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Test Results: GeForce 9300 IGP
IGP test system (lower drive cage replaced with spacer).
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IGP System Measurements (Load)
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System Fan Speeds
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off
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7V
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9V
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SG07*
5V
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SPL@1m
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17 dBA
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20 dBA
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23 dBA
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18~19 dBA
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System Power
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93W
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91W
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91W
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93W
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CPU Temp
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52°C+
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44°C
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42°C
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38°C
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GPU Temp
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95°C+
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88°C
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87°C
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82°C
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Ambient temperature: 23°C.
Ambient noise level: 11 dBA.
CPU fan speed: 8V.
Dark gray boxes indicate testing failure.
*Equipped with SST-ST60F-SG power supply.
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Like the Sugo SG07, the PC-Q08 couldn't manage to cool the integrated GeForce
9300 graphics adequately on our test board when running Prime95 and FurMark
simultaneously without additional airflow. With the system fans off, the GPU
temperature reached 95°C at which point testing was stopped (the display
signal usually cuts out at around that temperature).
With the system fans at 7V and 9V, the system stabilized but the GPU temperature
was still quite high, 5-6°C hotter than the SG07. The PC-Q08 also could
not match the SG07's noise level; the Silverstone's giant 18 cm downblowing
fan provides much better board and CPU cooling.
The overall acoustics were fairly smooth at 7V/1m, though there were some slight
tonal elements noticeable at closer distances.
Our IGP test system measured ~20 dBA@1m on full load with the stock
fans at 7V.
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Noise Level with Multiple Drives
IGP test system with three hard drives.
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Test Drive Noise Summary
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Drive
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Vibration
1-10 (10 = no vibration)
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Idle Airborne Acoustics @1m
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WD Caviar Green 750GB
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7
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14 dBA
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Seagate DB35.3 250GB
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6
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15~16 dBA
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Samsung F3 EcoGreen 2TB
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7
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15~16 dBA
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To test the PC-Q08's suitability as a quiet server, we loaded it up with three
quiet hard drives to see what effect it would have on the system's acoustics.
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IGP System Measurements (Idle)
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Drive Configuration
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SSD only
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SSD + 3 test drives
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SPL@1m
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16 dBA
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20 dBA
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System Power
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40W
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54W
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Ambient temperature: 23°C.
Ambient noise level: 11 dBA.
CPU fan speed: 8V.
System fan speeds: off.
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The addition of three drives increased the noise level of the IGP test system
by an appropriate 4 dBA@1m while system power consumption increased by only
14W. The drives chosen have fairly good acoustics, so the overall sound of the
system remained smooth for the most part.
Our IGP test system measured ~20 dBA@1m with three hard drives installed
and the stock fans turned off.
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We noticed the system was generating some pretty heavy resonance. Do to its
rhythmic nature, it was difficult to pick up through frequency analysis, but
the vibration effects were clearly audible in our noise recording. This recording
starts with 5 seconds of ambient noise followed by alternating 5 second segments
of the test system with the side panels compressed manually, and the test system
undisturbed:
If you listen closely you will hear the system sounding fairly smooth and innocuous
with our bare hands squeezing the case side panels, then when the side panels
are left in their natural state, the rhythmic pulsing of the hard drives interacting
with the case; the difference is actually dramatic.
Given the anatomy of the case, it is not hard to see why the HDD vibrations
have this effect. The side panels are secured at six tiny points along the edges,
and not supported at all in the corners, making it prone to shaking. The drive
bays are broken up into three removable parts so that when the hard drives vibrate,
they don't just shake a single cage, but the other two sections that are loosely
secured to it as well. If the bottom cage is removed in favor of the spacer
to allow longer video cards, the vibration gets even worse as the spacer only
supports the main drive cage on one side. There is a lot of metal-on-metal contact
and nothing inside to help aside from the rubber grommets. Finally, even though
the outside panels have a generous 1.5mm thickness, the entire chassis is made
of aluminum, which has only about 30% of the density of steel. (For it to have
the same mass as 0.8mm thick steel, the panels would have to be 2.4mm thick.)
Higher mass and/or density in case panels does make a difference. We've noted
often in the past how aluminum cases tend to resonate more in response to HDD
and fan vibrations. (See section on Aluminum on p.2 of Case
Basics and Recommendations.)
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