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Cooler Master Elite 100 - Power
Supply & Baseline Noise
The included power supply has one floppy, two 4-pin molex, and two
SATA power connectors.
Rated for 150W.
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As the power supply had a fan, we powered it on inside the case to get a baseline
noise measurement. Over the years, we've generally found FlexATX form factor power supplies to be noisy beasts. The PSU in the Elite 100 did not disappoint; it greeted us with one of the most annoying noises we've
encountered in recent memory.
The measured noise level was 24 dBA@1m and 28 dBA@0.6m. |
The fan had severe tonal properties, with multiple peaks through the audible
range as seen in our spectral analysis. After being on for 10 minutes
without a load, the noise level measured 24 dBA@1m and 28 dBA@0.6m. These measurements
do not do the power supply fan justice — subjectively it was a lot worse than
the measured SPL would indicate, droning like nobody's business. Ultimately
we decided the Elite 100 was simply not worth testing any further. Its baseline noise level
is terrible even without a load — with a system that actually requires power,
it could only get worse.
AUDIO RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high resolution, lab quality, digital recording
system inside SPCR's own 11 dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to
LAME 128kbps encoded MP3s. We've listened long and hard to ensure there is no
audible degradation from the original WAV files to these MP3s. They represent
a quick snapshot of what we heard during the review.
Each recording starts with ambient noise, then 10 second segments of product
at various states. For the most realistic results,
set the volume so that the starting ambient level is just barely audible, then
don't change the volume setting again while comparing all the sound files.
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