Noctua, the prolific fan company that’s slapped its owl logo on everything from CPU coolers to screwdrivers, is embarking on a new venture — desk cooling. The NV-FS1 is a desk fan that puts the NG-A12x25 120mm fan inside a stand and features a special new “airflow optimizer.”
It sounds a little strange for Noctua, but the NV-FS1 isn’t a new product. Noctua actually revealed it on its public road map over a year ago before quietly removing it in early 2023. That led many to speculate that it was dead on forums and Reddit, and Noctua itself said it was “unclear if or when it will make it to market.”
We are currently reevaluating the desk fan project and at this stage, it is unclear if or when it will make it to market, so we have removed it from the roadmap for now.
— Noctua (@Noctua_at) January 5, 2023
The NV-FS1 is a kit that Noctua is selling for $100 as a complete package. It’s an insane price for a desk fan, frankly, but you don’t need the full kit if you already have a 120mm fan laying around. The airflow amplifier is $15 , while the stand is $40 . You’ll also need to pick up one of Noctua’s AC to DC adapter’s for another $30 … now that I think about it, maybe $100 isn’t so bad after all.
The airflow amplifier seems to be the star of the show here, forcing the airflow out of four channels rather than letting it spray all over the place. Noctua says it provides “a strong, focused beam of airflow,” with the amplifier “significantly [enhancing] the fan’s ventilation performance.”
The NV-FS1 is just one product out of Noctua’s new Home line, which compromises two premade kits and nine modular accessories. The aforementioned fan mount, for example, can actually support a 120mm or 140mm fan, and it has mounting points so you can hang it wherever you want.
The other premade kit is the NV-FS2, which is built for device cooling. Noctua lists “A/V receivers, DVRs, video game consoles, stereo equipment, routers, and storage solutions” as some examples of devices it can be used with, but it’s basically a fan with some gaskets. You can set it on top of anything that could use an extra boost of airflow, and without concern for noise due to the sound dampening provided by the gaskets.
It’ll set you back, though. Noctua is asking $80 for the NV-FS2, which is, once again, basically a fan inside a mount. You’re free to purchase the nessacary parts separately — the gasket mount, for example, is $15 — but you’ll need to spend up if you want the full kit.
