Media Centre PC - 2.5â€
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Media Centre PC - 2.5â€
Hi,
I’ve just finished building a mini-itx based media centre PC using a Travla C158 mini-itx case and a 2.5â€
I’ve just finished building a mini-itx based media centre PC using a Travla C158 mini-itx case and a 2.5â€
I went with a 500GB 2.5" drive for my HTPC. It's really quiet, compared to all the 3.5" drives I've used, and uses about 1/4 the power. They're slower, sure, but you don't need a terribly fast drive for video.
The only reason I can see for using 3.5" drives is cost. They're about half the cost for a given capacity.
The only reason I can see for using 3.5" drives is cost. They're about half the cost for a given capacity.
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I have a Hitachi 5K500. It's a bit thicker than most modern 2.5" drives, at 12.7mm. It's very low power, and quieter than any 3.5" drive I've heard, though it's got a noisier seek than most 2.5" drives that I've heard, so you can go a lot quieter if you want, though probably not in the 500GB size.leem wrote:Hi suzyj, what model 500Gb 2.5" drive did you go for, and are you pleased with the performance?
I use it in a media-centre PC, and am very happy with it. I'm considering replacing the Seagate Barracuda (very loud and very hot) in my desktop PC, but space isn't an issue there, so I'll probably just go for a WD GP 3.5" drive, because they're really cheap, even in enormous sizes.
Initially I went with the 500GB GreenPower disk, but found it was too noisy in my mediacenter. So I swapped it for a 80GB Samsung 2.5" and put it inside a 3.5" Scythe quiet drive. Which also made mounting it a lot easier.
It's now nearly silent (sensitive ears..) in open air, but I can't discern it when it's inside the case.
It's now nearly silent (sensitive ears..) in open air, but I can't discern it when it's inside the case.
I've got a WD10EACS hard-mounted in my server. It's currently sitting on the coffee table about 50cm from my head. As long as the drive is only doing one task at a time (ie streaming a movie) I can't hear it.
However, if the drive is really busy - streaming, plus encoding something else in the background and recording a couple of different channels - I can hear the drive running. But it's not an annoying sound, and blends into the background easily, even on a quiet night.
I'd put this around the same quietness as most 2.5" drives - and it beats some I've owned.
The fact that it runs cool is an added bonus.
However, if the drive is really busy - streaming, plus encoding something else in the background and recording a couple of different channels - I can hear the drive running. But it's not an annoying sound, and blends into the background easily, even on a quiet night.
I'd put this around the same quietness as most 2.5" drives - and it beats some I've owned.
The fact that it runs cool is an added bonus.
Yeah, I think so. Take an average 3.5" and an average 2.5" and the 3.5 will suck more power, generate more heat and be noisier. I haven't been following it closely enough recently to point you in the direction of specific comparisons, but http://www.silentpcreview.com/article29-page1.html will give you info on noise on various models, while storagereview.com will give info on power, performance, etc.