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Noctua upgrades Thermal Grizzly's 12V-2x6 power monitor — cuts active noise to 21.5dB and runs passively up to a 300W GPU load New silent upgrade. Thermal Grizzly and Noctua have teamed up to release a new version of the WireView Pro II GPU monitoring device. By combining Thermal Grizzly’s power monitoring hardware with Noctua’s expertise in low-noise cooling, the WireView Pro II Noctua Edition aims to offer quieter operation by reducing the noise generated by the device’s cooling fan. According to Roman Hartung, CEO of Thermal Grizzly, the GPU monitoring device has become a popular choice and has helped many users detect potentially dangerous connector issues with the infamous 12V-2x6 connector before they could cause damage. The WireView Pro II measures current independently on each 12V conductor rather than simply monitoring total power consumption. This allows it to identify unusual current distribution and potential contact issues that could contribute to connector damage. The device can also provide visual and audible warnings when configured limits are exceeded, with an optional automatic shutdown function. "One of the most common points of feedback, however, was that the fan could still be noticeable in very quiet systems, so working with Noctua on a significantly quieter cooling solution was the logical next step - and, for us, really completes the product," added Hartung. For the Noctua Edition, the standard cooling solution has been replaced with a customized design featuring a Noctua NF-A4x10 fan, an optimized fan grille, and an enlarged CNC-machined aluminum housing. The fan uses semi-passive operation, remaining off for longer periods and only spinning when additional cooling is required. In a worst-case scenario with the case fans turned off and temperatures above 40°C, it could handle up to a 300W GPU load without turning its fan on. When it does need active cooling, its fan runs under 2,000 RPM compared to 5,000 RPM on the standard mode, which cuts down noise from 39.4dB(A) to just 21.5dB(A) at a 10cm distance. This should make it essentially inaudible alongside the other fans in a very quiet PC. The WireView Pro II Noctua Edition is available in Normal and Reversed variants to accommodate different 12V-2x6 connector and cable-routing configurations, along with an extended two-year warranty covering the GPU connector. While the press note suggests a retail price of $189.90, it is currently selling at $222.18 on Thermal Grizzly’s official online store. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Kunal Khullar is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. He is a long time technology journalist and reviewer specializing in PC components and peripherals, and welcomes any and every question around building a PC. - DS426 Swell guy that Roman is.Reply What will the next version have? I think it should have a speaker and start cussing in German when a wire gets too hot. - thestryker I watched Roman's video on this yesterday and there's several interesting things he talked about from the practical side. In the same period of time the Wire View Pro 2 sold 5x as many units as they had the first iteration, but they've seen zero failures unlike the first. The biggest change between the two was per pin monitoring. He also looked for reports online regarding usage of the Pro 2 and documented ones about pin imbalance. The majority of these issues were resolved by either reconnecting cables or replacing them. To me this just reinforces that manufacturing tolerances were not taken into account when designing this specification and we know they were not when designing the power delivery side on the cards.Reply When they originally debuted the 12VHPWR type connector during the 30 series the size advantages made sense as to why they would be looking at a smaller connector. However, as Buildzoid showed, these cards were still designed for PCIe 8-pin so there were still three separate inputs instead of all being bridged. Going back to what Roman found regarding cables it makes sense this wouldn't have been an issue then. There are MicroFit versions (these are significantly smaller) of existing power connectors so while I can understand ditching the PCIe power connector EPS12V could have been used. This would have ended up being maybe 50% wider than the 12VHPWR connector while adding 2 more 12V pins and separating power delivery. I don't know that this would have eliminated the problems we've been seeing, but at least on paper it sure seems like a better solution. - hotaru251 noctua fans are found in many thigns you wouldnt expect so not a shock he goes to them for a fan for his tech.Reply some furniture come with noctua fans in them (usually for closed spaces to help circulate air to avoid heat soaking a cabinet)
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