Noise Levels and Fan Speeds

Testing Procedure

Fan noise testing is done at 25%, 50%, and 100% fan speed, with the dBA level being recorded by a Pyle PSPL25 sound pressure level meter at a distance of 30 cm. The fan(s) RPM results are taken at the same 25%, 50%, and 100% settings. The selected speeds are handled by MSI's Command Center software, and a Lamptron FC6 fan controller is used as a secondary method of confirming RPM and dBA readings should MSI's Command Center fail to control the fan(s), which ensures that proper results can still be obtained if the software fails. To give users the tested CPU cooler's noise profile, testing is done using fan speed percentages instead of various load levels.

Noise Levels

The FI-REEX Deluxe is a very quiet cooler overall. At 25% fan speed, it's near the top of the charts, comparing favorably to Noctua and be quiet!, among others. At 50%, noise levels jump, but barely stay below 40 dBA. It's not until the fans hit their maximum RPM that the cooler becomes audible, but it runs at just 46 dBA even then, which is still more than acceptable. At typical loads, most users will likely never hear the cooler over typical case fans, etc.

Fan Speeds

RPM readings are on point with the specified range. While I feel the RPM range could be improved upon toward the low end, the FI-REEX Deluxe's noise readings also show that such adjustments are unnecessary.