Technical Guide

Table 34. Hardware and software configurations for lower acoustical output (continued)
Configuration Minimum Basic Mainstream Feature Rich Hilltop
PCI 3 N/A N/A Dual Port 10GbE
NIC
N/A N/A
Front PERC PERC H345, H355 PERC H745P PERC H745P PERC H745P PERC H745P
LOM Card 1 Gb 1 Gb 1 Gb 1 Gb 1 Gb
Table 35. Acoustical performance of T550 acoustical configurations
Configuration Minimum Basic Mainstream Feature Rich Hilltop
Acoustical Performance: Idle/ Operating @ 25 °C Ambient
L
wA,m
(B) Idle 4.3 4.4 4.8 4.9 5.7
Operating 4.4 4.7 4.9 5.3 8.6
K
v
(B) Idle 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
Operating 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
L
pA,m
(dB) Idle 35 36 40 41 43
Operating 36 41 41 45 72
Prominent tones No prominent tones in Idle and Operating
Acoustical Performance: Idle @ 28 °C Ambient
L
wA,m
(B) 5 5 5.1 5.3 6.1
K
v
(B) 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
L
pA,m
(dB) 42 42 43 45 47
Acoustical Performance: Max. Loading @ 35 °C Ambient
L
wA,m
(B) 6.2 6.4 7.4 6.1 8.6
K
v
(B) 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
L
pA,m
(dB) 59 61 71 58 72
LwA,m: The declared mean A-weighted sound power level (LwA) is calculated per section 5.2 of ISO 9296 (2017) with data
collected using the methods described in ISO 7779 (2010). Data presented here may not be fully compliant with ISO 7779.
LpA,m: The declared mean A-weighted emission sound pressure level is at the bystander position per section 5.3 of ISO 9296
(2017) and measured using methods described in ISO 7779 (2010). The system is placed on standard test table and in a 24U
rack enclosure, 25cm above a reflective floor. Data presented here may not be fully compliant with ISO 7779.
Prominent tones: Criteria of D.6 and D.11 of ECMA-74 (17th ed., Dec. 2019) are followed to determine if discrete tones are
prominent and to report them, if so.
Idle mode: The steady-state condition in which the server is energized but not operating any intended function.
Operating mode: The maximum of the steady state acoustical output at 50% of CPU TDP or active HDDs or 100% of GPUper
C.9.3.2 in ECMA-74 (17th ed., Dec. 2019).
PowerEdge T550 acoustical dependencies
Some product features impact acoustical server output more than others. The following features are considered strong drivers
of acoustical response, thus configurations or operating conditions that include these features may increase air mover speed and
acoustical output of the server:
● Ambient temperature: Dell EMC evaluates the acoustical performance of servers in a 23±2°C environment. Ambient
temperatures in excess of 25°C will have higher acoustical output and may experience larger fluctuations between state
changes.
● Processor thermal design power (TDP): higher wattage processors may require more airflow to cool under load and thus
increase the potential acoustical output of the system.
Power, thermal, and acoustics
47