So I ordered my H15. I didn’t order any fan upgrade. I watched so many videos before I ordered that I guess I just thought that since the current fans are controlable - and I think I read that the Noctua fans didn’t really add much, I didn’t order them.
But as I wait, and contemplate my decisions – I am left with the question: If the current fans are great, why would they still offer an “upgrade.” ?
Can anyone help me with either of my two questions: 1) Will the Noctua fans make any ‘real’ noticable difference – and 2) Is it too late to “upgrade” since my order hasn’t shipped yet.
Thanks in advance – clearly, cost isn’t the highest priority here … I suppose that is true with anyone buying an H15
They might run a couple dB quieter, but whether that is noticeable depends on where noise levels your server will live. I think the inlet spacers are also supposed to shave off 0.5 dB or something. That all goes out the window if you have the dust filter installed because the fans will be working harder anyway.
You can send a note to info@45homelab.com and they can usually modify an order if it still in the build queue/process. Unless they’ve upped their game, shipping notifications aren’t particularly timely.
Some people are fan snobs and like brand names?
Some people doing custom builds might want the extra bits that come with the fan kit if they don’t have many fan headers on their motherboard or it’s an older board?
They still have stock in inventory to sell?
45HL may have a bit of a marketing arrangement with Noctua?
Thank you. I feel a little better just waiting to see what happens when I craft my own profile for the fan outputs. Perhaps I upgrade, but I don’t see anything that suggests that I should “obviously” upgrade.
The Store description says a difference of 4-6 dBA.
Based on the spec sheets;
the difference seems like it may be more like 10 dBA. At the maximum setting Noctua claims to move 102 m³/h at 22.6 dBA. Dynatron list three duty cycles, and interpolating between them and considering dB is logarithmic, I think moving 102 m³/h the noise level would be about 33.5 dBA. The noise difference may be smaller at lower RPMs.
Some other things to consider:
Minimum RPM. If your system requires minimal airflow, the Noctuas will spin down to 450 RPM. The Dynatrons may only spin down to 1000 (not 100% clear).
Maximum RPM. The Dynatrons will spin up to 3600 RPM and push 2x the airflow at max than the Noctuas if you need lots of airflow.
MTTF. The Noctuas seem to have twice the MTTF and warranty period (3 yr/70K hr vs 6 yr / 150K hr)
My HL15 is in a bit of a closet, so I wasn’t too concerned with the noise difference as long as it wasn’t 100% RPM and data center loud. If I was putting this in the office, bedroom or media room with me I’d probably consider the Noctua kit, or getting six NF-A12s myself to install.
