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TEST RESULTS
For live system testing, two new sources of noise were introduced: The cooling
fan on the Scythe Big Shuriken CPU heatsink, and the Western Digital Green Power
hard drive. Neither of these are particularly noisy components.
The test system was a midrange Core2Duo system capable of playing back HD video
smoothly. It's far from the hottest system out there, but it's pretty much all
you need in an HTPC, especially the kind of system that this midrange case is
targeting.
All tests were done with both exhaust fans on Low and the intake fan disabled.
While the second exhaust fan was probably not strictly necessary from a cooling
point of view, keeping it running ensured that no warm air was recirculating
through the case as might be the case if one of them was disabled (effectively
turning the exhaust into a potential intake). In addition, our earlier baseline
tests showed that leaving the second fan running did not cause a measurable
increase in noise.
|
System Measurements
|
|
State
|
Idle
|
CPU Load
|
CPU + GPU Load
|
|
CPU Fan Speed
|
550 RPM
|
610 RPM
|
630 RPM |
Exhaust Fan Speed |
Both "L" |
Both "L" |
Both "L" |
Intake Fan Speed |
Off |
Off |
Off |
|
Noise Level
|
24 dBA@1m |
|
CPU Temp
(Core0)
|
36°C
|
54°C
|
54°C
|
SB Temp |
42°C |
46°C |
49°C |
HDD Temp |
33°C |
35°C |
36°C |
|
Power Consumption (AC)
|
50W
|
84W
|
95W
|
|
Ambient temperature: 23°C
Ambient noise level: 11 dBA
|
Our minimally noisy system added about 3 dBA@1m to the baseline noise level.
Most of this can probably be attributed to hard drive which is located near
the front of the system. At 24 dBA@1m, this isn't the quietest we've heard this
system, but it's also not noisy. In actual usage, this noise level would be
perfectly acceptable in an HTPC. Even in a dead silent living room, the noise
would not be very intrusive unless it was being listened for specifically.
The noise level stayed constant throughout the test, even at the heaviest load.
Our fan data showed that the CPU fan speed increased slightly under load, but
the increase wasn't audible. This is hardly a surprising result, as 95W is hardly
a stressful load even for the relatively small 350W power supply, but it is
good news.
Thermally, the NSK1480 had no issues (though again, our test was far from the
toughest we could have tried). It's not choked for air, and we know from past
experience with Antec's other thermally-isolated designs that the basic thermal
design is sound. Our decision to leave the intake fan off seemed quite clearly
justified, as our low power WD Green Power never came close to breaking 40°C.
Given its small size and the surprising speed at which cable clutter built
up, it wouldn't surprise us if the case struggled a bit if it was really pushed
with numerous high end components. A hot, half-height graphics card blocking
airflow would do a lot to boost the ambient heat in the case and make it tougher
to cool things down. A warmer CPU might run into problems since many of the
top end heatsinks will not fit. But these are hypotheticals, and the case isn't
really intended for these top end systems.
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