I’m looking to replace my current server (a 2012 gaming PC repurposed and shoved into a 4U chassis). One option is to get a legit 2u server. One mild concern I have is fan noise.
Currently my rack is in the basement and emits fairly low amounts of noise. It’s a toss up if the 6 hard drives clacking away in a NAS is louder than the fans present. 100% acceptable noise for me - I can’t hear it from upstairs, and I can’t hear it from the next room over in the basement (“man cave” / “gym”). Everything is subjective but I guess I’d put my threshold at “slightly louder than what would be acceptable for a home office.”
What I don’t want is screamer fans. I’ve walked past enough server closets at companies to know what is on the other side of the door without seeing the room.
What I can tolerate - temporary full fan noise on boot.
What can I expect from something like a 2U server with redundant power supplies? At idle will it sound like my Ubiquiti UDM-Pro router / Synology NAS? Will the PSU fans already be noisy at idle? What can I expect under full load (not that I expect to be taxing it like this 24/7)?
For reference I’m contemplating something like this:
https:// www . supermicro . com/en/products/system/clouddc/2u/as-2015cs-tnr [sorry i can’t create links]
I’d hate to spend the extra coin on this tier of hardware only for it to yell at me whenever I do laundry 5ft away from it.
Redundant PSU’s normally have 40mm fans. And those scream. Loud VERY LOUD! I have some for my disk shelves, my experience is that although after the initial screaming at boot they will come down, it’s still a loud bunch, even at idle. So I suggest a 3U case or just re-using your current 4U case with server-grade hardware.
Any modern (say r720 Dell as an example and newer) 2u server will not sound like a hair dryer unless something is wrong. Then they will sound like a hairdryer.
But in normal expected operations is maybe similar to a vacuum cleaner from a couple doors down? Lol it’s a humm not a whir. Kinda hard to describe.
If you’re a car guy in normal maintenance operations a modern server sounds like a sports car at idle. Maybe some don’t have mufflers.
If something is wrong with the server we are hittin that red line but we don’t need to bounce off the limiter lol. Unlike with cars if the fan dies it usually doesn’t explode.
As an aside I have had at least one server I can demonstrably prove caught on fire due to over heating. Funny thing is it was in production right until the end there. That was a wonderful Monday morning present
Are you referring to the PSUs that will be loud? I’m not familiar with the server world components, is the PSU form factor standardized? Might you have any recommendations what would be a good replacement?
