Specifications
A Principled Technologies report 12
Workstation heat, sound, and power usage: Lenovo
ThinkStation S30 vs. HP Z420 Workstation
2. Set the Extech SDL600 on a tripod so that it is 3 feet in front of, and 2 feet above the workstation.
Running the test
1. Boot the system and bring up an elevated command prompt:
Select Windows Start orb.
Type cmd and press Control-Shift-Enter.
2. Type Cmd.exe /c start /wait Rundll32.exe
advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
Do not interact with the system until the command completes.
3. After the command completes, wait 5 minutes before running the test.
4. Start the Extech SDL600 Sound Level Meter/Datalogger and allow the workstation to sit idle for 1
hour.
5. After 1 hour, stop the Extech SDL600.
6. Power the workstation off for 10 minutes.
7. Copy the log file from the Extech SDL600 SD card.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 two more times.
Measuring acoustics of the workstation while under load
Setting up the test
Ensure that PassMark BurnInTest Professional 7.0 and the Linpack benchmark are set up on your
system.
Running the test
1. Boot the system and launch PassMark BurnInTest by double-clicking the desktop icon.
2. Bring up an elevated command prompt:
Select Windows Start orb.
Type cmd and press Control-Shift-Enter.
3. Type Cmd.exe /c start /wait Rundll32.exe
advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
Do not interact with the system until the command completes.
4. After the command completes, wait 15 minutes before running the test.
5. Click Start Selected Tests in the BurnInTest V7.0 Pro screen, double-click the Linpack benchmark
batch file, and start the Extech SDL600 Sound Level Meter/Datalogger.
6. After 1 hour, stop the Extech SDL600.
7. Power the workstation off for 10 minutes.
8. Copy the log file from the Extech SDL600 SD card.
9. Repeat steps 1 through 8 two more times.
Measuring power consumption
To record each workstation’s power consumption during each test, we used an Extech
Instruments (www.extech.com) 380803 Power Analyzer/Datalogger. We connected the power cord
from the server under test to the Power Analyzer’s output load power outlet. We then plugged the
power cord from the Power Analyzer’s input voltage connection into a power outlet.