Soltek Qbic EQ3401M: More Expansion & A New Standard in Quietness

Soltek Qbic EQ3401M: Noise Level

As we saw with both the Shuttle and the Biostar benchmarks, current Small Form Factor systems can be compared to the performance of full-size systems using the same chipsets and can hold their own. Despite the fact that faster processors, 800FSB, dual-channel and video cards with their own power connectors are generating more heat, the best SFF systems have remained quiet or become even quieter as they have evolved. This is really a testament to the quality engineering that is going into small systems as they are gathering a larger market share.

Most people who opt for the small size of the SFF systems also want the quiet operation that comes with the best of them. For that reason, we have been testing noise levels of all SFF systems in our recent reviews.

To test this, we measured sound levels of the Soltek Qbic EQ3401M on a desk. To be consistent with earlier data, Sound Level was measured on all 4 sides, in the center of the side, 4" from the chassis. Our new Sound Level meter is capable of measuring as low as 35db, using either A or C weighting with Fast or Slow Dynamic Response. We use A weighting and Fast response because they are most like how we actually experience sound as humans.

The Qbic EQ3401M was loaded as an end-user would likely set up such a top-level SFF system. We installed a 3.0 P4, 1 Gb DDR400 memory, Liteon combo CD burner/DVD, a floppy drive, and 120Gb Maxtor Hard Drive. Since some users will likely use on-board Intel Extreme Graphics video or a video card with no fan, we did not use our ATI Radeon 9800 PRO video card in the system for sound level measurements.




After being around the Soltek through benchmarking, we knew the system was extremely quiet. We were not prepared, however, to find that the Soltek is the quietest SFF we have tested so far — at both Normal Smart Fan settings and at High Speed fan settings. Shuttle has historically been the quietest SFF available with their excellent I.C.E. cooling system, but it looks like Soltek’s Icy Q is now the quietest system.

The decibel scale is logarithmic, which basically means that, unlike a linear scale, small changes in value actually represent large changes in sound level. Theoretically, a 3db increase in value is twice as loud. However, many studies show that the human ear does not perceive 3bd as twice as loud, and that 10db may be a better value for the perception of twice as loud. It is not our intention to get into the middle of this discussion at all. We will only point out that at the normal low settings, the Soltek measured 1.9db to 4.4 db quieter than the outstanding Shuttle. This makes the Soltek about half as noisy as the very quiet Soltek at the normal Smart Fan settings. It is a remarkable accomplishment for Soltek’s cooling system, which uses 2 system fans plus a down-facing Power Supply fan to keep the system cool.




All of the SFF systems we have reviewed are much louder at the high fan-speed settings than the low. The saving grace has been that the cooling systems have been so effective that in most situations, the high-speed fan never kicks in. The Soltek was no different in this respect, as we never saw the high-speed fan turn on in our benchmarking or overclocking tests.

Again Shuttle, while not particularly quiet at high-speed setting, was still the quietest of the SFF systems at that setting. Soltek, again, sets new performance standards for quietness in an SFF. At high-speed, the Soltek Qbic EQ3401M is 0.3bd to 5.8db quieter than the Shuttle at the high-speed setting. This is another remarkable accomplishment for Soltek.

Since the Icy Q cooling system is obviously more than just a name, we thought you might want to read a bit more about how Soltek says it works.

Regardless of Marketing’s explanation, Soltek has proven again what overclockers have known for some time. A large slow-speed fan moves much more air than a fast higher-speed fan, and it is also a much quieter cooling solution. In addition, Soltek’s rather unique system of pulling air into the case from the bottom of the enclosure, instead of through grills on the side, seems to be very effective.