Just because a brand does one thing well, doesn’t mean they can waltz into another sector and do just as well, right? Noctua may be one of the rare exceptions, as the Austrian fan makers have adapted one of their legendary high performance PC fans into a genuinely decent desk fan following years of teases and rumours.
The humble desk fan was first mentioned six years ago at Computex, and garnered a lot of attention at the trade show for being such a left-field product. The proposed launch date of late 2021 came and went, so people started 3D-printing their own takes on the concept, integrating Noctua fans into desk-friendly chassis to get a sense of what the concept might look like if it was ever released. After all, if Noctua fans are known for being quiet yet powerful, surely the human face could benefit just as much as power-hungry PC components?
Fast forward to May 2024, and Noctua finally unveiled their Home series of products, which includes all manner of cooling options, including hubs, adapters and two types of fans. One is designed for cooling everything from consoles to AV receivers, while the other is designed for cooling people – and that’s the one we have in for review.