Search found 573 matches

by whiic
Wed May 26, 2010 10:13 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 7200rpm(Sam, WD, Sea) vs 5400rpm(Sam, WD) for noise
Replies: 3
Views: 2944

What MikeC said is true. But I would like to point out that if you were happy with 7200rpm Samsung P-series (80GB or 120GB/platter), you would most likely notice an improvement in performance when switching to 5400rpm Samsung EG (500GB/platter), despite the lower rpm. While it's true that no new dri...
by whiic
Tue May 25, 2010 8:56 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD10EARS ?
Replies: 31
Views: 67112

The issue related to need for aligning is only dependent on the OS used to partition the HDD so you don't even have to worry about whether WDTV supports 4K sectors. WDTV isn't the one doing the partitioning. There's no reason to believe WDTV has problem dealing with partitions created in WinXP (firs...
by whiic
Mon May 24, 2010 5:39 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD10EARS ?
Replies: 31
Views: 67112

@subaqua Windows 7 does properly aligned partitions so you don't need to re-align it with any tool. Only drives partitioned from within Win XP and older need re-alignment. You can use WDTV to read stuff from 4K sector drive as the physical 4K sectors are split into 512 byte logical sectors. Your har...
by whiic
Wed May 19, 2010 3:58 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD10EARS ?
Replies: 31
Views: 67112

You are right about the error correction though . However just a thought here., with so many reports of hdd failing after 3 to 4 mths of use pouring in , will these newer EARS drives address that problem or were these failiures for an entirely diff reason altogether ? When a HDD fails, it usually f...
by whiic
Wed May 19, 2010 3:44 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: What's the difference between these two Hitachis?
Replies: 12
Views: 7399

HD20320 is not a model number for Hitachi HDD (or at least it doesn't follow model numbering convention used by Hitachi) so I believe it's a retail kit number. That retail kit has a discount that makes the originally higher price lower than the bare drive, plus free shipping. I'd get the retail boxe...
by whiic
Wed May 19, 2010 2:21 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD10EARS ?
Replies: 31
Views: 67112

Just to clear out for other people like me that dont thoroughly align with all BS series that some manufacturers meticulously release. WDxxEACS was first green series that had 1.0TB disc in their herd and only 16MB cache and was based on 333MB/platter then we had two 1TB versions based on 500MB/pla...
by whiic
Fri May 14, 2010 12:48 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Got a Samung HD103UI (1TB EcoGreen) on Sunday
Replies: 26
Views: 33268

Image
by whiic
Wed May 12, 2010 2:04 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 2.5" vs 3.5" + SSD?
Replies: 30
Views: 23022

It turns off one HDD at a time. Each HDD has a separete counter. The only downside is that each separate counter has the same time out value and they cannot be configured individually even though they are spun down individually.

At least that's how I've understood how it works.
by whiic
Wed May 12, 2010 12:28 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Is there a problem with head parks on WD Green HDDs?
Replies: 296
Views: 454438

Unload idle is not same as TLER (Time-Limited Error Recovery). You need to use TLER application (if you can find one, and if it works on new WDs, or buy a RAID edition WD that has TLER disabled at factory. It has nothing to do with unload timer setting configurable through WDIDLE3.
by whiic
Wed May 12, 2010 12:24 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Lowest RPM large hard drive
Replies: 11
Views: 11422

zodeax, a pair who associate with one another; "the engaged couple"; "an inseparable twosome" match: bring two objects, ideas, or people together; "This fact is coupled to the other one"; "Matchmaker, can you match my daughter with a nice young man?"; "The student was paired with a partner for colla...
by whiic
Tue May 11, 2010 3:52 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Help me choosing 1TB Internal HDD
Replies: 3
Views: 4128

The quiet est 1TB HDD would probably be WD10TPVT. That is 1TB WD Scorpio Blue (5200rpm 2.5" HDD). But since 3.5" HDD cost less than half of it's price, you might want to skip it. Especially as 5400rpm 3.5" are quite quiet even if not the quietest. I don't think there's any 1TB HDD is quiet as Samsun...
by whiic
Tue May 11, 2010 3:38 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Lowest RPM large hard drive
Replies: 11
Views: 11422

I never said there's a 2GB limit. I didn't say it was 2GB, nor that there's a solid limit of any sort. I used expression "a couple of gigabytes", because I didn't know exactly how many. 5GB microdrive is still smaller than the 15-year old Bigfoot CY-series. Your data on biggest microdrive is also in...
by whiic
Tue May 11, 2010 3:12 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 2.5" vs 3.5" + SSD?
Replies: 30
Views: 23022

For XP: Right click anywhere on desktop where there's no icon under the pointer. Select "Properties". Select "Screen Saver" tab. Inside "Monitor Power" box, click button with "Power". This opens Power Options Properties that in addition to monitor power off allows you to set a spindown timer for HDD...
by whiic
Fri May 07, 2010 2:45 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: soft click sound - what is it?
Replies: 5
Views: 2748

Unlikely to be caused by head loading/unloading as Hitachi and WD are the only certain ones using that tech in desktop drives. (Laptop drives use the tech regardless of manufacturer.) Samsung F3 Ecogreen is a big questionmark as the product image shows unload ramps. F1 and F2 Ecogreen are definitely...
by whiic
Tue May 04, 2010 5:48 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Lowest RPM large hard drive
Replies: 11
Views: 11422

You cannot have both slowest spindle and highest capacity. Which of the two is primary? Highest possible capacity with as slow spindle as possible for that capacity = 2000GB, either WD Green WD20EADS or WD20EARS, or Samsung F3 Ecogreen Lowest possible spindle for highest possible capacity at that rp...
by whiic
Fri Apr 30, 2010 5:45 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 1TB most silent drive?
Replies: 27
Views: 19912

Is that correct? speed ? samsung wins noise ? wd green wins vibration ? samsung wins annoyances ? are there any problems left WD with park features and so on? I'd probably list it as: speed ? A tie. No clear winner. idle noise ? Samsung wins seek noise ? WD Green wins vibration ? High sample varian...
by whiic
Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:11 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 2.5" vs 3.5" + SSD?
Replies: 30
Views: 23022

What I'd like to know is whether there are any 7200 rpm drives on the market that are as quiet as 5400 rpms? Anyone know? Not if you any reasonable comparison (same capacity, same age). You can take 2000GB WD GP (4-platter) and take a 1-platter 7200rpm drive and (if you are lucky with your pick) ge...
by whiic
Sun Apr 18, 2010 1:58 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Are Segate 7200.11 drives noisy?
Replies: 6
Views: 3275

Here's some reviews: 7200.11 http://techreport.com/articles.x/13440 Samsung F2 (500GB, not 1000GB) http://www.silentpcreview.com/Silent_Samsung_F2_EcoGreen_HD502HI This is probably the quietest 3.5" drive ever made. 2-platter variant of this drive ain't bad either. Did you order the 1.0TB (2-platter...
by whiic
Sun Apr 18, 2010 12:31 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Are Segate 7200.11 drives noisy?
Replies: 6
Views: 3275

7200.11: 4x 250GB platter @ 7200rpm spin rate I have no personal experience of 7200.11 but that simply cannot be quiet. And no - not every 1TB drive is as noisy as that one. 1st generation WD Greenpower 1TB (WD10EACS-00ZJB0/32ZJB0/63E0B0) with 4x 250GB platter @ 5400rpm would be much quieter. And th...
by whiic
Sun Apr 18, 2010 3:02 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 1TB most silent drive?
Replies: 27
Views: 19912

Anyway, the whole aligning debate is a bit off the way until ficod says he uses Windows XP or older OS. It'd still be offtopic to how noisy it is. On the other hand, even if it is offtopic, it's still a matter of importance to anyone who considers such a drive with non-512 byte sectors. Also, "offt...
by whiic
Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:44 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 1TB most silent drive?
Replies: 27
Views: 19912

...if you don't properly align the partitions (which isn't difficult at all - WD offers an utility to do this and there are also partitioning programs that support aligning). WD Align utility only operates based on whilelisting. I.e it has to recognize the drive as 4096 bytes/sector drive before al...
by whiic
Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:28 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Maxtor 6B160P0 help please
Replies: 1
Views: 1534

It's a 160GB variant of Maxtor DiamondMax 10 with 8MB cache. DM10 series has 100GB platters and 7200rpm spinrate. 160GB variant has thus 2 platters. http://techreport.com/articles.x/7903/1 I don't have any personal experience with DM10. I do have some with DiamondMax +9 / MaXLine +II but even that's...
by whiic
Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:01 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 1TB most silent drive?
Replies: 27
Views: 19912

"Sleep" is not a correct term. Sleep = HDD is spun down and interface is disabled from receiving commands. HDD becomes unresponsive until hardware reset is performed... rebooting the computer is necessary to access the HDD again . Because of this "sleep" is never used for power saving. The proper sp...
by whiic
Tue Apr 13, 2010 3:08 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD5000KS vs WD15EARS
Replies: 4
Views: 3237

Vibration is highly variable between samples. My samples of WD Green 2x 4-platter 1TB, 1x 3-platter 1TB and 2x 4-platter 2TB have all had moderate vibration for 5400rpm drives. They're still very low compared to any 4-platter 7200rpm drive and possibly on par with typical 1-platter 7200rpm. Having d...
by whiic
Sat Apr 10, 2010 4:54 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: storage for htpc
Replies: 7
Views: 4065

Hitachi's never ceased to have variable spin speed feature. It's just that the HDD really has to be idle and there's several second spin-up phase from low-rpm to high-rpm before HDD becomes operational (shorted than it is to spin-up from dead halt, though) and the HDD cannot be accessed at all when ...
by whiic
Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:25 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Samsung Spinpoint F3EG HD203WI 2TB
Replies: 50
Views: 88525

F1 - 7200rpm spindle, 333GB/platter F2EG - 5400rpm spindle, 333GB/platter F3 - 7200rpm spindle, 500GB/platter F3EG - 5400rpm spindle, 500GB/platter I think that list is both incomplete and partially erroneous. First, it's missing F1EG. And F2EG is probably 500GB/platter in all capacities (not just ...
by whiic
Wed Mar 10, 2010 6:02 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Bad/ reallocated sectors?
Replies: 1
Views: 2005

Whether you even have the possibility to return the HDDs (passing Seagate's diagnostics) may depend on Seagate's policy but regardless whether you could return them, I don't think it's worth the hazzle to return them. You'd receive refurbished HDDs as replacements. The refurbished ones typically jus...
by whiic
Tue Mar 09, 2010 6:30 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD20EARS or WD20EADS? What about seagate's 2tb drive?
Replies: 60
Views: 120329

The drive is not failing when the load/unload count gets very high, however it is approaching the design limit. It certainly is approaching it's end of life, even if it might take 50 years to actually reach it. It's like the cam belt in a car. You replace it after so many thousands of miles, even t...
by whiic
Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:15 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD20EARS or WD20EADS? What about seagate's 2tb drive?
Replies: 60
Views: 120329

I'll go one better. Here is the Western Digital support article on the subject: http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=3263&p_created=1232125802 They acknowledge the problem and provide a utility to disable the offending feature. That link does not support the idea ...
by whiic
Sun Mar 07, 2010 2:09 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD20EARS or WD20EADS? What about seagate's 2tb drive?
Replies: 60
Views: 120329

As for the Hitachi 2GB, I believe it has an extra platter Not only an extra platter but also 7200rpm. It's a Velociraptor killer (which also offers 2000GB at the price of 300GB for the same price)... but not a silencer's best friend. I'm not that concerned with Seagate's QC (quality control,right?)...