Noctua Redux "Cost-Optimized" Silent Fans
Linus Tech Tips
·Linus Tech Tips
·2015-05-07
·
993 words · ~4 min read
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okay so it hasn't exactly been a long time since we've covered a new lineup of
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fans from Noctua but there's nothing I can do about the fact that they launched
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two whole lineups at the same time if there were I'd have used my awesome
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powers to get all this stuff released years ago anyway last time was the water
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and dust resistant all black top-of-the-line and very expensive
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industrial PPC lineup and this time we've got the products that some of you
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might actually be able to afford this is
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the D
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lineup with its Factory tuning and data center DNA an Intel 730 series SSD is an
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amazing choice for gamers and performance enthusiasts now with the Redux line
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nocta has at least partially addressed the two biggest complaints that exist
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about the regular pc cooling fans number one is the price Redux fans come in
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basic costeffective packaging and instead of including accessories like
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adapter cables and anti vibration rubber mounts they ship with just a fan and
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four mounting screws in the box number two is the color compared to noa's
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traditional Brown and tan look Redux fans use a muted two-tone gray color
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scheme that should be much much less polarizing so what else is different
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well the biggest difference between Noctua regular retail fans and the Redux
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lineup is basically time travel you still get a six-year warranty and
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premium build quality but instead of using the latest designs like the n12
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and nf14 Redux lineup products are a
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generation or two back in terms of technology and features and you also
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don't get the same Variety in the models with only one blade design available in
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each size 80 mm 92 mm 120 mm and 140 mm
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although the 140 mm version is available
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with either a round or a square frame
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okay so that's great more affordable a
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fans this is super exciting right lonus actually overall I'd say my reaction to
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the Redux Series right now could be best described as a little bit disappointed
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it feels like no TOA carefully considered the requests they were
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getting from their customers and then didn't quite fully addressed them to
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avoid cannibalizing sales of their existing products on its own the
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two-tone gray color scheme is definitely way better than the traditional Brown
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and tan one but it still doesn't really match anything and you don't get that I
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mean For Better or For Worse what Noctua has done over the last few years is they've built up that status symbol of
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Noctua fans and how they look and you it's like Buckley it tastes awful but it
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works that kind of thing so you don't get that either and on top of that at
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least at the time of making this video the product lineup is so narrow that
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only a handful of PCS could be properly
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optimized using all Redux fans Noctua
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does address all the main sizes and they let you choose between DC or pwm control
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for most models but a couple of key things are missing here for me there's
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no airflow optimized 140 mm model
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something I don't really care about that much but much more importantly they
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didn't include a pressure optimized 120
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mm model they could have done this the NFP 12 is a last gen design and would
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have made the Redux lineup something I could wholeheartedly recommend while
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still giving the brown fans a small performance Advantage but as it is our
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only only option is the S12 which is still a good fan and very silent in free
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flowing situations but quite frankly isn't very good against a restrictive
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grill heat sink or radiator so there it is Noctua I still
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love you but I'm a little bit disappointed in these the quality might
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be great they might still have the six-year warranty and the all that stuff
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that I love so much about your products but they still won't look great in my
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system they're still pretty expensive compared to other fans and I don't feel
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like I can properly equip my system I mean this is the big one I don't feel
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like I can properly equip my system with them because my only 12mm option may be
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quiet but it will perform poorly in many situations and I just can't recommend
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kiding out your rig with Redux series fans until there's a pressure optimized
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120 mm model although I guess the
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positive takeaway from all of this is that all Noctua has to do to completely
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fix the Redux lineup for me is bring out one more model so if if there's an NFP
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12 Redux by the time you watch this video then consider my main complaint
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resolved otherwise all those things I just said I won't make you sit through
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them again thank you guys very much for watching my video on knua Redux series
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of fans like the video if you liked it dislike it if you disliked it leave a comment letting me know what you think
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am I overreacting about this does it matter to you tell me what you think of
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the Redux series I desperately want to know because my opinion is just my
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opinion and then I think there are other things I say right head over to the
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