Results: Temperature And Noise Level At Reduced Fan RPM
For our second round of tests, we dialed down every fan's rotational speed to 1000 RPM. Since the Cooler Master HAF XB is a very open case with an emphasis on high airflow, it's still louder at this setting than most conventional towers.
Nevertheless, the noise level stays within an acceptable range for everyday use, and it could be minimized even more by scaling back fan speed even more.
| Cooler Master HAF XB: All Fans at 1000 RPM | |
|---|---|
| Ambient Temperature | 22 °C |
| AMD FX-8350 (Core Temperature) | 58-59 °C |
| GPU (GTX 470) | 75 °C |
| 2819 RPM (52%) | |
| PhysX (GTX 650 ti) | 53 °C |
| 1380 RPM (41%) | |
| SSD | 36 °C |
| Hard Drive | 32 °C |
| Noise Level from Front, 50 cm | 41.2 dB(A) |
| Noise Level from Top Left Diagonal, 50 cm | 40.8 dB(A) |
| Noise Level from Top Right Diagonal, 50 cm | 40.9 dB(A) |
The temperatures are higher this time around as a result of reduced cooling performance. AMD's FX-8350 now hovers between 58 and 59 degrees Celsius, which is still 11 degrees lower than where it starts throttling.
It's common to consider liquid cooling when you want to try getting AMD's FX up above 4.5 GHz. A chassis like the HAF XB, with its direct and unobstructed airflow across all major heat-producing components, makes it possible to hit those speeds with a good chip on air.
Like the processor, the graphics card's temperature and fan speed remain acceptable. The GeForce GTX 470’s core rises six degrees, and its fan automatically spins 100 RPM faster, making it a bit more audible than before. Comparing the noise level under load to that at idle illustrates the difference, since the latter reflects just the CPU and case fans.
| Noise Level at Idle | |
|---|---|
| Noise Level from Front, 50 cm | 39.7 dB(A) |
| Noise Level from Top Left Diagonal, 50 cm | 38.3 dB(A) |
| Noise Level from Top Right Diagonal, 50 cm | 38.1 dB(A) |
Remember that we put a lot of hot components into the HAF XB. The case's name is well-deserved; it manages to keep all the components cool enough, even at lower fan speeds. We also think there is room to optimize. For example, adding a compact liquid cooler would likely help bring down noise. We'd also be curious to see and hear what three- or four-way graphics arrays could achieve in the roomy enclosure.