SPCR

Hey -

I have been following the forum for a while, but I haven't seen any updated info on the Maxtor DiamondMax 9+ drives (since that first spurt of reviews). Are these reasonably quiet?

I want to keep the noise down, but also have high performance (don't we all?). I am willing to sacrifice some acoustic performance for SATA and fast speed, so is the DM9+ the only way to go? The samsungs go only to 80gb at 7200 rpm speeds, and that 10k rpm raptor must sound like a turbofan at takeoff...

How about the 7200.7. Is SATA available? How loud are they compared to the cuda 4/5?

Any ideas would be appreciated! TIA
RDaneel

Don't do the Maxtor. They have not got there yet for noise. I had a couple come through my hands recently and dismissed them. Samsung 7200s are worthwhile. Cooler & faster than the cuda IVs, not as fast as IBM 180GXPs. Maybe slower than the Maxtors but not by much, my guess. About the same noise level as cuda IV, without any trace of whine -- yeah, even less than cuda (which I wasn't even aware of till I heard a 2-platter Samsung).

Thanks for the tips Mike -

Do you have an opinion on the cuda V SATA versus the 7200.7? They seem similar. Different platter sizes? I assume they have the same fluid bearings. 7200.7 is 8.5ms while the cuda V is 9ms. The 7200.7 also seems to have some more advanced electronics, as the internal transfer rates are higher, and the sustained throughput is rated higher as well. I don't kow if that will make a real world difference, though. They also have the same sound levels for idle and seek, and only .1 bels difference at "performance seek." Why is seagate running two lines that seem so similar?

Thanks again!
RDaneel

They're even the same price! How confusing...

RD

Do you have an opinion on the cuda V SATA versus the 7200.7?

'Fraid not. No hands on whatsoever, and no 3rd party reports that compare the two -- except Dru's comparison review of the 2 cudas on the main site.

from a review that i saw the 7200.7 is faster in real world tests than the cuda V....i also thought that i saw an article on here about the noise of them too. it is supposed to be louder than the V and doesn't have the foam over the circuit board.

I just got my 120 cuda V with the 8 meg cache today....can't wait to try it out. i am sure that it will be quiet enough for me in the rubber band mount.

oh yeah, and i read that the v's are louder than the iv's but run cooler....seems that we all have some contradicting info....

According to storagereview.com the 120 Cuda V is quieter than the 80 IV, quote...

"the 'Cuda ATA V's mature FDB motor implementation yields a 3 dB/A reduction when contrasted with the IV. This is the difference between extremely quiet and extremely, extremely quiet."

Also the review says that the V runs hotter than the IV, strange as these results seem to contradict the seagate specs for the drives?

I had to send my 80Gb Cuda 7200.7 back (it was making a strange clicking noise), I'm getting a refund so I now need to look for a new drive, I'm having to use a spare Maxtor, and the idle whine is driving me nuts!
I'm thinking of going for either another 80Gb Cuda 7200.7 or 120Gb Cuda V with an 8mb cache, what do you think

Question, are you able to modify the acoustic management settings on the 120 Gb Cuda V (ST3120024A with 8mb cache)

elitezoid --

Regarding StorageReview's noise assessment, I have to say that because they take their measurement at 1 cm, the 3 dBA difference they report translates to virtually nothing at all at 1 meter. It could even be within the normal variance for both drives -- in other words, the result could have been reversed if you had a difference sample of one or both drives. I would actually trust Dru's detailed assessment or Digitalix's hands-on experience more than StorageReview's noise readings. Truth is, noise is NOT SR's main focus and they don't really pay that much attention to it. In these forums and on this site, you are dealing with the highest density of silence-obsessed nuts on the planet.

MikeC wrote:In these forums and on this site, you are dealing with the highest density of silence-obsessed nuts on the planet.

Ha ha. I've been trying to say that for months. Well put!

digitalix wrote:The only diff between the two lines is the V is available in 120gb capacity, the 7200.7 available in 160gb capacity. All the other specs are nearly identical between the two. I don't even think the electronics are more advanced, the transfer rates and sustained throughput is going to be higher simply because of greater track density and what not.

also
V - has seashield and acoustic management
7200.7 - doesn't have either