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TESTING
System Configuration:
Measurement and Analysis Tools
System temperatures and noise levels were recorded with SpeedFan and GPU-Z
at idle and under load using CPUBurn (K7 setting) and FurMark, an OpenGL
benchmarking and stability testing utility.
Baseline Noise
Top and bottom mounted fans.
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Though the Raven RV03 ships with several unpopulated fan mounts, the cooling system is more than adequate. Two huge 18 cm fans (the same Air Penetrator models found on other SilverStone cases) on the case floor blow upward over the motherboard tray and through the graphics card(s) and out the top. Helping things along is a 12 cm Globe exhaust fan very similar to the one in the RV02. The only notable difference we detected was the struts being curved in a fashion similar to the Scythe Slip Stream series to give it better acoustic properties.
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Stock Fan Noise Level
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Fan
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SPL @1m (dBA)
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12V
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9V
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8V
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7V
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Top 12cm
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18
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15
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13~14
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13
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Bottom Center 14cm (high)
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34~35
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29~30
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26
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22~23
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Bottom Rear 14cm (high)
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35
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28~29
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25
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21
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Fan
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12V
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11V
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10V
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9V
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Bottom Center 14cm (low)
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25
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20~21
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17
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14
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Bottom Rear 14cm (low)
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23
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21
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16~17
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14
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Measuring mic positioned 1m at a diagonal angle left/front
of case.
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The top 12 cm exhaust is a very quiet, smooth sounding 0.18A 900 RPM fan with a noise level of just 18 dBA@1m at full speed. The 18 cm 1200 RPM Air Penetrators are much louder, even with the fan controller set to low. At most speeds they drown out the smaller fan so it may be best to simply leave it running at the full 12V. The bigger fans also sound much worse, producing a noticeable clicking noise throughout their range. It is somewhat muffled with the side panels on, but it's plainly audible when powered on without any other system components running.
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Combined Stock Fan Noise Level
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Fan Voltage
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SPL@1m
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Top
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Bottom Center
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Bottom Rear
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9V
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9V (low)
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9V (low)
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18~19 dBA
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12V
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7V (high)
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7V (high)
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28 dBA
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12V
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12V (high)
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12V (high)
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40 dBA
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Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle left/front
of case.
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As the floor fans have a relatively high top speed given their size and have both a low and high setting, the combined baseline noise level falls within a wide range. The three fans undervolted to 9V (low) is a good starting point, generating a total output of 18~19 dBA@1m. For those who have no fear of noise, all three fans running at full tilt delivers an earsplitting 40 dBA@1m.
At 9V (low), the Raven RV03's fans produce a noise level of 18~19 dBA@1m. The spectrum looks fairly broadband, but it should be noted the clicky nature of the floor fans doesn't show up clearly as the noise is cyclical.
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