Noctua launches 5V fan family

Cooling specialist Noctua has announced the launch of a new range of 5V fans, available in sizes from 40mm to 200mm, based on its existing 12V designs and targeting what the company claims is a growing market.

Constructed in the company's traditional and divisive colour-scheme, the new fan family includes 200mm, 120mm, 92mm, 80mm, and 40mm fans based on the body and blade designs of its NF-A20, NF-A14, NF-A12x25, NF-F12, NF-A9, NF-A8, and NF-A4x10 fans respectively. Where its existing models use a 12V motor, however, these new variants expect 5V - a once-niche but, the company claims, burgeoning market.

'We've seen a growing demand for 5V fans from our industrial clients, the 3D printing community, and DIY customers who seek to replace noisy 5V fans in devices such as DVRs or network and storage solutions,' claims Roland Mossig, Noctua's chief executive. 'Several years ago, 5V was a niche market, but today there are more and more devices using 5V fans and our PWM-enabled 5V fans give engineers unique options to increase customer satisfaction by using sophisticated speed control in order to achieve quieter operation.'

Available in single-speed and pulse-width modulated (PWM) variants, the company bundles each fan with a USB adapter. 'With the abundance of power banks and compact USB power supplies for smartphones, using one of these to power a 5V fan has become one of the easiest ways to tackle your everyday cooling needs,' explains Mossig. 'Some extra ventilation for your A/V cabinet to protect that expensive home cinema receiver? Some extra airflow on your desk or in your bedroom? These are the everyday applications where our new, larger 5V fans step in.'

Stock of the new fans is expected over the next few days, with pricing starting at €14.90 (inc. VAT) for the NF-A4x10 5V and rising to €29.90 (inc. VAT) for the largest NF-A20 5V. There is no price premium for PWM, and all come with a six-year warranty. More information, and links to individual fan product pages, is available from the company's press release.