Noctua publishes more noise data than almost any maker we cover. Its fan range listed 102 products on October 6, 2026, and its CPU cooler range 44, and nearly every one has an infosheet with an "Acoustical noise" row in dB(A). Most give it twice: once at the fan's top speed, once with the Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.) that Noctua puts in the box. Noctua's own fan filter puts the whole range at "Noise 6.8 - 43.5 dB(A)".
This page lists every current Noctua fan and cooler we found a figure for, quoted with the RPM and adaptor condition it belongs to, and ranks them only like for like: same fan size, same condition. Full-speed figures are never ranked against adaptor figures, and a fan's figure is never ranked against a cooler's. For how Noctua compares with be quiet!, Corsair, Phanteks and others, see our quietest PC fans guide.
Our picks are listed above, with full specifications for each.
Every Noctua fan infosheet carries the same four rows: rotational speed, airflow in m3/h, acoustical noise in dB(A), and static pressure in mmH2O. Older sheets label them "Max. rotational speed", "Max. airflow", "Max. acoustical noise" and "Max. static pressure". The newer G2 sheets drop the "Max." and read "Rotational speed", "Airflow (m3/h)", "Acoustical noise dB(A)" and "Static pressure (mmH20)". Both describe the fan at the speed in the same column.
The columns are the condition. "w/o adaptor" or "without adaptor" is the fan at its top speed. "with L.N.A." is the same fan with the Low-Noise Adaptor fitted. A few models, mostly the 3-pin FLX versions, add a third column, "with U.L.N.A.", for the Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor.
What Noctua never prints is a measuring distance or a test standard, and every figure is for a bare fan in free air. That makes Noctua's figures consistent with each other and hard to set against other brands. Our explainer on why decibel ratings rarely compare across brands covers why.
What the Low-Noise Adaptor does
The L.N.A. is a short resistor cable. On the NF-S12A PWM, Noctua says it "reduces the maximum fan speed from 1200 to 900rpm", and adds that it "can be used either to run the fan at a fixed speed of 900rpm or to cap the maximum speed when using automatic PWM control". That 300 RPM takes the figure from 17.8 to 10.7 dB(A).
Each fan's adaptor is matched to that fan, so "with L.N.A." means a different speed on every model: 1500 RPM on the NF-A12x25 G2 PWM, 600 RPM on the NF-A14x25 G2 LS-PWM. That is why we group with-adaptor figures by fan size and never compare them with full-speed figures.
120mm fans, by condition
These are Noctua's 120 x 120 x 25 mm fans. Each line gives the full-speed figure and, where Noctua lists one, the with-adaptor figure, with airflow and static pressure at full speed. Models that share a figure share a line.
At full speed, without an adaptor, quietest first:
- NF-S12B redux-700: 6.8 dB(A) at 700 RPM; 56.9 m3/h, 0.44 mmH2O. No adaptor supplied.
- NF-S12A ULN: 8.6 dB(A) at 800 RPM; 74.3 m3/h, 0.62 mmH20.
- NF-A12x25 G2 LS-PWM: 11.8 dB(A) at 1100 RPM; 66.3 m3/h, 1.08 mmH20.
- NF-A12x25 LS-PWM and NF-A12x25 ULN: 12.1 dB(A) at 1200 RPM; 55.7 m3/h, 0.82 mmH2O.
- NF-P12 redux-900: 12.6 dB(A) at 900 RPM; 63.4 m3/h, 1.21 mmH2O.
- NF-S12A PWM, FLX and PWM chromax.black.swap (the last from Noctua's range page): 17.8 dB(A) at 1200 RPM; 107.5 m3/h, 1.19 mmH20.
- NF-S12B redux-1200 and redux-1200 PWM: 18.1 dB(A) at 1200 RPM; 100.6 m3/h, 1.31 mmH2O.
- NF-P12 redux-1300 and redux-1300 PWM: 19.8 dB(A) at 1300 RPM; 92.3 m3/h, 1.68 mmH2O.
- NF-A12x25 5V PWM: 21.4 dB(A) at 1900 RPM; 96.2 m3/h, 2.07 mmH2O.
- NF-F12 PWM, 5V, 5V PWM and PWM chromax.black.swap: 22.4 dB(A) at 1500 RPM; 93.4 m3/h, 2.61 mmH2O.
- NF-A12x25 G2 PWM, its chromax.black version and the Sx2-PP twin packs: 22.5 dB(A) at 1800 RPM; 107.3 m3/h, 3.14 mmH20.
- NF-A12x25 PWM, FLX, chromax.black.swap and the round-frame NF-A12x25r PWM: 22.6 dB(A) at 2000 RPM; 102.1 m3/h, 2.34 mmH2O.
- NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM: 25.1 dB(A) at 1700 RPM; 120.2 m3/h, 2.83 mmH2O.
With the Low-Noise Adaptor, quietest first:
- NF-S12A ULN: 6.7 dB(A) at 600 RPM; 57.5 m3/h.
- NF-A12x25 LS-PWM: 7.6 dB(A) at 900 RPM; 39.4 m3/h.
- NF-A12x25 G2 LS-PWM: 7.8 dB(A) at 850 RPM; 45.2 m3/h.
- NF-S12A PWM and FLX: 10.7 dB(A) at 900 RPM; 83.2 m3/h.
- NF-A12x25 G2 PWM: 18.1 dB(A) at 1500 RPM; 87.2 m3/h.
- NF-F12 PWM: 18.6 dB(A) at 1200 RPM; 74.3 m3/h.
- NF-A12x25 PWM, FLX and NF-A12x25r PWM: 18.8 dB(A) at 1700 RPM; 84.5 m3/h.
With the Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor: NF-S12A FLX 7.4 dB(A) at 700 RPM; NF-A12x25 ULN 7.6 dB(A) at 900 RPM; NF-A12x25 FLX 14.2 dB(A) at 1350 RPM. The redux fans list a single figure and come without an adaptor.
The industrial NF-F12 industrialPPC fans list 29.7 dB(A) in their 2000 RPM versions and 43.5 dB(A) in their 3000 RPM versions on Noctua's range page. They are built for industrial cooling, not quiet PCs.
140mm and 200mm fans
140 x 140 x 25 mm at full speed, quietest first:
- NF-A14x25 G2 LS-PWM: 11.4 dB(A) at 800 RPM; 81.6 m3/h, 0.71 mmH20.
- NF-A14 ULN: 11.9 dB(A) at 800 RPM; 79.8 m3/h, 0.69 mmH2O.
- NF-P14s redux-900: 13.2 dB(A) at 900 RPM; 83.7 m3/h, 0.77 mmH2O.
- NF-A14 FLX and the round-frame NF-A15 PWM: 19.2 dB(A) at 1200 RPM; 115.5 m3/h, 1.51 mmH2O.
- NF-P14s redux-1200 and redux-1200 PWM: 19.6 dB(A) at 1200 RPM; 110.3 m3/h, 1.29 mmH2O.
- NF-A14 PWM, chromax.black.swap and 5V PWM, and the NF-A15 HS-PWM chromax.black.swap: 24.6 dB(A) at 1500 RPM; 140.2 m3/h, 2.08 mmH2O.
- NF-A14x25 G2 PWM, NF-A14x25r G2 PWM, their chromax.black versions and Sx2-PP twin packs: 24.8 dB(A) at 1500 RPM; 155.6 m3/h, 2.56 mmH20.
- NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM and NF-P14r redux-1500 PWM: 25.8 dB(A) at 1500 RPM; 133.7 m3/h, 1.91 mmH2O.
With the Low-Noise Adaptor: NF-A14x25 G2 LS-PWM 8.6 dB(A) at 600 RPM; NF-A14 ULN 9.1 dB(A) at 650 RPM; NF-A15 PWM 13.8 dB(A) at 900 RPM; NF-A14 FLX 16.4 dB(A) at 1050 RPM; NF-A14 PWM 19.2 dB(A) at 1200 RPM; NF-A14x25 G2 PWM and NF-A14x25r G2 PWM 19.7 dB(A) at 1250 RPM. The NF-A14 FLX adds 13.8 dB(A) at 900 RPM with its U.L.N.A.
The NF-A14 industrialPPC fans list 31.5 dB(A) at 2000 RPM and 41.3 dB(A) at 3000 RPM on Noctua's range page.
200 x 200 x 30 mm: the NF-A20 PWM, FLX, 5V PWM and chromax.black.swap all list 18.1 dB(A) at 800 RPM and 146.9 m3/h. The FLX drops to 10.7 dB(A) at 550 RPM with its adaptor.
Smaller fans
Noctua's small fans are mostly bought for routers, 3D printers and compact PCs, but they carry the same sheet.
- 80 x 80 x 25 mm: NF-R8 redux-1200 9.1 dB(A) at 1200 RPM; NF-A8 ULN 10.4 dB(A) at 1400 RPM, 6.5 with its adaptor at 1100; NF-A8 FLX 16.1 dB(A) at 2000 RPM, 12.9 with L.N.A. and 7.9 with U.L.N.A.; NF-R8 redux-1800 and redux-1800 PWM 17.1 dB(A) at 1800 RPM; NF-A8 PWM, chromax.black.swap, 5V and 5V PWM 17.7 dB(A) at 2200 RPM, 13.8 with L.N.A. on the PWM.
- 92 x 92 x 25 mm: NF-A9 FLX 17.1 dB(A) at 1600 RPM, 11.6 with L.N.A. and 8.4 with U.L.N.A.; NF-B9 redux-1600 and redux-1600 PWM 17.6 dB(A) at 1600 RPM; NF-A9 PWM, chromax.black.swap and 5V PWM 22.8 dB(A) at 2000 RPM, 16.3 with L.N.A. on the PWM.
- 92 x 92 x 14 mm: NF-A9x14 PWM 19.9 dB(A) at 2200 RPM, 13.5 with L.N.A. at 1700. The NF-A9x14 HS-PWM chromax.black.swap, the faster fan used on the NH-L9 coolers, lists 23.6 dB(A) on the range page.
- 120 x 120 x 15 mm: NF-A12x15 PWM, FLX and PWM chromax.black.swap 23.9 dB(A) at 1850 RPM, 16.8 with L.N.A. at 1400; the FLX adds 10.2 dB(A) at 950 RPM with U.L.N.A.
- 60 x 60 x 25 mm: NF-A6x25 PWM, FLX, 5V and 5V PWM 19.3 dB(A) at 3000 RPM; with L.N.A. 12.1 dB(A) at 2300 RPM on the PWM and 14.5 at 2400 on the FLX, which adds 8.2 dB(A) at 1600 RPM with U.L.N.A.
- 60 x 60 x 15 mm: NF-A6x15 PWM, FLX, 5V and 5V PWM 19.8 dB(A) at 3500 RPM, 16.5 with L.N.A. at 3050; the FLX adds 7.8 dB(A) at 2250 RPM with U.L.N.A.
- 40 x 40 x 20 mm: NF-A4x20 PWM 14.9 dB(A) at 5000 rpm and 9.4 m3/h, 12.2 dB(A) at 4400 rpm with L.N.A., on its specification page. The NF-A4x20 FLX lists the same two figures and adds 8.5 dB(A) at 3700 rpm with U.L.N.A.; the 5V and 5V PWM versions list 14.9 dB(A) on the range page, which does not show the speed.
- 40 x 40 x 10 mm: NF-A4x10 FLX 17.9 dB(A) at 4500 RPM; NF-A4x10 PWM, 5V PWM and 24V PWM 19.6 dB(A) at 5000 RPM; both list 12.9 dB(A) at 3700 RPM with L.N.A. The NF-A4x10 5V lists 17.9 dB(A) at 4500 rpm and the frameless NF-A4x10n PWM 19.6 dB(A) at 5000 rpm on their specification pages.
Noctua's cooler infosheets print the supplied fan's specification table, with the same two columns. So a cooler's figure is the fan's figure, and Noctua publishes nothing for two fans running together on a heatsink. We group coolers by the fan they ship with.
- 140mm fans: NH-U14S TR5-SP6, for Threadripper and Epyc, lists its NF-A15 HS-PWM at 24.6 dB(A) and 0 to 1500 rpm. NH-D15 G2, its LBC, HBC and chromax.black versions, 24.8 dB(A) at 1500 RPM and 19.7 with L.N.A. at 1250. NH-D15, NH-D15S, NH-U14S and NH-C14S, 24.6 dB(A) at 1500 RPM and 19.2 with L.N.A. at 1200.
- 120 x 120 x 25 mm fans: NH-U12S and chromax.black, 22.4 dB(A) at 1500 RPM; NH-U12A, NH-D12L and their chromax.black versions, 22.6 dB(A) at 2000 RPM and 18.8 with L.N.A. at 1700; NH-U12S redux, 25.1 dB(A) at 1700 RPM, with no adaptor listed. With the adaptor, the NH-U12S chromax.black sheet lists 18.6 dB(A) at 1200 RPM.
- 120 x 120 x 15 mm fan: NH-L12S and NH-L12Sx77, 23.9 dB(A) at 1850 RPM and 16.8 with L.N.A. at 1400.
- 92 x 92 x 25 mm fan: NH-U9S, NH-D9L and their chromax.black versions, 22.8 dB(A) at 2000 RPM and 16.3 with L.N.A. at 1550. The NH-L12 Ghost S1 Edition lists its NF-B9 PWM at 17.6 dB(A) and 0 to 1600 rpm. The workstation NH-U9 DX-4677, NH-D9 DX-4677 4U and NH-D9 TR5-SP6 4U list a faster NF-A9 HS-PWM at 30.6 dB(A) and 0 to 2500 rpm, with 3.26 mm H2O.
- 92 x 92 x 14 mm fan: NH-L9x65 and the NH-L9a-AM4, NH-L9a-AM5 and NH-L9x65 chromax.black versions, 23.6 dB(A) at 2500 RPM and 14.8 with L.N.A. at 1800. The NH-L9i, NH-L9i-17xx and NH-L9a-AM5 specification pages list the same fan at 23.6 dB(A) and 0 to 2500 rpm, with no with-adaptor figure on the page.
- Fanless: NH-P1, no figure.
- Liquid: NL-LC1-24, NL-LC1-36 and NL-LC1-42 share the same pump figures: 14.9 dB(A) in manual mode, 7.8 in balanced mode and below 5 in quiet mode. Their fans list 22.5 dB(A) at 1800 rpm (two or three NF-A12x25 G2 on the 24 and 36) and 24.8 dB(A) at 1500 rpm (three NF-A14x25 G2 on the 42).
Within the 120x25 mm group, the NH-U12S lists the lowest full-speed figure and the NH-U12A the most airflow and a higher NSPR, Noctua's own performance rating (169 against 129). Our CPU cooler guide sets these against coolers from be quiet! and DeepCool, two makers that publish whole-cooler figures.
The trade-off in airflow and pressure
Every low figure on this page is a slow fan, and Noctua's own sheets show what the speed costs. The NF-S12B redux-700 lists 6.8 dB(A) with 56.9 m3/h and 0.44 mmH2O. The NF-A12x25 G2 PWM lists 22.5 dB(A) with 107.3 m3/h and 3.14 mmH20: about twice the air and seven times the pressure. The NF-A14x25 G2 LS-PWM gives up 74 m3/h against its full-speed sibling to save 13.4 dB(A).
Pressure matters on a radiator, a heatsink or behind a filter. A fan with too little of it gets turned up, and then it is loud. For an open case panel, airflow matters more, and our PC case guide lists the fans each case ships with. To see how 7 dB(A) and 22 dB(A) compare with everyday sounds, see our decibel chart.
What Noctua says makes its fans quiet
Noctua names its quiet features and explains each one on the sheet. The AAO frame has "integrated anti-vibration pads as well as Noctua's proprietary Stepped Inlet Design and Inner Surface Microstructures". The Stepped Inlet Design "reduces tonal intake noise", and the microstructures result "in reduced blade passing noise". The NF-S12A's "Anti-Stall Knobs reduce flow separation phenomena in medium to high impedance situations". Smooth Commutation Drive, Noctua says, "suppresses PWM switching noises and thus makes the fan quieter at low speeds".
The G2 sheets add a claim about real use: the NF-A14x25 G2 "has been carefully fine-tuned for optimal on-application acoustics" and "produces a smooth, pleasant frequency profile and surprisingly low sound pressure levels (SPL) when working against back pressure". Noctua gives no figure for that. On the liquid cooler, the NL-PNA1 pump noise absorber "Ensures quieter pump operation and lower vibration levels".
Where Noctua's sheets disagree
- NH-U12S. The with-adaptor column reads 22.4 dB(A) at 1200 RPM, the same as the full-speed column. The chromax.black sheet and the NF-F12 PWM fan sheet, with the same fan, both read 18.6.
- NF-S12A ULN. The spec table says "with L.N.A.", while the box list says "Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A)".
- NH-L9x65. The with-adaptor airflow reads 40.08 m3/h on the regular sheet and 40.8 m3/h on the chromax.black sheet. The noise figure, 14.8 dB(A), matches.
- NF-A9x14 HS-PWM. The NH-L9x65 sheets list its full-speed airflow as 57.5 m3/h; the NH-L9i, NH-L9i-17xx and NH-L9a-AM5 specification pages list 50.5 m3/h. Both say 23.6 dB(A).
Prices on the day we checked
Noctua's website shows no prices. Its Buy pages say "Purchase directly from us through local Amazon stores", and on October 6, 2026 the amazon.com seller for every model we checked was Noctua Cooling Solutions. The NF-S12B redux-700 was $16.95, the NF-S12A PWM and NF-S12A ULN $21.95, the NF-A12x25 PWM and NF-A12x25 G2 PWM $34.95, and the NF-A14x25 G2 PWM and LS-PWM $44.95 each. Among coolers, the NH-L12S was $74.95, the NH-U12A $109.95, the NH-D15 G2 $159.95 and the NL-LC1-36 $249.95. For a quiet desk setup beyond the PC, see our quiet home office guide.
How we chose
We read Noctua's fan and CPU cooler ranges on October 6, 2026 and downloaded the English infosheet for each model where Noctua publishes one at its usual address, plus the specification page for the NL-LC1-36. We recorded the noise figure in each column with its speed, airflow and static pressure, grouped by fan size and adaptor condition, and ranked only within a group. Where a version shares a sheet or a figure with its base model, such as chromax.black versions and twin packs, we list them together. For the industrialPPC fans and several chromax.black.swap versions we quote the full-speed figure on Noctua's range page. For a few fans, such as the NF-A4x20 range, the range page gives a figure but no speed, and we say so. We also read the specification pages for the NL-LC1-24 and NL-LC1-42, the low-profile NH-L9 and Ghost S1 coolers, the workstation coolers, and the small fans without an infosheet. Noctua's site blocked our requests for three pages, the regular NH-L9a-AM4, the NH-U14S DX-4677 and the NH-U12S DX-4677, so we list those by name only.
We did not measure any of these fans or coolers. Every figure is Noctua's own, quoted from its infosheets and specification pages with the speed and adaptor condition Noctua states, and Noctua names no measuring distance and no test standard.
