Our friends at Noctua have sent us there latest fan for review, it is the NF-R8, an 80mm fan based on the same technology as their 120mm fans I reviewed a little bit ago. I’ve found that Noctua makes some of the best quality silent fans around, and I happily use them in my system builds. The NF-R8 continues this tradition of quality, silent fans with three modes of operation and the addition of silicone vibration dampening fasteners. Read on to check out the Noctua NF-R8 80mm fan…

Noctua NF-R8 80mm Fan

Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos

Sponsor: Noctua

Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

Noctua NF-R8 80mm fan

Features:

Sound-optimized blade geometry and profile: The NF-R8 is the first fan employing a novel 80mm rotor which was developed by the Austrian Institute for Heat-Transmission and Fan Technology (Österreichisches Institut für Wärmeübertragung und Ventilatorentechnik, ÖIWV). Thanks to the special optimization of the blade geometry towards ultra low noise application, the NF-R8 is up to 10% more quiet than current high-end fans at the same flow rate.

Notes: Current silent fans frequently employ conventional blade geometries, which were developed for higher speed ranges and significantly lose efficiency at lower rotation speeds. The Noctua Raised-Blade-Design of the NF-R8 series was developed by the Austrian Institute for Heat-Transmission and Fan Technology (Österreichisches Institut für Wärmeübertragung und Ventilatorentechnik, ÖIWV) and specifically tailored to 80mm fans with extremely low rotation speeds. The result is a performance improvement of up to 10% compared to conventional blade geometries.

Both the angle of attack and the design of the blade area of the NF-R8 rotor are optimized for maximum airflow and minimum noise emission at speed ranges below 1800RPM. Raising the leading edge above the rotor hub and lowering the trailing edge below the bottom of the rotor hub results in an extended profile chord length, which compensates for the reduction in blade surface caused by the steeper angle of attack and hence increases the overall blade force. The continuous radial increase of the blade curvature towards the blade tips ensures sufficient static pressure despite of the slow rotation speeds. A significant reduction in noise emission is achieved through the rounding of the fan blades towards the rotor hub as well as the rounding of the rotor hub itself. This way, the NF-R8 is significantly more quiet than other high end silent fans at the same performance thanks to its specific optimizations for ultra low noise application.

Self-stabilizing oil-pressure bearing (SSO bearing): The NF-R8 series are equipped with a magnetically centered, self lubricating oil-pressure bearing that provides a new level of quietness and long-term stability.

Notes: Thanks to an optimized principle of operation, the self-stabilizing oil-pressure bearing (SSO bearing) of the Noctua NF-S12 and NF-R8 series surpasses current types of ball, sleeve or liquid bearings in terms of long-term stability and quietness.

The rotary motion of the axis generates pressure upon the special oil enclosed within the bearing. This causes the build-up of a dynamic pressure field that centers and stabilities the axis within the bearing shell. While conventional liquid bearings employ the principle of hydrodynamic pressure too, the SSO bearing is equipped with an additional magnet that supports the self-stabilization of the rotor axis. This allows for a faster, more precise and more reliable centering of the rotor axis and thus increases the long-term stability and quietness of the bearing: When the fan starts, the dynamic pressure field of the liquid bearing needs to build up first, which results in an initial precession of the axis, the so called gyro effect. This amounts to an increased abrasion until the axis is stabilized through the build-up of the dynamic pressure field, which may by and by lead to increased noise emission and bearing defects. Because of this, the SSO bearing possesses a built in magnet, whose field ensures the immediate self-stabilization of the rotor and hence reduces the gyro effect. In addition to the stabilization during the start-up phase of the fan, the supporting magnet allows for a more exact centering of the axis within the bearing shell and thus further reduces bearing resistance, abrasion and noise emission.

Specs:

Size 80x80x25 mm

Bearing SSO-Bearing

Blade Geometry Raised-Blade-Design

Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) 1800 RPM

Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 1300 RPM

Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 800 RPM

Airflow 53 m/h

Airflow with L.N.A. 39 m/h

Airflow with U.L.N.A. 26 m/h

Acoustical Noise 17 dB(A)

Acoustical Noise with L.N.A. 10 dB(A)

Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A. 7* dB(A)

Input Power 1,32 W

Input Current 0,11 A

Voltage Range 4-13 V

MTBF > 150.000 h

Scope of Delivery Ultra-Low-Noise Adapter (U.L.N.A.)

Low-Noise Adapter (L.N.A.)

Package Contents:

4 Vibration Compensators

3:4-Pin Adapter

4 Fan Screws

Warranty: 6 years

Find Silent Cooling Products at ShopZilla!

A Better Look at Things

:

The NF-R8 comes in the standard brown, black and blue box of other Noctua products. You can plainly see the fan through the window on the front of the box, along with the vibration dampeners.

The back of the box lists all the specs and features in several different languages.

Opening the box up we find everything in its own little compartment in the plastic carrier.

Included is the NF-R8 fan itself, Molex pass through with fan connector, four silicone grommets for easy mounting and the two noise adapters.

The NF-R8 is the signature Noctua colors of reddish-brown fan blades, and off-white housing.

The back of the NF-R8 has the Noctua logo, model number and speed. You can see the cables are nice and sleeved, very professional looking.

The two included noise adapters are for running the fan at different speeds, essentially they have a resistor built in-line with the power wire. The wire with red heat shrink is for running the fan at 1300RPM, and the wire with the black heat shrink is for running the NF-R8 at 800RPM.

Find Silent Cooling Products at ShopZilla!

Installation, Testing and Comparison

Installation is made very easy by the addition of the included silicone grommets, just pull them through the holes and your done. Noctua does not include fan grills with their fans, why I don’t know, every fan should have them included in my opinion.

If you’ve read any of my reviews you’ll know that I want my system to be as silent as possible, and with the addition of Noctua fans and other accessories this is possible. The Noctua fans are the most quietest fans I have ever owned or reviewed, and I am extremely happy with them and their lack of noise.

Running the fan with the U.L.N.A adapter the fan runs at 800RPM, and is silent, you have to put your ear up to it to actually hear it spinning. With the L.N.A. Adapter the fan will run at 1300RPMs, still very quiet, just about a whisper actually, and running the fan at its full speed of 1800RPMs, it is still very quiet compared to others that run the same speed and even lower speeds.

At the moment in my system I have three case fans, two are Noctua and one of a Coolink, all are silent running, this combination makes my system virtually silent, the only noise I hear now is the low hum of the pump on my Corsair Nautilus now. I even swapped the stock fan for a Noctua in the Nautilus, improving performance and making it a lot quieter.

Find Silent Cooling Products at ShopZilla!

Summary:

All of the Noctua fans are excellent, they move quite a bit of air around and are silent while doing it. Noctua has made a truly silent fan, and anyone who wants a truly silent system should get these fans. The Noctua fans are especially perfect for HTPC systems where silence is what is needed, but things need to remain cool as well. I can easily recommend the Noctua series of fans as they are the perfect fan with their combination of high quality, performance and silence.

DragonSteelMods gives the Noctua NF-R8 80mm Fan a 5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as well.

Pros:

-Ultra quiet

-Nice extras included

-Noctua quality

Cons:

-No fan grill included

I would like to thank Noctua for the chance to review the NF-R8 80mm Fan and for their continued support of DSM.

Find Silent Cooling Products at ShopZilla!