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Noctua NF-B9 92mm Fan Review.
At 92mm the NF-B9 closely resembles the excellent NF-P12 120mm fan seen previously, with the exception that it has 7 rather than 9 blades.
Official Specs.
The NF-B9's highly-optimised blade design achieves an exceptional level of airflow and static pressure that most other fans can only reach at much higher speeds. Bevelled blade tips, Vortex-Control Notches as well as Noctua's SCD drive system and premium-grade SSO-Bearing ensure outstanding quietness and long-term stability.
- 92mm, 1600rpm
- Bevelled Blade Tips
- Vortex-Control Notches
- Smooth Commutation Drive
- SSO bearing
- 6 years warranty
- Bevelled Blade Tips
Due to advanced design measures like the bevelled blade tips, the NF-B9 is surprisingly quiet despite its outstanding airflow and pressure performance.
- Vortex-Control Notches
Psycho-acoustic optimizations like the Vortex-Control Notches make the NF-B9's noise pattern more pleasant to the human ear.
Smooth Commutation Drive
The new SC drive system reduces torque variations and thereby ensures improved running smoothness, particularly at lower speeds.
Self-stabilizing oil-pressure bearing
Noctua's well proven SSO-Bearing technology guarantees supremely quiet operation and exceptional long-term stability.
- Size 92x92x25 mm
- Bearing SSO-Bearing
- Blade Geometry NF-B9 Blade Design with BBT & VCN
- Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) 1600 RPM
- Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 1300 RPM
- Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 1000 RPM
- Airflow 64.3 m³/h (37.84CFM)
- Airflow with L.N.A. 52,6 m³/h (30.95CFM)
- Airflow with U.L.N.A. 41,1 m³/h (24.19CFM)
- Acoustical Noise 17,6 dB(A)
- Acoustical Noise with L.N.A. 13,1 dB(A)
- Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A. 7,9* dB(A)
- Static Pressure 1,61 mm H2O
- Static Pressure with L.N.A. 1,09 mm H2O
- Static Pressure with U.L.N.A. 0,64 mm H2O
- Input Power 1,32 W
- Input Current 0,11 A
- Voltage Range 12 V
- MTBF > 150.000 h
- Accessories:
- Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.)
- Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.)
- 4 Vibration Compensators
- 3:4-Pin Adaptor
- 4 Fan Screws
- Warranty 6 years
The Packaging And Contents.
The Box.
Everything is arranged neatly inside a clear plastic blister pack.
Front.
Back.
Accessories.
The pack comes with the same comprehensive set of accessories as the NF-P12.
Rubber anti vibration mountings.
Other goodies - From the top:
- U.L.N.A - (Ultra Low Noise Adaptor) adjusts current to give lower 900RPM fan speed with 12.6db(A)
- 4x self tapping fan mounting screws
- Molex to fan header adaptor
- L.N.A - (Low Noise Adaptor) gives 1100rpm 16.9db(A)
Testing.
To test this fan I decided cool my RAM. I'd noticed on the last few prime runs that the heat sinks were pretty warm. Measuring it at the end of an hours run, it was 41.5C. I measured across the top of the heat sinks, using my Hilka Digital Infra Red Thermometer.
This wouldn't work so easily inside a case, but for this test I removed one of the two Noctua NF-P12 and rested the NF-B9 against the NH-U12P SE1366 and the main power cable:
After an hour of Prime95 I checked the temps again and was pleased to see them down to 29.2C a reduction of 12.3C (29.6%.)
The test was carried out at full speed 1600RPM. The fan is louder than the 120mm, largely due to the higher speed and smaller size. However compared to other 92mm it is once again way ahead of the competition.
Noctua NF-B9 Fan Conclusion.
Price ****
Priced at £11.49 ($15 ex Vat) I would guess the closest competitive product is Silverstone FM91 which sells for £8.61 ($11 ex Vat). The premium on this NF-B9 is smaller than that for the NF-P12, but again like the NF-P12 we are looking at a very high quality, high-tech solution.
Cooling Performance *****
Once again Noctua have produced a relatively low rpm product that has great cooling properties.
Noise *****
As I expected the NF-B9 is slightly louder than the NF-P12, that's normal with a smaller fan. However again Noctua come in with a noticeably quieter product even at full speed. This being due to the combination of technology and quality features:
- SSO-Bearing
- Bevelled Blade Tips
- Vortex-Control Notches
- Smooth Commutation Drive
Pros
- Quality and build
- Low Noise
- High Performance for low RPM
- Extras - Comprehensive package
- Sleeved fan cable
- Six year Warranty
Cons
Next, the Noctua NF-R8...
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