What's the ACTUAL Temps & Noise difference - Airflow vs Silent PC Case? [Fractal Pop Air & Silent]

[@TazzSmk]

perceived loudness isn't only about dB (decibels), but the actual human hearing frequency bias, that can be measured in LU(FS) and can tell a more complex story, that's why bigger fans, making more lower frequency noise are perceived as much more silent compared to smaller fans, even when they aren't spinning at higher rpm to compensate lack or airflow via smaller diameter, also there's a huge difference depending on where, what angle you measure the noise, because higher pitched noise is very directional, while hum/rumble usually resonates across whole case

[@peoplez129]

It's also important to note that decibels are algorithmic, meaning 10db more is basically twice as loud. But there are many factors to consider. Airflow obviously suffers the larger the case, given the same fans. Where a tiny system might see excellent cooling with even a single 140mm fan because it's soo focused, a large system might see worse cooling even with an array of 140mm fans. This is because while they might be pushing more air, that is air that isn't actually contacting the components, so more space means more dilution in the flow. But a silent cases main benefit would be other noise sources like coil whine, or other things you can't consciously hear, but actually have a subtle effect on your brain, causing things like annoyance and depression without even realizing the source. It's not going to immediately make you super depressed, but over time it can alter your general mood, making you more agitated than you otherwise would be. Larger cases also allow that resonance to be better absorbed, as it has more time to spread out, so when it hits the dampening it gets dampened more effectively. Measuring noise is also better measured in a real world usage. You see people putting devices right up to the case, but realistically the measurement should be done from where the person will be sitting from the PC. That could easily mean the difference between audible and silent. These cases aren't meant to go on a desk, they're meant to go on the floor. I have a huge desk and even my old mini ITX system was an annoyance on it hogging up space, so I would never put an ATX case on a desk. It also affects light flow on the desk, you end up with this side that gets uneven lighting, which just generally feels offset and cramped. One also has to consider things like case placement and angles in the room, because if your PC is right up against the wall, it's going to reflect sounds louder. If there's a bare wall adjacent to it with no obstructions between, it's going to reflect sounds louder. Ironically, what they should have done with this case to make it really silent is have a dampened back cover too, since that's where most of the noise is going to escape.

[@TazzSmk]

@@peoplez129 good points! also, two sources of same volume/noise result in twice as loud, hence why I'd decide between two fans vs one running at higher speed at equal loudness, more interesting note, human hearing is most sensitive to volume/noise "changes", so having slightly higher rpm running fans consistently might result in lesser perceived loudnes compared to fluctuating fan speeds based on temps/load

[@cesarvegamty]

@@peoplez129 You meant logarithmic 😄

[@YoeriKranenburg]

20dB is 10x louder than 10dB

[@DeSinc]

The other reason silent cases are so good that won't show up on a decibel rating is that the sound dampening panel stops coil whine during intensive loads. Everyone else seems to be okay with ignoring all the tiny 100 billion frequency high pitched whines and twinkles that their PCs make whenever they do things (even smooth scrolling down on a browser sometimes does it seriously) but as for me I cannot stand it and the silent cases are basically my only real option for a PC that sits on my desk 80cm from my head

[@bleack8701]

I'd just get the air and add material on the sides to dampen it. The reduced airflow at the front is too much of a downgrade imo

[@mr.niceguy724]

DeSinc which case do you have or can recommend?

[@reinulf656]

This is so true!! And the pop silent tested here isn't even the most silent one. The one with solid side panel is more silent. As a compromise you could get a define series case and open the door when you really need more airflow

[@krazed0451]

You could just place your PC on the ground lol

[@thenfactor]

why in the world did you not do all the tests in one case then switch to the other? Why switch them back and forth?

[@marcusbrown3880]

Because he loves building pc's, it's his thing...:D

[@CoolColJ]

It does make a good example of how easy it is to build in this case 🤣

[@samuelsmith9564]

I am so glad you removed that bottom panel before I went out and bought one. Now I know I can put a disc drive in it.

[@skylarc8859]

i wanted a quiet pc build, i had a very hard time picking silent or airflow case. i also swapped out everything in my pc with a fan. my "new" build is silent even tho i picked a airflow case, the fans/power supply and cpu cooler is quiet. they only ramp up when pc gets above 40-45 degrees and normaly during work i cant hear my pc. the 2 components that made the most noise was my graphics card and a old hard drive that was vibrating. with those 2 changed for better options im now very happy and impressed with how quiet my pc is! ( and temperatures are good too)

[@marcusbrown3880]

i just love the fact he says "we're not stress testing the pc", then goes and stress tests it :P You could have added Be Quiets Silent Wings 4 to the build, including to the cooler, also use an AIO and see if those make any difference. Another entertaining video...

[@WillMruzek]

I think this kind of review would be a nice series for popular cases. I’d personally be interested in seeing how the Meshify 2 fairs in these tests.

[@KetogenicGuitars]

It would be helpful if reviewers started to publish the actual real frequency profile of the noise of the fans captured by a measuring mic at location of the Db meter. One number(like reading of Db meters) is not enough. It just cannot be. The reason being the "equal loudness contour sensitivity curve i.e Fletcher Munson curve" which manifests psychoacoustic effects due human language prosessing. One of them is that of most of phonemes of any language are dominantly happening at 1300-4300 hz and human hearing is there most sensitive (by far) but also language prosessing of subsequent brain stages consume most energy. One of the consequencies is that in that frequency range any noise is most annoying. So it would be very helpful to give audience the frequency profile at that universal phoneme range and over all. For example it is not at all annoying to hear 50db combined hum at 40-150 hertz range compared to 50db whine at single 2500hz frequency. In fact such single frequency could even start hurt already because of no rest for ear. Both cases would read 50db in Db meter.

[@ZachariahConnor]

Excellent comment

[@mr.niceguy724]

very nice comment. i am searching for a silent case now and have to take a psychoacoustic course, so i was happy to read this comment :D

[@IncredibleVictor]

Everytime I watch your video, I just think about how much work you have to put behind the scenes. As a creator I know it's not easy😪

[@kidsonicofficial]

So Silence is about 20-30dB unless you're in an anechoic chamber. Our hearing is weird because it follows what is now known as the Fletcher Munson curve. This means that our hearing is really sensitive to certain frequencies at higher levels. Remember than an increase of 5dB halved the amount of time you can listen to a sustained sound.

[@farside87]

I felt the sound tests were not adequate to give the Silent case it's due. I don't have my computer sitting on my desk, so I really don't have the reflected sound off the desk top like this test. I also would have expected sound readings from all sides of the case including the mic hanging over the top. In doing so, people would get a better idea of what to expect from the Silent case.

[@backbone666]

Got to admit, thanks to your content on the Fractal Pop Silent, I kinda want to get one to replace my Fractal Define C Mini

[@DizzleEdits]

Such a great video, like all video's you produce. Much love and keep it up man!

[@md_vandenberg]

Watching this whilst playing a game with all my case fans in my Pop Air humming along at 1,200 RPMs. My case sits on the floor about a meter from me, so it sounds like a small, USB-powered desk fan. Good to know Fractal's marketing isn't a load of rubbish. It's a good case, highly recommended.

[@tiagofr5]

so you mean it’s not too loud? I’m trying to decide which one to get and I prefer the Air one, if it isn’t too loud…

[@escifi]

Isn’t a bit pointless not to use a soundproofed cover instead of a glass one?

[@d8dl334]

"We're not going to be stress testing it" Proceeds to stress test it

[@vBDKv]

I always pick silence over anything else. Fractal Define cases, Noctua or be-quiet fans etc.

[@gscurd75]

Noise normalized thermals should be tested. Run the fans at whatever RPM gets you to 45db and see where the temps are at the end of the test.

[@kotztotz3530]

I agree. I thought the testing in this video was subpar

[@svamptrask913]

The question is: is the quiet case more quiet after let's say two hours of low performence tasks like watching youtube? The worse airflow might get the temperature to rise slowely and the fans will go faster.

[@TazzSmk]

that depends on hardware specs mostly, for example my Strix GTX1080Ti doesn't even start spinning fans when watching KZbin or playing some less demanding games, and cpu stays at almost idle fans speeds too, I mean, with reasonable hardware, watching KZbin shouldn't put any stress and therefore not enough heat to increase fan speeds at all to make noise

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

During light task you won't see the difference between on of the best airflow case and restricive one. Then power draw is low, so low is amout of heat to dissipate and it means that low are needs for airflow. The lower the power draw, the smaller difference makes amount of airflow or capability of coolers - that's why then e.g. GPUs handle temps passively.

[@RobCarter04]

One of the most important things you missed is that the GPU clock throttled far lower in the Pop Silent than it did in the Airflow. The GPU temp results you're showing are mostly just indicative of the card's temperature target, not the fact you're losing a significant chunk of actual performance by choking it in the Silent version.

[@EliteRock]

You noticed the difference in the 'quality' of the noise, how loud they were subjectively, this is why meaningful SPL's are measured using 'weighted' curves, not simply from the raw output of a mic.

[@steveunderwood3683]

He's using a proper sound meter, and they usually have perceptual weighting curve options which can be selected. He said nothing about the mode of his sound meter, so we can have no idea what his sound level readings really mean. Even using perceptual weighting, those curves only allow for the difference between human sensitivity in different frequency ranges. Another big perceptual difference is narrow spectral lines grate on the nerves in a way a nice broadband whoosh doesn't. You need to look at the spectrum to get a true idea of what is going on.

[@xtraflo]

Fractal makes that same case that the Side Panel has No Window and more Sound Proofing material. I was hoping to find that one!

[@seanyancy1809]

Volume of the case. I am running a big and i do mean big CM830 and I don't hear a thing vs my old CM Scout that would build up heat with the same fans etc. The open bottom of the 830 along with plenty of space on the backside of the mother board makes the difference.

[@BT-st4ho]

I would like to see difference in sound when the hardware in both cases are the same temperature and have the same performance. The fans in the pop silent case has to turn faster an therefore produce more noise to keep it the same temperature.

[@Enthusiast_Impressions]

Another viewpoint of interest: Is it better to get performance fans(expensive) in an airflow case vs normal fans(cheap) in a silent case? ; is buying more fans better than fewer higher performing fans? Probably a lot of variations to this question.

[@Ramotttholl]

When it comes to 'silent' cases i still wonder that but for normal cases LTT already tested it and basically on normal cases adding more fans than provided with the case barely make any difference.

[@TheZebinator]

I swear by noctua fans as they are the quietest fans I've heard while still getting very good airflow. I remove all stock fans and fit the case with as many noctua fans I can get there while still making sense and I see a huge difference in sound quality

[@Ramotttholl]

@@TheZebinator got be quiet fans they are completely silent. Idk if the airflow is slightly lower then the noctua, but on a case like this i dont wanna see noctua colored fans everywhere 😅

[@TheZebinator]

@@Ramotttholl I love their color scheme, they do sell them in black too though, have been for years

[@stanisawkowalski7440]

So called silent cases are not really about making components noise quieter, but more about making computer sound nicer and less intrusive or tiring during longer sessions. They also help or totally consume some less obvious than fans noises like airflow resonances coil whine or ones by HDDs and 5,25 drives. Quiet pc is all about quiet components. If quietest ones, it don't make much difference if they sit in silent or airflow case and there're even chances that in airflow one given rig would be even quieter due to possibility of running case fans slower than in silent one when having the same temps. But going with an airflow case better like how everything sound and pc components are generally things sounding shitty.

[@razvanyke]

Super video, again. Thank you for the good work !

[@alexanderfischer1293]

Great comparison. Very educational. Thanks!

[@noco-pf3vj]

I used Fractal Silent for 2 months and then changed it to Lian Li 216. The reason was that the components inside Fractal Silent were hot as hell, my PC kept crashing, even when playing light games. Buying a "silent" case was the worst decision ever.

[@DeviatorBytes]

Whats your CPU and GPU and what Fractal Silent Case exactly ?

[@GeoffCooper]

Nice! So, now if you tune the fan configuration with the high-airflow case as you spoke about ~1 month ago, where the fans all run at their maximum inaudible speed until they're actually needed, I bet you can get it just as quiet as the 'silent' case but with with much better thermals....

[@Milchschndde]

That's the way to go always! You are right. Silent cases are only a good solution if you aren't willing to tweaking fan curves yourself and want a quieter system.

[@Just_Rick_137]

I'm not surprised by the GPU results because it has its own cooling. However, I would prefer better airflow over less noise. Although there's only a 1 dB difference, the test indicates an extra 40 seconds to reach 100°C. Opting for better airflow ensures that your PC consistently runs cooler, safeguarding your components in the long run. Additionally, there are alternative measures to reduce fan noise, such as using rubber mounts for fan installation and investing in quieter/larger fans from reputable companies like Be Quiet or Noctua.

[@BamxDD]

Well, I guess in this modern days, silent case actually means "Less dust" Case!

[@MoonshineIsis]

How much of a difference would it make if we replaced the stock fans with something better in that silent?

[@iAmCodeMonkey]

Probably a good bit of a difference, especially if he used Noctuas or Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoons.

[@cptcatman]

Why didnt you pick the silent without a see through side panel? There might be some noise reduction left on the table

[@gamertechlive1780]

You don't need a silent optimized case.. you need a air flow focus case and fill those fan mounting slots. Now then you can reduce RPM doesn't matter if you want a Curve Temp Base or Static RPM setting what matter is you are running it at lower RPM that is acceptable for your hearing. Overall you will get a equally or more silent system than a silent focus case while having better hardware temperature. This is true for silent base case as well... you need to adjust RPM higher since the front is solid panel and will reduce higher RPM to push more air on tiny side vents and worst if those side vents are made out of mesh and not just a straight cut out, then overtime it will get clogged as a result will worsen your case ambient temp that will increase your hardware temps. EDIT* higher RPM to fix CPU & GPU temps or even RAM temps if you do manual RAM OC and some RAM die-type are temp sensitive, will get error when reached a target temp. Then you will be forced to increase RPM which also increases noise. I my self uses Solid Front Panel & double sided thick temp glass 5-6mm which is better than thinner glass or aluminum side cover in noise isolation on a custom loop.. I ended up Cutting the front to put a Mesh Grill & do a paint mod for cleaner look.. as a result my overall temp do drop while still having a silent system.

[@sebastiandrozd233]

can you show some pics how it looks after mods?

[@alseick]

I have switched from Fractal Define R5 to Fractal North and I just regret this. I dont care about stats and theory, Define R5 was making any non-fan noise quiter and even for the fan, it was just low frequencied noise rather than the noise you get with open case. This is easily heard by opening/closing front panel. I will never get open/mesh case again.

[@DeviatorBytes]

Thank you for telling this

[@michaelmcconnell7302]

if youre gonna add top fans they should be intake, not exhaust. my 3080 runs 10c cooler after reversing my top fans and blowing cold air on and around it. also you dont wanna be sucking dust in through all the non filtered case holes.

[@Jason_Bover9000]

I almost bought that white one I got the corsair 4000d airflow case instead I love corsair 4000d airflow case

[@johnbernhardtsen3008]

got this case 1 month ago cuz of the 5700g video, just because he showed it how nice it looks solid white build!doing a 5700x build soon! I would love to make a 13600k build but the cpu temps are a bit high under load!

[@userunavailable__]

Ultimate Video 📸

[@deivytrajan]

Thanks for making this video! Would you recommend adding AIO on top or would sound dampening ruin that?

[@thestroller7142]

yayyy a new Tech Notice video for me to enjoy on a rainy night

[@MasterChief0093]

I think this doesn’t take into account if you have hard drives for mass storage and coil whine. Stuff like that. Sure the fans will have to spin much harder, but if it achieves the same thermals and sound… hopefully your cooling solution choice had enough head room that you can take a raise it temps and also not be near thermal throttle.

[@ArchiePeacock3]

I am using the pop silent case with my current pc and is by far the quietist pc I have ever used.

[@jadeprinces]

Why didn't you test everything first in one case then in other,this moving components again make no sense

[@Cactuspractice12]

No ones testing the sieltn with an AIO, would love to see those results

[@vsepotap]

Just in time, comrad! How do you do that?! Thanks a lot!

[@EpicChemicalKid]

For the silent: Is it worth mounting the PSU fan up, thinking this may help increase airflow and pull the GPU heat away from the CPU. Thinking head maybe due to there being no vent on the top for the hot air to escape?

[@petervarga2616]

would a windowless version (of the silent one) make a difference I wonder...

[@theTechNotice]

Yes

[@HarvinderSingh-yy8th]

So it is better to have a good CPU cooler. Cabinet cooler fans have very less role in CPU cooling.

[@derekw.5108]

FYI, the level of noise is DOUBLED for every 3dB increase.

[@stevenswall]

The power to produce the noise is doubled, but you won't perceive twice as much sound until you get to +6-10dB. 1dB is roughly the smallest volume change the average person can hear in a quiet environment.

[@derekw.5108]

@@stevenswall It depends on how far, how loud and the frequency of the noise source! 1.The noise decrease proportionally to the square of distance. 2. 3dB increase is huge if the initial noise is already pretty loud. 3. Low frequency noises generated by PC fans can penetrate PC cases very easily. I can guarantee you that 3dB is a significant noise increase given how close most people place their PCs. By the way, 3dB is generally considered the smallest volume increase that can be perceived by human in MUSIC. Yes, it is way easier for human to detect volume change in SIMPLE/SINGLE tone noise with CONSTANT loudness!

[@stevenswall]

@@derekw.5108 I think that's for an uncontrolled environment with some ambient noise floor. Three decibels is not a ton. It does take twice as much power so it's technically twice as much intensity, but you will not perceive it as twice as loud.

[@derekw.5108]

@@stevenswall The majority live in uncontrolled environment. The noise of PC fan is not a ton but its properties (single tone, low frequency and constant loudness) make it very easy for human to detect the volume change. It won't be twice as loud since noise decrease proportionally to the square of distance. However, it will be very significant and close to twice as loud given how close most people place their PCs.

[@derekw.5108]

@@stevenswall In addition, PC fan noise is measured by how much energy it generates, NOT by how much energy that generates it! I think you confused it with (audio) amplifier's *3dB* increase which means that the output power, instead of the actual volume, is doubled.

[@--Zook--]

iI just went form a H510 to a H510 flow. Yes, it is 200% louder because I have cheap ass fans. But I am not bothered by it. I saw a 20*c reduction in all temps. and it looks way better in my humble opinion.

[@i.balazs]

I have also the NZXT H510 Flow, but the factory fans are really noisy. I wonder if some top Noctua or Be Quiet fans would help. Any idea?

[@I-PixALbI4-I]

What about test with Noctua A20 Fans in the front of the case?

[@lassefrost6198]

High End components memory modules makes this super highpitched noise.. You can hear it all the time if you build a proper silent gaming pc. I would prefer the humm anyday over screaming memory

[@rahbeat9785]

you mean, if you *don't* build a silent pc?

[@burakozc3079]

There is no small enough white matx case around so ill build myself.

[@alsteooaai]

hi, one question, is there any important specification of an SSD (controller or Nand or DRAM) more suitable for programming, ML, AI, Deep learning and use of 3D design? Which affects this type of productivity and gives it an edge

[@nicopinzel]

You mustn’t be fooled by the numbers. 3db more equals DOUBLE the volume for our ears. So if you’ve got 3db more you hear it as DOUBLE the volume. So the airflow case has a 2x higher noise level.

[@tiagofr5]

what do you mean??

[@nicopinzel]

@@tiagofr5 exactly what I’ve said. 3db(A) more, means the produced noise is received as twice as loud/much by our ears. So if you say „this fan is silent at 30 db(A) and the next one is 33db(A)“ for example, the second one is twice as loud. 3db(A) is no small jump in produced noise. May still be „silent“, but only half as silent as the first.

[@tiagofr5]

@@nicopinzel but how and why is that?

[@nicopinzel]

@@tiagofr5 as plain as that sounds: that’s because the scale was made that way 😅 there’s something called „acoustic pressure“ and in correlation with that they created this scale. But I won’t explain that further because that’s a huge topic 😅

[@uraveragerifler2901]

Heres a theory, maybe since you put the mic on the desk dont you think it may have picked up vibrations?

[@diobrando5620]

Do you recommend fractal design meshify 2 compact or corsair 4000d airflow?

[@swizzler8053]

Go for the 4000D bro. It's way more compact and cooling options are excellent.

[@ICRA7ED]

I am deaf. my question is how do i know it's bad pc when it's very loud noise? smell burn? or what

[@rapas5104]

just look at task manager statistics

[@flyoverfredusa]

I'm just about to build a new machine for music, INTEL CORE i9-13900K and probably a Be Quiet Silent Loop 2 280mm AIO Cooler. Any case recommendations ? It doesn't have to be completely silent but I don't want a noisy case, I'm worried about thermals though

[@tiagofr5]

What did you go with?

[@flyoverfredusa]

@@tiagofr5 Fractal Meshify 2

[@toxicjoypad4001]

Why change the components 2 times you only had to change them one time

[@johnpaulbacon8320]

Interesting results.

[@colinwest7076]

I can’t help but say that this is a totally flawed sound comparison. To compare the loudness of 2 cases, the thermals must be normalized as a temperature over ambient. Under load with thermals normalized you will experience quite a difference between the cases in terms of CPU and GPU performance. A sure, but not the only way, to obtain silence under max load is to place the computer out of earshot, meaning you can’t hear it under max load and connect peripherals wirelessly or by fiber. Steve Burker at GN does extensive case noise comparisons. Your comparison should be called out as you know what.

[@rahbeat9785]

tnx

[@samire2151]

I do MAO. I am buying a I9 13900k with a Z790. I need performance due to high performance calculation on plugin all day. But I need to cancel noise as much as I can. So what do you advise ? A silent version ? a air version ? or a air version and I try to build some isolation stuff around the computeur ? :)

[@mojito6629]

2db difference is not noticeable, I think

[@jayanthokam7300]

Dose it possible to over clock 13600k with Asus prime z690 A MB

[@birdman8125]

If a bear craps in the woods and no one is around to see it, does it still taste like bear 💩?

[@X.Y.Z.07]

It's certainly possible, as its the K version CPU and you have 690 Mobo

[@jayanthokam7300]

@@X.Y.Z.07 thank u

[@birdman8125]

@@X.Y.Z.07 pshhhhh... Semantics. 😂

[@EliteRock]

Why not? But VRM's will probably get hot with sustained loads, particularly if it's W/cooled. Replacing the VRM heatsink pads with something like Gelid Extreme or Ultimate can help (make sure you get the right thickness).

[@NathanOakley1980]

40-41 db is far from silent.

[@NathanOakley1980]

Great video. Makes me very happy I went to the extra effort’s a passive PC took to get stable and *silent* … under full load! Worth every penny! Monster Labo Beast FTW.

[@antoniocepaj7544]

Interesting. I was wondering, can we decrease temps, and noise level in lian LI air mini case by increasing hole sizes, while using be quiet silent wings pro 4 140mm fans.

[@varunpandey6297]

8:28 12:33

[@louddesignstudios]

Haha that intro

[@Odd_Taxi_epi04]

Yet another reviewer that compares silent cases w/o using spinning 3.5 hdds, that are one of the main things those panels are supposed to be silencing...

[@miguelzl5228]

there are so many things wrong with this test, don't get into sound and temperature when you don't know how they actually work, like no hate but selling bad data is a really bad praxis

[@GFBenchmarks]

He Air-flow flow the silence

[@ab1rIslam]

Which apu is better, ryzen 5600g or 5 7600x

[@JayzBeerz]

7600x is not an apu

[@jooshiii]

5600g I believe

[@KarlGutowski]

Good concept, terrible execution. Thumbs down for wasting my time.

[@enhancedcalm]

was wondering why you didn't take temps when you measured sound the first time.

[@pvandck]

Fan noise depends of fan design, fan speed, how much air it's moving at any one time, and how many fans are working. And who works in a completely silent ambient? Who plays silent games? What is the point of a "silent" case? Just a slightly pedantic aside, there's no such thing as "more silent". "Silent" is the complete absence of sound.😉