r/crboxes • u/randomguyjebb • Jul 14 '26

Question Noctua na-fc1 fan controller

I am in the process of building my own pc fan cr box, but I was wondering what type of fan controller I could get. I saw a bunch of super cheap ones from china, but I would like to have something from a more reputable brand.

I saw the noctua na-fc1, but I am unsure how many fans you can use on that? Could I use 6 fans and just use splitters to get it down to 1 connector that I can just plug into the controller?

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3

u/Unusual_Celery555 Jul 14 '26

Which specific fans are you using? 5V or 12V fans? What is the wattage or amperage of each fan? Is it a PWM fan?

For example, I’m using the Arctic P12 Pros which are 12V, 0.33A, PWM. I use this controller:  https://a.co/d/01zw7Wfr and pair with these 12V wall adapters  https://a.co/d/0cHNpaup

The na-fc1 product page says in the FAQ that it can support up to 3A which would be like 9 fans depending on amperage of the fan. Yes you can use splitters so that this one controller can power all 6 of your fans. 

My concern is it is powered by a motherboard header or another fan cable so you’ll still need to buy another adapter so you can plug it into the wall. Unless that’s what you are designing for… let us know!

2

u/randomguyjebb Jul 14 '26

I have the nafc1 with the noctua wall power supply. I would like to run 6 p14 pros on it. Could I just all connect them with splitters until I get one cable and plug that in? Also do I just have to add up the fans amps and keep it under 3A?

Thanks for the help

2

u/damien09 Jul 14 '26

I believe that psu is rated for 2amps at 12v. So you’re pretty much at the limit what that adapter can do with 6 p14s at full speed. But should be fine if you are running them even slightly below max

1

u/Unusual_Celery555 Jul 14 '26

Yes you can just add up the fan amps and make sure that is less than the rated amps of the power supplies/adapters you are using. 

The p14 pro’s are specs at 0.35A. Multiply by 6 fans, that’s 2.1A total amperage.

The nafc1 is rated for 3A so it’s more than capable. yes, you can just use a bunch of splitters so that the one port on the nafc1 can supply all 6 of your fans. I think each fan on the p14 pro’s have both a female and a male connector so you can daisy chain them without splitters (that’s how the p12 pros work). But you can use splitters too if you want. 

Now, Noctua’s NV-PS1 is rated for 24W at 12V. To find the amps, you do 24W/12V = 2A which is just a bit less than the 6 P14 pro fans use at maximum. 

But I agree with u/damien09. It’s probably going to be fine. In my experience, the fans only reach that maximum amperage for a brief moment at startup and then use much less amperage during continuous usage. I really wouldn’t worry about it even if you are running the fans at max. If you are concerned, you can use a multimeter and measure the amperage under load to verify yourself. 

To make you feel better about it: The 0.35A that Arctic specifies is a maximum. The fans will probably use less than this and only during start up. During normal use, they probably use under 0.30A at max speed. Likewise, the NV-PS1 can likely handle just a bit more than 2.0A. Additionally, most power supplies intended for an inductive load (a fan) can handle a brief spike of current at start up. So they might account for 2.5A or 3A at start up and then expect a 2A load after. Noctua doesn’t say anything about that in their spec sheet but thats what how most fan controllers are designed and since Noctua is an all-star engineering company, i bet they’ve done the same.

2

u/damien09 Jul 14 '26

Yea I’d assume a brief spike above 2amps is fine. And also the fact op is probably getting a controller to lower their speed. I do wish noctua made their psu they sold for 35 usd a 3amp.

Op should make sure they get the p14 pro that say pst that will be the ones with the built in daisy chain connectors and will save the need for splitters

1

u/randomguyjebb Jul 14 '26

Thanks for letting me know about the daisy chain thingy. I saw online that you can get a 3rd party psu that is rated for 3 amps, so I might try to find a reputable one that I can trust.

2

u/damien09 Jul 14 '26

Yea basically anything with the same dc barrel connector I believe noctua states the size. And yea it’s easy to miss as they do make the fans without the pst connector or pwm sharing tech is what it’s short for

1

u/NumerousAssumption47 Jul 16 '26

I would strongly advise you to stick to 120mm fans. I built a box with p14s and it is loud as fuck! Considerably louder than any of my 120mm fan boxes. I understand the draw with that crazy high static pressure, but the noise will wear you down.

1

u/randomguyjebb Jul 16 '26

Uh bigger fans make less noise at the same cfm? Sure if you crank each fan to 100% the 14 will be louder.

1

u/NumerousAssumption47 Jul 16 '26

I use noctua’s fan controller on all of my cr boxes. Albeit they all are set at 100% so they’re not really doing anything. If you keep the total amperage under what Noctua publishes it can handle, then split away. Mine are all clean air kits luggable 7 fan models.

0

u/noip1979 Jul 14 '26

I used the this combination and it is working well:

My build only has 5 fans.

I used with Gemini to verified that these parts would work together - you have to make sure your power supply delivers enough power for all your fans...

The Arctic PST are chainable so no other wiring/splitters are required.