Generally, fans in the PC industry tend to be fairly standardized sizes: 120 and 140mm in most cases, with a few exceptions for 200mm fans, and lately some 160mm models have appeared. In air coolers we have more variety, and it is not uncommon to also see 92 or 100mm fans, but 60mm usually have no place in a normal PC.
We present to you the Noctua NF-A6x15
In fact, Noctua already had 60mm fans, the problem was that they were 25mm wide. The new models are considered slim as their width has been reduced to just 15mm, making them ideal for projects involving smaller devices. Currently, they offer them in four different variations, which you can see in this table:
Model | Dimensions | Maximum RPM | maximum noise | Air flow | static pressure | Connector |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NF-A6x15 PWM | 60x60x15 | 3500 | 19.8 dBA | 23.4 m³/h | 2.43mm H2O | 4 pines |
NF-A6x15 FLX | 60x60x15 | 3500 | 19.8 dBA | 23.4 m³/h | 2.43mm H2O | 3 pines |
NF-A6x15 5V PWM | 60x60x15 | 3500 | 19.8 dBA | 23.4 m³/h | 2.43mm H2O | 4 pines |
NF-A6x15 5V | 60x60x15 | 3500 | 19.8 dBA | 23.4 m³/h | 2.43mm H2O | 3 pines |
As you can see, all four models have the same dimensions, maximum speed, air flow, static pressure and noise, and they only differ in small details like the connector, since for example the PWM models have a connector to 4 pin and the other 3 pin. And they really only differ in small things, but they can be very important, so let's look at them.
These fans come in a small rectangular case and are essentially the same except for the name. As you can see, Noctua sent us a unit of each except the regular PWM model, of which they sent us two.
On the back of the packaging they tell us about their technologies, technologies that we already know very well because we have analyzed many fans of the brand, and which include everything from the design of the fins to the acceleration channels in the frame.
Inside, we have a presentation as always up to par, and firstly we see the fan on its external face enclosed in a cardboard structure.
Below the fan, accessories are listed in each model. For example, these are those that come in the 5V PWM model, and they differ from the others, for example, in that they have an adapter to connect it via USB.
The fan itself has the aesthetics and quality of materials that Noctua has accustomed us to… it's like a normal fan from the brand but in miniature. It has 7 fairly wide and inclined blades, and with the characteristic notches just like the larger ones.
Behind, always the same thing, with the usual identification label which tells us the model and its consumption.
Of course, they are very thin since as thin fans, despite being 60mm, their width is only 1.5cm.
All have a relatively short cable and are covered in a heat-resistant plastic jacket. In this case it is the 5V PWM model so it ends with a 4-pin PWM connector, but there is also a label that warns us that we should only use them with a 5V power source.
And what is the difference between the four models? You may be wondering. Well, the two 5V models differ from the others in that they include the USB adapter, in addition to the fact that the PWM model has a 4-pin connector and the normal model has 3. The FLX model includes a cable MOLEX adapter, while the normal model, has the common accessories:
- 4x NA-AV2 anti-vibration mounts
- NA-EC1 extension 30 cm
- NA-YC1 4pin PWM Y-shaped cable
- NA-RC14 Noise Reduction Adapter (LNA)
- Screws for fans
How do these 60mm fans work?
There are few things we can tell you that you haven't already imagined. We don't do testing per se because we have no way of installing them on a PC or testing them beyond plugging them into the air and seeing how they work, but what we can tell you, is that we were pleasantly surprised to see this. they're pretty quiet, even though they're so small that they spin at 3,500 rpm. Plus they move a lot of air, you can clearly notice the air they push if you stick your hand out even relatively far.
The truth is that although these are unconventional fans in the PC ecosystem, we can think of many possible uses, like what we have already mentioned, they can be used to create a 3D case for a Raspberry Pi, they can be used for some models for a NAS, to cool a 3D printer, for an Arduino case… for anything you can think of, really. And you know you're buying quality fans with a 6 year warranty.
If you just need 60mm fans in slim format, you'll be happy to know that you already have them available on Amazon.