Corsair SF600 80 Plus Gold SFX Power Supply Review

Fan Speed

When testing in a power supply laboratory it is difficult to take fan noise readings as the noise from the Sunmoon test equipment and air conditioning corrupts everything. The next best thing in our circumstances was reading off the fan speed with a tachometer to get an idea for the noise. The ambient temperature during testing held constant at 22 degrees, with 1 degree of variation. Each power supply had a consistent time period of 5 minutes to stabilise between each load scenario. 

In my experience the following general relationships apply between noise levels and fan speeds, though it can vary greatly between the type of fan used.

• Below 800 RPM – Inaudible/Silent
• 800 to 1000 RPM – Barely audible
• 1000 – 1200 RPM – Audible but still quiet
• 1200 – 1400 RPM – Moderately noisy
• 1400 – 1800 RPM – Noisy
• 1800 RPM or higher – Intolerable

The hybrid fan worked far better than we expected, with the fan staying off entirely until we passed 40% load. Even then, we had to leave the unit running for longer to give it a chance to warm up a little more, as even at 60, 80 and 100% load the fan didn’t kick in for a good few minutes and even when it did, it was far quieter than you would think given its RPM and dimensions.