Benchmark: Noise
To find out how loud the chassis can get we're using a PCE-318 noise meter placed at the front of each chassis to take decibel readings with the system idling in two modes; low fan speed and high fan speed.
The Switch 810 has performed admirably thus far, but there had to be downside, right? With no integrated fan controller, fan noise does become a problem. In its factory-fresh state, the Switch 810 is the one of the loudest chassis we've tested - it's clearly audible with the CPU cooler running at low speed, and simply very loud with the Intel heatsink and fan working flat out.
The noise readings were taken with the chassis' top slits closed, and noise levels rise further with the vents opened up. A cause for concern? Perhaps, but a decent, albeit optional, fan controller would certainly help bring noise levels down a notch.
