Using high-end HDD's in a Silent Drive

Silencing hard drives, optical drives and other storage devices

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Dizzie
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Post by Dizzie » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

<!-- BBCode Start --><A HREF="http://www.quietpc.com/silentdrive.html" TARGET="_blank">QuietPC.com's Silent Drive</A><!-- BBCode End -->
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<BR>i've got a 7200 WD Caviar SE HDD. The one with the 8mb Cache. Is it going to be safe using it in one of these silent drive boxes. it gets pretty warm as it is. i'm sure that the HDD is giving off the most noise in my case after I've silenced almost everything else in there.
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<BR>Thanks for any input/ideas <IMG SRC="modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">
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MikeC
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Post by MikeC » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

Most 7200 rpm drives run too hot for Silent Drive. There IS danger; many have reported early demise of HDD in the thing. for store bought solutions, the No-Vibe mount by noise control and Smart Drive (reviewed <!-- BBCode Start --><A HREF="http://www.silentpcreview.com/modules.p ... =23&page=1" TARGET="_blank">here</A><!-- BBCode End -->) are best. For DIY solutions, see the 3 articles about HDD silencing/cooling in <!-- BBCode Start --><A HREF="http://www.silentpcreview.com/modules.p ... d=&topic=8" TARGET="_blank">Mods & Projects</A><!-- BBCode End -->. I guess we'll have to do a review of the Silent Drive as it is so widely advertised / distributed. We have a couple of samples and do not have a high opinion.
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vehnä
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Post by vehnä » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

You should check the specifications for your hard drive. Quietpc.com claims that the SilentDrive is able to dissipate up to 6.8 watts of heat.
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<br>For comparison, I have a 60G IBM Deskstar 60GXP enclosed in a SilentDrive. It is rated to have typical power dissipation of 6.7 watts and a maximum operating temperature of 55C. The hd's internal sensor reports temperatures up to 50C (the case is ~30C) after a period of serious activity (defragmenting etc), so it should be able to survive in there although the temperature is a bit high.
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<br><!-- BBCode Start --><A HREF="http://www.storagereview.com" TARGET="_blank">StorageReview.com</A><!-- BBCode End --> has a very good HD database, you should also check it out. Dunno if the exactly same model than yours is in there, but for those WD's that they have it seems that they run cooler than the 60GXP. You should be fine with it (verify the specs!), but I wouldn't recommend putting anything hotter than a 60GXP inside one since it's getting fairly close to the limits.
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Dizzie
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Post by Dizzie » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

gezzz. half the people I ask say it'll be ok and half say otherwise. Either way I've ordered one to try. my Hard drive atm isn't even warm. After several hours work it's just about warm, but not boiling hot. If it's too hot in the silent drive we'll have to improvise with a fan to cool things. 2 12db papsts should do it <IMG SRC="modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif">
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MikeC
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Post by MikeC » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

Once it is in the SD box, no external airflow will reach the drive...
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Dizzie
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Post by Dizzie » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

until I get the demel to it <IMG SRC="modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif">
<br>I dunno. we'll see
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quokked
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Post by quokked » Thu Aug 15, 2002 12:31 am

Stick a big heatsink on the top of the Al plate, that'll help with the cooling, my idea anyway :roll:

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