Noctua teases quiet AIO pump ahead of Computex
Posted by pcgameshardware@reddit | hardware | View on Reddit | 34 comments
Noctua has teased its upcoming AIO liquid cooler again, and the short clip seems less about showing a new product and more about hinting at the noise work behind it.
The cooler itself is not new information. Noctua already had it on display at Computex 2025, with 240 mm, 360 mm and 420 mm variants planned. It is based on Asetek’s Emma G8 V2 platform, but with Noctua’s own fans, mounting hardware and a custom pump cover.
What makes this one a bit more interesting than “another Asetek AIO with different fans” is the noise angle. Asetek said earlier this year that the Noctua model had passed production validation and was still planned for Q2 2026. The pump is listed at roughly 3,600 RPM with three speed profiles, while Noctua’s part of the design is supposed to reduce both pump noise and vibration.
That is probably the part I’m most curious about. Noctua fans on a radiator are pretty predictable at this point, but the pump is usually where AIOs become annoying in otherwise quiet systems. So if Noctua actually managed to make that part less noticeable, this could be more interesting than the spec sheet suggests.
- Jacky
teodoro17@reddit
I wonder how well the noctua ethos of “engineer until the product is good enough instead of according to a deadline” works when using another company’s products. Asetek already has a newer gen 9 pump available and Antec already brought it to market (vortex view 360). Asetek’s own marketing was that gen 9’s main improvement was less pump noise so it’s a shame that noctua isn’t nimble enough to take advantage of that
battler624@reddit
I do not think they'll be able to beat arctic on price/performance but maybe they'll beat them on sound levels at same performance.
pythonic_dude@reddit
Arctic isn't dirt cheap and can be beat in theory, it's not a fan situation where current revision p12/14 pro are as close as cheap plastic fan can get while being, well, cheap as they are. Absolute bargain that are idcooling and thermalright offerings are not going to be beat by anything in terms of value until the whole market collapses.
Not that it matters, not why people buy Noctua.
No-Method8769@reddit
Depends on location , i got my lf3 360mm for like a 55€ , and thermalright idcooling etc are pumping out new cooling solutions every month so how do you compete with that as noctua. Sure maybe pump is somehow not asetek current gen and will be actual improvement but i dont have any hopes tbh
pythonic_dude@reddit
Crazy good price, never saw them here for less than 100ish. Either way, not the point, noctua don't compete on value, they don't need to while they offer the quietest solution on the market.
No-Method8769@reddit
Well problem will arise when it will be cheaper to get aio and swap to noctua fans than buy their aio
ryanvsrobots@reddit
It's going to be tough unless they use the same thicc rads arctic does. It also needs to beat arctic with the fans swapped for noctuas, which will still probably be cheaper. My LF280 is insanely quiet, quieter than the D15 and U12A that I had before it.
snollygoster1@reddit
There's also Thermalright, but Noctua has always been a premium brand.
My current Thermalright 360mm AIO works just fine, and is nearly dead silent until my processor gets to 70 degrees.
airfryerfuntime@reddit
And it'll probably be $350.
pcgameshardware@reddit (OP)
Yeah, that’s the big question. Our cooler/AIO guy Jan thinks something closer to 250 euros might be more realistic, mostly because the fans alone already eat up a pretty big part... Without VAT, that could end up in a similar ballpark for the US, so maybe around $250?!
- Jacky
airfryerfuntime@reddit
So $350 by the time it hits stores.
TurtleCrusher@reddit
Solving non-existent problems. Until a pump died I couldn’t hear even a thermalright pump.
imaginary_num6er@reddit
Why the heck is there no 280mm AIO? 2026 Has been the year new 280mm AIOs have gone extinct since no new ones have been announced since CES 2026.
ryanvsrobots@reddit
280s are sadly often neglected. My Arctic 280 is my favorite cooler of all time, and I've tried all the top noctua coolers and most of the popular AIOs.
TouchEducational6414@reddit
The color is terrible
pcgameshardware@reddit (OP)
Small side note on pricing: our cooling/AIO guy Jan expects the Noctua AIO to land somewhere around 250 euros, which honestly wouldn’t surprise me... that’s probably going to be some pricey shit 👀
- Jacky
kikimaru024@reddit
It's a pump with a housing that reduces noise.
It's not rocket science, and they showed it off last year with an ugly-AF 80mm magnetically-attached fan.
And then they missed their "roadmap" again LMAO
pcgameshardware@reddit (OP)
Sure, it’s not a completely new concept and Noctua already showed the AIO in 2025. Still an interesting piece of hardware. The roadmap point is fair, though \^\^
Jacky
GraXXoR@reddit
Yippee a cooler to cool all the stuff I can’t buy
kikimaru024@reddit
You can buy CPUs.
ours@reddit
Let them eat AI!
Crafty87@reddit
Interesting for sure, although silent pumps in AIO are already available, for example Alphacool Eisbaer series has a very quiet pump which is suitable for silent PCs. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward how Nocutas AIO pump will perform/sound.
n0stalghia@reddit
I completely missed the memo on Noctua getting into liquid cooling! Exciting times ahead...
pcgameshardware@reddit (OP)
Absolutely... once the computex starts, we’ll share more info as well \^\^ It’s honestly so cool
- Jacky
MikeAlphaX-Ray@reddit
Wait PCGH is on Reddit?!?!?! :O
pcgameshardware@reddit (OP)
sometimes \^\^
Few_Permission_3756@reddit
Liebe es so, dass du "\^\^" verwendest. Irgendwie ganz deutsches-2000er-Forum-heimelig Ü
pcgameshardware@reddit (OP)
Nun... 2000er-Forumskram is das, mit dem ich groß geworden bin. Das waren meine ersten Berühungspunkte mit dem Internet und mit PCs... 👀
- Jacky
Few_Permission_3756@reddit
Dito! '91 geboren, wie ewig ich an meinen Signaturen gebastelt habe...
pcgameshardware@reddit (OP)
hehehe... da haste mir sogar noch n paar Jahre voraus. 97... und ich hab vor einiger zeit im pcgh-Forum sehr lang an meiner Signatur gebastelt xD Ich wollt unbedingt regenbogenfarben drin haben. Jeder einzelne Buchstabe hat ne eigene Farbe bekommen. Das hat mich so sehr an früher erinnert \^\^
- Jacky
Few_Permission_3756@reddit
Uch, okay, dann melde ich mich wohl dort mal wieder an. Cheers!
pythonic_dude@reddit
They also have a pump-less design based on evaporation and gravity in the works.
tat_tvam_asshole@reddit
Hope they got it in sTR5
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