Results: Frequency response of sound w/o obstacles
Blade length is always the “topic”, but will be more common with 140mm fans than smaller variants. Some bet on long blades for preference of selected features, the other manufacturer on short ones. And such (short) and overall more robust blades are also used by the 140mm Aorus fan. From certain points of view this is quite a big advantage, but for which something had to be sacrificed. It’s a quid pro quo.
Results: Frequency response of sound w/o obstacles
Measurements are performed in the TrueRTA application, which records sound in a range of 240 frequencies in the recorded range of 20–20,000 Hz. For the possibility of comparison across articles, we export the dominant frequency from the low (20–200 Hz), medium (201–2,000 Hz) and high (2,001–20,000 Hz) range to standard bar graphs.
However, for an even more detailed analysis of the sound expression, it is important to perceive the overall shape of the graph and the intensity of all frequencies/tones. If you don’t understand something in the graphs or tables below, you’ll find the answers to all your questions in this article. It explains how to read the measured data below correctly.
Fan sound usually operates in the 70–7000 Hz band. You can ignore the 7000 Hz frequencies, they reflect the electromagnetic noise of the measurement chain. This (electromagnetic noise) also extends to frequencies below 70 Hz. These bands (up to 70 Hz and above 7 kHz) could be safely “shaved off”, but we don’t do that. Just in case some anomaly does appear in one of the fans, which needs to be controlled and visualised.
Fan | Dominant sound freq. and noise level, no obstacle@33 dBA | NF-F12 PWM | NF-A15 PWM | ||||
Low range | Mid range | High range | |||||
Frequency [Hz] | Noise level [dBu] | Frequency [Hz] | Noise level [dBu] | Frequency [Hz] | Noise level [dBu] | ||
Gigabyte Aorus 140 ARGB | 92,4 | -77,3 | 380,5 | -80,3 | 19330,5 | -91,0 | |
BeQuiet! Light Wings (BL075) | 138,5 | -73,3 | 391,7 | -80,5 | 19330,5 | -90,8 | |
Fractal Design Aspect 14 RGB PWM | 50,4 | -68,1 | 391,7 | -78,5 | 18780,2 | -90,8 | |
DeepCool FK120 | 138,5 | -77,5 | 246,8 | -68,6 | 18780,2 | -90,9 | |
Asus TUF Gaming TF120 | 130,7 | -82,8 | 369,7 | -80,9 | 19897,0 | -90,8 | |
BeQuiet! Light Wings (BL072) | 23,1 | -71,7 | 380,5 | -72,9 | 18780,4 | -90,8 | |
DeepCool FC120 | 195,8 | -77,4 | 201,6 | -78,5 | 19330,5 | -90,7 | |
Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoon D1225C (2150/12) | 127,0 | -78,2 | 339,0 | -86,0 | 19330,5 | -90,7 | |
BeQuiet! Shadow Wings 2 (BL085) | 151,0 | -79,8 | 369,7 | -79,0 | 19897,0 | -90,8 | |
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM | 50,4 | -80,2 | 380,5 | -80,6 | 19897,0 | -90,8 | |
Corsair AF120 Elite (black) | 130,7 | -76,9 | 369,7 | -81,6 | 19330,5 | -90,7 | |
Cooler Master MasterFan SF120M | 50,4 | -80,9 | 1566,8 | -87,5 | 4305,4 | -89,2 | |
Akasa Alucia SC12 | 50,4 | -78,8 | 1566,8 | -91,5 | 19330,5 | -90,7 | |
BeQuiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 (BL098) | 50,4 | -81,2 | 339,0 | -80,8 | 2712,2 | -87,1 | |
Thermalright X-Silent 120 | 50,4 | -79,0 | 369,7 | -88,6 | 4974,2 | 87,1 | |
Fractal Design Aspect 12 RGB PWM | 10,4 | -72,6 | 380,5 | -80,5 | 19897,0 | -90,9 | |
BeQuiet! Silent Wings 3 (BL066) | 97,9 | -75,2 | 1107,9 | -79,1 | 19897,0 | -90,8 | |
Gelid Zodiac | 119,9 | -71,1 | 380,5 | -80,9 | 19897,0 | -91,0 | |
Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-12 PWM | 47,6 | -72,8 | 1015,4 | -79,9 | 19897,0 | -90,7 | |
BeQuiet! Pure Wings 2 (BL039) | 47,6 | -78,3 | 958,9 | -79,6 | 18780,2 | -91,0 | |
Gigabyte Aorus 120 ARGB | 130,7 | -82,8 | 369,7 | -80,7 | 19330,5 | -90,9 | |
Arctic BioniX P120 A-RGB | 127,0 | -73,2 | 219,8 | -70,4 | 19897,0 | -90,9 | |
Akasa OTTO SF12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 ARGB | Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 ARGB | 59,9 | -82,7 | 1076,3 | -83,1 | 19330,5 | -90,7 |
Alphacool SL-15 PWM | Alphacool SL-15 PWM | 190,3 | -79,1 | 380,5 | -78,8 | 18245,6 | -90,9 |
Arctic BioniX F120 | Arctic BioniX F120 | 123,4 | -76,5 | 246,8 | -80,0 | 19330,5 | -90,9 |
SilverStone SST-AP123 | SilverStone SST-AP123 | 100,8 | -81,2 | 415,0 | -78,6 | 19897,0 | -90,8 |
Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM | 103,7 | -76,9 | 329,4 | -73,2 | 19330,5 | -90,9 | |
SilentiumPC Fluctus 120 PWM | SilentiumPC Fluctus 120 PWM | 130,7 | -76,5 | 369,7 | -80,9 | 19897,0 | -91,0 |
MSI MEG Silent Gale P12 | 50,4 | -81,7 | 369,7 | -81,0 | 19897,0 | -90,8 | |
Asus ROG Strix XF120 | 50,4 | -80,2 | 329,4 | -76,2 | 19330,5 | -90,8 | |
Akasa Vegas X7 | 123,4 | -77,0 | 369,7 | -83,3 | 19330,5 | -90,7 | |
Reeven Coldwing 12 | 38,9 | -79,7 | 1317,5 | -84,0 | 19330,5 | -90,7 | |
Reeven Kiran | 138,5 | -80,6 | 369,7 | -83,3 | 19330,5 | -90,8 | |
SilentiumPC Sigma Pro 120 PWM | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
SilentiumPC Sigma Pro Corona RGB 120 | 92,4 | -83,0 | 369,7 | -78,0 | 18780,2 | -90,8 | |
SilverStone SST-AP121 | 47,6 | -77,5 | 261,4 | -86,4 | 19330,5 | -91,0 | |
SilverStone SST-FQ121 | 31,3 | -87,5 | 1208,2 | -79,9 | 19330,5 | -90,9 | |
Xigmatek XLF-F1256 | 41,8 | -69,7 | 213,6 | -77,3 | 19330,5 | -91,0 |
Fan | Dominant sound freq. and noise level, no obstacle@39 dBA | NF-F12 PWM | NF-A15 PWM | ||||
Low range | Mid range | High range | |||||
Frequency [Hz] | Noise level [dBu] | Frequency [Hz] | Noise level [dBu] | Frequency [Hz] | Noise level [dBu] | ||
Gigabyte Aorus 140 ARGB | 116,5 | -71,7 | 391,7 | -73,0 | 3225,4 | -90,9 | |
BeQuiet! Light Wings (BL075) | 184,9 | -69,8 | 391,7 | -73,5 | 19330,5 | -90,8 | |
Fractal Design Aspect 14 RGB PWM | 92,4 | -76,0 | 391,7 | -70,8 | 17726,2 | -91,0 | |
DeepCool FK120 | 38,9 | -78,8 | 246,8 | -67,0 | 19330,5 | -90,9 | |
Asus TUF Gaming TF120 | 127,0 | -76,0 | 380,5 | -74,6 | 19330,5 | -90,8 | |
BeQuiet! Light Wings (BL072) | 138,5 | -80,1 | 369,7 | -78,4 | 18780,4 | -90,9 | |
DeepCool FC120 | 195,8 | -71,5 | 201,6 | -68,0 | 3620,4 | -89,7 | |
Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoon D1225C (2150/12) | 190,3 | -69,7 | 380,5 | -73,8 | 18780,2 | -91,0 | |
BeQuiet! Shadow Wings 2 (BL085) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM | 23,1 | -73,9 | 369,7 | -74,1 | 19897,0 | -90,7 | |
Corsair AF120 Elite (black) | 164,7 | -79,2 | 339,0 | -72,8 | 19897,0 | -90,7 | |
Cooler Master MasterFan SF120M | 146,7 | -78,8 | 380,5 | -77,9 | 2635,0 | -83,9 | |
Akasa Alucia SC12 | 151,0 | -80,6 | 226,3 | -73,4 | 19897,0 | -90,7 | |
BeQuiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 (BL098) | 20,3 | -76,0 | 339,0 | -73,9 | 2791,7 | -83,3 | |
Thermalright X-Silent 120 | 119,9 | -74,0 | 369,7 | -75,0 | 10540,1 | -88,4 | |
Fractal Design Aspect 12 RGB PWM | 10,4 | -64,7 | 380,5 | -72,4 | 18780,2 | -90,8 | |
BeQuiet! Silent Wings 3 (BL066) | 130,7 | -70,1 | 369,7 | -75,2 | 18780,2 | -90,9 | |
Gelid Zodiac | 146,7 | -66,0 | 369,7 | -73,4 | 19330,5 | -90,9 | |
Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-12 PWM | 113,1 | -78,5 | 329,4 | -74,6 | 18780,2 | -90,9 | |
BeQuiet! Pure Wings 2 (BL039) | 130,7 | -76,1 | 369,7 | -75,3 | 19330,5 | -90,7 | |
Gigabyte Aorus 120 ARGB | 127,0 | -63,9 | 380,5 | -74,2 | 19330,5 | -90,6 | |
Arctic BioniX P120 A-RGB | 50,4 | -77,9 | 439,7 | -72,4 | 18780,2 | -91,1 | |
Akasa OTTO SF12 | 155,4 | -67,1 | 380,5 | -75,2 | 4431,5 | -87,2 | |
Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 ARGB | 109,9 | -72,8 | 1076,3 | -72,4 | 18245,6 | -90,9 | |
Alphacool SL-15 PWM | 184,9 | -73,4 | 380,5 | -73,1 | 19897,0 | -90,8 | |
Arctic BioniX F120 | 151,0 | -69,3 | 369,7 | -75,3 | 18780,2 | -91,0 | |
SilverStone SST-AP123 | SilverStone SST-AP123 | 164,7 | -75,1 | 369,7 | -74,7 | 19330,5 | -90,9 |
Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM | 146,7 | -68,0 | 329,4 | -66,7 | 18245,6 | -91,1 | |
SilentiumPC Fluctus 120 PWM | 190,3 | -69,2 | 380,5 | -68,8 | 19897,0 | -90,9 | |
MSI MEG Silent Gale P12 | 23,1 | -73,5 | 380,5 | -73,3 | 18780,2 | -90,9 | |
Asus ROG Strix XF120 | 130,7 | -70,9 | 369,7 | -75,2 | 19330,5 | -91,0 | |
Akasa Vegas X7 | 127,0 | -77,8 | 369,7 | -76,1 | 19330,5 | -90,9 | |
Reeven Coldwing 12 | 160,0 | -74,0 | 369,7 | -76,8 | 19330,5 | -90,9 | |
Reeven Kiran | 184,9 | -75,2 | 369,7 | -75,2 | 17726,2 | -89,8 | |
SilentiumPC Sigma Pro 120 PWM | 97,9 | -81,7 | 369,7 | -78,1 | 2635,0 | -86,2 | |
SilentiumPC Sigma Pro Corona RGB 120 | 20,3 | -67,8 | 380,5 | -77,3 | 2487,1 | -85,6 | |
SilverStone SST-AP121 | 103,7 | -76,2 | 339,0 | -73,4 | 2031,9 | -86,5 | |
SilverStone SST-FQ121 | 138,5 | -75,2 | 1208,2 | -71,1 | 18780,2 | -90,9 | |
Xigmatek XLF-F1256 | 190,3 | -77,1 | 761,1 | -75,5 | 19897,0 | -91,1 |
Fan | Dominant sound freq. and noise level, no obstacle@45 dBA | NF-F12 PWM | NF-A15 PWM | ||||
Low range | Mid range | High range | |||||
Frequency [Hz] | Noise level [dBu] | Frequency [Hz] | Noise level [dBu] | Frequency [Hz] | Noise level [dBu] | ||
Gigabyte Aorus 140 ARGB | 151,0 | -68,4 | 391,7 | -66,5 | 2280,7 | -89,8 | |
BeQuiet! Light Wings (BL075) | 130,7 | -78,8 | 232,9 | -62,1 | 19330,5 | -90,9 | |
Fractal Design Aspect 14 RGB PWM | 134,5 | -70,9 | 391,7 | -65,8 | 17726,2 | -91,1 | |
DeepCool FK120 | 23,1 | -68,0 | 604,1 | -65,8 | 19897,0 | -91,0 | |
Asus TUF Gaming TF120 | 23,1 | -66,2 | 380,5 | -70,6 | 2957,7 | -88,1 | |
BeQuiet! Light Wings (BL072) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
DeepCool FC120 | 195,8 | -71,5 | 380,5 | -72,8 | 3417,2 | -85,7 | |
Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoon D1225C (2150/12) | 25,6 | -68,0 | 239,7 | -62,3 | 2280,7 | -84,1 | |
BeQuiet! Shadow Wings 2 (BL085) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM | 28,3 | -72,5 | 269,1 | -69,8 | 2215,8 | -89,6 | |
Corsair AF120 Elite (black) | 130,7 | -78,5 | 369,7 | -70,9 | 19330,5 | -90,9 | |
Cooler Master MasterFan SF120M | 184,9 | -69,7 | 369,7 | -67,9 | 4305,4 | -73,8 | |
Akasa Alucia SC12 | 130,7 | -70,3 | 380,5 | -68,6 | 2031,9 | -90,4 | |
BeQuiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 (BL098) | 47,6 | -75,5 | 339,0 | -60,5 | 2791,7 | -83,3 | |
Thermalright X-Silent 120 | 82,3 | -74,9 | 369,7 | -91,1 | 18780,2 | -91,1 | |
Fractal Design Aspect 12 RGB PWM | 130,7 | -69,5 | 285,1 | -67,2 | 19330,5 | -90,8 | |
BeQuiet! Silent Wings 3 (BL066) | 164,7 | -64,2 | 339,0 | -69,1 | 18780,2 | -90,8 | |
Gelid Zodiac | 184,9 | -61,8 | 380,5 | -68,7 | 18780,2 | -90,8 | |
Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-12 PWM | 146,7 | -72,2 | 391,7 | -71,5 | 2280,7 | -83,1 | |
BeQuiet! Pure Wings 2 (BL046) | 130,7 | -71,3 | 369,7 | -69,3 | 19330,5 | -90,6 | |
Gigabyte Aorus 120 ARGB | 160,0 | -61,9 | 369,7 | -70,4 | 2487,1 | -88,3 | |
Arctic BioniX P120 A-RGB | 151,0 | -67,6 | 369,7 | -72.0 | 2873,5 | -90,6 | |
Akasa OTTO SF12 | Akasa OTTO SF12 | 190,3 | -66,7 | 380,5 | -67,7 | 4695,1 | -86,3 |
Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 ARGB | Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 ARGB | 138,5 | -66,7 | 1076,3 | -67,1 | 3835,7 | -89,2 |
Alphacool SL-15 PWM | Alphacool SL-15 PWM | 151 | -71,5 | 232,9 | -66,5 | 2280,7 | -89,6 |
Arctic BioniX F120 | Arctic BioniX F120 | 195,8 | -68 | 201,6 | -62,2 | 19330,5 | -90,7 |
SilverStone SST-AP123 | SilverStone SST-AP123 | 130,7 | -70,9 | 369,7 | -67,7 | 19897 | -90,9 |
Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM | Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM | 184,9 | -62,2 | 369,7 | -67 | 19897 | -91,1 |
SilentiumPC Fluctus 120 PWM | SilentiumPC Fluctus 120 PWM | 25,6 | -69,6 | 239,7 | -62 | 2957,7 | -90 |
MSI MEG Silent Gale P12 | MSI MEG Silent Gale P12 | 28,3 | -73,5 | 380,5 | -71 | 2487,1 | -85,9 |
Asus ROG Strix XF120 | Asus ROG Strix XF120 | 23,1 | -62,9 | 369,7 | -71,7 | 2347,5 | -89,1 |
Akasa Vegas X7 | Akasa Vegas X7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Reeven Coldwing 12 | Reeven Coldwing 12 | 195,8 | -68,3 | 380,5 | -71,3 | 2031,9 | -90 |
Reeven Kiran | Reeven Kiran | 130,7 | -73,1 | 219,8 | -70,2 | 17726,2 | -89,4 |
SilentiumPC Sigma Pro 120 PWM | SilentiumPC Sigma Pro 120 PWM | 138,5 | -70 | 1522,2 | -71,9 | 2560 | -82,9 |
SilentiumPC Sigma Pro Corona RGB 120 | SilentiumPC Sigma Pro Corona RGB 120 | 190,3 | -70,5 | 369,7 | -66,5 | 2416,3 | -82,4 |
SilverStone SST-AP121 | SilverStone SST-AP121 | 130,7 | -66,8 | 439,7 | -66,1 | 2347,5 | -90,9 |
SilverStone SST-FQ121 | SilverStone SST-FQ121 | 127 | -71,2 | 369,7 | -66,5 | 2031,8 | -81,4 |
Xigmatek XLF-F1256 | Xigmatek XLF-F1256 | 130,7 | -71,5 | 239,7 | -60,9 | 18780,2 | -91,1 |
- Contents
- Gigabyte Aorus 140 ARGB in detail
- Basis of the methodology, the wind tunnel
- Mounting and vibration measurement
- Initial warm-up and speed recording
- Base 6 equal noise levels…
- ... and sound color (frequency characteristic)
- Static pressure measurement…
- … and airflow
- Everything changes with obstacles
- How we measure power draw and motor power
- Measuring the intensity (and power draw) of lighting
- Results: Speed
- Results: Airlow w/o obstacles
- Results: Airflow through a nylon filter
- Results: Airflow through a plastic filter
- Results: Airflow through a hexagonal grille
- Results: Airflow through a thinner radiator
- Results: Airflow through a thicker radiator
- Results: Static pressure w/o obstacles
- Results: Static pressure through a nylon filter
- Results: Static pressure through a plastic filter
- Results: Static pressure through a hexagonal grille
- Results: Static pressure through a thinner radiator
- Results: Static pressure through a thicker radiator
- Results: Static pressure, efficiency by orientation
- Reality vs. specifications
- Results: Frequency response of sound w/o obstacles
- Results: Frequency response of sound with a dust filter
- Results: Frequency response of sound with a hexagonal grille
- Results: Frequency response of sound with a radiator
- Results: Vibration, in total (3D vector length)
- Results: Vibration, X-axis
- Results: Vibration, Y-axis
- Results: Vibration, Z-axis
- Results: Power draw (and motor power)
- Results: Cooling performance per watt, airflow
- Results: Cooling performance per watt, static pressure
- Airflow per euro
- Static pressure per euro
- Results: Lighting – LED luminance and power draw
- Results: LED to motor power draw ratio
- Evaluation
Nice to see the 140mm fan reviews rolling!
Also, would it be possible to publish noise samples for your fan/cooler reviews? Preferably for all scenarios where you perform frequency analysis?
And they will continue to come, tests of 140 mm fans. But we probably won’t exaggerate it, so that they stay in a relevant ratio (according to the interest in whichever format in general) to 120 mm models.
Which noise samples do you mean? From spectrographs? Do you want that data for your own purposes, for your own analysis? If so, we can send you the noise levels at all frequencies in all tested scenarios almost immediately (e.g. by e-mail). We can certainly post them on the web somewhere, but it will take more time, as we will need to create a section for this somewhere. Making it make sense on the web will be more time-consuming and at the moment we are quite overloaded and it is hard to find space for extra activities. :/
Always looking forward to your fan reviews regardless of size!
For noise samples, I mean audio files so I can listen to them to make a subjective judgement. In reviews you often mention the differences in frequencies between obstacles/fan models etc. With audio files to listen to, it will be much more easy to understand the difference.
Maybe you can consider compiling the audio files for each fan and upload to YouTube as a video, for example, which perhaps take relatively little effort, though I am not sure if the audio quality is satisfactory. Anyway, it is only a suggestion so please decide on whether you think it is worth the effort or not.
I understand now, and I am also sorry that I am now likely to disappoint you.
Sound recordings are something I boycott against and the goal is to get more and more people to learn to read spectrograms. Sure, it’s more complicated, but we plan to publish materials to facilitate reading these charts. We will select a few fans that have the biggest differences in the frequency characteristic of the sound, make a sound recording of them, and put a spectrogram against it. On it we then explain which component of the sound represents what in the spectral analysis.
You know, I’m willing to sacrifice all my time for these things, but I have to see some meaning behind the results. And sound recordings don’t make sense to me because they can be extremely misleading. While the user thinks he’s hearing the fan, the sound system with the speaker on top is laughing at how they have been perfectly fooled. It is certainly not necessary to elaborate that the same recording sounds different on each speaker (it is determined by the frequency characteristics of the sound equipment of the end user), and this also with regard to the volume that the person sets. To judge something on the basis of the sound recording is therefore very inaccurate and misleading. I would probably suffer a lot when making them with my high demands on the relevance of things and at the same time it would reduce the relevance of spectrogram, which everyone sees the same way.
I believe that after this message you will not give up on our tests and sooner or later you will surely find out (also with the help of various auxiliary materials, which we plan to publish on this topic), that you understand everything perfectly also with the help of spectrograms. 🙂
Not disappointed at all, very satisfied with your answer. Looking forward to the articles explaining spectrograms, I’ll admit I never really understood how to interpret them.