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THE SPCR CERTIFIED PC: A SUMMARY
There are two classes of SPCR Certified PCs:
- SILENT PC: 15 dBA@1m or lower SPL with the system in idle, 20
dBA@1m or lower at maximum load.
The noise level of this class of SPCR certified PC is low enough that
in most environments and most workloads, it is effectively inaudible.
Even at maximum possible load (with both video card and CPU running
full tilt simultaneously), it remains very quiet.
- QUIET PC: 20 dBA@1m or lower SPL with the system in idle, 27
dBA@1m or lower at maximum load.
The idle noise level of this class of SPCR certified PC is low enough
that in most environments and most workloads, it is very quiet; it may
even be inaudible, like some SPCR Certified Silent PCs. At full load
(most notably extreme 3D gaming or extended video processing), it is
still quiet, although definitely audible. This certification is designed
for gaming enthusiasts who want their PC to be very quiet in normal
use but don't mind a bit of noise in exchange for very high performance
during game play when headphones or speakers are sounding gaming effects.
All SPCR Certified PCs must also meet these criteria:
- No rapid changes in noise. The noise level increases
or decreases gradually so that the change itself does not become a source
of annoyance.
- No prominent tonal peaks. These are narrow frequency
peaks that sound like pure tones. Especially in the middle and higher
frequencies, they can be extremely annoying even if low in amplitude.
- Maintain acoustic levels and safe operating temperature for
all components even under high load, in ambient temperature up to 30°C.
The reference system submitted by the vendor is tested by SPCR in a
hemi-anechoic chamber with the air temperature at 30°C.
The Fine Print: Each certification is valid for a period
of 18 months from the date of testing, or until the core components are
no longer available. The vendor may offer component alternatives that
differ from those used in the reference system tested by SPCR, but must
ensure that their acoustic or thermal properties cause the overall noise
level to rise no more than 2 dBA SPL above the reference sample or beyond
the SPL requirements of the certification class (ie, Silent or Quiet).
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ACOUSTIC & THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS
This is the core of the SPCR certification for a PC. Many tools are used to
analyze the system:
The basic approach is to assess the noise, thermal and power characteristics
at idle, and then at full CPU and GPU loads. The testing was conducted entirely
in the SPCR anechoic chamber. Measurements under load were recorded 60 minutes
after the tests were started. This is an artificially long time for both CPU
and GPU to be at continuous 100% load; it simply does not happen in actual use
with real applications, even the most demanding 3D games. With the torture test
settings, Prime95 loads up an Intel CPU like no other real application, as does
FurMark with any GPU. Together, they represent a more extreme torture test than
used by 99% of PC system integrators.
One further challenge since our last Puget system certification is that all
the testing is now done at 30°C room ambient temperature. Electric space
heaters are used to raise the air temperature in the anechoic chamber to 30°C.
The heaters are then turned on/off as necessary to maintain that room ambient
during testing. The hot room pushes the cooling capabilities of any PC to extremes,
especially with the extended time of the artificial maximum CPU/GPU loads. This
was done in response to feedback from users in hot climates as well as vendors
considering participation in the SPCR Silent/Quiet PC Certification system.
Note that Puget actually cites 30°C as the recommended maximum operational
temperature for their systems.
Two other system states were added to the testing:
- Bluray disc playback, which engages the optical drive, as normally this
is a noise source.
- TMPEnc video encoding of a 60 minute 720p video from WMV to MP4 format.
This is to check cooling and noise under a more typical real-use load.
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Test Results: Puget Serenity Pro, SPCR Edition
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| System state |
idle
|
1080p/Bluray
|
HDD Seek
|
TMPEnc
|
Prime95
|
P95+FM
|
| AC power |
76W
|
83/88W
|
78W
|
108W
|
124W
|
270W
|
| CPU |
36°C
|
39°C
|
38°C
|
49°C
|
55°C
|
69°C
|
| GPU |
40°C
|
48°C
|
48°C
|
30°C
|
45°C
|
76°C
|
| Mainboard |
32°C
|
35°C
|
35°C
|
32°C
|
37°C
|
46°C
|
| HDD |
32°C
|
32°C
|
34°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
| SPL @1m |
11.5
|
11.5
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
15
|
| SPL - ISO 7779 Seated User (0.6m) |
12.5
|
12.5
|
13
|
14
|
14
|
17
|
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SPL = SoundPressure Level in dB, A-weighted
Ambient conditions: 30°C, 10 dBA - Off/Sleep Mode: 0.3W
Max safe temps - CPU: 72°C, GPU: 100°C, HDD: 55°C
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For those who wish to compare this Pro against the last Serenity, here are
the main test results for the earlier system. Note that the earlier system was
tested at a cooler room temperature.
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Test Results: Puget Serenity Sandy Bridge, SPCR Edition
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| Criteria |
idle
|
1080p
|
Prime95
|
Prime95+
Furmark
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| AC power |
68W
|
86W
|
155W
|
215W
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| CPU |
30°C
|
38°C
|
66°C
|
69°C
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| GPU |
40°C
|
48°C
|
45°C
|
82°C
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| Mainboard |
38°C
|
41°C
|
55°C
|
63°C
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| HDD |
32°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
33°C
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| SPL - dBA@1m |
11
|
11
|
12
|
12.5
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| SPL - ISO 7779 Seated User Position (0.6m)
|
12
|
12
|
14
|
15
|
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Ambient conditions: 22°C, 10 dBA - Off/Sleep
Mode: 0.3W
Max safe temps - CPU: 80°C, GPU: 100°C, HDD: 55°C
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1. Noise
The Puget Serenity Pro SPCR Edition easily qualifies as a Certified Silent
PC. The measured sound pressure level of 11.5 dBA@1m at idle and 15 dBA at
full system load and 30°C room temperature is very impressive and unprecedented.
At idle, it is hard to tell that the system is on using only sonic cues, even
sitting next to it (with the system on the floor as it should be). The signature
of the sound at full load is smooth, a very subdued broadband whoosh.
At low load, the difference between the Serenity Pro and the Serenity will
be difficult to hear. At extended full load, it's about 2~2.5 dBA@1m. Audible,
but subtle.
The Bluray playback test was added at Puget's request. They worked with ASUS
to create an exclusive firmware for this Bluray burner, which keeps it running
at slower than normal speed in most conditions. It works: Even with the computer
sitting on the desktop close to the user, it is difficult to hear the Buray
drive actually working; there is hardly any audible difference from system
idle. Using fast forward at 32x made it slightly more audible but it was still
not more than a single dB increase.
When accessed, occasional chatter from the hard drive can be heard, but at
a very low level, with peaks getting no higher than 1 dBA@1m above the norm.
Placed on a carpeted floor under a desk, that chatter is all but inaudble
beyond 1m distance. The Antec P183 may be getting long in the tooth in some
ways, but there's no denying the acoustic qualities of its composite-layered
panels and heavy internal frame.
The ISO 7779 computer noise standard's defined "Seated User Position"
SPL places the microphone about 0.6m away from the top/front of the PC, which
explains the 2 dBA higher readings. This is an unrealistically close distance
for a PC in a case as large as the Antec P183, which is designed for placement
on the floor; few users would put it on top of the desk.
2. Cooling
The components stayed well under maximum safe limits through most the testing,
but under Prime95+Furmark, the CPU got close to Intel's maximum safe recommended
temperature of 72°C. No throttling was seen, however, but users may want
to monitor component temperatures when running extreme CPU-intensive tasks
during hot weather. The GPU, on the other hand, never even got close to its
limits; it has over 20°C headroom. Heat-wary gamers need not worry while
playing to their heart's content on this machine. All the other component
temperatures stayed very modest even under extreme load.
It is interesting to note that the maximum speed of the CPU was only 610
RPM even after an hour of Prime95+Furmark. In contrast, the fans on the Asus
Geforce GTX 670 2GB DirectCU II video card reached 2220 RPM during the same
test. This suggests the bulk of the noise increase at full load was caused
by the video card fans, and therefore, there is some leeway for Puget to adjust
the CPU cooling fan up a notch to improve CPU cooling without any noise penalty,
as any increase in CPU fan noise can probably be masked by the GPU cooling
fans.
3. Power
The idle state AC power consumption of 76W is about what you'd expect for
a modern powerful gaming system. The maximum CPU/GPU load power of 270W AC
is higher than any previous system from Puget, but significantly lower than
the 320W of the AVADirect
Quiet Gaming PC with GTX680; that GTX680 is the obvious difference. Until
the GPU become seriously engaged, AC power draw is unlikely to exceed the
124W seen in Prime95. Power draw when shut down is an insignificant 0.3W.
4. Performance
No performance benchmarks were run on the system. The high performance of
the Intel i7-3770K is already well documented in the tech press; ditto for
the nVidia GTX670 and the Intel 520 120gb SSD used as the operating system
drive. There were no problem of any kind encountered during our testing. The
quick boot time of about 32 seconds (from power button press to actual usability
at the desktop) is excellent. Windows 8 Pro 64-bit has yet to be widely accepted
among power users, but all variants of Windows 7 continued to offered for
Puget PCs.
SPCR
Certification Report on Puget Serenity Pro (PDF)
CONCLUSIONS
The Puget Serenity Pro SPCR Edition is a welcome addition to the stable of
SPCR Certified Silent PCs. It is meticulously assembled, provides very high
gaming performance, draws relatively modest power even at full load, and is
extremely quiet even our hot room torture test conditions. As with the last
two Puget systems, it is hard to imagine any setting where the system's noise
would be audible in normal use. The ambient noise floor in any common
human habitation is louder by many decibels. The noise bar has been set to a
new low (as in limbo dancing) for a powerful gaming computer.
Puget's practice of cherry picking quieter components from their shelves for
SPCR Editions remains unique. This careful selection service, the thoughtful
airflow and noise reduction design, and the high performance all combine to
make our fourth Serenity PC test sample truly impressive. It bears comparison
even with PCs that have no moving parts; some of them will actually have more
electronic noise (high pitched, sometimes intermittent whine) than the Serenity
Pro. You do pay a premium for all the careful design, component selection and
execution, but the sheer luxury of the end result is hard to better, and Puget
offers lifetime serice and support.
* * *
Serenity
PC page at Puget Custom Computers
The SPCR-certified Silent PC
Program
Serenity i7 Sandy Bridge
PC, SPCR Edition
* * *
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this article in the SPCR Forums.
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