How Loud Is a 0.05 TH/s Rig in a Korean Apartment?

Manufacturers rarely publish noise figures measured the way you would actually hear them — in a furnished room, at night, with the rig on a shelf one metre from where you sleep. We ran three entry-level air-cooled units through our standard noise protocol to give first-time buyers a realistic baseline.

Our Measurement Setup

Each rig sat on a wooden shelf in our 8-pyeong test room, identical to a typical Seoul spare room. We used a calibrated sound level meter at one metre height, one metre distance, with the room door closed. Ambient noise before testing was 34 dB.

Results

Model A (0.05 TH/s, single fan): 54 dB average, spiking to 58 dB during fan ramp cycles. Comparable to a quiet dishwasher. Acceptable for a room you do not sleep in.

Model B (0.06 TH/s, dual fan): 61 dB average, with a noticeable low-frequency hum at 61 dB that penetrates walls more than the higher-pitch noise from Model A. Neighbours on the other side of a shared wall may notice this one.

Model C (0.05 TH/s, large heat sink, slow fan): 51 dB average. The slowest fan speed produced the lowest noise, but the heat sink ran 4°C warmer than Models A and B during our 72-hour burn-in.

What This Means for Your Apartment

If your rig will sit in a bedroom or a room adjacent to a neighbour’s wall, Model B is likely too loud without sound dampening. Model A or C are more realistic for residential settings, with the trade-off that Model C runs warmer and may throttle during Seoul’s August heat.

Noise is only one factor. Pair these readings with our ventilation guide before making a purchase.