AZZA Toledo 301 ATX Mid Tower Case Review

Testing the Included Fans

Today we’ll be testing 3 Aspects of the included fans:

• Sound Pressure Level (recorded in dBA)
• Airflow (recorded in CFM)
• Heat Tolerance (testing done at 30*C)

The Testing Equipment that I will be using was purchased by myself. It includes:

• General Tools DCFM8906 Digital Air Flow Meter
• Tenma Digital Sound Level Meter
• Kintrex IRT0421 Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer
• Universal Enterprises DM383B Digital Multimeter

For the testing, I will be using one fan at a time, then I will
test both fans together. I will be using my Tenma sound meter sitting
inside the case then convert the measurement to a 1 meter distance. For
the 200mm fan I will use a duct to help measure airflow as my normal
setup is designed for 80, 92, 120, & 140mm fans.
Temperature used
for testing is an artificially created one, designed to simulate a
system at load, which would increase the internal case temp beyond that
of the ambient room temp. An adapter is used to accommodate the 230mm fan in today’s case.

I’d
like most readers to keep in mind that 3dB(A) increase is an apparent doubling
of the sound pressure, while a 10dB(A) increase is an actual doubling of
the sound pressure.

These two distinctions can lead to some confusion for readers.

Airflow is good for a case; generally, I like to see around 50 CFM for the Intake or Exhaust fans when they are 120mm as that usually leads to a nice balance of sound and airflow that’s just enough for gaming rigs while still staying relatively quiet.

The sound pressure testing of these fans is very disappointing. They’re loud and do not really perform well. The size and blade shape should make them quieter than they are, as a 120mm fan generally has an Airflow to Noise ratio of 2:1 but these fans are more like a 1.5:1 which you would get on a 92mm fan.

The 230mm fan wasn’t really a disappointment, but all 3 fans rattled while installed.

Let’s wrap this review up on the next page.