For our tests, we used an open test air system to avoid interference from case fans. Then we set the room temperature around 25 °C via A/C control. All tests are done with the same system, operating system, drivers, and software running in the background. CPU fans were controlled via software with the same curve fan, and the following test system was based on AMD 7950X: 

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
• Thermal Paste: Noctua NT-H2 thermal compound
• Open Case: StreaCom BC1 V2 Bench Table
• Motherboard: Asus ProArt X670E-CREATOR WIFI with 3205 BIOS
• Memory: 2x24GB Crucial DDR5-6000 CL48 (EXPO Profile)
• PSU: be quiet! Dark Pro 13 1300Watt
• Main Storage: Samsung 980Pro 1TB
• VGA: MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X 24G
• Operating system: Windows 11 x64 + latest motherboard/AMD chipset drivers installed
• Software: OCCT Enterprise Edition (2 sec interval monitor)
• Ambient room temperature ~ 25 Celsius (with AC climate control) - Environment Temperature measurements: Precision Gold N09AQ Envirometer Meter

We used the three Noctua fans to get them installed at a 360mm water cooling system from Arctic (Liquid Freezer III 360 Pro Argb) to see what kind of performance differences we would notice. We used the full speed of the stock fans and the Noctua combo, as well as a 1500/1700rpm stable speed.

The Noctua NF-A12x25G2 + Sx2-PP have the following fan curve as was detected from them Asus FaxExpert4 software:

At the OCCT software, we performed the Stability Test->CPU Test 15mins duration with various settings to get the maximum thermal production from the AMD 7950X. We performed the cTDP ~ 222Watt (via PBO at auto) with the following OCCT settings

• Instruction Set: SSE
• Data Set: Small
• Mode: Extreme
• Load Type: Steady
• Thread Settings: Auto

while we set the following voltages for all tests.

• CPU Core Voltage: Auto
• CPU SOC Voltage: 1.25V
• CPU VDDIO / MC Voltage: Auto
• Misc Voltage: 1.10V

Tests Disclaimer: Despite placing CPU voltages manually, the motherboard may supply the CPU with slightly different voltages, resulting in some cases higher temperatures that also result in higher working temperatures. Our results are valid with the above test system and using other variations may result in different results. Using other stress test software may also introduce different test results.

Before each run, we clean the CPU surface with 95% isopropyl alcohol and paper roll and we apply each thermal paste with the same methodology (central dot, small X lines, and small dots) to cover the full surface of the CPU area. Note that due to open office sound levels might be a little off but you will get the major sound level differences.

After completing the tests, we found some interesting findings. The stock fans of the Liquid Freezer III 360 Pro ARGB Cooler spin up to 3200rpm, giving good performance but rather high sound levels, we measured up to 54dB, which aren't ideal for office use.

As we can see, the best performance comes from the stock 3x120fans that rotate up to 3000rpm, resulting in an 83.40 °C average temperature. Dropping the rpm down to 1700rpm/1500rpm, performance gets worse, and at those rotating speeds, the Noctua combo fans do perform better and have lower noise levels. The performance gap is around 2.05 ~ 2.24 Celsius (average), while noise levels are also around 2dB (A).

Stock 1500rpm vs Noctua Combo 1500rpm

Stock 1700rpm vs Noctua Combo 1700rpm

Conclusion

Noctua keeps releasing new products and presents new solutions to the market. We had reviewed in the past the 140mm version of the Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 series, and now they have also released the 120mm version of the same design. Both solutions promise better performance/noise ratio, compared with other manufacturers, and from our testing, this statement is true. The rotating speed up to 1500rpm and the newly designed blades, do lower noise levels and at the same rotating speeds, introduce lower temperatures and noise levels, at least with our testing subject, the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 Pro Argb Cooler, when tested with an AMD 7950X and AM5 platform.

So the performance is better and the noise levels are lower, however this "upgrade" do come at an cost, meaning, our Noctua combo fans (NF-A12x25 G2 + NF-A12x25 G2 PWM Sx2-PP) will cost you EUR 34.90 / USD 34.90 + NF-A12x25 G2 PWM Sx2-PP: EUR 64.90 / USD 64.90, so you are looking at an extra 100 Euro for getting 2dB(A) lower noise and around 2~2.25 lower Celsius at least with our test setup. Is it worth it? It depends. Noctua products always come at a stiffer price and are aimed at people who simply want the best. As with all products, we respect the effort that Noctua makes to push the limits of air fans, so if you want the best, look no further; this upgrade will serve you well. All Noctua products have a 6-year warranty, while most Air coolers do have either black/white colors, and the Noctua fans will look rather strange. An upcoming Noctua colored water cooler will be a perfect fit :-)