Fractal Design Integra M 550W 80Plus Bronze 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

Fan speeds were pretty consistent all the way up to 80% load, never really going above 750RPM and running virtually silent. When we put some strain on the unit, the fan speed did have to pick up to keep the unit cool and there was some audible air turbulence at 100%, but it was still not as loud as we had expected it to be; it’s also unlikely you’ll be running this unit at full load for extended periods anyway.