Sound Level Testing
While we were testing cooling capabilities, as outlined in our recent introduction article, we were also tracking the sound level of each of the coolers using a Risepro SPL meter attached to a boom arm pointed directly at the fans of the radiator at a distance of 12 inches. We recorded the dB(A) level for each fan and pump speed tested. The ambient room sound level measured 33 decibels. Displayed below are the results of our Stock Clock Testing.
100% Fans
At maximum fan levels, the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 was the quietest (40.9 dB(a)) while the IceSLEET G6 Stealth landed in third place at 47.4 dB(A). The Cooler Master Hyper 622 Halo Black was in second place at 47.4 dB(A) and the Iceberg Thermal IceSLEET X7 Dual hit 54.1 dB(A)! From a subjective perspective, the IceSLEET G6 Stealth is one of the louder coolers we’ve looked at recently when running at full blast.
1500 RPM Fans
Dropping down to 1500 RPM, which of course leaves the IceSLEET G6 Stealth’s fan speed constant from the max fan test, found it squarely in third place at 47.4 dB(A) with the Hyper 622 Halo Black and Dark Rock Pro 4 at 38.7 and 40.9 dB(A) respectively. The IceSLEET X7 Dual brought up the rear after being cleared for takeoff on runway 27R at 52.7 dB(A).
1000 RPM Fans
When we lowered the fans down to 1000 RPM, the IceSLEET G6 Stealth simmered down to 40.9 dB(A) which put it in the ballpark of the Hyper 622 Halo Black and Dark Rock Pro 4 which landed at 37.4 and 38.7 dB(A) respectively. The IceSLEET X7 Dual again brings up the rear at 44.1 dB(A). At this point, the noise from all of the coolers sounded like it merged with the background noise for everyone except the IceSLEET X7 Dual.
600 RPM Fans
Lowering the fans to 600 RPM saw the IceSLEET G6 Stealth drop into first place at 35.8 dB(A), improving upon the Dark Rock Pro 4 and IceSLEET X7 Dual at 37.4 and 39.9 dB(A) respectively. Note the Hyper 622 Halo Black did not make an appearance on this graph as we could only get the fans running at 900RPM at the lowest.
Overall, the IceSLEET G6 Stealth is one of the noisier crickets that we’ve had on our test bench thus far both from a measured dB(A) perspective and from a subjective listening perspective. At least we can fairly say it significantly improves upon the IceSLEET X7 Dual’s performance.