We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components.
Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.
As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.
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
Noise was measured from half a meter away.
The large fan spins extremely slowly, which means that noise emissions are always very low. We recorded around 31 dBa meaning that in the majority of environments this NAS will be basically silent.
We measured power from the socket with 4 x 500 GB Samsung HD502HJ drives installed.
The Thecus N4200ECO consumes a maximum of 41 Watts from the socket when all four drives are actively dealing with data. This is an efficient NAS system, consuming around 14 watts of power when idle (4 drives installed).
Nice looking nice system. im in the market for one and a four bay unit seems the best value for money. this looks fast and I like the front panels. still swaying towards the synology 211 though.
Jeffrey thats a 2 bay nas? you got the models mixed up?
Never understand why companies don’t spend a little more time and money on the software and user guide. I remember the first time I saw a Synology product and was blown away because the software made sense. Thecus has been around a long time, they should make better interfaces. Also, faster reformatting.