Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 review - what makes an industrial fan?

Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 Industrie Lüfter Test

Let’s start with the conclusion: If you’re looking to put together a home PC, then this fan is not for you. Noctua builds fans for every conceivable application, and among those, there are of course fans for regular PCs in particular that are designed to perform as well as possible at low noise levels and to be as energy efficient as possible. And then there are fans like the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 in this review. This fan isn’t designed for particularly quiet running, but rather for extremely high performance with still relatively low power consumption. And to a robustness that lets it run reliably even in unusual environments. But what’s stopping you from installing such a special fan in your home computer? Nothing from a technical point of view. We will go into everything else in this Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 review.

Specifications of the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000

Size	120 x 120 x 25 mm
Speed	750 – 3000 RPM
Max. Flow rate	186 m³/h
Max. static pressure	7.63 mm H₂O
Max. Power consumption	3.6 W
Cable length	40 cm
Material	Fiberglass reinforced polyamide
protection class	IP52
Expected lifetime	150,000 h (about 17 years of continuous use)
Warranty	6 years
Price	€ 29.90 *

Noctua Noctua NF-F12 iPPC-3000 PWM, Industrielüfter, 4-Pin, 3000 RPM (120mm,...

€ 29.90

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Packaging and scope of delivery

Large box for one fan with standard dimensions
Only included accessories are case fan screws

The Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 from this review come in a fairly large box that is quite businesslike in black with brown side panels. Opening this box reveals the 120mm fan, which is held in place by a plastic frame. If you lift this plastic, you can see that underneath is the fan’s cable on the one hand and a pack of case fan screws on the other. Other accessories, as found on Noctua’s standard fans, are not included here. So if you need certain accessories, you’ll have to buy them separately. More about that later.

Schwarze Box eines industrialPPC Lüfters von Noctua — Die Verpackung des Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 ist größer als bei den meisten 120-mm-Lüftern.

Schachtel der Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM von hinten mit Spezifikationen — Auf der Rückseite sind die Spezifikationen zusammengefasst.

Noctua NF-F12 iPPC-3000 in der Verpackung — Wenn man die Schachtel öffnet, sieht man den Grund für die Größe: Eine Kunststoffhalterung schützt den Lüfter.

Noctua NF-F12 iPPC-3000 PWM mit Gehäuselüfter Schrauben — Abgesehen von den Gehäuselüfterschrauben wird nichts mitgeliefert.

Now you have to pull the cable through the opening in the plastic and then the fan is ready for installation.

Design and workmanship

Special manufacturing features, such as dust and moisture protection
Black and brown design
High-quality workmanship

Unlike Noctua’s standard fans, the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 is black in color and coats with the usual brown silicone overlays designed to dampen the transmission of vibes.

Noctua NF-F12 PWM in braun und Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM nebeneinander — The Noctua NF-F12 iPPC-3000 (left) is black, unlike the standard NF-F12 version (right), and the frame is made of a sturdier material.

The overall build quality is typically very high for Noctua. All edges are cleanly finished and there are no points for complaint. The cable is also well protected with its sheathing. However, this fan should not be confused with the chromax-black-swap version of the NF-F12, which are the black version of the standard fans. This is because as an industrial fan, the model tested here has a few additional features.

Frontansicht des Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 im Test

Rückansicht des Noctua NF-F12 iPPC-3000 im Test

Rahmen aus Fiberglas verstärktem Polyamid

A special feature of the Noctua industrialPPC fans are the protection classes, which are rather irrelevant for fans for private use. The Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 from this review have the IP52 protection class. This stands for the fact that they are protected against dust “in harmful quantities”, as well as against dripping water. On top of that, the fan is made of fiberglass-reinforced polyamide, which means extra stability and shatter resistance compared to regular plastic.

This makes the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 especially interesting for use in less comfortable environments, such as industrial halls – as the name of the fan tested here already suggests.

Schwarzer Lüfter mit buntem Lüfterkabel und braunen Ecken — Im Rahmen bis kurz dahinter, wo die Ummantelung beginnt, ist das Kabel noch farbig.

Kabelummantelung — Die hochwertige Ummantelung des Kabels schützt es vor Schäden, wie durch Abrieb oder scharfen Kanten.

Noctua accessories

Little included, some optional to buy
Spacer and sealing lips accessible

In the scope of delivery of the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 is initially nothing except the obligatory fan screws, but Noctua offers a larger amount of accessories.

Unterschiedliche Kabellängen bei Noctua NF-F12 PWM und Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 — The Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 comes without an extension cable, but the permanently connected cable is already longer.

For example, there are the Noctua NA-IS1 spacers, which are Noctua beige-brown and available in black. These ensure that the fan blades in pull configurations no longer cause turbulence directly at the front of the case or radiator, but work with a little more distance. This reduces noise somewhat and tends to increase performance. These also come with matching silicone mounts to connect the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 to the case in a vibration-isolating manner.

Braune Silikon Ecken des Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 werden entfernt — Für die Montage des Zubehörs müssen auf der jeweiligen Seite zunächst die Silikonauflagen entfernt werden.

Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 von vorne mit Abstandshalter — Der Abstandshalter erhöht den Abstand der Lüfterblätter zum Radiator um einen halben cm.

Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 Lüfter von hinten mit Silikon Dichtring — Der Dichtring hilft in Push-Situationen, um Luft nicht vor dem Radiator entweichen zu lassen.

There’s also the Noctua NA-SAVG1 sealing lips, which ensure that the static pressure built up by fans in push configuration on a radiator can’t escape to the sides or between the fans. This seal forces the air through the radiator, where it takes the heat with it.

However, the section is for information only; the test is performed without the optional accessories.

Remarks on the volume and the tests

Louder than standard fans
Tested against the standard version and against other high-speed fans
In the home computer, people will prefer the Noctua NF-F12 chromax.black when it comes to color

Noctua warns in advance that the industrialPPC fans are not as quiet as the regular fans due to their design. Anyone looking for black fans will be referred to the chromax-black fans right from the start. A corresponding result was also seen when testing the Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000. So if you are looking for really quiet fans, you are also wrong with the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000, which also comes out in the tests, if you do not go into the pure performance, but the performance in relation to the volume.

For the comparison, I draw on the regular version of the Noctua NF-F12 PWM, whose measurement results match those of the chromax-black-swap version (€ 26.99 *). In addition, the cheaper competition from the German brand Arctic with the P12 Max as well as the also quite expensive be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4, which also reach around 3000 RPM in the 120 mm version.

Three black computer fans — The Noctua NF-F123 industralPPC-3000, the be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4, and the Arctic P12 Max are extremely fast spinning high-performance fans.

The test takes place on regular PC hardware. Hereby, the special characteristics of the industrialPPC fans are virtually simply ignored and the test thus corresponds to the view of an end user and not an industrial application.

Testing the performance of the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000

Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 are very strong in the test
The volume is high, however, and even at low speeds they are louder than the competition
If quietness is the goal, other fans are better

No matter where you put the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 to the test, the results go in roughly one direction on the radiator and on the fan cooler or as a case fan: these fans perform very strongly in terms of RPM, but get much louder than the Arctic P12 Max or the be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4. This also applies to the RPM range around 3000 RPM, where the Noctua fans are almost twice as loud as the two fans just mentioned. The regular NF-F12s are virtually just as powerful in the same RPM range, which is not surprising due to the same design. Nevertheless, the beige-brown standard fans are a bit quieter in the process, which is due to the internal technology.

In the test of uniform speeds, both Noctua fans are ahead of the quieter competition, but if you are aiming for a certain volume, the Arctic P12 Max pull ahead in terms of performance, especially on radiators, and the be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 come out on top as case fans and on air coolers. The Noctua NF-F12 PWM tend to sit in the lower field of the volume performance range here, while theindustrialPPC-3000 have to spin so extremely slowly at a uniform volume in the test that performance really suffers.

Kante des sich drehenden Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 — Der Noctua NF-F12 iPPC-3000 dreht sich extrem schnell.

Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 dreht sich — Dabei wird er sehr stark, aber auch laut.

PWM 4-Pin Lüfter Anschluss mit ummanteltem Kabel — Trotz allem lässt er sich mit einem regulären PWM-Lüfterkabel anschließen und zieht maximal noch immer weniger als 4W.

When it comes to performance at full speed, the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 pulls ahead along with the be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4, and then the Arctic P12 Max follows close behind. Due to the lower maximum speed, the regular Noctua NF-F12s lose out here, but they also remain quieter than the other three fans. The industrialPPC fans are by far louder than the comparison fans.

Technical comparison to the competitor fans

In the home PC, all competitor fans are better
The industrialPPC fans are protected from dust and dripping water
Thus they are more fail-safe in more extreme situations

At first glance, the Arctic P12 Max certainly seem like a cheap and solid alternative, and realistically, in many cases, they will be. The be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4, on the other hand, are the more versatile, quieter alternative, but cost a similar amount to the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000. The regular Noctua NF-F12 PWM are good fans, but are showing their age a bit and while they are strong and quieter than the industrialPPC version, they just aren’t the absolute top performers by now.

Front view of the running Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM in review — The Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 build up extreme static pressure, especially at high speeds

Okay, after all this reticence towards the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000, however, it must also be said that they have a different target audience. Where the other fans in home computers definitely have advantages – be it the price or the volume – the industrialPPC fans have additional qualities. They are designed for pure power and high robustness. Thus, of the comparison fans, they simply offer the highest static pressure. In addition, they are the only ones of the fans with dust and dripping water protection certification. So when it comes to safe use in dusty or humid environments, the Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 or its sibling models, some of which offer even more protection, are simply preferable. They offer the better fail-safe performance.

Conclusion

As already summarized at the beginning of the test: Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 are not really suitable for home computers. They are really strong, very robust and enduring. But just not really quiet. They are fans that are quite useful for professional use – be it servers, industrial equipment or computers that are used in more uncomfortable situations. As a result, the test result, whose procedure is tailored to home PCs, also turns out to be rather mixed. The Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 test shows that this 120 mm fan is extremely powerful, but also loud. For private computers, however, you don’t need such fast fans, so I would clearly advise slower, quieter fans here, such as the usual Noctua NF-F12 (optionally also in chromax.black) or the somewhat more expensive and quieter Noctua NF-A12x25.

For the industrial sector, it should be said that there is also a 24V version of the fans and a slightly slower 2000 RPM version with IP67 certification for even more intensive protection against environmental influences.