Best 80mm Fan

We knew, even before beginning to work on this guide, that Noctua would have at least one contender that would make it onto our list of best fans. The reason for that is quite simple: Noctua is one of the most prolific fan manufacturers in the industry. They’re known to deliver some of the highest quality products on the market, and they rarely disappoint. The same can be said about their NF-A8 model.

Suited for compact PC cases, this static pressure fan features a few of Noctua’s best solutions that they promise will make it last for years while maintaining superb performance.

It features an advanced acoustic optimization system (AAO) that comes with a set of anti-vibration pads. Thanks to that, as well as Noctua’s Stepped Inlet Design and Inner Surface Microstructures, the performance versus noise efficiency of this fan is very high.

Noctua NF-A8 runs at up to 2200 RPM and has a 4-pin connector that allows for manual control. It also comes with a Low-Noise-Adaptor that reduces the maximum speed during PWM control down to 1750 RPM.

This model’s flow acceleration channels further contribute to its efficiency and low-noise. They speed up the airflow at the — very important — outer blade regions. This helps them reduce suction side flow separation.

The bearing type is SSO2 (self-stabilizing oil-pressure bearing version 2) which allows for greater precision when adjusting temperatures. You can expect to reach an accuracy of 10%, giving you quite a lot of control over how much air the fan is currently pushing.

The combination of tan and brown coloring is a trademark aesthetic of Noctua’s. This design may suit some builds, but it does stand out from the currently trendy LED lighting aesthetic. However, for a minimalistic build design, you can’t go wrong with a Noctua fan.

If you’re after the best of the best cooling available and you want to have control over your fan speeds, we think you’d be happy with Noctua NF-A8.