How quiet is your environment?

[jeshikat]

I'm not satisfied with the very subjective noise "measurements" in the Corsair SF600 review. I have several SFX and SFX-L PSUs coming in for review over the next several months so I want to invest in some sound measuring equipment to objectively quantify the noise they emit.

But in my research, I've found that the lower the noise floor of the microphone the more $$$. So I was wondering what kind of ambient noise level you all experience where you have your PC so I can judge what kind of equipment to look for.

A good way of estimating is to check what the minimum RPM of a fan that you own that SilentPCReview has tested is still audible in your environment from 1 meter away.

For example, I have a Noctua P12 and late at night I can hear it down to about 800 RPM at 1m. So looking at the SPCR review of that fan I'd estimate around 16dBA.

 

[PNP]

I have the redux version of the P14s which I can hear at ~200 RPM at 1m but only when I have no other appliances running and my neighbors have been tranquilized. Also, my desk is a double-paned window away from the local banshee jet engine air conditioner.

So I guess the absolute minimum for me is << 11 dbA with high standard deviation.

 

[jeshikat]

Wow, and I thought I was sensitive to fan noise

So you can hear it, but does it bother you?

 

[PNP]

Nah. If it's a low growl (like what the AP-141 produces at speed) or simply the sound of rushing air (like HEPA units in a cleanroom), it's acceptable...for a little while least. I lugged an Alienware M15x with a bad bearing in one of the fans through college so I can appreciate improvements.

High-pitched tonality, ticking, grinding, poor hysteresis, or anything to suggest that the fan may be off-balance will drive me up the wall though.

 

[Phuncz]

I can hear the two Noctua NF-F12 fans whir ever so gently at 600rpm or above when I shut down my air cleaning unit. My NAS is in the same room and produces a very slight hum with 6 HDDs (suspended mounting) and 2x Noctua Redux 120mm and 2x Noctua Redux 92mm fans tuned to a very low rpm.

Ears seem to be dynamic "microphones" in that they adapt their own noise level to the white/gray noise in the background. So when it's quiet in the room because I shut off the air cleaning unit, the clacking of my keyboard is a few times louder to the ears. Or if I focus on the sound and let it irritate me, it does so too.

Do you live in a quiet environment ? Otherwise you could build an enclosed box that could fit an SFF case (~3 sq ft. or ~1 m³) out of concrete or metal with sand, 2 in. or 5 cm wall width would do I'd guess. Line it with something that diffuses sound and you'll have something decent to test it with.

 

[michaelmitchell]

Well considering its 42c/107f outside for the next month or so I have a 30cm desk fan on full and a 45cm fan at the door pulling aircon air into my office, add in a few screaming children every now and then and you have my ambient noise.

Oh how I wish I could hear a fan in my PC.

 

[iFreilicht]

I can pretty much hear my PC all the time. It's mostly air noise, maybe a little bit of a deep hum. In idle my Keyboard is louder than it, and it's not even a mechanical one, so that might bring it into perspective. But as I'm sitting very close to it and it doesn't even have side panels on, there's a very direct path from the rig to my ear.

Under heavy gaming load it turns into a jet, but meh got headphones and if I don't use them while gaming I'm probably playing some sort of 2D co-op stuff that's not as demanding anyway. I'm not really the noise sensitive kind, but I do recognise that my PC is probably louder than most. It's still much quieter than my previous one.

 

[Josh | NFC]

Air noise doesn't bother me, its bearing/motor noise that can grate. Motor noise actually can be soothing too-It just depends.

 

[jeshikat]

Otherwise you could build an enclosed box that could fit an SFF case (~3 sq ft. or ~1 m³) out of concrete or metal with sand, 2 in. or 5 cm wall width would do I'd guess. Line it with something that diffuses sound and you'll have something decent to test it with.

I don't live near a major road or airport so low-frequency sound that concrete or sand would block isn't a big deal. If I do my sound testing late at night then I should be pretty good as far as ambient noise is concerned.

its bearing/motor noise that can grate.

I'm the same, it's why I can't stand the Gentle Typhoons even though otherwise they're great fans, the grinding of the double-ball bearings annoy me.

 

[antifocus]

I generally dont really find noise from fans annoying. You can pretty much lower the RPM at idle in most motherboards. If I am gaming at full load the loudest part is the graphics card anyway.
However at idle the high pitch noise from electric component or in some cases, the pump noise for AIO can be more disturbing, especially if you place the PC 6" away.

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

I have a severe tinnitus in both ears, so I have no tolerance to noise. My 140mm noctua is silent at 400rpm, but I have to replace the 40mm assist fan that came with my Gryphon thermal armor by a Noctua one. The Asus fan drives me nuts each time it kicks off.

 

[confusis]

Tinnitus club here too. Noise floor at my workstation is pretty high though, fridge nearby, plus set top box x2, as well as main road outside.

 

[QinX]

I have a fairly sensitive hearing myself, when I want quiet I need it to be quiet.
My HTPC speakers, Creative Gigaworks G500, have a whine to them that I can hear through 2 closed doors and a ceiling in my bedroom. I can also tell whining powersupplies that others near me can't.
the PC doesn't have to be as quiet for me because I'm normally working when I'm at it and have music. But my bedroom has to be whisper quiet. I'm still wanting to replace me HTPC speakers or replace the capacitor that is faulty, but I can't get the set I want right now and the inside of the subwoofer/amp is gunked up so that would be too much of a pita to replace.

 

[Supercluster]

But my bedroom has to be whisper quiet.

I hear this . For the same reason my bedroom does not have a PC. I don't think it's even possible to achieve the "no transistor switching chaos" feel with any electronics in the room. Even tablets and phones can be "felt".

 

[QinX]

I've currently got only 3 pieces of electronic in the bedroom.
Alarmclock
Smartphone on Airplane mode
Apple Ipad 1 Charger

These I can't hear buzzing so they are allowed in my "anechoic" bedroom

 

[iFreilicht]

When reading all of your comments I feel like some kind of acoustic phlegmatic. I'm living right next to a road, there's a night club in my building frequented by adolescents and my windows are made from a single pane of glass.
I'm sleeping like a stone nearly every single night

 

[QinX]

Once I fall asleep it's a one way ticket to waking up with an alarm for me, it's getting to sleep that's the hard part.
Which is weird cause at several LAN events attend I've just slept at the PC with hundreds of people screaming yet in my own bed that magic doesn't fly.

 

[iFreilicht]

I know were derailing here, but I think noise can be relaxing and helping with sleeping in. The problem is when there's no constant noise that you've gotten used to, but annoying, maybe even irregular sounds that you don't ever hear throughout the day.

 

[Phuncz]

Indeed, your mind can cancel out repetitive noises, unless you focus on them. It's often the noises you psychologically don't want that are harder. Think of a home intrusion alarm going off, a fan making a scraping sound, people making noise outside a night club.

The mind plays an important part in this though. I sleep with the window open when the weather allows it and I have no problem with cars, wind or leaves rustling, but when I hear a cat fight, a very strong gush of wind or a loud modified/sports car, I tend to wake up out of "vigilance", my instincts creep in very fast when I hear a sudden shock and I get a free shot of adrenaline.

I tend to offset these peaks by introducing more noise in the background, from a deskfan when it's too hot or some background music. Noise can cause stress too, because our mind reacts to these too. I can believe case fans causing very strange sounds can be frustrating too.

 

[jØrd]

How quiet is your environment?

its not