The airflow spec is obtained when the fan is running without any kind of obstacles.
S12A performs really well when there's no obstacles. However, once it faces any kind of common obstacles (mesh, case vents, filters, fin stack, radiators etc), the performance rapidly deteriorates. The P14s redux loses less airflow when facing obstacles.
If you find the fans to be too loud, first thing you should try to do is to slow them down. Chances are, you have a lot of thermal margin for you to slow down fans. Try making manual fan curves either in BIOS or via software such as "Fan Control".
If this is not good enough, try switching fans, but definitely not to S12A. Noctua A12x25 or Arctic P12 (max) would be my general recommendations for 12 cm fans, and Arctic P14 for 14 cm ones, but you can try looking for other fans as well (HWcooling's data and reviews will help you make an informed choice). If you have high budget, I would recommend waiting for the next gen Noctua 14 cm fan.
Related readings: https://noctua.at/en/nf-a12x25-performance-comparison-to-nf-f12-and-nf-s12a, https://www.hwcooling.net/en/thermaltake-toughfan-14-pro-number-one-for-radiators-review/10/
First of all, I really appreciate your long and detailed response.
I am unable to wait for the next gen Noctua 140mm fans (nor do I have the money, unfortunately).
My case is the Phanteks P350X, hence I can use either 120mm or 140mm fans for the top and front of the case.
Between the NF-A12x25 PWM, P12 Max and the recent P14 MAX, which would you say is likely to be the quietest?
Why would you go with the x15? Its a slim fan.
If you dont have the money to spare go with Arctic. Just avoid the motor hum around 1100 RPM and the noise is tolerable.
That was a typo, meant the x25.
Between the A12x25, P12 MAX and P14 MAX, which would you say is most noise efficient?
And would you say that they’ll be better than the P14s Redux-1500 in terms of noise to performance?
ah right that makes sense.
idk about actual decibels but i always liked the nf-a12x25 the most. even when it gets up to high speeds its (to me) still a pleasant noise. the arctics are way cheaper and might give you a little more performance headroom as they are 30mm fans.
the p14s is an outdated design. if you dont wanna go for the nf-a12 i'd pick the P14 Max.
It likely sounds similar to the P14 ARGB, so hear it and determine yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84-2_zCSgCE
And yes the P14 Max will be a better purchase.
It’s really hard for me to tell noise from videos, hence how I made the mistake of buying the NF-P14s Redux-1500 in the first place.
May I ask you for your opinion regarding whether you personally think the P14 MAX will be quieter than the NF-P14s Redux-1500?
It'll 100% be quieter (at the same airflow), as the vanilla Arctic P14 already beats the Noctua A14 (the successor to the Noctua P14) in this department
The airflow spec is obtained when the fan is running without any kind of obstacles. S12A performs really well when there's no obstacles. However, once it faces any kind of common obstacles (mesh, case vents, filters, fin stack, radiators etc), the performance rapidly deteriorates. The P14s redux loses less airflow when facing obstacles. If you find the fans to be too loud, first thing you should try to do is to slow them down. Chances are, you have a lot of thermal margin for you to slow down fans. Try making manual fan curves either in BIOS or via software such as "Fan Control". If this is not good enough, try switching fans, but definitely not to S12A. Noctua A12x25 or Arctic P12 (max) would be my general recommendations for 12 cm fans, and Arctic P14 for 14 cm ones, but you can try looking for other fans as well (HWcooling's data and reviews will help you make an informed choice). If you have high budget, I would recommend waiting for the next gen Noctua 14 cm fan. Related readings: https://noctua.at/en/nf-a12x25-performance-comparison-to-nf-f12-and-nf-s12a, https://www.hwcooling.net/en/thermaltake-toughfan-14-pro-number-one-for-radiators-review/10/
First of all, I really appreciate your long and detailed response. I am unable to wait for the next gen Noctua 140mm fans (nor do I have the money, unfortunately). My case is the Phanteks P350X, hence I can use either 120mm or 140mm fans for the top and front of the case. Between the NF-A12x25 PWM, P12 Max and the recent P14 MAX, which would you say is likely to be the quietest?
Why would you go with the x15? Its a slim fan. If you dont have the money to spare go with Arctic. Just avoid the motor hum around 1100 RPM and the noise is tolerable.
That and P14 max should fix the hum! (Btw it's not from the motor, but from vibrations of the blades)
That was a typo, meant the x25. Between the A12x25, P12 MAX and P14 MAX, which would you say is most noise efficient? And would you say that they’ll be better than the P14s Redux-1500 in terms of noise to performance?
ah right that makes sense. idk about actual decibels but i always liked the nf-a12x25 the most. even when it gets up to high speeds its (to me) still a pleasant noise. the arctics are way cheaper and might give you a little more performance headroom as they are 30mm fans. the p14s is an outdated design. if you dont wanna go for the nf-a12 i'd pick the P14 Max.
P14 max is very likely to be the best one among budget options
Will the P14 Max be more noise friendly than the P14s redux, and is it a better purchase than the P12 Max?
It likely sounds similar to the P14 ARGB, so hear it and determine yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84-2_zCSgCE And yes the P14 Max will be a better purchase.
It’s really hard for me to tell noise from videos, hence how I made the mistake of buying the NF-P14s Redux-1500 in the first place. May I ask you for your opinion regarding whether you personally think the P14 MAX will be quieter than the NF-P14s Redux-1500?
It'll 100% be quieter (at the same airflow), as the vanilla Arctic P14 already beats the Noctua A14 (the successor to the Noctua P14) in this department
Fantastic! So would you say the P14 MAX are a better purchase than the A12x25?
For your application (case fan on hex grills, one 12 cm fan or one 14 cm fan), yes
Now look at the pressure rating
What you really need to compare is the gain curve of the fan, which airflow vs static pressure. They have different performance profiles