comparing three 5400.2 drives
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:43 am
I had an opportunity to buy two cheap 5400.2 (2.5'' Seagates). I thought they'd be quiet based on what I read here. I didn't intend to compare them but the difference struck me and I listened more carefully (I've got no meter that can handle such faint noises):
-one of them is a 60G (one platter according to the datasheet) and is truely quiet. It has a faint and soft constant spinning sound. I only hear the seeks as well as an annoying high-pitched sound (the motor?) when it's unmounted and fairly close to my ears.
-the other is an Apple-branded (it makes no difference, right?) 80G (two platters it seems) and I wouldn't call it quiet. The high-pitched sound is similar and I feel the seeks are slightly louder although I'm not sure about that. But the spinning noise is much louder, loud enough to be disturbing in normal use.
So what do you think caused this significant subjective difference?
Is it the platter count? If so, do all models and all brands have such an obvious noise/platters correlation? Or perhaps is it the head count?
Could it a firmware setting? If so, how do check it and change it?
Or is it simply some random variation between the noise of individual drives?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Oh, and if anyone's thinking about buying a cheap and quiet 2.5'', I can definitely recommend a single-platter 5400.2 based on my very modest experience. The faint noise it makes doesn't bother me at all. Yet another opinion to add to the pile...
EDIT: silly me... I forgot I had an old 40G 5400.2 lying around. I compared it to the 60G and the high-pitched noise as well as the spinning seem a tiny bit louder. On the other hand, the 40G's seeks are clearly softer... but only a bit softer. The two drives are very similar-sounding in general. I guess I just solved the mystery... I still wonder though: does the platter count make such a difference with other brands and models?
-one of them is a 60G (one platter according to the datasheet) and is truely quiet. It has a faint and soft constant spinning sound. I only hear the seeks as well as an annoying high-pitched sound (the motor?) when it's unmounted and fairly close to my ears.
-the other is an Apple-branded (it makes no difference, right?) 80G (two platters it seems) and I wouldn't call it quiet. The high-pitched sound is similar and I feel the seeks are slightly louder although I'm not sure about that. But the spinning noise is much louder, loud enough to be disturbing in normal use.
So what do you think caused this significant subjective difference?
Is it the platter count? If so, do all models and all brands have such an obvious noise/platters correlation? Or perhaps is it the head count?
Could it a firmware setting? If so, how do check it and change it?
Or is it simply some random variation between the noise of individual drives?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Oh, and if anyone's thinking about buying a cheap and quiet 2.5'', I can definitely recommend a single-platter 5400.2 based on my very modest experience. The faint noise it makes doesn't bother me at all. Yet another opinion to add to the pile...
EDIT: silly me... I forgot I had an old 40G 5400.2 lying around. I compared it to the 60G and the high-pitched noise as well as the spinning seem a tiny bit louder. On the other hand, the 40G's seeks are clearly softer... but only a bit softer. The two drives are very similar-sounding in general. I guess I just solved the mystery... I still wonder though: does the platter count make such a difference with other brands and models?