I always like to know if a different, perhaps higher quality fan is going to make a difference in the cooling of expensive CPUs. After all, an alternative fan that drives the temps down a few degrees gives you a little more headroom for overclocking which is all the rage.


For the alternative fan I chose the Noctua NF-P12 120mm fan.

The NF-P12 120mm fan has a nine blade design with vortex control notches cut into the blades. It also features SC-Drive (Smooth Commutation) and reduces torque variations. It has SSO-Bearing Technology that ensures quiet operation and exceptional long term stability.

Here are the Specs on it at max settings which I used in testing.

RPM 1300
CFM 92.3
dB(A) 19.8
Watts 1.08
Volts 12
MTBF 150,000

During testing, the fan was whisper quiet and performed flawlessly. It also has the advantage of coming with four vibration compensators which were supremely handy in keeping the retention wires on the Core-Contact Freezer.

While the CFM and Static pressure are similar to the fan provided with the Core-Contact Freezer, the MTBF on this fan is 3x longer than the Sunbeamtech model. The bundled fan operates on Magnetic Fluid Dynamic Bearing and MTBF is 50,000 hours. The Noctua MTBF is 150,000 and operates on Self Stabilizing Oil Pressure Bearings.

The differences might be small on the surface but the added life of the fan, and not having Magnetic Fluid Bearings make the Noctua an attractive option. Magnetic Bearings seldom give a warning that they are going out and with the Sunbeam fan's quiet operation, unless you have auto notify of the fan's shut down in BIOS enabled, it could lead to problems down the line.