The Basics (continued):
The front side of each package provides a glimpse of the included fan and one (of four) vibration isolating fan mounts. The back side details the features and specifications in a variety of languages.
Inside of each package a clear plastic mold separates the fans from the various accessories and the prominently displayed vibration isolating fan mounts.
The images below show off the front and back of the NF-R8, and with a quick glance the only item of interest may be the off-beat color scheme. Taking a closer look will reveal some of the design features that help the
Noctua fans operate efficiently with low noise. Seemingly simple things like the rounded edges on the fan's hub and the geometry of the fan's blades are touted as being key points of the Noctua design. Another feature included on all three Noctua models is the well finished sheathing on the power leads.
The next set of images show off both the NF-S12-1200 and NF-S12-800 fans. The two are the same physically except for the model number printed on the hub's sticker. The NF-S12 series has what they call the "Straight-Blade" design, while the NF-R8 has their "Raised Blade" design. Comparing the two sizes reveals subtle design differences between the 120mm and 80mm blades which Noctua obviously felt were significant to optimize the performance of each.
The image below shows the accessories from the NF-R8, but they represent all models for the most part. You really do get everything you could need, including; a three pin to four pin adapter, two 3 pin U.L.N.A. cables, four mounting screws, and four tool-less vibration isolating mounts. The U.L.N.A. (Ultra Low Noise Adapters) are basically fan speed controllers that use a resistor in the line to drop the speed from 1800 RPM to 1300 RPM or 800 RPM depending on which cable you choose. The NF-S12-1200 comes with just one U.L.N.A. which allows you to run at either 1200 RPM or 600 RPM. The NF-S12-800 also comes with just one U.L.N.A. which allows you to run at either 800 RPM or 500 RPM.
