I don’t know if anyone was in the same boat with respect to fan choices, but I originally configured “bring my own fan” so that I could go with a black Noctua 120 fan, preferably a Chromax fan in black or a G2 fan (eventually in black as well when Noctua gets around to it).
After reading this article from Noctua about their attempts to create a quieter Framework Desktop, it looks like they don’t sell a fan that matches the performance of the one that Framework configures. The Noctua fan you get from Framework (and likely the other 2 as well) are capable of 2400rpm, but the retail Noctua 120mm fans only go up to at most 2000rpm, and the G2 only goes up to 1800rpm. They specifically warn against using their retail fans. (But they do include some nice 3D-printable parts to make the stock setup quieter…)
Whoops! So, I updated my order today to include the Noctua 120mm fan (for the quietest experience), but I’m using the black panel so the Noctua standard colors will stand out a bit.
I would love to see Framework work with Noctua for a Chromax version of the fan they source!
In a Framework KB, they mention the minimum specs for an aftermarket fan: 60 CFM and 2.0mm H20 air pressure.
The Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 PWM (1800 RPM) does meet those specs. 63 CFM and 3.14 mm H20 air pressure. Admittedly the NF-A12x25 HS-PWM (2500 RPM) has better specs and is certainly the preffered choice if noise isn’t a factor.
Unfortunately for us motherboard only purchasers, there doesn’t seem to be a current way to buy the 2500 RPM Noctua.
Those specs are the minimum requirement. The Noctua article in the first post mentions that you might give up on maximum performance if you don’t use the faster fan that Framework supplies.
I’m using an NF-P12 Redux-1700 for the color lulz (and it was lying around spare). It’s sitting on an open-air mount because I thought ordering the case separately would bump me up in the wave (it did not, and I still can’t order just the case).
Runs fine. YMMV. Spec page says it’ll max out about 70CFM and 2.83 mm H2O. Personally, I know the SOC/APU will self throttle, my concern lies with the power circuitry and SSD getting the secondhand-airflow they need, but no issues so far.
This is really interesting, as a buyer who bought the G2, I am unsure if it’s as serious as it seems so I am curious what people report as time goes on. I bought the G2 for its performance to noise level ratio for the NAS that will live in my bedroom so I still think I made a good choice.
Will people really be maxing out the Framework CPU often and fully saturating that heatsink enough to require that 2500RPM boost?
I was planning to do the same thing with the G2, and I was hoping Noctua would offer a black version by the time my Batch 12 arrived. This is something that I wish a reviewer would cover.
Of interest, I’d been thinking of using the NF-A14x25r G2 on the motherboard only version (will run it semi-open so case fit isn’t an issue). Just wondered if there were any thoughts on if this may be a bad idea…?
More interesting is the fact that none of their CPU fan parts they offer meet that spec.
I’d like to research and figure more out, but their site stopped serving me pages after about 7 or 8 clicks because it didn’t think I was human (7,8 clicks over a minute or two isn’t super-human…)
Will people really be maxing out the Framework CPU often and fully saturating that heatsink enough to require that 2500RPM boost?
For AI I think yes. Probably demanding games too.
I think it’s interesting that you and @PenTurDucKenLinE are building NAS’s! I think of NAS’s as usually not having super powerful CPUs and possibly no GPU. I’m curious- are you building a power gaming/ ai rig that is also a NAS?
That’s essentially what I’m doing! Or perhaps more accurately, a NAS that is a gaming / AI rig. My plan is to use Unraid as my base OS, and have a VM for media/AI/gaming.
I’ll be tinkering a bit to figure out the exact implementation, depending on what the VM performance looks like passing Strix Halo resources into it. Unraid has great Docker support, but if I have to pass the Strix Halo iGPU to the VM for gaming, then the Unraid Docker wont have access to the iGPU… which means the VM will need to handle Docker.
Seems kind of brilliant! I already have a headless NAS so the Strix Halo will be a workstation + gaming machine but if I was starting again I can see the benefit of one box that does it all. Didn’t occur to me as an option…
Yeah similar to @PenTurDucKenLinE but Proxmox + TrueNAS. Local LLMs maybe, game streaming over WiFi, Nextcloud, Plex, Pterodactyl, Immich, all sorts. I always confuse NAS for homelab so I usually mean homelab.
Even with all that, I wanna bet the chip and heatsink is efficient enough to perform still great with the G2 but I’ll see! Curious how others find it still and to be fair, I’ve never had such powerful integrated graphics on a chip before…
I got the Cooler Master RGB one, wishing I went for the Noctua HS now as the RGB doesn’t seem to turn on, at least under linux (I’ve tried openrgb). Tried an Arctic RGB I had spare, still nada for RGB. Pity, because I tend to bring hardware to meets and wouldn’t minded a bit of the show off factor.
I’ve subscribed to notifications for when the Noctua is in stock in the Framework store and will print that side panel to boot. Quieter is always good for home office use.
On thicker fans, asides from the cooler master I also came across this Phanteks one that seems to review well: https://phanteks.com/product/t30-120/ Performance mode tops out around 2000rpm. Faster mode if needed, slower mode if you need silence. Anyone tried it?
