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NOTEBOOK DRIVES
We've been recommending 2.5" notebook drives for desktop systems since
early 2004. The 2.5" drive may become
the norm in the near future. Notebook drives have many positive atributes
for silent computing:
1. Lower noise. The quietest notebook drives are essentially inaudible
from a meter away. They are audible in laptops when only a couple feet from
the user, but still extremely quiet.
2. Low moving mass means very low vibration. Many notebook drives
achieve either an 8 or a 9 on our 10 point vibration scale. By comparison,
only the very best best sub-7200 RPM 3.5" drives can manage a 9. Most
7200 RPM 3.5" drives don't better 7.
3. Much lower power consumption, and correspondingly less heat, typically
no more than 1W at idle, about 6~8 times lower than the power required by
3.5" 7200 RPM drives. This allows for a wider range of silencing techniques
and less heat within the system, which usually translates to lower cooling
requirements, and the use of quieter, slower fans.
4. Lower spindle speed means a lower primary frequency. Human hearing
sensitivity drops off precipitously in the bass region. Below ~150 Hz, if
all other factors are constant, the lower the frequency, the less audible
the sound. The main noise of a 7,200 RPM drive falls at 120Hz. Most notebook
drives spin at 5,400 RPM, which puts the fundamental frequency at 90 Hz.
GUIDE to the TABLES
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A Cautionary Note: For a truly quiet computer, most 3.5"
drives vibrate a bit too much to simply bolt into the case normally. Having
suspended or soft-mounted all of the hard drives in our systems for many
years, our position is that hardly any 3.5" drive is quiet enough without
such treatment. For us, this applies to 2.5" drives as well, but
it may be due to our hypersensitivity (cultivated?) to PC noise, and the
low ambient acoustics of our environment.
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Model: Manufacturer and model number.
Date of Manufacture: Date of manufacture of our sample model.
Firmware: Firmware version of our sample model.
SPL: The amount of noise produced by the hard drive at idle and when
seeking with AAM enabled and disabled.
Vibration: The level of vibration produced by the drive at idle, evaluated
relative to standard reference drives on our
standard vibration box.
Power Consumption: The amount of power required by the drive. Can
be used to roughly gauge thermal performance.
Comments: The SPL and Vibration ratings are incomplete without these
comments. The month and year at the end of the comment is the date of the
entry or update.
NOTE: Only HDDs that were tested (or retested) in SPCR's anechoic
chamber are listed in this guide (mostly post-2008). This does not mean that
previously tested and recommended HDDs are not quiet, only that we lack sufficiently
accurate acoustic data to put them in context.
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Solid State Drives
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Please see comments on the first page.
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2.5" Notebook Drives
|
|
Drive Model
(linked to review)
|
Date of Manufacture
|
Firmware
|
SPL
Idle / Seek
(dBA@1m)
|
Vibration
1-10
(10 = no vibration)
|
Power Consumption
Idle / Seek
(W)
|
| Seagate
Momentus 7200.4 500GB ST9500420AS |
March 2009
|
0002SDM1
|
14 / 15
|
7
|
0.9~1.1 / 2.35
|
| Our sample was quieter than
its 5400 RPM counterpart, but with a bit more vibration. The higher spindle
speed boosts performance. |
| Hitachi
Travelstar 5K500.B 500GB |
Feb 2009
|
PB4OC60G
|
14 / 15
|
8
|
0.6~0.7 / 2.2
|
| About the quietest high
capacity 2.5" drive we've tested. |
|
|
Sept 2008
|
01.01A01
|
15 / 15
|
7
|
0.8~0.95 / 2.5W
|
| Our sample vibrated a bit
more than expected but was otherwise extremely quiet. |
* * *
|
Sub-7200 RPM 3.5" Desktop Drives
|
|
Drive Model
(linked to review)
|
Date of Manufacture
|
Firmware
|
SPL
Idle / AAM / Seek
(dBA@1m)
|
Vibration
1-10
(10 = no vibration)
|
Power Consumption
Idle / Seek
(W)
|
| Samsung
F2 EcoGreen 500GB HD502HI |
Feb 2009
|
1AG01114
|
12 / 15 / 16
|
8
|
3.2 / 5.3 / 6.1
|
| Lowest measured idle noise of any 3.5"
desktop drive, and very low vibration. 5400 RPM. We expect the other models
in Samsung's EcoGreen line to be similarly quiet. |
| WD
Caviar Green 1.5TB WD15EADS |
Dec 2009
|
01.00A01
|
13 / 14 / 14
|
9
|
2.8~4.5 / 5.8
|
| One of the quietest 3.5"
hard drives, with unmatched power consumption and vibration. Seek noise
is very muted. 5400 RPM. |
| WD
Caviar Green 2.0TB WD20EADS |
Feb 2009
|
01.00A01
|
13 / 14 / 14
|
7
|
4.0~6.4 / 5.5
|
| Extremely quiet, but our sample had more vibration
than many other drives, including the 1.5TB version in the same series.
5400rpm. |
Seagate
Pipeline HD .2 1TB ST31000424CS |
Oct 2009
|
SC13
|
12 / n.a. / 16
|
7
|
3.4 / 8.0
|
| The quietest desktop drive
in idle, the 5900RPM Pipeline series is Seagate's answer to Samsung and
WD 5400 RPM drives. The extra revs gives them a minor performance edge.
Maximum power on this model is a touch higher than its competitors, as is
its vibration. |
Seagate
Pipeline HD .2 500GB ST3500414CS |
Oct 2009
|
SC13
|
12 / n.a. / 16
|
7
|
3.4 / 8.0
|
| Very similar to the Samsung F2 500GB, this
5900RPM Pipeline has slightly softer sounding seeks and marhinally faster
performance. |
| Seagate
Barracuda LP 2TB ST32000542AS |
June 2009
|
CC32
|
14 / n.a. / 17
|
6
|
4.4 / 8.6
|
| A 5900RPM version of the
mainstream Barracuda, LP stands for low power, but our sample measured higher
than some of the standouts in this HDD category. Quite quiet, with a bit
more vibration than expected. |
* * *
|
7200 RPM 3.5" Desktop Drives
|
|
Drive Model
(linked to review)
|
Date of Manufacture
|
Firmware
|
SPL
Idle / AAM / Seek
(dBA@1m)
|
Vibration
1-10
(10 = no vibration)
|
Power Consumption
Idle / Seek
(W)
|
| Samsung
F1 750GB HD753LJ |
Feb 2008
|
1AA01109
|
16 / 19 / 21
|
6
|
6.9 / 8.9 / 10.2
|
| A very quiet 7200RPM 3.5" desktop drive,
performance is excellent due to high areal density, and vibration is quite
low with just 3-platters. There's not much point to engaging AAM, which
is off by default, because standard seek noise is very soft. Great pricing
as well! Same comments likely apply to higher capacity 1TB drive, which
was not available for retest in the anechoic chamber. |
|
WD Caviar SE16
640GB WD6400AAKS
|
Feb 2008
|
03.03V01
|
16 / 17 / 19
|
7
|
6.8 / 8.1 / 9.3
|
| The equal of Samsung's
excellent F1 series, this WD 2-platter mainstream 7200 RPM drive offers
low noise and modest vibration. |
|
WD VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS
300GB, 10K rpm
|
May 2008
|
03.03V01
|
15 / 20 / 22
|
8
|
3.9 / 5.7 / 6.2
|
| Neither 7200
RPM nor 3.5", the unusual Velociraptor is here because it comes with
the aluminum frame IcePack heatsink which converts it to 3.5" desktop
form. The measured data cited above is with the drive operated bare, without
the IcePack. As delivered, it's no better than the previous gen Raptor.
Bare, its idle is nearly as quiet as the 5400/5900 RPM drives. Yet, it's
a 10K rpm drive that betters the performance of its predecessor (and all
7200 rpm desktop drives) in almost every way. The 2.5" enterprise drive
form factor makes it unique and gives it a low power profile similar to
the Green Power. |
HDD NOISE REDUCTION PRODUCTS
HDD Noise Reduction products typically take the form of enclosures, although
the category is not strictly limited to such devices. Noise reduction products
are tested using the loudest and most vibration-prone drives in the lab. The
noise levels are compared with and without the
device. The measurements below reflect the sonic improvement
effected by the products.
|
Recommended HDD Noise Reduction Products
|
|
Model
(linked to review)
|
SPL Improvement
Idle / Seek
(dBA@1m)
|
Vibration Improvement
(on our standard 10 point scale)
|
| Smart
Drive HDD Enclosure (also Smart Drive 2002 and 2002Copper versions) |
6 / 6
|
2
|
| Smarter realization of the seal-up-that-hard-drive
idea, with slick metal / damping foam / metal construction and great attention
to detail. Acoustic isolation is excellent, 6 dBA@1m for both idle and seek
noise. Does not eliminate seek noise when mounted normally and has only
a minimal effect on vibration. Does not overheat 7200 RPM drives. Mounts
in a 5.25-inch drive bay. Updated Oct/05 |
| Scythe
Silent Box SBX-1000 HDD Enclosure |
4 / 4
|
3
|
| A foam-padded box that uses a heatlane to transfer
heat away from the drive. Less effective at blocking acoustic noise than
the Smart Drive but better at reducing vibration. Our review showed that
it improved temperature slightly, but real world evidence has contradicted
this. Fits into a 5.25-inch drive bay with difficulty. Added Oct/05 |
|
|
3 / 6
|
5
|
| Reduces vibration-caused noise by
decoupling the HDD from the case using elastic bands (industrial O-rings)
in a 5.25-inch drive rack. Great for drives with low acoustic noise. Just
about eliminates seek noise with many drives. It also almost
completely eliminates vibration. Sturdy, simple, and effective. Among the
commercial HDD noise reducers, this is SPCR's preferred product, mounted
not in a 5.25" bay but rather, at the bottom of the case in the intake
airflow path. Added Dec/02 |
| Scythe
Quiet Drive 2.5 |
4 / 3
|
1
|
| An alumimum box containing another aluminum box
surrounded by foam, this product is similar to the Smart Drive, but made
for a 2.5" drive. It makes a super quiet drive even quieter or a quiet
drive nearly super quiet. The increase in HDD temperature was only a couple
of degrees. |
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