Performance
For performance testing, my focus was on the NV-FS1 Desk/Room/Multi-Purpose fan. For years I have been running a small Silverstone desk fan on my desk to get airflow, my goal was to try out the NV-FS1 as a replacement for that to see what my experience would be. I had no doubt that the NV-FS1 would be quiet and would perform well, the NF-A12x25 at its core is an impressive fan by itself, and without the fancy mount or airflow amplifier would still be a big upgrade from my old desk fan. But what was it like using the NV-FS1? Well for starters, it is significantly larger and bulkier than my previous fan. The old fan could sit under my monitor just slightly but this is taller and when using it in that same spot it would be in front of my monitor slightly. On top of that, the base is larger and that doesn’t even include the air amplifier sticking off of the front. So I did have to change things around a little, but once I made room on my messy desk for the fan I was impressed with its performance. At 1/3 fan speed, it matched or beat the airflow I saw with my old desk fan and it did that while being nearly silent. Turning things up it does get into an audible range. As someone who is always trying to keep things quiet in my office, I wouldn’t run it at full speed unless I REALLY needed the airflow. That isn’t to say it is loud, our meter was reading 39.5 decibels and my office with the fan off sits at almost 35dB. Setting the fan where I like it, it runs quieter than the fans in my PC which are also Noctua as well.
At full speed, the NV-FS1 puts out air like a room fan, not a desk fan so it is a good thing that they include the in-line controller to let you fine tune where you want it. I like the status LED but the built-in no-stop mode doesn’t work with the NF-A12x25. The no-stop mode prevents the fan from dropping below 300 RPM but the NF-A12x25 will turn off at 450 RPM so it does nothing. I do wish that the controller was built in or at least attached to the stand though. Because it has PWM fan connections on both ends, it doesn’t take much for either fan cable to work its way loose and come out. Long term for my setup I am planning on using a few zip ties on the cables and the controller to keep that from being an issue and to tuck the controller out of the way. My desk collects things that I am working on quickly and with the controller being 6-8 inches away from the fan I had to dig for it often.
The NV-FM1 Stand has multiple mounting options including the magnets and mounting screw holes, so depending on your setup you could mount it completely off of your desk and out of the way which is where this fan's design shines compared to one of the standard desk fans. In my case, I ended up moving it up on top of the rack my PC stays on. This got it out of the way but also each shelf has sheet metal shelf covers and the magnets for the fan combined with the rubber feet locked it in place. There is no way it will get bumped. I did have to zip tie the controller up to clean things up and prevent it from coming unplugged in the future. In the end, though, it has worked perfectly. That stand is far enough away that my old desk fan wouldn’t have blown hard enough to reach me but with the airflow amplifier on it, this did reach. I should note, and you can see it a little here, the amplifier does collect dust in the center section as well as inside so keep an eye on that if you have a dusty house.
