Noctua is one of the big brands when it comes to high quality fans. Here, in the 140mm range, the NF-A14s have been the top models since 2013 and have had a major impact on the market. This was followed in 2014 by the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 in the high performance range. Yes, our review is a bit late now, but we’ll take a look at these fans that are available at a not-so-low price even after such a long time. Also, in the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 review, we compare these models to the regular NF-A14 models.
Specifications
| Format | 140 x 140 x 25 mm |
| Connection | 4-pin PWM |
| Cable length | 40 cm |
| Motor | Three-phase |
| Maximum speed | 3000 (+ / – 10%) |
| Maximum RPM | 800 (+ / – 20%) |
| Volume flow | 269.3 m³/h |
| Static pressure | 6.58 mm H₂O |
| Noise | 41.3 dB(A) |
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Power input (maximum)
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6.6 W |
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Guarantee
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6 years |
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price
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€ 35.89 * |
Packaging and scope of delivery
- Simple packaging
- Accessories limited to fan screws
The packaging of the 140 mm Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM fan is kept relatively simple. So is the scope of delivery. The packaging consists of a simple cardboard box containing a plastic tray in which the fan sits. If you take out this tray, you’ll find the rather long fan cable and a small package with four fan screws underneath. Finished – one fan, a few screws. Despite the higher price, you have to do without the lavish scope of delivery of the regular models.
Workmanship and design
- High quality workmanship
- Professional grade features
- Noctua standard dimensions fit regular accessories
In terms of workmanship, Noctua is actually always in the very robust range and that is also the case here. The Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM is kept in black and comes with the typical brown silicone corners to reduce vibration noise. But it’s not just the color that sets this model apart from the regular NF-A14 models, as the frame material itself is different. The Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM uses fiberglass-reinforced polyamide, while the standard model uses regular plastic.
Another peculiarity that distinguishes the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM from the standard models is the IP52 protection, which further emphasizes the namesake industrial use, as this protection class allows you to use the fan in less easily controlled environments. Quasi that it also fits the concept of FSP’s HydroG power supplies. Whether these are features that are necessary in the home gaming computer? Realistically, rather less so.
The cable is 40 cm, twice as long as Noctua’s standard series, so it will be enough for many cases.
Performance and Volume
- Good performance as an all-around fan
- Louder than regular models
- As a case fan, the difference over the competition is greater than as a radiator fan
Without much rambling, straight to the point: the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM are quite loud fans. Who now thinks to himself “Well, I do not have to run them so fast, then I have at least the possibility and otherwise I operate them in the specifications of the regular models”, he is wrong. Sure, you can run the fans much slower than just maximum speed. But the fact is: even at lower speeds, the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM is louder than a regular NF-A14, be it the brown-beige version or the Chromax Black edition. This is due to the general construction that differs. Here’s the comparison against a couple of competing models. Once the regular Noctua NF-A14 PWM and once the also quite snappy be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4.
First when used as a case fan
Test system AMD Ryzen 5 3600X + MSI GeForce GTX 960 in a DeepCool CH510 Mesh Digital. The volume measurement was taken at a distance of around 25 cm – and of course measures the overall system in the room. The fans on the CPU cooler and graphics card cooler were set to uniformly low static speeds so as not to influence the measurement. The power supply is a very quiet be quiet! Straight Power 11 550W. So, the only thing that was changed was the speed of the case fans, with one installed in the front and one in the back. To warm up, the 3DMark Night Raid stress test is run for 10 minutes and then the temperature is measured for one minute.
At a uniform 800 RPM
| Image | Fan name | Volume | Temperature delta |
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Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM | 34.3 dB(A) | 34 K (GPU) 28.6 K (CPU) |
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Noctua NF-A14 PWM | 33.4 dB(A) | 33.9 K (GPU) 28.3 K (CPU) |
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be quiet! silent wings pro 4 | 30 dB(A) | 35.3 K (GPU) 28.5 K (CPU) |
Setting all fans to a speed of 800 RPM, it is little surprise that the results of the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM are largely within the range of the measurement tolerance to the normal NF-A14. The same size and shape of the fan blades provide similar results. However, the volume differs perceptibly. The be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 are quieter, but are just behind in terms of temperatures.
At a uniformly low volume of 31dB(A)
| Image | Fan name | Speed | Temperature delta |
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Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM | 650 RPM | 35.2 K (GPU) 29.8 K (CPU) |
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Noctua NF-A14 PWM | 670 RPM | 34.6 K (GPU) 29.2 K (CPU) |
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be quiet! silent wings pro 4 | 900 RPM | 36.5 K (GPU) 28 K (CPU) |
Taking a uniform volume as a basis, the regular NF-A14 builds its advantage over the industrialPPC variant a bit, as this results in a slightly higher RPM. The be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 can spin a bit faster, but do not gain a performance advantage as a result. The graphics card temperature even increased in our test, which could be caused by a changed air flow. In return, there was a clearer advantage in the processor temperature.
At full speed
| Image | Fan name | Speed & volume | Temperature delta |
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Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM | 65.5 dB(A) @ 2840 RPM | 26.1 K (GPU) 21 K (CPU) |
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Noctua NF-A14 PWM | 49.6 dB(A) @ 1520 RPM | 31.6 K (GPU) 24.2 K (CPU) |
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be quiet! silent wings pro 4 (UHS mode) | 53.8 dB(A) @ 2250 RPM | 30.3 K (GPU) 20.5 K (CPU) |
And here we come to the real strength of the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM: its maximum speed. With around 600 more revolutions per minute – albeit at the expense of extreme volume – a higher performance is achieved than the competition from be quiet! The trend of the previous tests is continued: The processor temperature still turns out better with the be quiet!, but the graphics card temperature drops more. The regular version of the Noctua NF-A14 still offers quite good results, but of course cannot keep up with the high overall performance.
And here is the performance comparison on the radiator
Test system AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with a 4.2 Ghz all-core overclock in a Fractal Design Pop XL Air. The radiator used was the 38mm version of the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280mm AIO water cooler.
At a uniform 800 RPM
| Image | Fan name | Volume | Temperature delta |
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Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM | 36.9 dB(A) | 40.8 K |
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Noctua NF-A14 PWM | 35.1 dB(A) | 39.8 K |
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be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 | 31.2 dB(A) | 43.2 K |
The poorer result of the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM compared to the regular version of the NF-A14 is here due to the fact that the PWM value had to be turned down significantly further, which in the case of the said cooler also has an impact on the speed of the pump. Depending on the control concept used for the cooler, the performance in principle should again be largely identical. Apart from the noise, because it is simply noticeably higher on the industrialPPC model. The be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 are far quieter, but the narrower fan blades offer a slightly lower static pressure, which is why the performance also turns out lower. (More on the topic: fan tutorial: things to know about fans in PCs).
With a uniformly low volume of 31dB(A)
| Image | Fan name | Speed | Temperature delta |
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Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM | 470 RPM | 50.5 K |
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Noctua NF-A14 PWM | 600 RPM | 44.7 K |
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be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 | 760 RPM | 44.2 K |
If we take volume as the basis instead, the disadvantage of the be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 shifts into a small advantage due to the higher possible speed. The Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM, on the other hand, fail completely in this case – the speed is far too low. However, it is amazing that they still spin at all, because the 470 RPM is far below the 800 RPM specified in the specifications (+ / – 20%).
At full speed
| Image | Fan name | Speed & volume | Temperature delta |
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Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM | 67.1 dB(A) @ 2670 RPM | 32.3 K |
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Noctua NF-A14 PWM | 51.5 dB(A) @ 1440 RPM | 34.7 K |
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be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 | 54.4 dB(A) @ 2130 RPM | 32.4 K |
Full power for once, please! In terms of pure performance, the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM actually still win here, but the point seems to have been reached where the problem is no longer heat dissipation by the fans, but heat absorption at the contact surface of the AIO water cooling. And this is despite the fact that the high-performance Alphacool Subzero thermal compound is used. Thus, the much slower spinning and much quieter fans from be quiet! achieve an almost identical performance. Even the regular Noctua NF-A14s, which achieve just over half the speed of the industrialPPC version, are measurably, but realistically not exactly far behind.
Accessories
- It fits Noctua’s standard 140mm fan accessories
- General PWM accessories and fan grills are also available
Due to the standardized format of Noctua fans, various accessories fit on the fan here. These are not included, but would have to be purchased separately. Here, for example, there are the Noctua NA-IS1-14 Sx2 (€ 15.00 *), which increase the distance to the fan in pull situations, which can, yes, depending on the application, ensure that the volume decreases due to turbulence. Or also the performance is increased, since the fans are less directly influenced by a nearby obstacle. They also come with tool-free silicone mounts that reduce vibration transmission to the case for use as a case fan.
Alternatively, you can also find the Noctua NA-SAVG2 (€ 9.90 *). These are silicone sealing rings that replace the factory silicone corners. Their purpose is to seal when using the fans on radiators.
This is to allow even less of the built up air pressure to escape through leaks along the fan edges before the air is forced through the radiator. These are more useful in push configurations, unlike the NA-IS1-14 Sx2.
Other possible accessories consist of universal parts. Extension cables, fan grills (which could be quite useful at full speed!) and Y-splitters. The latter should only be used in moderation, as the fans already draw quite a bit of current at high power, which the headers can only handle within limits. In testing, I did not power more than two of these fans via one header.
Conclusion
The Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM definitely has its uses and thus a raison d’être. He is simply insanely fast and strong, moreover robust. So if you’re running a server that can be ventilated with 140mm fans, and it’s in a secluded room: These are among the best fans for it. Who runs a powerful computer in industrial halls, where other noisy equipment also do their work and the temperature or humidity is off the norm: Optimal fans here as well. For the home gaming PC: Physically, it is possible to install the fans, but it only makes very limited sense here. In short, the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM are good fans for special cases and rather moderate fans for home use.
Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM
Workmanship
Features
Cooling performance
Noise level
80/100
The Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM are very powerful fans, but louder and with fewer accessories than the regular version.
Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM price comparison
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