Has anyone tried the Fek-Pro?

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 12:35 am

I wonder if any of the Fek-Pros have even been sold, I would think that the most likely buyers would be in this forum, but I have read nothing of them.

Has anyone purchased one?

My seek is still audible, slightly, so I'm sure someone has considered them. Would one need to be suspended?

The real reason no one's tried these is prob. b/c this is an English forum, not German.

http://www.pcsilent.de/en_manufacturer_LEY-ECD.asp

sorry, I thought it was still on the SPCR main page. It's been a few months and the news has shifted it down a bit.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 3:51 am

Well uh...at least the language here is English, but the membership is diverse, from practically everywhere.

Maybe a link would be helpful.....I don't recognize the name and I'm German.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 5:30 am

Bluefront wrote:
Maybe a link would be helpful.....I don't recognize the name and I'm German.

Ehh, I never heard of it either and I'm half German, and half English.

Google got me this as the first hit, and buried way down the page I found this supposed link to an english translation of that same german review.

And, once I bothered to search SPCR, I found this thread about the Fek Pro from about 6 weeks ago that has a link to the same translated review that I just found. What a small world!

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 11:04 am

Ralf, you even posted in http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... ght=fekpro

haha, fek-pro's down at the bottom of Mike C's ranking, first post

Guess keeping up with, how many forums was it again? is tough.

I've never heard of Noiseblocker Swing Isolators, have you?

I think they are somewhere on this page, but I don't read German...:
http://www.blacknoise.de/shop/en_EN/pro ... pling.html

I don't read German, but some of the stuff on this website looks really interesting.

altavista'd it; still couldn't make much out of it

SebRad · Post by **SebRad** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 5:39 pm

Hi, I've got an FEK-Pro (a red one). It's got 80GB Barracuda ATA IV in it and its mounted in the bottom 5¼ bay (of 4) with more or less no air flow. According to the drive's SMART info the temp gets up to 43°C and the FEK itself gets warm to the touch but not hot. I haven't got round to taking the drive out again to feel it's temperature directly.
To give an idea of the noise level I'm talking about the only other noise in my PC is 2 Panaflo 80mm L1As @ 5V and a 300 Qtech PSU wrapped in a Coolermaster 201c Aluminium case.
As for idle noise it is definitely reduced. I can hear it at the moment but I live in a rural area and it's 1am so there is no background noise at all. In the daytime it disappears into the background unless you're listening for it.
The seek noise is massively reduced as compared with direct mounting, to me it’s about ideal, just noticeable so you know when the drives working but not intrusive.
If there was space I would rest it on the floor of the case in front of the intake fan for better airflow and reduced connection with the case.
Overall I would say I’m satisfied, although I haven’t had the credit card bill yet!
I wasn’t pleased to read a review of the Smart Drive 2002 as it’s supposed to be cooler, quieter and cheaper! Oh well……
Any questions, please feel free to ask.
Seb

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 7:07 pm

Thanks for posting about it! Are there any vibrations?

you can hear the HDD? and 43oC? my suspended Cuda V doesn't even usually get up to that. Guess I was expecting too much. (the suspension is not completely in a 5.25 slot)

I can hear my Cuda seek, seeking could probably be discerned even through a 2002 enclosure, but the 80 Euro price tag had me expecting a break through with the Fek-Pro. What all did you hear about the 2002 enclosure?

Y'know, maybe a suspension is quieter than the enclosure. Unless the enclosure is almost as good at reducing vibrations, this may well be true. A suspended Fek-Pro might be ideal. Though the Fek-Pro wouldn't have problems with over stretched bands and looks cooler.

Have you tested the enclosure with louder HDDs? High pitches are more easily reduced than lower ones, correct? So the noise could be reduced a good bit, maybe to the levels of quiet HDDs...

Any thoughts?

al bundy · Post by **al bundy** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 9:44 pm

Trip wrote:...High pitches are more easily reduced than lower ones, correct? So the noise could be reduced a good bit, maybe to the levels of quiet HDDs...

I could be misunderstanding you here Trip, but in my own experience, enclosures do help - but that high pitched hard drive idle noise is the most difficult noise to reduce (and by far the most irritating as well)...

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 3:26 am

really? well I was thinking it was low noises that were difficult b/c when standing outside of a concert or something it is low noises one hears not high ones. Of course this could be due to the whole loudness factor.

High pitches would have more energy, but low noises would have longer waves, correct? Radio waves pass through things b/c they are so long, but X Rays only hit bone b/c they are so powerful. Or is it that XRays are only stopped by bone, but hit other things as well? I dunno.

SebRad · Post by **SebRad** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 5:37 pm

Hi, don't get me wrong the FEK-Pro does work. It does reduce the noise from the HDD noticeably, but it doesn't work miracles. Please keep in mind that I was writing about it in an environment with no audiable background noise. The temperature I quoted was the SMART value read from the drive's internal sensor. I've since taken the drive out and it was only mildy warm to the touch.
I've put together a document with several pictures and my thoughts, a sort of mini review. Here (Note this is 3MB in size)
Seb

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 5:49 pm

Seb, thanks for the review! Are low noises or high noises audible?

Any noticeable vibrations?

43oC may be really good if there is very low airflow, I was comparing this to my suspended HDD that has very good airflow earlier. It gets very hot if it doesn't get enough air.