Benchmarks: Noise
It's worth noting that the Scan and Chillblast comparison systems are specially configured to offer low-noise operation. Nonetheless, they set a benchmark by which all systems should be judged and, relatively speaking, the ND 4000 is more vocal than we'd like.
Noise levels do rise when the CPU is placed under extreme load, and it's interesting to see that Computer Planet has the BIOS fan profiles set to 'normal'. Considering the low operating temperatures, switching to a 'silent' profile would be more beneficial.
The amount of noise created is similar when gaming. We wouldn't call the GeForce GTX 660 a loud card, but the standard Cooler Master chassis has multiple mesh vents and clearly favours performance over noise reduction.
