ASUS and Noctua team up to create the coolest and quietest air-cooled graphics card in its class

KEY POINTS

• ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition features two Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM fans that deliver exceptional cooling with low noise
• Noctua Edition’s bespoke heatsink is optimized to fully leverage the airflow characteristics of Noctua fans
• Offers several signature features of ASUS graphics cards for ensuring performance and durability at every level

Mumbai, India, October 5, 2021 — ASUS today announced ASUS GeForce RTX™ 3070 Noctua Edition — a graphics card built around the spirit of Noctua enthusiasts and modders.

Noctua aficionados are some of the most dedicated PC DIYers, often creating custom builds with Noctua fans on every open case mount and with a distinctive Noctua cooler atop the CPU. The most die-hard fans even modify their graphics cards to use the distinctive cream-and-brown hardware as replacements for their stock GPU fans. If there is any place on a system to put a fan, Noctua enthusiasts can be counted on to add one. In addition to their visual appeal, Noctua fans have smooth noise signatures, optimized airflow characteristics and high reliability, making for cool and quiet PCs that are easy on the ear while delivering sustained high performance.

Inspired by the spirit of these enthusiasts, ASUS recently entered a long-term partnership with Noctua and took it a step further by collaborating on a graphics card that is customized to take advantage of the unique strengths of Noctua fans.

ASUS and Noctua technologies come together in one superlative graphics card

ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition incorporates a pair of state-of-the-art Noctua NF-A12x25 fans to move air over a massive 2.3-slot heatsink developed in partnership between the veteran thermal R&D team at ASUS and engineers at Noctua. These engineers worked together to tune fin density and heat pipe arrangement of the heatsink, optimizing it for the airflow characteristics of the NF-A12x25. To prioritize low noise levels, a smooth acoustic signature, and high cooling performance while making room for this pair of 120 mm fans, the card’s total volume was expanded to occupy 4.3 slots of space.

“Using our extensive thermal R&D experience, we’ve created a new GPU heatsink that’s tailor-made for the performance characteristics of the state-of-the-art NF-A12x25 fans,” said Kent Chien, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the ASUS Multimedia Business Unit. “Our teamwork gives noise-conscious gamers and Noctua enthusiasts a unique graphics card that maximizes heat dissipation per decibel of noise emitted, all in a package that coordinates perfectly with other Noctua products in a DIY PC.”

This cooperative development process resulted in some of the best thermal performance per decibel of noise emitted of any graphics card on the market. In comparison to the already excellent TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 OC Edition, the Noctua Edition produces a 10 dB-lower sound pressure level when controlling for the same power limit, ambient temperature, and thermal junction temperature. Users who are concerned first and foremost about the noise levels and noise characteristics of their system will undoubtedly notice the difference.

“By using our NF-A12x25 fans and collaborating to fine-tune the heatsink for use with them, this card achieves a significant boost in performance-to-noise efficiency,” added Noctua CEO Roland Mossig. “The ASUS line-up of GeForce RTX 3070 cards is already outstanding, but we’re confident that the Noctua Edition will be the cherry on the cake for noise-conscious customers.”

Noctua enthusiasts often care as much about the aesthetics of their builds as they do about high performance and low noise levels. A custom brown shroud for the duo of NF-A12x25 fans complements their distinctive color scheme and provides a secure mounting system so zip ties aren’t needed. ASUS and Noctua logos on the front and sides of the shroud, along with subtle graphics on the full-length alloy backplate, help this card coordinate perfectly with other Noctua components in a system.

Beyond its bespoke heatsink and state-of-the-art fans, GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition is outfitted with all of the signature features that ASUS graphics cards are known for. A dual-mode BIOS switch comes preset to Quiet mode for the optimal balance of noise and performance, while a 0 dB idle mode keeps noise levels to a minimum under light graphics loads. Exclusive Auto-Extreme assembly technology assures precise placement and clean soldering of onboard components, and a vented backplate design gives heated air a shortcut into a case’s natural airflow path. Also, a 144-hour validation process ensures that this card is ready to perform for the long run ― right out of the box.

Advanced Noctua fan technology makes the NF-A12x25 fan the ideal choice

The NF-A12x25 fan was an easy choice for this project because of the numerous innovations packed into its 120 mm frame. An impeller made from Noctua’s proprietary Sterrox^® liquid-crystal polymer has an exceptionally low thermal expansion coefficient, allowing the fan blades to sit just 0.5 mm away from the outer frame. This extremely tight tolerance allows the NF-A12x25 to work more efficiently against back pressure by reducing the leakage of airflow between the blade tips and the outer frame. A metal-reinforced motor hub and axis further support this highly precise gap between impeller and frame.

Furthermore, a custom PWM IC with Smooth Commutation Drive technology reduces fan noise levels at lower speeds. An acoustic profile specifically tuned for a smooth and pleasant character, even against back pressure, is ideal for a GPU heatsink application. Flow Acceleration Channels at the tip of each impeller blade both improve efficiency and lower vortex noise. Inner Surface Microstructures on the fan frame reduce the noise from passing fan blades. Anti-vibration pads made from soft silicone prevent the transmission of sympathetic vibrations to the graphics card and on through the case. These advanced features have led to hundreds of media awards and a reputation as the best 120 mm fan on the market.