Silent SATA HardDrives

[UncleDave]

Both myself and a friend are looking for a new SATA Hard Drive..

I'm after a SATAII, and he's after a SATAI

I'm just trying to find out which are the quietest?? They all seem to me more or less the same, or is SATA just a lot louder than IDE? Seems to be for me - got a Samsung 80GB SATAII in now, and Mate has a Maxtor 250GB they both seem to be quite loud.

I'm looking for a new HDD anyway regardless of sound, but my mate is after the quietest one he can find that doesn't cost a ton extra for the privilege - (Otherwise he might just buy one of those HDD enclosures)

Any help v much appreciated,
Thanks!!
Dave.

[Plotloss]

Deadening Enclosure?

Will give you far more choice over a 'quiet' drive.

www.quietpc.com for details.

[_dobbo_]

A good trick with hard drives is to mount them with velcro rather than screwing them in - it means that less vibration is transmitted through the case.

[rsvmilly]

The noise of the drive has less to do with the interface and more to do with the spin speed. I have just bought a Western Digital 320G SATA(2?) for storage. It is 7000rpm and is considerably quieter than my 36G WD Raptor SATA which spins at 10,000rpm for quicker response times.

[annodomini2]

_dobbo_ said:

A good trick with hard drives is to mount them with velcro rather than screwing them in - it means that less vibration is transmitted through the case.

Depends on your case, some of the newer ones such as antec, use rubber gromits to mount the screws reducing noise and protecting the hard drive (a little) if you move the PC.

[UncleDave]

I've been teling him they are nearly all the same

I'll see if anyone comes up with anything else, then I think i'll let him buy another, and I'll have his old one - Not too bothered about sound myself!

Dave.

[orgasmicliving!!]

Be careful with the velcro...you don't want heat building up any more inside the drive casing any more than possible.

[old64er]

I mounted mine with nylon washers between the drive and cradle and its a lot quieter.

I think the fans in the case are the biggest noise culprit.

[UncleDave]

Hmm... I may pass on a few tips. Might even do something with my own drive(s) now!

Hi Paul

Didn't catch you at end of Chatsworth - didn't know if you were going or what when the Metro pulled up but either way sounded great

Dave.