in 2024, Noctua, probably the best-known manufacturer of premium-quality PC fans, launched the Home series. These are individual parts and sets for using fans outside of PC scenarios. In the Noctua NV-FS2 test, we take a look at a set that can move air upright or horizontally in a targeted manner using different rubber fins. What this can be used for and how effective it is is analyzed in the test.
Specifications
| Size | 46 x 136 x 136 mm |
| Weight | 354 g |
| Cable length | up to 2.85 m |
| Fan | Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black |
| max. speed | 2000 RPM |
| Airflow | 102.1 m³/h |
| Warranty period | 6 years |
| Price | € 79.90 * |
Packaging and scope of delivery
- Flat packaging
- Power supply unit can be used worldwide
The Noctua NV-FS2 fan set from the HOME series comes in a black box with a few brown and the yellow “HOME” accent. When you open the box, you can see the fan set itself, the back of the power supply unit and you should also see the fan controller. However, this had slipped through the cardboard cover and was only visible after it was lifted upwards.
In addition to the fan set, all the accessories are relatively loose in the box. The power supply consists of several components. The actual power supply unit, three different plugs for all standard power connections worldwide and the adapter from the hollow plug to the PWM fan connection. There is also a 1 meter long PWM extension cable. Last but not least, the fan controller is included, which can also be used to make the set quieter.
And not to forget: There is a protective film on the Noctua logo of the fan grille.
Design
- Black finish
- Large silicone frames for placing and standing
The Noctua NV-FS2 from the HOME series relies on the black look of the chromax.black series from Noctua. Accordingly, the fan is from the black series and the silicone parts are also black. The silicone parts are also available individually in the typical Noctua brown.
The fan has a total of three mounting parts. The first is a large silicone ring that seals as much of the target side as possible to prevent air from escaping to the sides. On the intake side, on the other hand, there are four corners that leave as much space as possible so that as much air as possible can be drawn in here, which is also less obstructed when the Noctua NV-FS2 is upside down. There is also a fan grille with the Noctua logo on the same side, which prevents you from accidentally reaching into the fan blades. The rear of the fan has the usual lettering.
Build quality and price
- High-quality workmanship
- Robust and torsion-resistant
- Relatively very expensive
There is hardly anything left to say about Noctua’s build quality. You expect top-class quality here and you get it. It would also be fatal to get anything else in this price range, because this is not a cheap gadget, but a quality part that is designed for many years of continuous use. And despite this premise, the price is difficult to understand, because the few (albeit high-quality) silicone parts, the power supply unit, the small controller and the fan grille more than double the already not exactly low price of the fan alone.
And the Noctua NV-FS2 set feels really high-quality in the test, is torsionally rigid, the fan blades have the incredibly small distance to the frame that has made the Noctua NF-A12x25 so famous. But it doesn’t feel like the almost 80€ asked for at the time of testing. As high-quality as it feels, it lacks the wow factor for this price range.
On the other hand, you can definitely see that you are buying durability for the price, which Noctua has proven with the fan that has been available for years. And I expect no less from the other parts in the set, as high-quality as they feel.
In short: Noctua is an innovator and not infrequently copied pioneer. And Noctua is aiming for the pinnacle of quality, but is also largely at the top of the price range. Anyone looking for the best price-performance ratio will have to look elsewhere. Apart from that, Noctua gives you the (processing) quality that meets the highest demands, but you also have to pay considerably more.
Quality? Yes. Performance? Yes. Price-performance? Meh.
Structure
- Already pre-assembled set
- Power supply unit still needs to be prepared according to the area of application
In the Noctua NV-FS2 set tested here, the fan NF-A12x25 chromax.black PWM* with the large sealing lip NV-MPG1-12.black*, the spacer corners NV-MPP1. black Sx4* and the fan grille NA-FG1-12*. If required, it is of course possible to change the side of the add-on parts.
All other parts required for operation are also supplied, but still need to be assembled. This includes in particular the power supply unit NV-PS1*. The appropriate plug must first be inserted here, whereby all the usual standards are covered. This means that the Noctua NV-FS2 can also be used worldwide without having to change the power supply unit. Even if I consider this feature to be less relevant on average. The adapter cable to the 4-pin PWM connector must now also be attached in order to connect the fan.
There are two other optional parts included in the scope of delivery that can be placed between the power supply unit with the adapter and the fan. The first is the fan controller NA-FC1*. As soon as you have this in the cable, you can slow down the fan so that it does not run at full power all the time. And if the cable is not long enough, a 1 meter PWM extension cable is included.
Now you can place the set where you need the airflow.
Control
- Control via the small fan controller
- Selectable whether the fan stops at low speed or continues to run
The primary control of the Noctua NV-FS2 is via the NA-FC1 fan controller. This has a small controller that can be used to set the speed. This ranges from absolute standstill to full fan speed.
The small rotary control in the middle determines the speed. On the far left, the fan stops and on the far 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.
It would be cool to have a better fuse for the connected cables. During the Noctua NV-FS2 test, these occasionally slipped out – this is also the problem with the many individual parts, adapters and extension cables plugged into each other.
Without the controller, the fan always runs at full speed.
Application scenarios
- Cooling passively cooled devices such as routers and amplifiers
- Cooling boost for actively cooled devices such as games consoles
- Can be set up as a pedestal fan, also for accelerating laundry drying
There are quite a few places where you could wish for air movement. For example, there are electrical appliances that heat up more than you would like. These could be games consoles, which tend to heat up well, but laptops also quickly become uncomfortably warm. Even various routers lose performance if they are not actively cooled in warm rooms.
However, air movement can also be useful away from technical devices. Depending on the humidity in the home, mold can form behind cupboards, for example, as moisture can build up there without air movement. The Noctua NV-FS2 may not be able to combat the causes here, but it can certainly reduce the negative effects. It can also significantly speed up the drying of laundry on a clothes horse if it has to be dried inside the home where there is insufficient natural air movement. Or drying wet shoes after hiking or washing. I successfully tested this in the Noctua NV-FS2 test.
Last but not least, the fan also simply remains stationary. So you can also use it as a (desk) fan to get through the hot summer months. Even if this is actually the domain of the other Noctua HOME set, the NV-FS1, which also allows an adjustable angle and has a longer range.
Effectiveness test
- Performance difficult to measure
- Difference will be greater with passively cooled devices
Away from the computer sector, it is of course somewhat difficult to quantify the effect of air movement and even in consoles you don’t really have an obvious temperature display. Finally, I can also confirm that laundry could be hung up again after just a few hours instead of the next day.
But for the purely objective measurement of numbers, I still fall back on my laptop. In the home office, the laptop is connected to the power supply and then allows itself a little more power while being controlled with an external mouse and keyboard. The elevated position with a reduced surface area won’t suit every user, but in my case it’s perfectly fine to place the Noctua NV-FS2 under the laptop.
With external hardware and a second monitor at regular work and a room temperature of 20°C, the average CPU temperature after three hours was 52°C in basic configuration. With the Noctua NV-FS2 at about 2/3 of the power under the air intake of the laptop fan, the processor temperature could be reduced to an average of 48°C.
In short: it does make a difference. For devices that are usually cooled passively, such as audio amplifiers, the effect is likely to be greater. The same applies to devices with larger air openings, such as games consoles.
Why…?
- Use would be easier via USB connection in many areas, as many devices offer USB connections
- An additional power plug is always required due to the power supply unit
…is Noctua using a 12V fan here? The Noctua NF-A12x25 used already exists in a 5V version with a USB adapter. It would certainly not have been difficult to combine this with the black plastic elements. Most of the devices I see in combination with the NV-FS2 have USB ports, so this set could have been connected in a shorter way, sometimes with automatic shutdown together with the device. Games consoles? USB. Laptops? USB. Routers? Often USB. Mobile use? USB power bank. Otherwise? To the small USB plug, which is also used to charge smartphones, for example.
The fan controller would not be an obstacle either, as it can cope with both 12V and 5V fans.
Accordingly, this is the point that I can understand the least. Sure – the Noctua NV-PS1 power supply unit is high quality, as you would expect from Noctua. And you definitely have the advantage of being able to easily change the fans without having to resort to the few available 5V models. But the NF-A12x25 fan is already based on one of the best 120 mm fans currently available, so this is more of a secondary reason, because where would you want to upgrade? Also, it definitely means that another power socket is needed.
In short – this question leaves me a bit stumped. I hope that Noctua NV-FS2 will at least come out with an alternative (hopefully somewhat cheaper?) set in a 5V USB version, which, depending on the application, saves cable clutter and may be easier to use.
Use of other fans
- Other current 120 mm fans from (exclusively) Noctua are compatible
- Changing only makes very limited sense as a top fan is already in use
The individual parts of the set can also be purchased separately, but this does not offer any real advantages in terms of price compared to the set with the fan if you buy all the parts. Apart from that, you can also change the fan used. However, this is also only moderately useful, as the Noctua NF-A12x25 used is the 120 mm fan with the best performance/volume ratio in Noctua’s range. And you are ultimately dependent on fans from Noctua, as the attachment parts are connected to the accessory holes on the corners of the Noctua fans. Apart from that, it is of course possible to change the fans within the current Noctua universe in the standard 120 mm format.
With most fans, this is relatively pointless, because the NF-A12x25 usually only goes downhill and if you want less power, you can simply turn it down on the controller. Alternatively, you can increase the power if you want to use an industrial fan such as the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000, but this also quickly becomes unpleasantly loud and I can’t think of any scenario in which this would make sense. A quick test: Despite the higher power of the industrial fan, the set remains stable and does not tip over.
A cheaper solution?
- A USB fan and the silicone parts are cheaper
- Individual parts are still expensive
As cool as the Noctua NV-FS2 proves to be in this test, the price gnaws in the background the whole time. As already mentioned, it’s not worth buying all the individual parts yourself, apart from the fan. But if you opt for the USB version of the Noctua NF-F12 and save on the power supply unit, the controller and the fan grille? Then you only have to buy the silicone parts for the fan, the Noctua NV-MPG1 and the Noctua NV-MPP1, and you end up with a total of just over €50. That’s still not cheap, but even if I don’t have a corresponding fan available, I can’t imagine that the performance is drastically worse for the area of application.
Conclusion
As much as I like Noctua, I have my doubts about this fan set. The Noctua NV-FS2 test shows that it can be quite practical to be able to place a fan as required, but the cost-benefit ratio doesn’t make me jump for joy. And the decision to use a regular mains connection instead of a USB port… there may be other opinions on this, but I find it a bit of a shame and more complicated.
Apart from that, the set is of a very high quality and it fulfills its purpose very well: enabling air movement where you need it. Whether you want to dry a pair of wet shoes while camping or make sure your Playstation doesn’t overheat in summer.
Noctua NV-FS2
Workmanship
Hardware
Performance
Value for money
79/100
The Noctua NV-FS2 fan set ensures the creative use of air movement as required in everyday life, but is very expensive.
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