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Noctua Fan Color "Beige and Brown" » Change the color? Yup!

20K views 60 replies 18 participants last post by  XPS720Modder 
#1 ·
UPDATE 2017

DO NOT DYE WITH CHINA MADE VERSION

We have a report that when attempting to dye one of the new fans produced in CHINA (vs TAIWAN) that the new plastic used does NOT absorb the dye (so it doesn't work.. sorry!) See info below.



Here's an update of me being the "Guinea pig". My Noctua "Black Edition" fans
wink.gif

I took the plunge and boiled/dye all 9 of them

Every single one of them works perfectly!


My flash made a brown show up, ignore that they are all black






Instructions (for modern Noctua fans only not legacy, they must be the 100% fully sealed version):

WARNING: DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. BE SAFE. DO NOT DO THIS INDOORS. USE THE SIDE BURNER ON YOUR OUTDOOR GRILL. The stuff stinks horribly and it will get everywhere. It will NOT stick to stainless steel however it will stain most everything else. Use gloves. ANY materials that are used MUST be DISCARDED after use. Don't use anything that you plan to keep. What I read is that this stuff is non-toxic but I wouldn't breathe it either. Keep it outside.

(1) Go to Job Lot / Walmart and get a brand new cheapest large stove pot with a cover. The size of the fans you want to fit, that's how big. You want cheap because you're going to throw it away after. Cheap wooden spoon, some of those disposable metal containers can come in handy. You know the drill.. load up.

(2) Order Rit DYE. I personally ended up using Royal Blue. Yah I know why not black.. Well, this is what I used and it gave me black
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. You are going to want (2) Packages of this per fan you want to dye. I ended up having to re-dye many of my fans over again because I was trying to use the same dye for multiple fans. It just didn't work out that way so save yourself the headache and plan to use 2 boxes per fan for best results.

(3) Using DISTILLED WATER fill the pot about 1/2" above the height of the fan if it was laying down inside the pot. Bring this water to an easy boil. DON'T let it get too hot.. One of my fans took a small hit (cosmetically) because I think the temp was too high. All you really need is to bring the water to a slight boil and then using gloves (trust me no matter how good you think you can pour the dust WILL get all over your hands) pour the dye in QUICKLY. Mix with wooden spoon.

(4) Reduce heat to "simmer" to maintain a minimum temp. Get an alligator clip of some type. Any kind of metal clip.

(5) Place the Noctua fan inside the water LABEL SIDE UP and fully submerge it but HOLD ON to the power cable. This is where you use the clip. Clip the power cable to the side of the pot outside the path of the steam so that it is kept dry. Leave the fan in there for ONE HOUR. You don't need to flip it over. Set your kitchen timer, phone, etc. Don't worry if you leave it in there too long it won't matter it just wastes your time because you only need an hour to dye it
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(6) Be prepared to remove the fan and have it be dripping dye like crazy. I personally got a wad of paper towels and plopped the fan right on top. I then took it to my stainless steel sink and rinsed them all off with water until they ran clean and then again with distilled water. Let them dry for an hour and WIPE them down with a lint free cloth. Then you can test it right away! All 9 of mine worked just fine... YMMV.. they are sealed, the internals never get wet. There is very little water pressure at that short of a depth.

**When finished if you want to dye another fan then you can get away with only adding ONE more box of dye. If you are starting over again then definitely need TWO.

When finished you seriously don't want to try and rinse the dye out of anything and re-use it.. The pan I used seemed to have retained a bit of it somehow and it just gets everywhere fast.. I got some on my counter and had to scrub it out
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Build not finished but the fans look much better
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. There are 7 of them all in "Pull" config.


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#4 ·
Good idea .. if you have sealed fans.

I've had good results using up leather / upholstery spray or lacquer spray carefully applied evenly in light coat works very well. Just plug all the holes into motor hub so none gets into unsealed fan motors.
 
#5 ·
Nice idea and good results, but......

Yes, Noctuas are good fans, but IMO, this is not worth the trouble, especially for rad use where Noctuas are really nothing special anymore. There plenty of fans with black baskets out there that will do the job as well, or better, for the same money or less.
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ciarlatano View Post

Nice idea and good results, but......

Yes, Noctuas are good fans, but IMO, this is not worth the trouble, especially for rad use where Noctuas are really nothing special anymore. There plenty of fans with black baskets out there that will do the job as well, or better, for the same money or less.
Indeed. Thermalright TY-14x series fans are much better prices for same design, and even a little better performing. Not that Thermalright is gong to release the TY-147A Sq and TY-143 Sq in (square versions) those of us who can get them will have another source of good radiator fans. Now to convince them to make the TY-143 Sq in all black or at least black / white like the TY-147A ..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimensive View Post

I have always heard great things about Noctua fans, but they're just hideous. Thankfully Fractal Design came out with the Venturi line and they're wonderful. But I'm glad you were able to dye your fans to your liking.
I've heard good things about the new Venturi line. About time Fractal Design!
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For years the weak link in their great cases were the fans.
 
#8 ·
The Noctua Redux fans aren't brown, work well, are quiet, and affordable.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob27shred View Post

Yeah but last I checked there is no static pressure versions of the redux models. So they are out of the question for rad fans.
There aren't "static pressure" versions of any of the Noctua fans. There aren't "static pressure" versions of any high quality fan. That marketing bunk is reserved for lesser quality pieces that don't have the performance to stand on their own merits.
 
#11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

I've heard good things about the new Venturi line. About time Fractal Design!
thumb.gif

For years the weak link in their great cases were the fans.
Yea, I was never pleased with the Silent Series fans. I lined my Arc Mini with Venturi fans, have a 140mm as exhaust on my Node 304, and 2x120mm's in my Hadron Air. They don't feel cheap, they look great, and they move a lot of air--no complaints here.
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob27shred View Post

Yeah but last I checked there is no static pressure versions of the redux models. So they are out of the question for rad fans.
You are correct, redux are not static pressure optimized. They are not just the same fans without the rubber corners and accessories. When you compare specs side-by-side the redux have different specs... and 7 blades vs 9 blades.... I actually dyed the brown rubber corners also but they only got slightly darker.. I may end up removing them as I don't think vibration noise is going to be an issue at 1200rpm anyway.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ciarlatano View Post

There aren't "static pressure" versions of any of the Noctua fans. There aren't "static pressure" versions of any high quality fan. That marketing bunk is reserved for lesser quality pieces that don't have the performance to stand on their own merits.
Indeed, they do have static pressure optimized fans. The NF-A14 FLX is one of them.

"Succeeding the award-winning NF-P14 - Noctua's NF-P14 fan has become a default-choice among PC enthusiasts looking for a premium quality quiet 140mm fan. Thanks to its thoroughgoing aerodynamic optimisations, the NF-A14 provides higher static pressure and an even better airflow/noise ratio than its much acclaimed predecessor."

NF-A14 FLX 1200rpm specifications
Static Pressure 1,51 mm H₂O

NF-P14 REDUX 1200rpm specifications
The REDUX version
Static Pressure 1,29 mm H₂O

http://noctua.at/en/products/fan

Those venturi fans do look nice! Impressive static pressure. I notice as the number of fan blades increase, the static pressure decreases. 7 fan blades seem to be the best for static pressure optimized needs.

http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/casefans/venturi-series/venturi-hp-14-pwm
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob27shred View Post

Yeah but last I checked there is no static pressure versions of the redux models. So they are out of the question for rad fans.
We are posting in the "Air Cooling" section, after all.

That said, I am running some on a radiator. I don't have any measurement data, but they seem to be moving a decent amount of air through the rad. Best on the planet? Probably not, but not out of the question.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laithan View Post

You are correct, redux are not static pressure optimized. They are not just the same fans without the rubber corners and accessories. When you compare specs side-by-side the redux have different specs... and 7 blades vs 9 blades.... I actually dyed the brown rubber corners also but they only got slightly darker.. I may end up removing them as I don't think vibration noise is going to be an issue at 1200rpm anyway.
Indeed, they do have static pressure optimized fans. The NF-A14 FLX is one of them.

"Succeeding the award-winning NF-P14 - Noctua's NF-P14 fan has become a default-choice among PC enthusiasts looking for a premium quality quiet 140mm fan. Thanks to its thoroughgoing aerodynamic optimisations, the NF-A14 provides higher static pressure and an even better airflow/noise ratio than its much acclaimed predecessor."

NF-A14 FLX 1200rpm specifications
Static Pressure 1,51 mm H₂O

NF-P14 REDUX 1200rpm specifications
The REDUX version
Static Pressure 1,29 mm H₂O

http://noctua.at/en/products/fan

Those venturi fans do look nice! Impressive static pressure. I notice as the number of fan blades increase, the static pressure decreases. 7 fan blades seem to be the best for static pressure optimized needs.

http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/casefans/venturi-series/venturi-hp-14-pwm
Sorry, but the A14 does not have a high pressure rating. 1.51mm H2O is enough for most case vents and air coolers, but barely enough for a thin free flowing radiator. Not a high pressure fan an not really enough for dense restrictive radiators like CLCs have.

It's not that the design is not good, but that 1200rpm is not fast enough. Same fan with a maximum speed of at least 1500-1800rpm, or even better 2500rpm will give same low rpm performance and quiet noise levels, but will have the ability to move much more air with higher pressure at higher rprm when needed on a radiator. This can even be applicable on air coolers .. it is what Thermalright did on their Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme & Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme, and SilverStone did on their HE01 coolers. Problem is most who use them do not increase case airflow to match, then whine and moan that their CPU is running hot in their 20c room .. but never realize the air going into the cooler is 30-40c when they are stress testing their CPU .. 10-20c above room ambient means the CPU is up to 18c hotting than it would be if cooler was getting air a few degrees warmer than room.
doh.gif
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laithan View Post

You are correct, redux are not static pressure optimized. They are not just the same fans without the rubber corners and accessories. When you compare specs side-by-side the redux have different specs... and 7 blades vs 9 blades.... I actually dyed the brown rubber corners also but they only got slightly darker.. I may end up removing them as I don't think vibration noise is going to be an issue at 1200rpm anyway.
Indeed, they do have static pressure optimized fans. The NF-A14 FLX is one of them.

"Succeeding the award-winning NF-P14 - Noctua's NF-P14 fan has become a default-choice among PC enthusiasts looking for a premium quality quiet 140mm fan. Thanks to its thoroughgoing aerodynamic optimisations, the NF-A14 provides higher static pressure and an even better airflow/noise ratio than its much acclaimed predecessor."

NF-A14 FLX 1200rpm specifications
Static Pressure 1,51 mm H₂O

NF-P14 REDUX 1200rpm specifications
The REDUX version
Static Pressure 1,29 mm H₂O

http://noctua.at/en/products/fan
The fact that they mention that it has higher static pressure than another particular fan in their line does not make it some bogus marketed "static pressure fan". Since almost every fan Noctua has ever made has higher static than the NF-S12A, does that mean their whole line is a "static pressure version" except the 12A? That is what your line of reasoning here would indicate. Noctua has no "static pressure series". That kind of drivel is saved for the marketing rooms at Corsair and the like when they try to figure out how to sell their latest lousy fan design. "Oh...it doesn't do anything well....so let's call it the Static Pressure Gaming Edition".

Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

Sorry, but the A14 does not have a high pressure rating. 1.51mm H2O is enough for most case vents and air coolers, but barely enough for a thin free flowing radiator. Not a high pressure fan an not really enough for dense restrictive radiators like CLCs have.
That, of course, being the other part of it.....
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by MicroCat View Post

Uh...the NF-A14 PWM that's spec'd at 2,08 mm H₂O is that the one you mean?
The 1200rpm spec is 1.51mm H2O, just as Laithan posted.
tongue.gif

As both ciarlatano and I said, only marginal on radiators.
 
#21 ·
No, I did not.
I quoted post #12 in which Laithan posted A14 with as 1200rpm & 1.51mm H2O. That is A14 specificaton with LNA being used.

Meow, get your specs right meow.
tongue.gif
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by MicroCat View Post

You stated it was the A14. The 1200rpm model is the A15. Get your numbers and ducks in line or expect some catty remarks. Meow.
tongue.gif
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

No, I did not.
I quoted post #12 in which Laithan posted A14 with as 1200rpm & 1.51mm H2O. That is A14 specificaton with LNA being used.

Meow, get your specs right meow.
tongue.gif
I'm a cat. Don't use specs. I have staff, like you, for that.
tongue.gif


Why use an A14 FLX case fan on a rad? That's just silly. Oh...wait...I'll just slink back to my kitty lair.
 
#24 ·
I have a few NF-A14 PWM fans which I got for $15 each when the PWM version was new (would not buy for $20+), but today there's other 140mm square options such as EK Vardar / Noiseblocker eloop B14-PS and B14-3 / Phanteks PH-F140MP that are less brown and perform similarly if not better

Unless you run your Noctuas at below 600 rpm (the PWM ones have 300RPM lower limit) the difference is minimal but the cost savings is immense. Then again if you buy a Phanteks PWM fan you can use the resistor.
 
#25 ·
I just figured I'd give an update. I've been running the dyed fans for a couple weeks now. The RPMs are showing between 1230rpm and 1250rpm according to my motherboard PWM header. They all start/stop together. I'll periodically update the thread with the status. I really think they will run just fine forever but we'll see
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#26 ·
Another month later, all fans are working just fine. I also visually watch them when they start up and stop and they are all starting and stopping at the same time. There's no sign of any damage from the dye process that I can see. I'll update in another month or so to keep folks in the loop.
 
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