OGDCFAN99 wrote:You are correct the Noctua fan does have a higher airflow rating but the Dreamcast either doesn't seem to supply it with enough amps to achieve it even if the voltage ratings would suggest so... or the 3D printed fan shroud isn't as air tight (thus not as effective at getting all the hot air out of the vent as the original fan's shroud).
Either way just hold your hand next to the exhaust vent and feel the difference for yourself. Put ear plugs in if you have to so the noise output doesn't subconsciously skew your opinion. You don't need any fancy tools or advanced knowledge on electronics to see what I mean.
This user on GBATemp, who seems pretty well versed in cooling mods, is quite confident that the Noctua is an improvement for the Dreamcast (apparently one of the few consoles to be improved by it, in fact):
https://gbatemp.net/threads/ultimate-co ... su.588981/
I haven't measured the temperatures through mine myself, but a user on Reddit measured theirs with a laser thermometer and found a 10 degree difference in favour of the Noctua:
https://www.reddit.com/r/dreamcast/comm ... and_after/
I'm sure there's plenty of variance, but for the time being I'm inclined to trust the very few statistical measurements made of the airflow and temperature. I'd be interested to see it measured on a wider scale though.