Well, this is the kicker, it’s expensive. When it launched, I saw them listed at £99.99, and while Amazon has it on for just £85.90 right now, it’s temporarily out of stock. The price is high, but it’s the sum of its parts really. The fan is one of the most expensive, high-end and best performing PC fans ever, and they’re £31 each. The stand it beautifully crafted from thick metal with quality fittings, and feels every bit as expensive as it clearly is. Then there’s the airflow accelerator, all the mounting accessories, the fan controller, the extension cable, the rear bracket, and well, that all adds up fast. You get what you pay for, really, but it’s still a lot of money. Noctua does offer it with a 6-year warranty too, so that’s certainly a welcome addition for your investment.
I think my wallet would whimper if I had to buy this myself, it isn’t cheap, and my cheap-skate mindset would likely go for one of the plethora of £30-45 options that look pretty decent on Amazon. But in Noctua’s defence, the quality and options you get here are unmatched and really scratch that “I’m a PC enthusiast show-off” itch that I so often enjoy scratching.
But the best endorsement I can give this fan, is that the day it arrived, I opened it, set it up on my own desk, and it has not been off at all ever since. If I’m at my PC, or my PC is simply on, the fan is on. I have been running it virtually none stop at low, medium and more often in our current toasty weather, full power, and it hasn’t skipped a beat.
One thing that has surprised me was how dirty it was inside, it has been used for weeks though. But I noticed just how much more airflow and how much quieter it was after cleaning, so keep up your maintained routine. As the dust built up slowly, airflow dropped and noise levels increased so slowly, you don’t really notice, but it was drastically improved with a quick clean.
I love that I can angle it up at my face to keep me fresh and alert, or point it at my body to provide a nice cooling effect on a sweaty afternoon. A beautiful picture for you there, I know, sorry, but it’s how you’ll use it, let’s be honest.
While the price does sting, I just cannot fault the product one bit. It’s a premium solution to a simple problem, but when it comes to big airflow, low noise, and let’s be honest, a totally unique aesthetic for the PC enthusiasts out there, Noctua has excelled.
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