Hi, first time poster. In the process of configuring my Desktop. Have a question I find I can’t answer myself.
Based on a Reddit post Google gave me it said the NF-A12X25 HS-PWM that you’re able to sell has these critical specs:
Rotational speed: 2400RPM
Acoustical noise: 28.8dBA
Airflow :117.6 m³/h
Static pressure is very important too but that wasn’t provide. Tho really only very important if you’re blowing directly into a radiator or HDD/SSD array; not sure how close the radiator fins are on the Desktop and whether static pressure does matter.
The G2 has these equivalent specs:
Rotational speed: 1800RPM
Acoustical noise: 22.5dBA
Airflow : 107.3 m³/h
In the realm of noise, I’ve replace my regular 12x25 in the location where it spins up the most with the G2 version. Because yes, the nose reduction is really noticeable and welcome as my server where I’m using it is very close to my ear. As will be the Framework Desktop, even more so as it will be right at my ear level.
So finally, my question:
A big reason to buy this for me is the superior thermals to others competitors using the same AMD APU. And the customization of everything, fan choices in this case. Will the superior thermals of the Desktop be compromised at max load if I use the G2 having 10 m³/h less than the HS-PWM that you’re offering for sale? Might I get a little more throttling with the G2?
Hopefully someone else can provide a more comprehensive answer, but in the interim, there was some discussion on the topic here: Important PSA about "bring your own fan"
I haven’t measured personally, but my sense is that the HS will cool slightly better but be noticeably louder. The G2 is a more modern design that is more effective at a given RPM, and it exceeds the recommendations given by the Framework team, so it should be sufficient.
Ah yes. I happened upon that thread after posting this. I see that you said you’d give the G2 a try. But as that was only 5 days ago I gather you haven’t gotten delivery to try it yet?
In retrospect, I think I’ll just buy both, Haha. The HS-PWM with my FW Desktop order since it’s not easy to purchase otherwise, and a G2 off Amazon at the same time I buy a Samsung 990 Pro.
Still interested in hearing what Framework would have to say on this topic, if anyone ever does.
Yep, I’m waiting on my email for batch 12 right now! I might not be a great representative sample though, because I’m going to put mine in a Rosewill 4u case with a handful of chassis fans pushing air across the motherboard.
Ha, Ha. That’s going to be a lot of unused space. Tho I’m sure you’ve got plans for that space.
Way off topic but the server I mention in my OP is a 3U rack-mount case (not Rosewill), ATX MB, plus 6x 16TB IronWolf drives plus 6x 12TB IronWolf drives inside and 4x in a supplemental Rosewill cage outside (to utilize all 16 ports of my HighPoint card), plus a 6x 4TB SSDs hot swap array. Now that is full.
I installed my MB in a Fractal Design North case and am in a similar situation. The HS wasn’t available when I got everything so I put a G2 on the heatsink instead. I’ve been running with this for about a week. Most of the time the fan isn’t spinning (I have it set to kick in a 45 degrees.) In my normal usage, light photo editing and playing around with some local LLMs, I think the G2 is sufficient.
However, I did order the HS when it became available and will install it this week. I’m thinking I’ll just use the G2 as an extra intake fan. If the HS is too loud, I may switch back.
As I’m sure you’ve surmised you get some attenuation inside the case on the heatsink rather than right at the outside edge on the intake. So having the quieter G2 on the intake and slightly louder HS on the inside is a good move.
I made a mistake in my OP. It was a Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM that I swapped out for the A12X25 G2. Yes, the redux may have a superior static pressure. It was originally pushing air thru a 5x HDD array with “thick” 16TB HDD profiles, so tiny gaps between drives; but now I took the center drive out to make a gap to increase airflow into the case chassis.
But that redux would make this super annoying “whirring” sound when it spun up based on the average of the HDD drive’s temps averaged with all the CPU & MB temps (I use Fan Control). I had to try something. And the A12x25 G2 definitely did the trick.
Wow, no. I was on the Noctua site today but my eye didn’t catch a tout for that article. Thank you very much.
And there is the answer to the question in my OP. Much as I assumed:
While upgrading to an NF-A12x25 G2 does provide some acoustical benefits compared to the stock setup (around 1 to 1.5 dB(A) lower noise levels at the same temperatures), its maximum speed is limited to 1800 RPM, so it cannot match the performance headroom of the 2400 RPM HS-PWM version of the NF-A12x25 that is supplied with the Framework Desktop PC. This high-speed version of the „G1“ fan is a safeguard that ensures the system can maintain full performance in worst-case conditions with high ambient temperatures. In other words, we would only recommend upgrading to the NF-A12x25 G2 if you seek to lower noise levels as much as possible and if you are willing to sacrifice the maximum performance headroom in worst-case scenarios that the G1 HS-PWM fan provides.
