Do drives get noisier as they get older?

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:49 pm

I've got a Samsung SpinPoint T 320 GB hard drive which is supposed to be one of the quieter drives on the market stuck in a Scythe Quiet Drive. It's definitely the loudest thing in my computer right now (The other noise makers are 2x Scythe Slipstreams at 5v and a Neo HE 550 watt power supply).

I don't know if it got louder over time or if I'm just hearing things. If they do get louder I think I might replace it with something newer (maybe the 500 GB 7200.12).

bozar · Post by **bozar** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 1:43 am

fyleow wrote:I've got a Samsung SpinPoint T 320 GB hard drive which is supposed to be one of the quieter drives on the market stuck in a Scythe Quiet Drive. It's definitely the loudest thing in my computer right now (The other noise makers are 2x Scythe Slipstreams at 5v and a Neo HE 550 watt power supply).

I don't know if it got louder over time or if I'm just hearing things. If they do get louder I think I might replace it with something newer (maybe the 500 GB 7200.12).

Drives are often louder than other components so it's not unusual to hear it over other quiet hardware although it might not be so loud alone. Unless it's going to break down soon I wouldn't worry, my IDE drives from 2001 have had no noticeable increasing acoustics.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:52 am

Too bad if you had read my review on the Spinpoint F1 first you wouldn't have bothered much with a Scythe Quiet Drive: viewtopic.php?t=52354

The Spinpoint F1 is maybe not that different of the Spinpoint T series, but to cut my review down to few words the Samsung is excellently quiet, but for that it vibrates a lot. I put one in a Nexus Drive-A-Way enclosure, which essentially made the drive just a hair quieter, but for that it vibrated just as much as the Samsung alone.

I have bought the Sharkoon HDD Vibe Fixer which is similar to the NoVibes. It's sexy black and so goes well with my all-black ATX case

Long story short with the Vibe Fixer all audible sound is essentially made inaudible. NOTE: Do NOT install the Samsung or any other drive in a vibe Fixer or NoVibes in a 5.25" bay! Doing so will ensure that the drive becomes the most audible component in your system. Luckily I have a very roomy ATX case and I put the Samsung, along with the Vibe Fixer, at the back of the case. Now it does block the use of the lowest PCI slot, but for that it is inaudible!

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:51 am

drive enclosures dont really help all that much. suspension is really the only way to make them truely quiet.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:24 am

Aris wrote:drive enclosures dont really help all that much. suspension is really the only way to make them truely quiet.

A personal thank you, by the way. If it wasn't you I would have not bought a suspension enclosure. Keep it up, mate!

N7SC · Post by **N7SC** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:32 pm

I just threw out a Seagate Barracuda II (yes, II) 2GB Ultra, Wide SCSI II drive that is almost 14 years old. It was never really quiet to begin with, being a server drive in its day. But as its ball bearing spindle aged it eventually howled like a jet at takeoff thrust. Could not stand to be in the house when that thing was running. Yes, some do get louder with age. But, unless there is a complete failure, I'd think the newer fluid dynamic bearing drives probably won't get much, if any louder as they age.

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:04 pm

I think you're right about the vibrations and I might take it apart to try to tighten some screws and reseat it to see if it will help. The Scythe tries to decouple from the case with it's mounting system but it is pretty ineffective. I might try to put it on a piece of foam instead to reduce vibration.

drive enclosures dont really help all that much. suspension is really the only way to make them truely quiet.

I disagree. The enclosure's effects on seek noise is limited but it is fairly effective in reducing idle noise. Suspension isn't going to reduce the noise except through less vibrations. You can decouple the drive enclosure from the case to eliminate the vibrations AND you get the benefits of reduced seek and idle noise.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:05 pm

fyloew, of course depending on the HDD, *either* idle/seek noise or vibrations are high. If both then your HDD simply sucks (assuming it's a desktop and not server HDD)

.

With the Samsung, idle/seek noise is *ULTRA* low to begin with. Only vibrations are the weakness of the Samsungs and suspending them is like having sex with a 20-year-old blonde!

I know many older HDDs have whining sounds and unbearable seek noise so an enclosure might help but why bother with a sub 50â‚¬ product if you can get a good HDD for the same price and add another lousy 10â‚¬ for a NoVibes / Vibe fixer?

fyleow · Post by **fyleow** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:28 pm

I decided to take your advice and give suspension a shot. What a difference! The problem with the Scythe Quiet Drive is that it's pretty much still mechanically connected to the case so every bit of vibration gets transferred.

With the suspension method the case no longer acts as a giant amplifier to the hard drive. Seek noise is noticeably quieter and my computer doesn't seem to exhibit a dreaded low frequency hum (obvious at night, I think it is due to the rotation speed of the hard drive).

I think the idle noise is higher now but overall it is better since the idle noise is a constant whoosh and less obvious than the louder disruptive seek noises before.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:26 am

Low humming is what I hate the most! I remember before discovering the suspension method that at night the PC made a very annoying weeeeooooowwwwwww weeeeeeeeeoooooowwwww that came from the HDD and I was once so furious I took the PC case out of the room eventually breaking some cables and then started kicking the PC case. "OH YES" I shouted at the cheap crap called the Antec Three Hundred. I will never forget that cheap plastic at the front which I of course completely broke by kicking hard at it. The HDD went south nothing else and I lost around 100â‚¬ but it was worth it

Note to self: Never buy Antec again xD

xafier · Post by **xafier** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:43 am

LodeHacker wrote:Note to self: Never buy Antec again xD

Nothing wrong with the P182 case

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:32 pm

Nothing wrong with the 300 either if you put the same energy into modding it as you did destroying it. Mine's nice and quiet (with suspension), if I could just find a good replacement for the top 140mm fan.

Dude, you got anger issues...

This isn't you by chance, is it?

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:43 am

jhhoffma wrote:

No I'm not that guy, but I've seen the video. Where's the Escape button? xD

No anger issues, but I had a stressing day then anyway. I don't normally do harm to PC components. Honestly

Do drives get noisier as they get older?

Do drives get noisier as they get older?

Re: Do drives get noisier as they get older?