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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 with 10x 500GB drives installed.
As we have mentioned before, with Rack based systems such as this, it is normal to record higher emissions as the devices use a series of smaller fans configured to push a substantial level of air.
We recorded over 40dBa when all drives were heavily loaded for a few hours. Generally the emissions shift between 34dBa and 37 dBa. Noise isn’t such a critical concern for a rack device, considering they are normally stacked in dedicated, locked, air conditioned rooms.
With 10 x 500GB drives installed we measured around 122 watts under load at the socket.
To test temperatures we maintained a steady 23c via our room conditioning unit.
The fans in the unit spin quite high at all times, reacting even to modest internal temperature increases. This is ideal for the desired environment as data safety is more important than a little extra noise from the unit. It really is imperative that the drives run as cool as possible at all times to prolong life and data security. All drives peak between 32c and 34c.
