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We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components.
Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.
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 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
Noise was measured from half a meter away.
Synology rate this unit at 21.7dBa however we recorded 28.8 dBa from the dual 80mm fan configuration. This is still a very impressive result however and it would not be audible under the majority of ‘real world' situations.
We measured power from the socket with 2 x 1TB Samsung HD103SI hard drives installed.
When idle the system uses only 16 watts of power and when active, around 32 watts. Bear in mind with 4 drives this would be higher, probably closer to 45watts.
The two 80mm fans keep the drives well in check, with four installed we would expect the temperatures to rise by 1-2 degrees celcius.
