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Test Results: One Hard Drive
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System Measurements
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System State
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Idle
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CPU + GPU Load
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System Fans
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Off
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5V
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7V
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9V
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CPU Temp
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24°C
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64°C
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57°C
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55°C
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53°C
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SB Temp
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31°C
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54°C
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48°C
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44°C
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42°C
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HD Temp
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36°C
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38°C
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34°C
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31°C
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29°C
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System Power (AC)
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37W
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135W
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133W
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132W
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SPL@1m
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18 dBA
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19 dBA
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22 dBA
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24~25 dBA
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CPU fan speed: 1100 RPM.
Ambient temperature: 20°C.
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Our test system was fairly quiet with the stock fans disabled, producing 18 dBA@1m both idle and on load, though it did get somewhat hot when stressed. With the fans running at only 5V, internal temperatures reduced substantially and the noise level increased by just 1 dB. Further increases in fan speed resulted in diminishing returns; the added noise was simply not worth the extra cooling. Considering we tested the case using an Intel Core i5-2500K processor, an overkill CPU for a file server, the system ran fairly cool overall.
Our test system measured 19 dBA@1m on load with the stock fans at 9V and CPU fan running at 1100 RPM.
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With the other components in our test system running, the stock fans' acoustic deficiencies blended away into the background, leaving a mostly smooth, broadband profile. The rattle emitted by the top exhaust fan was still audible, but only at closer distances.
Test Results: Four 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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Seagate Barracuda 3TB
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8
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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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WD Caviar SE16 320GB
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6
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18~19 dBA
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WD Caviar Green 2TB
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7~8
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13 dBA
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To test the PC-Q18's suitability as a quiet server, we loaded it up with three
additional hard drives of varying noise and vibration levels to see what effect it would have on the system's thermals and acoustics.
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System Measurements
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System Fans
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Off
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5V
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Drive Count
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One
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Four
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CPU Temp
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24°C
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26°C
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23°C
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SB Temp
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31°C
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34°C
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28°C
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HD #1 Temp
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36°C
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45°C
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34°C
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HD #2 Temp
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N/A
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45°C
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34°C
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HD #3 Temp
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42°C
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29°C
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HD #4 Temp
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47°C
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35°C
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System Power (AC)
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37W
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54W
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SPL@1m
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18 dBA
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21~22 dBA
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CPU fan speed: 1100 RPM.
Ambient temperature: 20°C.
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The addition of three drives to the system increased temperatures all around. The original hard drive in our test system was hit especially hard, experiencing a 9°C spike due to the extra heat being generated and the higher impedance to airflow. The system was also louder of course, by 3~4 dB, a reasonable amount for a four drive system. With the fans running at 5V, everything ran much cooler and the fans were drowned out by the rest of the components, so the noise level remained unchanged.
Some vibration was definitely passed onto the case as we could hear the drives resonating, but not to the same degree as the PC-Q08. When we tested the PC-Q08 with three drives, the rhythmic humming produced actually decreased when we pressed both sides of the case inward with our hands. No such effect could be reproduced on the PC-Q18 loaded up with four drives and it sounded better as well.
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