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 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 biggest drawback of the Thermaltake NiC C5 is the noise it produces to produce the best possible cooling performance, which has the fans rotate at max speed for 56 dBA, making this cooler the loudest in the test group. Even turning its fan-speed settings down as far as possible via the VR knob results in it being louder than most of the competition. At 50%, it's again the loudest cooler tested to date. This is a huge drawback as the lack of a PWM function means that users have to manually control fan speeds; there is no option for PWM functionality.

Fan Speeds

RPM readings show why the cooler is so loud. With a minimum of 1000 RPM and a maximum of 2000 RPM, it's no wonder the NiC C5 is so loud.