Puget Systems’ SPCR Edition PC Idles at a Near-Silent 11dBA

Earlier this week, premier system builder Puget Systems refreshed its “Serenity” silent line, and at the same time made its SPCR Edition one of the most silent PCs on the planet – while still offering some great performance. Measured with a high-end audio meter, the SPCR Edition idles at around 11dBA, which for the record, is 2dBA less than the sound of a lightbulb.

The “SPCR” in SPCR Edition represents certification given by our friends at Silent PC Review – guys who take silence much more seriously than most. I talked to the site owner, Mike Chin, a couple of months ago about the SPCR Edition, and afterwards, I had a newfound appreciation for the effort it takes to make sure that a PC is as silent as can be.

At 11dBA, noise could almost be considered non-existent, as 10dBA is at the threshold of human hearing. To accomplish this unbelievable noise-level, most of the interior of the chosen Antec P183 chassis has been outfitted with sound-absorbing foam, but it doesn’t stop there. The quietest of components have been chosen as well, including Western Digital’s Caviar Green drives. In all of Mike’s tests, these drives proved to be quieter than all other “Green” drives that are available.

In addition, quiet-but-effective fans are packed in, along with quiet GPUs (the choices here are of course a bit limited, since high-end GPUs require non-silent cooling). The default configuration of the PC is a bit pricey, at around $1,666, but for those who seek absolute silence, either for a work PC or an HTPC, the Serenity is well worth a look.

“Puget’s SPCR-certified Serenity PC is a truly well-crafted high performance computer that remains at the cutting edge of silent computing.” wrote Mike Chin, founder and owner of Silent PC Review. “At idle, it is still really hard to tell that the system is on using only sonic cues, even sitting next to it.” Silent PC Review certified the system with a measured sound pressure level of just 11 dBA@1m at idle and 12 dBA after an hour at full system load.