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TESTING
System Configuration:
Measurement and Analysis Tools
- CPUBurn
K7
processor stress software.
- FurMark
stability test to stress the integrated GPU.
- GPU-Z to
monitor GPU temperatures and fan speed.
- SpeedFan
to monitor system temperatures and fan speeds.
- Seasonic
Power Angel AC power meter, used to measure the power consumption
of the system.
Stock Fan Measurements
|
Stock Fan Noise Level (Individual)
|
|
Fan Voltage
|
Rear Fan (Exhaust)
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Top Fan (Intake)
|
Front Fan (Intake)
|
|
Speed
|
SPL @1m
|
Speed
|
SPL @1m
|
Speed
|
SPL @1m
|
|
12V
|
1040 RPM
|
20 dBA
|
700 RPM
|
24 dBA
|
720 RPM
|
26 dBA†
|
|
9V
|
840 RPM
|
17 dBA
|
570 RPM
|
19 dBA
|
600 RPM
|
22 dBA
|
|
7V
|
690 RPM
|
12 dBA
|
470 RPM
|
14 dBA
|
500 RPM
|
17 dBA
|
|
6V
|
not tested
|
not tested
|
420 RPM
|
13 dBA
|
440 RPM
|
15 dBA
|
|
5V
|
510 RPM
|
11 dBA
|
n/a*
|
n/a*
|
n/a*
|
n/a*
|
† Noise level from the front fan rose
by 2 dBA and became noticeably rougher when the front filter was removed.
* Fan did not spin at this voltage.
|
The stock fans are pleasantly slow and quiet. The fastest is the smaller exhaust fan, which tops out
at a leisurely 1,040 RPM (it's rated at 900 RPM). It's not the smoothest fan, but it quickly disappears when undervolted because of its low speed. At full speed it added a touch of buzz to the noise character
of the case, but it wouldn't take much undervolting for even that to disappear
under the noise floor of a real-world environment.
The larger intakes are even slower — about 700 RPM at full speed. But,
with more than double the surface area of a convention 120mm fan, they can afford
to be undervolted even from this low speed. Although their measured SPL was
higher than the exhaust fan, their tonal balance was more toward the lower end
of the spectrum, allowing them to blend more easily into the background. Like
the exhaust fan, the motors had a tough of buzz, except their deeper voice made
the sound more of a growl than a buzz.
One word of caution: Because the intake fans are already so slow, they did
not start at 5V, although they could reliably be turned down this low once started.
They did start — barely — at 6V, and this level was used as a minimum
voltage instead of our usual 5V. At this level, the fans turned at just over
400 RPM and produced a rumble that was just barely audible in our anechoic chamber.
They would not be heard in the real world.
Perhaps because of its location and impeded surroundings, the front fan was
noticeably louder than the top fan at the same rotation speed. The difference
was measurable — generally it was 2~3 dBA above the top fan. On a whim,
we pulled out the front filter to see if its impedance. was causing the problem,
but this did nothing but bump up the SPL by 2 dBA and introduce an annoying
warbling into the noise character. We quickly put it back.
|
Stock Fan Noise Level (Combined)
|
|
Fan Voltage
|
All Fans
|
Front Fan Off
|
|
SPL @1m
|
SPL @1m
|
|
12V
|
28 dBA
|
25 dBA
|
|
9V
|
24 dBA
|
21 dBA
|
|
7V
|
18 dBA
|
15 dBA
|
|
6V
|
16 dBA
|
13 dBA
|
Turning on all the fans together didn't produce any new surprise. Noise character
didn't change appreciably; if anything, it became more broadband as the multiple
noise sources blended together. It did get noticeably louder, however, as is
bourne out by the SPL measurements.
One thing we did find a little annoying was the interaction between the various
fans at full speed. With the two 180mm fans spinning at almost but not quite
the same speed, the effect was a distinct "train whistle" effect as
the two resonant frequencies blended dissonantly. This effect was not noticeable
once the fans were dialed down below 12V.
Disabling the front fan confirmed our subjective opinion that this was the
dominant source of noise. The measured SPL dropped by 3 dBA across all speed
levels without the front fan. While it is probably not a good idea to abandon
the fan entirely, it might be wise to run this fan slower than the others —
the hard drives that it cools need only a minimum of airflow to stay cool.
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