FrostyTech Acoustic Sampling Chamber
Standard Waveform view of a 10 second recording. Click on the headphones icon to listen to an MP3 recording of this heatsink in operation.

Sound Level Measurements: Which Heatsink is Quietest?

Listening to the actual noise a heatsink makes allows you to hear what pure numbers alone cannot get across. To further emphasize FrostyTech's reliance on cold hard facts when evaluating a heatsink, we also take noise level measurements with a sound level meter.

FrostyTech.com Heatsink Noise Level Measurements Noise level Decibel measurements of each heatsinks' fan in operation are taken with the aid of a sound level meter and sound isolating enclosure. The values may be higher than the mfgr's listed specs, but are directly comparable to one another. Measurements are made on the dB (A) scale. Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
manufacturer:	model no.:	*fan speed:	noise level (dba):
Arctic Cooling	Silencer 64 Ultra TC	low	27.6 dB	Quiet
Verax	Quattro 1		30.9 dB	Quiet
Scythe	Samurai SCSM1000	low	30.9 dB
Zalman	CNPS7000A-Cu	low	32.7 dB
Zalman	CNPS7000B-CU	low	33.2 dB
Zalman	CNPS7000-Cu	low	33.5 dB
Scythe	Shogun	low	33.7 dB
ASUS	Starice	low	34.4 dB
Zalman	CNPS9500LED (clip parallel)	low	36.2 dB
Gigabyte	3D Cooler-Pro	low	38.8 dB
EKL	V8	low	41.0 dB
Gigabyte	NeonCooler 8-BL		42.0 dB
Thermaltake	Polo 735	low	42.3 dB
Thermaltake	Venus 12	low	42.6 dB
Gigabyte	3D Cooler-Ultra	low	42.8 dB
Cooljag	SFO-H	low	43.0 dB
Coolermaster	Hyper48		43.6 dB
Gigabyte	3D Rocket-Pro	low	43.8 dB
AVC	Z7U3301	low	44.2 dB
Dynatron	A22		44.5 dB
Ajigo	MF043-044		45.4 dB
Coolermaster	Hyper6	low	46.1 dB
Scythe	Kama SCKK1000		47.5 dB
Coolermaster	Aquagate Mini	low	48.6 dB
Vantec	Mach1	low	48.6 dB
Thermaltake	Silentboost K8		49.7 dB
Gigabyte	3D-Rocket		50.7 dB
Gigabyte	G-Power Pro	low	50.9 dB
Arctic Cooling	Freezer 64 Pro		50.9 dB
Evercool	K802-715		51.5 dB
nPowertek	NPH K8-1		52.2 dB
Jetart	JAX801		53.5 dB
Evercool	Magic Cooler		55.5 dB
Dynatron	SK-V24		56.4 dB
Alpha	PAL-8150		58.9 dB
Titan	TTC-K8ATB/825/SC		63.1 dB
CoolJag	SFO-D(18SC)		64.0 dB
			noise level (dba)
*unless noted, for reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans only the 'high speed' (12V) fan noise measurement is included in the comparison sheet; more detailed results for the low fan speed (~5V) tests reside in each specific heatsink review.

Clearly Alpha have selected a Delta fan model which enables the PAL-8150 heatsink to operate at ideal thermal levels, while considerations for its noise output have been much more lenient. The heatsink will be a little noisy for applications where quiet is a concern, but it shouldn't be too distracting in an office environment or in a server.

Surface Finish Comparator Notes: Flatness and Finish

Surface finish is an important factor that we all look for when holding a new heatsink. Flipping a cooler over to see how well the base has been machined is a quick way to judge the attention to detail that was put into making it. The following test involves the use of a Surface Roughness Comparator, which offers a concise cross section common machine surface finishes.

The Alpha PAL-8150 heatsink has a surface roughness of approximately ~8 microinches, which is considered excellent. Next, let's see how this heatsink handles the heat compared to a selection of other heatsinks!