Do You Use Hard Drive Enclosures?

e v o · Jun 26, 2005, 01:00 AM

Curious, as I am about to invest in a couple for my supposedly silent hard drives. The Samsung SP series are supposed to be the quietest drives out there. Any they are extremely quiet, more so than any others ive owned (most noteably the seagate 7200.7). Now the problem with hard drives for me at least is not the clicking/or seeking noises, but the high pitched sounds they all seem to emit. I CANNOT stand this.

Now I have an almost silent system on air, so it's very easy for me to tell what sounds my hds are making. I realize some of you have the hds sounds covered up by fans and what not...

Now the problem i see with these enclosures arent the functionality, but the price. The hd enclosures i want are 50 bucks each, and the cheaper ones are 30 bucks. I hope these enclosures catch on and get cheaper because i find them extremely useful.

I bet a lot of you would be suprised how loud your hds can be (and not just the hd itself, but the vibration of being in the 3.5" cage.

Ben

Lowfat · Jun 26, 2005, 02:16 AM

I don't use enclosures however I do ise a HDD silencer. Currently I have a Seagate 160GB 7200.8 NCQ drive in a mCubed HDD Silencer and I can't hear it over anything in my computer (2 120mm fans moving less than 800 rpm each), and a Swiftech MCP655 (very quiet pump). However it was a B**** to install.

Zelig · Jun 26, 2005, 02:38 AM

I've used them before, I think I have a couple lying around that I don't use anymore. I find they tend to heat up too much for my liking, even with two intake fans blowing in that area.

With my various fans set to low, my louder hardrives are about the same volume, I try my best to ignore them.

e v o: None of my newer hard drives emit any high pitched noises AFAIK. I've got newish WD and Seagate drives...

Necrosis · Jun 26, 2005, 03:54 AM

My external backup drive (Iomega 160HD) is external back it came in it's own enclosure. I also have an external enclosure for 2.5" drives from Vantec which works rather well.

The_Neon_Cowboy · Jun 26, 2005, 04:20 AM

my hard drives arent ever loud... can't ever hear them really...
How are the mounted in your case?what case do you have???

Also alot of drives have acoustic management anyways, so that you can trade
performance for a lower noise level with a utillity to enable /disable the feature..

Zelig · Jun 26, 2005, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Neon_Cowboy

my hard drives arent ever loud... can't ever hear them really...
How are the mounted in your case?what case do you have???

Also alot of drives have acoustic management anyways, so that you can trade
performance for a lower noise level with a utillity to enable /disable the feature..

"Loud" is relative. I never heard some of my hard drives until I bought a fan controller and started turning my fans way down when idle.

Tipstaff · Jun 26, 2005, 05:40 AM

Currently using a Vantec NextStar NST-350UF enclosure. Pretty nice, although the firewire is kinda useless for me atm. The Audigy firewire port, and in general most cheap firewire controllers keep screwing it up (they keep disconnecting the drive while copying). For those using a real firewire card, like the one based off the Texas Instrument chips, you will be laughing at USB2.0. Next time though, I'll pickup the NST-355U2 which has a hard drive anti-vibration system as sometimes the vibration from the drive can create a low buzzing noise on the desktop with this case. Easily remedied though with some thin rubber strips inside the case, or by placing the drive on the floor beside the computer (carpet is a great dampner).

CDsDontBurn · Jun 26, 2005, 06:00 AM

i've never used one. i find them pointless really. None of the HDDs in my house i think are loud. other than when they are seeking information, but that's normal of any HDD

Nymins · Jun 26, 2005, 12:18 PM

im using a Samsung SP 1604N and it is really really really quite. can't tell if its on :P

Jun 26, 2005, 01:00 AM	#1
e v o HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,037 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Do You Use Hard Drive Enclosures? Curious, as I am about to invest in a couple for my supposedly silent hard drives. The Samsung SP series are supposed to be the quietest drives out there. Any they are extremely quiet, more so than any others ive owned (most noteably the seagate 7200.7). Now the problem with hard drives for me at least is not the clicking/or seeking noises, but the high pitched sounds they all seem to emit. I CANNOT stand this. Now I have an almost silent system on air, so it's very easy for me to tell what sounds my hds are making. I realize some of you have the hds sounds covered up by fans and what not... Now the problem i see with these enclosures arent the functionality, but the price. The hd enclosures i want are 50 bucks each, and the cheaper ones are 30 bucks. I hope these enclosures catch on and get cheaper because i find them extremely useful. I bet a lot of you would be suprised how loud your hds can be (and not just the hd itself, but the vibration of being in the 3.5" cage. Ben __________________

Jun 26, 2005, 02:16 AM	#2
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,254 Rep Power: 101	I don't use enclosures however I do ise a HDD silencer. Currently I have a Seagate 160GB 7200.8 NCQ drive in a mCubed HDD Silencer and I can't hear it over anything in my computer (2 120mm fans moving less than 800 rpm each), and a Swiftech MCP655 (very quiet pump). However it was a B**** to install. __________________

Jun 26, 2005, 02:38 AM	#3
Zelig HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 3,187 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	I've used them before, I think I have a couple lying around that I don't use anymore. I find they tend to heat up too much for my liking, even with two intake fans blowing in that area. With my various fans set to low, my louder hardrives are about the same volume, I try my best to ignore them. e v o: None of my newer hard drives emit any high pitched noises AFAIK. I've got newish WD and Seagate drives... __________________ --

Jun 26, 2005, 04:20 AM	#5
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	my hard drives arent ever loud... can't ever hear them really... How are the mounted in your case?what case do you have??? Also alot of drives have acoustic management anyways, so that you can trade performance for a lower noise level with a utillity to enable /disable the feature.. __________________

Jun 26, 2005, 05:40 AM	#7
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Currently using a Vantec NextStar NST-350UF enclosure. Pretty nice, although the firewire is kinda useless for me atm. The Audigy firewire port, and in general most cheap firewire controllers keep screwing it up (they keep disconnecting the drive while copying). For those using a real firewire card, like the one based off the Texas Instrument chips, you will be laughing at USB2.0. Next time though, I'll pickup the NST-355U2 which has a hard drive anti-vibration system as sometimes the vibration from the drive can create a low buzzing noise on the desktop with this case. Easily remedied though with some thin rubber strips inside the case, or by placing the drive on the floor beside the computer (carpet is a great dampner). __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Jun 26, 2005, 03:54 AM	#4
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	My external backup drive (Iomega 160HD) is external back it came in it's own enclosure. I also have an external enclosure for 2.5" drives from Vantec which works rather well.

Jun 26, 2005, 06:00 AM	#8
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	i've never used one. i find them pointless really. None of the HDDs in my house i think are loud. other than when they are seeking information, but that's normal of any HDD __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Jun 26, 2005, 12:18 PM	#9
Nymins DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 118 Rep Power: 0	im using a Samsung SP 1604N and it is really really really quite. can't tell if its on :P __________________ Pc 1 (Dell Dim 2400): P4 2.8ghz\| 512mb ram\| Geforce FX 5200\| 160gb 7200rpm hard drive\| 17" Flat Screen Monitor Pc 2 (Custom PC): Athlon 64 3000+\| 1GB ram\| Gigabyte 6600GT 128mb PCI-E \| 80gb hdd\| 15" Flat screen monitor Pc 3 (HP d530 SFF): P4 2.8ghz\| 1GB ram\| Integrated gfx\| 40gb Hdd\| 17" Flat screen monitor