Recently we have changed our method of measuring noise levels. Ambient noise in the room is around 20-25dBa. We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the chassis and 4 foot from the ground with our Extech digital sound level meter to mirror a real world situation.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
The system is not silent, however in a living room or bedroom it is not really noticeable. Under load the fans spin up to deal with the rising ambient temperatures, peaking at 41.8dBa.
I was actually looking at these last week. great idea for people who dont want an ATOM.
Very nice units, a little like the mac mini, but more colourful and more powerful.
Surprised how nippy those little AMD processors are. very capable indeed, much better than ATOM
The lower end models are good value, but the higher quad core with bluray is expensive. over 800 quid would get me a mega gaming rig.
Fl0 – you pay for the size reduction, remember that. this isn’t a gaming system, its a media system with a focus clearly on size and looks for people who want something sexy for display.
Interesting looking little thing, seems to be everyone is making these kind of pcs lately. I can understand why, with familes having a computer in a main room,. some of the full size cases take up far too much room.
Looks ideal for media, but I think I prefer the ASROCK ION 3d system as it is much cheaper and comes with bluray. if it handles 1080p thats all most people will need.
This AMD processor is much better than the ATOM, but as the reviewer says, the cost is more power consumption. For media, I think the ASROCK is the better deal as its cheaper, £399 with bluray, smaller and takes up less power under load. can still handle bluray discs and 1080p streaming no problems.
For a general purpose PC this Dell unit is better. I can see a lot of students liking it.
Zardon can I confirm – the top panel removes with a b utton press, but under it, you need a screw driver to get access to things like the drives?
Funnily enough I was thinking the same. the button concept is great, but why have everything else under a screwed panel? whats the point of the button? just to change colors?
I really dig this system, not sure id buy one though. surprised how good the AMD chip is compared to the ATOM. I know AMD dont have a low power processor like Intel right now, but it seems well worth the extra power drain for those performance gains. maybe on a laptop atom makes a bigger selling point ?
I want a review of an intel core i3/5/7 system 🙂 in this size.
No HDMI 1.4.
No 3D capability
Sony plans to have 40% of TVs next year to be 3D enabled