Xigmatek Dark Knight SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition CPU Cooler Review

Today to test this cooler we have set our Digital Sound Level Noise Decibel Meter Style 2 one meter away from our case.

We then removed the discrete graphics card, and temporarily turned all other case fans off. This leaves us with only the CPU cooler fans and very little noise from the power supply fan.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

We then tested the acoustical performance of the Akasa Venom Voodoo, the Titan Fenrir Siberia Edition and the Xigmatek Dark Knight Night Hawk Edition. All coolers were set to their maximum fan speeds before these tests.

The Xigmatek is quieter than both the Akasa and Titan CPU coolers, although it is using only a single fan. That said, after recently testing the Be Quiet! Dark Rock 2 the Xigmatek Dark Knight sounds quite loud (there is a difference of 7dBa between the coolers, in favour of BeQuiet)

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