Supermicro SYS-E300-8D/SYS-E200-8D/SYS-5028D-TN4T and Intel NUC NUC6i7KYK - decibel and watt comparison
This is just the beginning, a good start at understanding the differences between the sound output of these svelte little Supermicro SuperServers and the tiny Intel NUC. For the initial run of tests, I'm only looking at sound and watts during the initial power up, and after POST has completed. All BIOS settings were done using factory defaults. Heck, I haven't even attached anything to any of these systems beside the power cord and a blank SSD. This article will be updated below after further testing has been completed.
Initial Test Plan
Here's the highlights and features of my temporary sound testing configuration:
- securely position a BAFX Products Decibel Meter / Sound Level Reader 1 foot (30.5 cm) from the front of each system under test
- Isolate IT Sorbothane Vibration Isolation squares were placed under this meter, to reduce direct transmission of vibration through the surface
- a second dB meter used to visualize the spectrum of noise was an iOS app called Octave RTA - Real Time Sound Frequency Analyzer by ONYX Apps, running on an iPhone 5, at a distance of about 15 inches
- both the mini tower and the E200 came with rubber feet, but the E300 did not
- a small piece of metal tape was angled over the dB meter's LCD display to eliminate glare
Before each test began, the ambient sound level in the room was measured at around 35.1dB.
Here's the list of devices tested this weekend, with links to product pages:
1. Supermicro SuperServer SYS-E300-8D
2. Supermicro SuperServer SYS-E200-8D
3. Supermicro SuperServer SYS-5028D-TN4T
4. Intel NUC6i7KYK
It will be interesting to see what happens once Windows or VMware ESXi 6.0U2 are loaded up, as well as stress testing of the systems to see how loud I can make those fans get. I'll also be sure to use IPMI to control the fan speed profile in the Supermicro system.
Video index
Each of these links jump to just the right spot in the long-form video below, where I start each decibel and watt measurement:
- Video - Supermicro SuperServer SYS-E300-8D
- Video - Supermicro SuperServer SYS-E200-8D
- Video - Supermicro SuperServer SYS-5028D-TN4T
- Video - Intel NUC6i7KYK
