Building a Core i7 HTPC with Sapphire Mini ITX H67

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 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 take off/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

One of the reasons we love the Armor A30 chassis is because Thermaltake have dialed down all the fan speeds so they spin as slow as possible, while generating a reasonable level of airflow from front to back.

At idle the system rates around the 30dBa mark. The large, slow spinning fan on the top of the chassis also helps reduce ambient chassis temperatures without generating a racket.

At peak, the system emits around 35.6 dBa of noise due to the Intel stock cooler. Generally however the noise hovers between 31 dBa and 33 dBa. When watching a BluRay disc the system emits around 32 dBa, meaning it is just about audible from a close distance.

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