The best desk fan comes from Noctua – and a 3D printer
Home office too hot, fan too loud, or couldn’t get hold of a fan at all? There’s a solution. All you need is a Noctua PC fan and a 3D printer.
This must be one of the best gadgets I’ve ever made with a 3D printer: a replica of the NV-FS1, Noctua’s version of a desk fan. The thing is essentially a 120-millimetre PC fan with an airflow amplifier, mounted on a stand. The original is available for a hefty 100 francs/euros. But if you’ve got a 3D printer, you can DIY it for quite a bit cheaper.
Why only now?
The NV-FS1 has been around since 2024. As a Noctua fan myself, I was itching to buy it. But the price put me off. At the same time, Noctua made 3D templates for the airflow amplifier freely available. So, I could have 3D-printed the thing myself back then already. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a decent 3D printer. Now that I do, I’ve finally got round to the project – high time, what with the soaring temperatures.
Major Hardware comes in clutch
Noctua provides the 3D files for the airflow amplifier, but not for the stand. Luckily, one of my favourite YouTubers has created a matching stand – so I don’t even have to fire up any CAD software. Major Hardware has made the 3D files available on his Thingiverse account.
How to make it
Besides a printer and filament, you’ll also need a 120-millimetre fan. It doesn’t have to be from Noctua. Major Hardware’s mount is even compatible with 140 mm fans – you’ll just need to scale up the airflow amplifier accordingly when printing. Going by the comments under the video, 119 per cent works better than the 116 per cent you’d expect.
From the 3D files, I print one each of the base and the fan guard, two copies each of the fan mount, leg and M6 thumbscrew and four copies of the M4 thumbscrew. I print everything in PETG rather than PLA, just like Major Hardware. PETG filament is better suited to mechanical parts like the screws. Unfortunately, the screws are a bit too small and don’t grip. After I scale them up to 108 per cent in the slicer – the 3D-printing software – they fit perfectly.
I put together the grille and fan the same way I would in a PC; Noctua includes the screws with the NF-A12x25 (the model I use).
The template for the base includes screw holes, in case you want to mount the fan on the wall. There are also recesses on the underside for magnets (if you want to use a magnetic mount) as well as ones for silicone feet. I don’t use any of them; my fan works perfectly.
Since PC fans usually have PWM connectors, you’ll also need an adapter cable to power the fan. The adapter cable must also convert the 5 volts that are typical of USB ports to 12 volts, which is what the fan needs to work. I got my cable from Akasa. But it alone isn’t enough to regulate the fan speed. I still need a controller – like this one from Noctua. There are cables that can do all of this in one. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any such models in our shop.
Pleasant breeze with hardly any noise
Even on the highest setting, the fan is barely audible. The background noise in my home office usually drowns it out. The breeze is strong, but not unpleasant – the airflow amplifier channels it nicely towards me. I wouldn’t pay 100 francs for the thing, but as a DIY project, it does a better job than any other desk fan I’ve had so far.
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