Wow! I had to write this review! Based on the other reviews, I purchased this product (thanks to all reviewers!). I saw that another reviewer commented on the accessories this came with...that the accessories allowed a person to tackle any project. I thought "Well, that's nice. But I'm sure I'll just be able to hook this up without the need." In part, I thought this because I saw the fans in my Lorex DVR connected with a TWO pin end, and the Amazon picture displays a TWO pin end. Well, I was wrong...the unit ships with a THREE pin connector as the "default". So, I too was super happy with the additional accessories or else I would have been stuck! Here's more...
My Lorex DVR has two fans. The fans in the Lorex DVR are "Fonsoning fsy40s12m." This company is in China. An email to them went unresponded to. An online research revealed only ONE seller that would sell these in lots of 50 each at a minimum...I only needed two! The fans in my Lorex DVR were LOUD already, but, when one started to go (after only about a year and four months), it became unbearably loud! Lorex support is horrible, as is their warranty (one year). I was told to either send in the DVR for a charged repair or replace the entire DVR. After conducting a ton of research, I discovered that the Lorex fans are 40mm (each side length) and 10mm deep...I received quite the education as someone who started out with zero know-how on this.
So, I opened up the fan packaging...the cable had THREE pins for the connector...not TWO like what I needed and what the Amazon picture displayed. Okay, well this came with a 3 to 2 pin connector adapter...I thought "no problem." By the way, there is also an extension cable, in the event your fan is placed far from the power supply...very nice. Back to the 3 to 2 pin adapter...I put it in and assembled the entire DVR...a LOT of work (at least for plain old me). After all that work, the fan didn't even budge! Ouch!
Then, I saw these other adapters included by Noctua. The instructions stated that, where the polarity is OPPOSITE what the connectors are set up as, then these special adapters can be used (you may be wondering what the heck I'm talking about, but to explain that would be tough here. Perhaps an easy way to explain it is if the wires on the Noctua are opposite what the power supply is in your unit...meaning, the red wire needs to connect to the black wire instead of red, etc.). I thought..."Oh no. Do I need to do this???!!! I can't just use an adapter?" Yes...I did. But, better this than not having a working fan. Unfortunately, you don't know if you have a reversed polarity problem until the fan is plugged in, so I recommend NOT reassembling the entire unit until you've tested the fan first, if possible and if it's safe. So, I went back to the drawing board and took the old fans out and cut their wires close to where the fans are located....because, with this setup, you need to use the pins of the ORIGINAL fans. You then need to insert the ends of the ORIGINAL fans (i.e., the cords with the pins connected to them...not the cord with the original FAN connected to it) into these special adapters with the ends of the NOCTUA fans...no wire stripping is necessary. You just push the buttons down on these special adapters with a pair of pliers and...voila...you have a makeshift fan connection using the NOCTUA fans with the ORIGINAL fans pins. I plugged them in and I had motion!!
Now, one of the accessories comes with a special cable that will reduce the RPM's of the fans to make them quieter. I thought, "Hmmmm...the 'normal' RPM's on these things must be a bit loud for Noctua to include such a cable." NO!! They are super quiet! They are quieter than the original fans when I first received the Lorex DVR brand new!!! In fact, had I known about these Noctuas back then, I might have just installed them at that time!!! I need to stand next to the DVR to hear the fans (maybe five to ten feet or so).
Oh, I almost forgot...the connections of the fans themselves. So, the old Lorex fans were screwed into the case of the DVR. There was a special nut in the back of the Lorex fans to accept the screw used. The nut wouldn't fit the Noctua since the nut was hexagonal, and the back of the Noctua is round. "Now what am I going to do?" I thought! Well, Noctua included an answer for this too!!!! There are four included rubbery inserts that you put through the case holes for your unit. In this case, I only needed two per fan. I couldn't use four because there were only two holes in the DVR at the bottom. So, I inserted these rubber pieces through the two bottom holes and used only the two bottom holes on the fan. I found that my needle-nosed pliers were very handy here because I didn't have much space and I really wanted a snug fit, so I used the pliers to pull the rubber pieces through. In fact, these rubber pieces are supposed to decrease sound even more, in addition to the rubber bumpers on them.
The fans are super secure, super quiet, super efficient, they have accessories that REALLY helped my scenario. I couldn't be happier! And, I didn't have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a repair or replacement of my DVR and lose any more time without it. And, they are quieter than the original fans...without the RPM reduction cable! When I looked, these fans are about twice the price of another fan I saw on Amazon, but, in my opinion, WELL worth it. If you have a DVR with fans that are going bad or just plain noisy, these Noctuas just my be your ticket.
| Product Dimensions | 1.57"L x 0.39"W x 1.57"H |
|---|---|
| Brand | Noctua |
| Power Connector Type | 3-Pin |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Cooling Method | Air |
| Compatible Devices | Desktop |
| Noise Level | 17.9 dB |
| Material | Fibre-glass reinforced PBT |
| Maximum Rotational Speed | 4500 RPM |
| Air Flow Capacity | 8.2 CMPH |
| Manufacturer | Noctua |
| Series | NF-A4x10 FLX |
| Item model number | NF-A4x10 |
| Item Weight | 5.6 ounces |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 1.57 x 1.57 x 0.39 inches |
| Color | Brown |
| Computer Memory Type | DIMM |
| ASIN | B009NQLT0M |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | October 9, 2012 |
