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.
We registered the maximum noise levels ar 30.3 dBa meaning the NAS system is quiet, although audible under load. The fan speed can be adjusted via the interface to suit your needs.
We measured power from the socket with 2 1TB hard drives installed.
Very low power consumption at the socket, draining only 9 watts when idle and 18.5 watts under load.
Excellent, good price too. you could load this out with 2TB for £400 all in.
I always liked QNAP. good to see a review here. They are facing tougher competition from synology this year, but its tight.
competition is good for all.
It always amazes me when I see performance like this at such a low price. Our business had several NAS systems made years ago and they were much slower than this. cost a fortune too.
This market is growing so quickly. good time to buy.
Excellent, was beginning to think this site was owned by Synology.
I’m curious if one can build cheaper using some atom based miniITX system?
I mean than you’ll have practically PC that can do bit more than just hosting and sharing files… also point will be the power consumption…