Noctua NV-FS1 test – a fan set from the Home series

Noctua is particularly well-known in the PC sector for high-quality coolers and fans. But fans can of course also be used elsewhere. Noctua has already presented prototypes of this set in various versions at Computex 2018 and 2019 – and now, a few years later, has actually released them. That’s quite a long time from the first presentable concept to the actual release. However, Noctua is known for preferring to take its time and only bringing products to market when they are truly mature. In the Noctua NV-FS1 test, we take a look at the finished desktop fan and analyze the possible applications. And also components from the set that can be purchased separately.

Specifications

Packaging and scope of delivery

• Functional design with yellow accents
• Power supply unit and accessories are located under the fan set, not in their own box

At first glance, the packaging of the Noctua NV-FA1 looks similar to the typical chromax.black packaging from Noctua, but there are also yellow accents here. When you open the box, you look directly into the airflow amplifier of the Noctua NV-FS1 set. If you lift up the next cover, you can see the complete fan set.

Unlike usual, the accessories are not in their own box, but sit underneath the fan set.

Apart from this, there is a protective film on the front of the fan grille, which should be removed for the best look.

Design

• Very present airflow amplifier
• Contrary to the usual Noctua appearance, the set is black

The Noctua NV-FS1 fan set has a very characteristic design. The fan and fan grille are attached to the base. The airflow amplifier, which is important from a visual and functional point of view, is screwed onto this. In this case, the typical Noctua color scheme has been dispensed with and everything has been brought to market in black. This means that not only is the 120 mm Noctua NF-A12x25 fan used in the chromax.black version, but the add-on parts are also completely black.

Of course, the airflow booster is particularly striking for the appearance, as it ensures that the air is bundled and thus pushed further at a narrower angle.

Processing quality

• Very high processing quality
• chromax.black version of the popular Noctua NF-A12x25
• No possibility of accidentally reaching into the fan blades

As you would expect from Noctua, the build quality is very high. And in this price range, you probably wouldn’t want to accept anything else. Apart from the color, the fan is identical to the model already tested here. In a nutshell: This is a top-of-the-range fan that delivers a particularly good balance of noise and performance, and it was one of the first fan models whose fan blades are made of a liquid crystal polymer so that the shape does not change even after years of use.

Apart from the fan, the set consists of other parts that are also of high quality. Although the airflow amplifier is made of plastic, it has a high-quality finish and feels good thanks to its structure.

The base and the fan grille are made of robust metal, whereby the fan grille also has a certain distance to the fan blades in order to minimize noise development.

Structure and assembly

• Fairly complex system of cables and adapters for use
• Power supply unit is compatible with all standard power connections worldwide
• Use of standard fans and corresponding fan controller

Some parts of the Noctua NV-FS1 are already pre-assembled. One of these is the fan NF-A12x25 chromax.black PWM*, which is attached to the pivoting fan bracket NV-FM1*, while a fan grille NA-FG1-12* sits on the intake side to protect the fingers. The airflow amplifier NV-AA1-12* is located on the side into which the air is blown. In between is the sealing lip NA-SAVG1*.

The power supply unit NV-PS1*, which is included in the scope of delivery, must be plugged in for the power supply. As this power supply can be used worldwide, you must first attach the appropriate plug. Now the adapter must be fitted from the hollow plug to the 4-pin PWM connector. The Noctua NV-FA1 can then be put into operation. However, two further parts are supplied that can be used. Apart from a 1 meter long PWM extension cable, this is the fan controller NA-FC1*. This can now be used to control the speed of the fan to reduce it as required in order to achieve a lower volume or lower air pressure.

Control

• Control via the small fan controller
• Selectable whether the fan stops at low speed or continues to run

The Noctua NV-FS1 is controlled via the NA-FC1 fan controller supplied. This has a small controller which is used to regulate the speed. This ranges from absolute standstill to full fan speed.

The tiny rotary control in the middle determines the speed. Turned all the way to the left, the fan stops and all the way to the right it runs at full power. If you don’t want the fan to stop, you can press the small button under the control dial. This causes the fan to continue rotating at low speed, regardless of how low it is set. This makes the fan set completely quiet and still has an effect.

The controller is quite small and some of the plugs have slipped out a bit easily. It would be cool to have better protection for the connected cables. During the Noctua NV-FS1 test, these occasionally slipped out. Often only partially, so that the cables still looked connected, but in practice the fan no longer turned. This is also a problem with the many individual parts, adapters and extension cables plugged into each other.

If you leave the NA-FC1 out of the setup, the set still works well, but the fan will of course always turn at full power.

Test of the Noctua NV-FM1 fan mount

• Fan bracket can be positioned, magnetically mounted, screwed on or attached with cable ties
• Adjustable angle of the fan
• Also compatible with 140 mm fans

One of the core components of the Noctua NV-FS1 in this test, as well as being available to buy separately (€ 39.90 *), is the fan bracket. And there are different ways to use it. On the one hand, you can simply place it on the desk as a base for the fan. However, the holes in the base plate also allow the fan bracket to be attached with cable ties or even screwed down. The Noctua NV-FS1 even comes with screws and dowels for this purpose.

Last but not least, a few fairly strong magnets are used. This means that the complete fan set can also be attached to magnetic surfaces. This could be a computer case, for example, but also household appliances or steel brackets.

In addition to use in the above-mentioned form, a 140 mm fan can also be mounted instead of a 120 mm fan. Of course, the airflow amplifier will not fit in this case, but if you simply want to place a fan on your desk, you may not need the increased range at all. To do this, the two knurled screws at the bottom of each side must be loosened in order to move the brackets outwards and screw them tight again. However, the magnets are loose, which makes moving them a little more difficult. But you can also remove the magnets if necessary.

If you want to buy the NV-FM1 fan mount outside of the set, you can also easily mount 120 mm or 140 mm fans from other brands, which can be cheaper if you already have unused fans lying around. Overall, however, the individual price of the Noctua NV-FM1 is very high.

Test of the Noctua NV-AA1-12 airflow amplifier

• Airflow amplifier significantly increases the range of noticeable air movement
• At close range, the air movement quickly feels too localized
• Fan sounds slightly louder as soon as the airflow amplifier is used

Roughly speaking, the Noctua NV-AA1-12 bundles the airflow so that it is concentrated and can be felt noticeably further away. In the Noctua NV-FS1 test, the air movement was still gently perceptible at a distance of over 4 meters. For example, a ceiling lamp with a paper shade could be made to vibrate at this distance. Not bad at all, for example to provide some air exchange on hot summer nights with stagnant air in the city.

A very clear airflow could be felt up to about 1.5 meters. If you get too close, it can be a bit strong and selective. Reducing the speed can help here. The volume also increases noticeably when the airflow amplifier is placed on top of the fan.

Noctua NV-FS1 test at the desk

• Quiet, which can be particularly useful in open-plan offices
• Good performance
• Unfortunately no USB operation, but a rather wide power supply unit

During the Noctua NV-FS1 test at the desk, the very direct airflow can be a little strong, which can be adjusted by turning the volume down or by removing the airflow amplifier so that the air is less focused and better distributed. And the set actually becomes quieter.

Overall, the set feels very comfortable in this test. Especially at higher temperatures, desk work in summer can be made more pleasant and the infinitely variable setting via the fan controller is far more adjustable to individual taste than normal fans. The set is also relatively quiet, so you won’t be disturbed too much by the noise. This can be particularly relevant in open-plan offices, where a constant hum from large fans can be disturbing depending on the level of concentration.

Placement is not always easy – not every desk offers a lot of space next to other things on the table top. However, the Noctua NV-FS1 fan set can be attached magnetically to the PC case (depending on its design) or moved completely out of the way by screwing it to a cabinet or directly into the wall. And thanks to the airflow amplifier, even larger distances are no problem.

It is sometimes a pity that an additional mains plug is required for operation. A USB version would be easier to use in many cases. For example, you could attach the set to the computer and start up the computer directly via the USB ports. This would allow the desk to be ventilated while the PC is in use. On the other hand, I usually have a lack of connections on my 230 V power strip, which is not made any easier with the rather wide power supply unit.

Noctua NV-FS1 test while camping

• Use only when mains power is available
• Temperature equalization through air movement

The airflow booster is very practical when used in a camper. It is not uncommon for one part of the vehicle or camping trailer to be significantly warmer than another. For example, if the sun beats down on one side of the car, it quickly becomes excessively warm here. Or if the car cools down at night, the warm air inlets of the heater are not always evenly distributed. Here it can be a good idea to use the Noctua NV-FA1 to generate a powerful, far-reaching air flow to distribute the air better. Or place it next to the entrance / a fly screen to force fresh air into the camper when the temperature is high and there is no wind.

The Noctua NV-FS1 fan set ensures targeted air movement in the camper, provided a suitable power supply is available
In this way, you can quickly improve the temperature by a few degrees. In the Noctua NV-FS1 test, for example, I had the sun shining on the rear bedroom and the temperature quickly rose to 29°C. By redirecting the fresh air from the front area through the Noctua NV-FS1, the temperature was reduced to around 26°C, which is much more bearable. And apart from the pure values, moving air always feels cooler than still air.
In this area, I see one of the real strengths of the Noctua NV-FS1 and the price is still okay, especially for the camping sector, because here you quickly pay quite a lot for the corresponding accessories. However, it should be noted that 230 V power is usually only available when the camper is connected to the mains. Free-range campers would be better served with a USB version.

A different kind of air movement

• • There may be individual needs to want to move air

• • Example here: Drying shoes

During the period in which I carried out the Noctua NV-FS1 test, I also considered in which cases air movement can still be practical. And apart from the cases mentioned, there are simply more. For example, I didn’t yet have a solution to the problem that shoes don’t belong in the dryer after washing and often take days to dry.

The conversion is relatively simple. The only thing that is a little fiddly is the plug-in mechanism with which the fan grille and the fan are attached to the stand. The best thing to do here is to remove the pins completely, then position the silicone parts and push the pins back in completely while holding the fan firmly against them. Overall, however, the change is not rocket science and in the end the Noctua NV-FS1 fan set is ready for the test on steroids.

But what effect does the change have? Unsurprisingly, the fan is much louder – partly due to its design and partly due to the 50% higher speed. Where the Noctua NF-A12x25 is already clearly audible when running at its 2000 RPM, the Noctua NF-F12 iPPC-3000 is many times louder. At 3000 RPM, you definitely don’t want to sit next to it. But is it any good? Yes, the airflow was still a good deal more noticeable. It’s difficult to put this into concrete terms, but air movement was still perceptible about 30 – 40 cm away. However, as soon as you reduce the speed to a more bearable level, the advantage quickly disappeared again. So it doesn’t really make sense to change unless you are aiming for a special application.

Another look at the price

• Very high price is difficult to understand and at best understandable due to years of development
• Conceivable for special applications or for fans of Noctua products

This point cannot be completely ignored: Yes, the price of the Noctua NV-FS1 “table fan” is extremely high. Noctua has never been a master of the price-performance ratio, but instead aims for the highest performance and a corresponding price range. As the saying goes? The last 10% of performance is the most expensive. You can see that a lot of work has already gone into this set, where the first prototype was already shown in 2018, which in turn means that a lot of hours already worked in development have to be recouped. This will certainly be a not insignificant part of the price you pay here. The asking price is difficult to comprehend purely in terms of the material value of the add-on parts for the already available fan, which as a core component only accounts for around 1/3 of the price.

All in all, you have to decide for yourself whether you can accept the high price for a “mini fan” or not. Convinced fans of Noctua and its quality, or users who have a very specific use in mind, will be easier to convince than everyday users who can find a small desk fan for a fraction of the price – albeit probably not as durable and well-made – which may already be fully sufficient.

However, it may seem a little strange to say that despite the overall higher price, the price-performance ratio is still better than that of the Noctua NV-FS2 fan set, which was released at the same time, thanks to the flexible fan holder and the pleasure current amplifier.

Conclusion

The Noctua NV-FS1 fan set is very cool, because it allows airflow to be placed very freely – and at a certain distance. It also comes with Noctua’s usual high build quality. However, there are two disadvantages. On the one hand, the price is extraordinarily high, meaning that this set cannot generally be recommended for users who are simply looking for a small fan. On the other hand, there is currently no USB version of the fan set, meaning that you are always dependent on a mains connection, which may make it difficult to use.

So is this set recommendable or not? The question cannot be answered with a clear yes or no. The fan set can be used very flexibly and fans of Noctua appreciate the quality. But apart from the enthusiasm for the product and the brand, a recommendation is more likely to be made for special areas of application in which this particularly quiet fan set with its long range offers advantages.