Sometimes, on the internet, we come across these oddities… Here’s another classic example: a youtuber who built a custom fan using the frame of an NF-A12x25. The design features a dome shape and incorporates no fewer than 15 small fans spread across its surface. The result is… strange, fairly effective, but particularly loud!
Acustom dome fan with 15 sets of blades based on the NF-A12x25!
In short, the creator was surprised by the volume of air moved by the fans inside a children’s toy. So, he came up with the idea of fitting as many small fans as possible onto a 120mm frame. Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—it’s an NF-A12x25 that will serve as the foundation for this project.
After some quick calculations, it turns out the creator could fit 15 small fans onto a single 120mm frame. He therefore 3D-printed the entire assembly and gave it a dome-like shape so everything would fit. The wiring is routed along the outer surface of the creation, ensuring airflow isn’t obstructed. Once assembled, the result is an original creation. It is powered by small 4.5V motors, while the blades feature a profile similar to that of the NF-A12x25: very strongly curved.
Once mounted on a CPU cooler, this setup proves effective, as it manages to cool a Core i7 7700K running at 4.9 GHz for about twenty minutes. While the Noctua fan keeps the CPU at 69.5°C, with this… Thing, we’re at 69°C—well within the margin of error. Nevertheless, while the thermal performance holds up, the noise level is the weak point: 73 dB at a distance of 20 cm!
Ultimately, this fan is more of a novelty than anything else, since the idea clearly won’t be replicated. For starters, the solution is too loud, too bulky, and too complex.
