Conclusion:
Noctua continues to impress with the cooling products they have sent to Bigbruin.com for review. The NF-S12 and NF-R8 fans provided the cooling performance needed, the low noise operation wanted, and many quality touches that might not be expected.
The fans are well made and the cables are nicely finished with black sheathing. They all come with the typical three pin power connector, but Noctua includes a three pin to four pin power adapter, as well as their U.L.N.A. cables which provide a simple means to reduce the fan speeds even more. Each fan also comes with typical mounting screws and tool-less, vibration isolating mounts that will help reduce noise even more. All in all, what you get with each of these fans is deserving of two words that you don't generally bother applying to cooling fans... high quality.
The main functional down side to these fans is minimal, and is that the tool-less fan mounts can be tricky to use in tight corners of a case. They work well once installed, but you may struggle to secure your fan. Other than that small issue, the only other issue may be the color scheme. If you're looking to coordinate your fans with a modified system, I doubt brownish red and tan will be on your color palette.
Searching PriceGrabber turns up no results for any of these fans, but a broader search of the Internet does. Places like Jab-tech, NCIX, and Modders Mart carry the NF-R8 for about $15 (US) and the NF-S12 series for just under $20 (US). Although they are excellent fans that come with all the accessories you might want, many may find the price to be just too high for a case fan.
Given the performance and low noise operation, I award the Noctua NF-S12 and NF-R8 Cooling Fans the ratings of "Recommended" and "Whisper Quiet".
 
Pros:
» Solid performance
» Extremely low noise
» Includes standard screws and tool-less, vibration isolating mounts
» Well finished power leads
» U.L.N.A. cables offer simple fan speed control
Cons:
» Color scheme doesn't go with any system I have ever seen
» Tool-less fan mounts can be tricky to install
» Price
Special thanks to Noctua for providing the Noctua NF-S12 and NF-R8 Cooling Fans to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.
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