Noise Levels & 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 also used as a secondary method of confirming RPM and dBA readings in case MSI's Command Center cannot control the fan(s), which ensures that proper results can still be obtained if the software fails. To give users the noise profile of the tested CPU cooler, testing is done using fan speed percentages instead of various load levels.

Noise Levels

The single 92 x 92 x 25 mm fan Raijintek has included with the Aidos cooler is far from quiet, hitting 50 dBA at full speed. It does crack the 50+ dBA barrier, but at just 1 dBA more than the Corsair H110 and Raijintek Themis, and 2 dBA more than the Phanteks PH-TC12DX, it is not all that much louder than the competition's budget offerings. Still, for good cooling and acceptable noise levels, I prefer to see coolers that come in under 48 dBA on my open test bench.

Fan Speeds

RPM readings show the included 92 mm fan to have an RPM of 1051, which is in the top three for highest RPM readings at 25% fan speed. At 50% and 100% speed, the Raijintek fan tops the charts, with 1560 RPM and 2496 RPM respectively.

Overall RPM and dBA readings show that the Aidos CPU cooler from Raijintek needs a higher RPM fan to maintain cooling performance, which increases noise levels. At 50 dBA, this cooler is definitely audible, which can be annoying, but cost and performance of the Aidos, and the fact that many can cope with loud fans, might very well make it a perfect fit for an entry-level or mITX system.