We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the chassis and 4 foot from the ground with our Extech digital sound level meter to mirror a real world situation.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
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
Under normal conditions the CX623 is a very quiet laptop. Surfing the net, working in Microsoft Office all generate noise levels under 30 dBa which is excellent. When loading the system hard, the fan spins up to keep the internals within the set parameters and it becomes clearly audible. The whirring fan is positioned at the left of the chassis and the air flow can be quite strong when it gets hotter. It never becomes that intrusive however.