Simplify your laptop buying
Storage: In your humble opinion...
In your humble opinion...
by peely_peel - 11/10/08 12:02 PM...what is the quietest SATA HDD? preferably of a large capacity. failing that, which company makes the quietest, or most reliable drives?
Currently all are 5 year designs.
by R. Proffitt
- 11/10/08 12:11 PM
In reply to: In your humble opinion... by peely_peel
So that dismisses the most reliable in short order.
As to the noise level, that varies with not only the drive RPM (slower usually is quieter) but YOUR CHOICE on the acoustic level you set for the drive. Here's a note about that -> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=HARD+DISK+ACOUSTIC+SETTING finds articles that show that YOU can select the lower noise level.
Bob
how does that dismiss it?
by peely_peel - 11/10/08 12:15 PM In reply to: Currently all are 5 year designs. by R. Proffitt
are smaller capacity drives quieter?
I only dismissed the life span issue.
by R. Proffitt - 11/10/08 12:18 PM
In reply to: how does that dismiss it? by peely_peel
I offered that ACOUSTIC setting as YOU control the noise level on some drives.
To work your issue you would go get the "specifications" for the drives you are considering and most have the sound levels in there for you to build up a list on a spreadsheet to sort until you find "the one."
Bob
Many years ago we needed a silent hard disk.
by R. Proffitt - 11/10/08 12:21 PM
In reply to: In your humble opinion... by peely_peel
This is what we installed -> http://wapedia.mobi/en/Solid-state_drive and the Santa Clara Systems BATRAM. At 20 grand it wasn't cheap but it did achieve what others thought was impossible.
Maybe that's the ticket here. To go silent you'll want a solid state drive.
Bob
If your drive is loud it is might be failing
by Dango517 - 11/11/08 12:32 AM In reply to: In your humble opinion... by peely_peelGrinding noises are bad. Excessive clicking can be a drive that needs to be defragmented badly or is failing. It might make a whirling sound when it starts up but excessive whirl can also mean trouble.
Signs of a hard drive failure are. Applications and programs speeding up then slowing down at random intervals, usually never in the same place.
Do back ups.
Defragment this drive.
check disk/scan disk/error check this drive. All these are the same thing just with different name depending on your Windows OS(?). Read the screen when it's done with this test, look for errors.
Also check the "event viewer" for hard drive errors. (No OS specified)
Check the hard drive manufactures web site for diagnostic software to check this drive, if available.
If this drive hold valuable information or is over 4 years old I'd replace it.
This thread untracked.
Go for solid state storage
by mongo2006 - 11/14/08 7:05 PM In reply to: In your humble opinion... by peely_peelIf you're looking for completely silent, get a solid-state storage device. Multiple types/formats are available, but they are all based on non-volatile flash memory technology.
For example, you can get CompactFlash (CF) cards, Disk-On-Module (DOM), or Solid State Drives (SSD).
CF is a flash memory device standard pioneered by SanDisk in 1994, and is most commonly seen in consumer devices such as digital cameras. It has its own physical connector design, but the cards can be used directly in a PC Card, IDE, or PCMCIA slot with a suitable adapter.
Advantages:
--Available in fairly large capacities (up to 100GB)
--Silent
--Slim
Disadvantage:
--Somewhat large formfactor relative to DOM
--High $/GB
DOM is a flash drive available with either 40/44 pins IDE connectors or SATA Interface. They require no driver software and appear to the system as a conventional hard drive.
Advantages:
--No moving parts
--Small/Light
Disadvantages:
--Not available in huge storage capacities (less than 16GB)
--If the drive dies, data is unrecoverable
--High $/GB
SSDs emulate a hard disk drive interface and can easily replace conventional HDDs in most applications.
Advantages:
--Fairly large capacities (around 128GB)
--Available in conventional HDD formfactors for direct replacement in existing systems
Disadvantages:
--Relatively high power consumption
--High $/GB
Have a listen to the new Western Digital drives
by Jelly Baby - 11/15/08 2:15 AM In reply to: In your humble opinion... by peely_peelA lot of the new WD drives use advanced power management to control spindle speed and optimise seek patterns to reduce head movement - as well as saving a bit of power (which is never a bad thing) they also keep the noise to a minimum unless the drive is "busy"
There are also accoustic kits available to decouple drives from the case and enclose them to silence them fairly eficiently - Have a look at the "Silent PC" website (just keep an eye on temperatures if the drive is enlosed)
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