Ways to decrease harddrive noise?

M

MajinWu

Gawd
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
604
My cpu, psu, and case fans are all virtually silent, which makes my two WD harddrives sound louder than ever. I was wondering if there are ways to subdue the drives vibrations. The antec sonata case still vibrates a little bit where the drives are.
 
I'm a little shocked that people think WD drives are loud...even my dual Raptors are pretty quiet. Maybe you need some washers between the case and drive? I've always thought Antec cases were made like crap, so I only buy Lian Li or Coolermaster. Don't know if that has anything to do with it. I have 3 WD drives in my case, and all are quiet.
 
I did something similar to this :http://www.overclockers.com/tips1126/

I did it a little diffrently. Put two old cpu fans in series on the bottom to blow on the motor and pcb and I cant hear it at all. I have to put my ear on the hard drive to hear if it is working.
 
Hard drive suspension helps if your case's hard drive cage allows for it. What it does is it prevents vibrations from the hard drives from transferring to your case and thus amplifying. Also, make sure your case is made from relatively thick sheet metal to reduce vibrations. For Aluminum cases, look for 2.0mm thickness like Coolermaster, Lian-Li, and some of the Kingwins. Antec Steel cases are thick enough too, SilentPCReview favors the SLK3700 and Sonata series so you should be set case wise.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=8&page=1

However, note that drive suspension only prevents hard drive vibration from transferring to the case. The hard drive might be noisy itself still. But SilentPCReview has a list of recommended hard drives and the forums at the site are really helpful too.
 
I don't know how can someone complain... I suggest you try putting an older 5400 rpms HD in your rig... now those are loud...
 
Personally I think my two Maxtor 40Gb 7200rpm drives are the quietest drives I've ever owned or used. They are actually quiet enough that I can't hear them running even with all the other fans turned off and the side of the case off.

As far as Antec cases made like crap, I'd have to disagree. I have a 3700AMB and it's the best damned case I've owned. Awsome airflow throught it, good thick steel framing, and quiet. Came with anti vibration for the drives too.

I personally don't see the big deal about aluminum cases like Lian Li. So they may be a little lighter...big deal. If people that complained about how heavy their computers were would actually get off of it and go work out or do some physical activity, they wouldn't notice it as much. Damn, my AMB weighs about 45-50lbs with everything in it...and to me that's nothing.

sorry for the rant...but yes, get rubber washers or make a suspension mechanism (old gel-eez wrist rest would work).

flame away:D
 
If you don't move your case around suspending your hard drives with small bungie cords works great. That is the way I have my raptor mounted in my Antec 3700 case and I can't hear it at all. Before I did this it was making lots of noise while accessing the drive but now it is dead silent. You can get a pack of small bungie cords at Home Depot for 1.99.
 
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