best of the best.
Noctua continues to release high quality products so with all that being said, we are proud to give both the NF-A14 iPPC-3000 and 2000RPM PWM fans our Gold Award.
Final Score 9.9
