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 Fera 2 HE1224 from SilentiumPC is very quiet, and I was surprised that noise levels barely increased with a second fan. While it's not the quietest cooler I have tested, I can easily recommend this heatsink to those that want a quiet system. A second matching fan greatly improves cooling performance and, as can be seen in the noise charts, does not impact noise levels in a truly meaningful way. The Fera 2 is not audible until both fans hit 100%, at which point there is only the swooshing sound of air, as no clicking motoric sounds were detected.

Fan Speeds

After looking at the RPM readings at 25%, 50%, and 100%, it becomes rather clear that the 500-1400 RPM range of the 120mm fan is perfect. Noise levels are right where they should be considering these RPM readings, which shows that the fan(s) are of good quality.