Looking for a good 40mm fan for your 3D printer? You are at the right place. Smaller 40mm fans can be used on various devices, apart from the PC. The smaller fans may not be very popular today because most modern PCs have bigger cases, which require 120mm to 40mm fans.
However, the smaller 40mm fans can still be used to cool the components inside the PC, such as the motherboard, RAM, VRMs, SAYA/M.2 SSDs, among others. The fans can also be used to cool down battery chargers, Raspberry Pi 3, DVR/NVR systems, DIY projects, RAID enclosure, switches, inverters, consoles (PS4, Xbox, etc.), uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), smaller CPU heatsinks, routers, eGPU box, Thunderbolt enclosure, and 3D printers.
Read on for an overview of the best 40mm fans for 3D printers.
Best 40mm Fans for 3D Printers
Below, we’ve provided an overview of the best 40mm fans for 3D printers and other devices. You can use the fans as replacement fans for different devices.
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1. Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX Fan
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Noctua is known for producing high quality cooling fans. The Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX is a premium fan that can be used to cool not only 3D printers but also PCs and other devices. This fan has some of the features you will find in the bigger Noctua fans (80mm, 120mm, 140mm, etc.)
The fan features Noctua’s proprietary SSO2 bearing that is known for silent operation, higher performance, and longer lifespan. This fan has a 3-pin connector and achieves 4500 RPM.
The fan is just 10mm in thickness. Therefore, it can be used for cooling any type or 3D printer as well as other electronic components.
The Noctua NF-A4x10 generates a good amount of static pressure at 1.78 mm H2O and airflow of 4.82 CFM. This 40mm fan for 3D printer is quite quiet, with a maximum noise rating of 17.9 dBa. On the corner, the fan spots anti-vibration pads that reduce noise and vibrations.
Other features of this fan include OmniJoin Adaptor Set, 3 to 2-pin Adaptor and Polarity Protection, Low-Noise Adaptor (L.N.A.), Smooth Commutation Drive 2, Inner Surface Microstructures, Stepped Inlet Design, AAO frame, Flow Acceleration Channels, among others.
There is also a PWN variant (4-pin) of the Noctua NF-A4x10. This variant spins at between 1000 to 5000 RPM. The fan also offers more static pressure and airflow but its noise level is a little bit higher.
The two 40mm fans come with all the required adapters, cables, and connectors. Therefore, you won’t have to struggle to connect it to your 3D printer.
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x10mm |
| Bearing size | SSO2 |
| Fan speed | 4500 RPM |
| Airflow | 4.82 CFM |
| Static Pressure | 1.78 mm H2O |
| Connector type | 3-pin |
| Noise level | 17.9 dBA |
[/wps_table]
BUY ON AMAZON: 3-Pin FAN | 4-PIN FAN
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2. Noctua NF-A4x20 FLX Fan
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Also making it on our list of the best 40mm fan for 3D printers is the Noctua NF-A4x20 FLX fan. This fan is 20mm thick, delivers better performance than the Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX fan, and is more stable thanks to its wider frame and fan blades.
The fan has premium features, such as anti-vibration pads on the corners for silent operation, OmniJoin Adaptor set, 3 to 2-pin adaptor and polarity protection, low-noise adaptor (L.N.A), Smooth Commutation Drive 2, Inner Surface Microstructure, stepped inlet design, AAO frame, flow acceleration channels, and SSO2 bearing.
The Noctua NF-A4x20 FLX is a 3-pin fan and rotates at a speed of 5000 RPM. This fan generates static pressure of 2.26 mm H2O and airflow of 5.53 CFM. The fan has a noise rating of 14.9 dBA, which is quite silent. The fan is excellent for not only cooling your 3D printer but also as a replacement fan for cooling 1U servers, NVR, DVR, NAS, switches and routers.
There is also a PWM 4-pin variant of the Noctua NF-A4x20 FLX fan. The variant can be controlled automatically through the PWM signal. This fan achieves a speed of between 1200 and 5000 RPM and generates static pressure of 2.26 mm H2O and airflow of 5.53 CFM.
The two 40 mm fans for 3D printer comes with the necessary adapters, cables, and connectors to fit in any 3D printer.
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x20mm |
| Bearing size | SSO2 |
| Fan speed | 5000 RPM |
| Airflow | 5.53 CFM |
| Static Pressure | 2.26 mm H2O |
| Connector type | 3-pin |
| Noise level | 14.9 dBA |
[/wps_table]
BUY ON AMAZON: 3-Pin FAN | 4-PIN FAN
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3. Fractal Design Silent Series R2 40mm Fan
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The Fractal Design Silent Series R2 40mm fan has white blades and a black frame. The fan also has a hydraulic bearing, a 3-pin connector and achieve speeds of 4000 RPM. The fan generates 1.95 mm H2O static pressure and airflow of 4.53 CFM. The fan is quite silent, given its noise rating of 18 dBA.
While the R2 40 mm fan lacks anti-vibration pads on corners, it comes with a sleeved cable. This decent fan can be used to cool 3D printers as well as other items.
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x10mm |
| Bearing size | Sleeve bearing |
| Fan speed | 3500 RPM |
| Airflow | 4.11 CFM |
| Static Pressure | 2.13 mm H2O |
| Connector type | 2-pin |
| Noise level | 184 dBA |
[/wps_table]
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4. Scythe Mini Kaze 40mm Fan
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The Scythe Mini Kaze is a silent fan for 3D printers comes from Japan. The high-quality fan is 10 mm thick, comes with a 2-pin connector, and has a sleeve bearing. The fan rotates at a speed of 3500 RPM, produces static pressure of 2.13 mm H20 and generates an airflow of 4.11 CFM.
The Scythe Mini Kaze 40 mm fan has a noise rating of 14 dBA. Therefore, it operates quietly. You can use it as a replacement fan to cool an external HDD, motherboard chipset, and other devices.
The 2-pin or 3-pin adapter that is bundled with this fan can be used in 3D printers and computer cases with 3-pin headers.
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x10mm |
| Bearing size | Hydraulic bearing |
| Fan speed | 4000 RPM |
| Airflow | 4.3 CFM |
| Static Pressure | 1.95 mmH2O |
| Connector type | 3-pin |
| Noise level | 18 dBA |
[/wps_table]
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5. Noctua NF-A4X10 FLX 5V Fan
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The NF-A4X10 FLX 5V Fan is a 5V variant of the NF-A4X10-FLX fan that works on 12V. This fan has the same design, feature and specifications of the NF-A4X10-FLX fan but works on 5V. The fan comes with SSO2 bearing and uses a 3-pin connector/
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x10mm |
| Bearing size | SSO2 |
| Fan speed | 4500 RPM |
| Airflow | 4.82 CFM |
| Static Pressure | 1.78 mmH2O |
| Connector type | 3-pin |
| Noise level | 7.9 dBA |
[/wps_table]
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6. Noctua NF-A4x20 5V Fan
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This fan is a 5V variant of the Noctua NF-A4x20 fan. These two fans have the same specification and features. However, the Noctua NF-A4x20 5V fan operates on 5V instead of 12x.
The Noctua NF-A4x20 5V fan has SSO2 bearing and offers the same noise level, rotational speed, static pressure and airflow. The fan has a 3-pin connector. However, there is a 4-pin PWN variant also.
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x20mm |
| Bearing size | SSO2 |
| Fan speed | 5000 RPM |
| Airflow | 5.53 CFM |
| Static Pressure | 2.26 mm H2O |
| Connector type | 3-pin |
| Noise level | 14.9 dBA |
[/wps_table]
BUY ON AMAZON: 3-Pin FAN | 4-PIN FAN
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7. GDSTIME 40x10mm 5V Brushless DC Fan
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Another 40mm fan for 3D printer is the GDSTIME brushless fan. This fan has a 2-pin connector, a sleeve bearing, and a speed of 5500 RPM. The fan is rather noisy at 26 dbA. However, it generates a good amount of airflow at 6.4 CFM.
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x10mm |
| Bearing size | Sleeve bearing |
| Fan speed | 5500 RPM |
| Airflow | 6.4 CFM |
| Static Pressure | N/A |
| Connector type | 2-pin |
| Noise level | 26 dBA |
[/wps_table]
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8. AC Infinity MULTIFAN Mini 40mm USB Fan
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The AC Infinity 40mm is a high-performance USB fan that can be used to cool various applications, including NVR, DVR, PlayStation, Xbox, DAC/amplifier, DVD/Blu-ray players, modems, routers, audio/video electronics, 3D printers, and more.
The fan has Dual ball bearings and reaches a maximum speed of 6000 RPM. The fan has silicon anti-vibration feet that keep it stable and quiet.
The Noctua NF-A4x20 5V fan has a multi-speed controller that you can use to change the fan speed, from low, medium, and high. The controller can also completely turn off the fan.
The fan blades are protected by metal grills on both sides. While this is a high-performance RPM fan that is quite silent during operations. The unit has a maximum noise rating of 18 dBA.
We love the Noctua NF-A4x20 5V fan for its high performance and manual speed control.
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x20mm |
| Bearing size | Dual Ball bearings |
| Fan speed | 6000 RPM |
| Airflow | 12 CFM |
| Static Pressure | 4.2 mm-H2O |
| Connector type | USB |
| Noise level | 18 dBA |
[/wps_table]
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9. ELUTENG 40mm USB Fan
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Another 40mm fan for 3D printers that we recommend is the ELUTENG 40mm USB fans. This unit has almost the same features as the AC Infinity MULTIFAN 40mm fan.
The fan has ball bearing, a 3-speed fan controller, and a metal grill for protection. This fan reaches a maximum speed of 5300 RPM. However, its RPM is 5300 but the airflow is 4.4 CFM. You can use this fan to ventilate your PlayStation, Xbox, Small PC case, router, Raspberry Pi, VR glasses, TV box, 3D printer and other items.
The fan is a little bit noisy; its noise rating is 27dBA. It comes with a 3.3. feet long USB cable and is quite affordable.
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x20mm |
| Bearing size | Dual Ball bearings |
| Fan speed | 5300 RPM |
| Airflow | 4.4 CFM |
| Static Pressure | N/A |
| Connector type | USB |
| Noise level | 27 dBA |
[/wps_table]
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10. Adda AD0424HB-G73 24V DC Fan
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The AD0424HB-G73 is a 24V fan that performs exceptionally. The 40mm fan for 3D printers is 10mm thick, has a 3-pin connector, and comes with a ball bearing. The fan’s rotation speed is 6000 RPM.
The Adda fan generates static pressure of 2.5mm H20 and a high airflow of 6.7 CFM. The noise rating of the fan is 2 dBA, which means it’s quite noisy.
Technical Specs
[wps_table style=”stripped-dark”]
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Fan type | 40x40x10mm |
| Bearing size | Ball bearings |
| Fan speed | 6000 RPM |
| Airflow | 6.7 CFM |
| Static Pressure | 2.5 mm H2O |
| Connector type | 3-pin |
| Noise level | 25 dBA |
[/wps_table]
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If you are on a budget, you can also check out the following fans:
- uxcell 40mmx10mm 12V Fan
- GDSTIME 40x10mm 12V Fan
- EVERCOOL 40×10 Fan [3-pin]
- Generic 40x28mm Cooling Fan[3-pin]
- StarTech 40x10mm LP4 Fan
Which is the Best 40mm Fan for 3D Printer?
If you are looking for the best 40mm fan for 3D printer, any of the above options would be great. Some of the fans are quite premium while others are budget options. These fans will be perfect for replacement fans as well as standalone fans for cooling your 3D printer.
