Just because a brand does one thing well, doesn’t mean they can waltz into another sector and do just as well, right? Noctua may be one of the rare exceptions, as the Austrian fan makers have adapted one of their legendary high performance PC fans into a genuinely decent desk fan following years of teases and rumours.
The humble desk fan was first mentioned six years ago at Computex, and garnered a lot of attention at the trade show for being such a left-field product. The proposed launch date of late 2021 came and went, so people started 3D-printing their own takes on the concept, integrating Noctua fans into desk-friendly chassis to get a sense of what the concept might look like if it was ever released. After all, if Noctua fans are known for being quiet yet powerful, surely the human face could benefit just as much as power-hungry PC components?
Fast forward to May 2024, and Noctua finally unveiled their Home series of products, which includes all manner of cooling options, including hubs, adapters and two types of fans. One is designed for cooling everything from consoles to AV receivers, while the other is designed for cooling people – and that’s the one we have in for review.
After all that time then, is the finished article any good? Well, yes – but it depends on what you want to do with it. Despite its small stature, Noctua claim the fan can cool an entire room – and that doesn’t line up with what it can actually deliver. Instead, it’s best to think of it as a personal desk fan that you can use even at high speeds without disturbing others around you. It’s certainly one of the quietest desk fans I’ve ever used, in keeping with Noctua’s reputation for building virtually silent case fans and CPU coolers.
Fundamentally though, a PC case fan is exactly what the NV-FS1 is: a 120mm Noctua NF-A12-x25 fan, bolted into a metal chassis, with fins on the front for directing airflow. Elsewhere, it contains the typical industrial charm Noctua has become known for, offering a chassis which is a blend of plastic at the front and a metal stand at the back for keeping the fan level. The metal stand is seriously sturdy, while the thick plastics used have a pleasant texture to them. The stand allows the fan to pivot and rotate almost 180 degrees, only being hampered by the cable that protrudes out of the back.
The cable arrangement on offer is interesting. Originally envisaged as a USB fan, the finished product is mains-powered to allow for faster RPM figures and hence more airflow. You get a full assortment of regional power adapters, a power supply, fan cables and a PWM controller with dial for adjusting its speed. This full kit is convenient, although having the controller so far down the cable can be a pain in some setups. Amusingly, the cabling is exactly what you’d be familiar with in a PC, so they’re thinner connectors than you might expect on a conventional desk fan.
As the NV-FS1 is a full kit and comes pre-assembled, there’s nothing to stop you from slotting in a bigger fan for even more airflow. Noctua says the kit supports both 120mm and 140mm fans, so you could conceivably slot the massive 140mm fan found in the veteran NH-D15 cooler to push even more air out. You can also purchase the components separately to build more desk fans, make repairs or convert it to 5V USB power. Beyond the novelty of its existence, it’s nice to see the Austrian firm leaning into the customisation and versatility you’d expect from their PC heritage.
Unfortunately, the NV-FS1 is far from the cheapest desk fan of its size on the market. It retails for £86/$99, which is hilariously expensive for a humble desk fan. That’s considering you can both 3D print your own official housing for a fraction of the price if you’ve got access to a 3D printer, while Meaco offer more powerful and even wireless choices for £35 or so. The Meaco 260c is a favourite of mine, offering the benefits of a small pedestal fan, complete with small night light and selectable fan speeds. Still, it doesn’t have half of the charm of the NV-FS1.
There’s just something about the idea and execution of a Noctua desk fan that I can’t help but admire. It’s something the community wanted to happen, and Noctua made it happen. When brands are receptive to the needs and wacky requests from the community, it erodes away the typical corporate greed and facelessness just a little bit. Noctua makes for a marvellous case study for understanding a brand who not only make excellent products, but who are receptive to the very people who make the business what they are – those who actually purchase their wares, and use them. Without that, a brand is nothing but a name. The NV-FS1 isn’t a perfect product by any means, but the fact that it exists still makes me happy.