Introduction
Noctua is a company that while it originally hedged in obscurity, has become a name synonymous with extreme and quiet cooling.
Today I have the pleasure of checking out two of their offerings The 1200rpm and the 800rpm 120mm fans. Not only do these bad boys sport custom designed fins, and a very distinct color job, they are able to be made even quieter with the included adapter with the built in resistor.

Features and Specifications

Specs ripped straight from www.noctua.at

Size 120x120x25 mm
Bearing SSO-Bearing
Blade Geometry Straight-Blade-Design
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) 1200 RPM
Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 600 RPM
Airflow 81 m³/h
Airflow with U.L.N.A. 41 m³/h
Acoustical Noise 17 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A. < 6* dB(A)
Input Power 1,44 W
Input Current 0,12 A
Voltage Range 4-13 V
MTBF > 150.000 h
Scope of Delivery

* Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.)
* 4 Vibration Compensators
* 3:4-Pin Adaptor
* 4 Fan Screws

Warranty 6 years

ize 120x120x25 mm
Bearing SSO-Bearing
Blade Geometry Straight-Blade-Design
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) 800 RPM
Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 500 RPM
Airflow 59 m³/h
Airflow with U.L.N.A. 34 m³/h
Acoustical Noise 8 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A. < 5* dB(A)
Input Power 0,60 W
Input Current 0,05 A
Voltage Range 6-13 V
MTBF > 150.000 h
Scope of Delivery

* Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor (U.L.N.A.)
* 4 Vibration Compensators
* 3:4-Pin Adaptor
* 4 Fan Screws

Warranty 6 years

Testing Setup

* Tested on my main system. a Thermaltake Mozart Tx case.
* Motherboard DFI Lanparty UT Expert
* Corsair 2x1gig pc-4400 ram
* Processor AMD Opteron 146 at 3.0ghz

Testing Results

The Mozart Case comes with the first Thermaltake fans that I've never actually heard. I have a few other "silent" fans, but you can always hear the whooshing sound they make up close. Both of the Noctua Fans are dead silent. with dba ratings at 17 and 8 , its impossible for me to test and make sure, but subjectively, i could only tell they were on by seeing the fan blades move, and feeling the wind they created. With the included rubber fittings to hold the fans in place instead of screws it was impossible to tell they were in my case at all without once again feeling the wind. While they certainly did not push the most air out of the group, they were the most quiet at stock. when you use the adapters included it was even quieter. Im not sure why Noctua felt the need to go slower and quieter, but the option to do so is very nice indeed.

Conclusion

If you are an ultimate cooling fanatic and you have to have the most CFM period and you like having to wear earplugs to sit near your PC then these fans aren't for you. however , for the vast majority of PC users these fans are the best choice in a sea of options. While they are a bit more expensive then most though, conversely I've never seen a better warranty of a fan, and for those that crave a silent or very quiet PC these Fans are the BEST hands down. My Mozart Case is supposed to be an entertainment case for use with other AV and TV components. and these fans definatly help that image. quiet, reliable, and already sleeved cables add up to a dream come true.

Summary

Best Fans for quiet PC lovers
Its not the cheapest fan, but its got the best warranty I've seen in ages
The color choices are not flashy, but do make a statement.
Sleeved power cable, and very professionally done at that.

I award these fans the HWH Gold Award and a 9.5 out of ten

Thanks to Noctua for the review sample.