SPCR

Hi,

I have a completely silent server (500 GB SSD, fanless, passively cooled with heatpipes). However, while I wish that I could stay entirely SSD, I do have several TB worth of data that I need to access occasionally, so I need a bulk storage solution, and pure-SSD is much too expensive for TB-scale storage at the moment, and this doesn't seem to be changing. I don't have a location "in another room" that I can use to store a NAS out of earshot. Currently, I have a Synology 411j containing a single WD 3 TB Green, but the Synology's fan bothers me, and the drive is getting very old. So I think I need to buy a new drive, and am currently planning to add it to my silent server, preferably spinning up only when it is infrequently needed.

I've read a large number of posts in this forum, and my impression is that the current WD Red drives are noisier than people like. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the WD Blue 6 TB, which I think was originally a Green, and hence might be expected to be quieter? Or does anyone have any recommendations? Bear in mind that I would be comparing the drive noise with "completely silent"!

Welcome to SPCR!

I would get a single large drive. WD Red would be my first choice but the price would ultimate determine what drive I would get. Then set it up to spin down after 30 min of inactivity or something. Maybe even use an external drive. And use that 500 GB SSD for the often accessed data.

A location in another room can be tricky, but a small box only needs power and ethernet. Be creative. I have my server on top of my refrigerator, in a space meant to be empty, for ventilation I guess.

Thanks for the welcome! I think I've convinced myself to stick with my existing 3 TB Green for now. It just seems like there aren't any good options for large capacity quiet drives at the moment. I don't really care much about performance, and even reliability is not the most important aspect in this case, since the data is not critically important, changes rarely, and is backed up daily. I'm really just after quietness.

Your idea of an external drive does open up some possibilities. I just saw this: http://www.anandtech.com/show/11587/wd- ... ultra-hdds, which is probably going to be quieter, since it's 2.5 inch, and 4 TB is still an upgrade from the current 3 TB that I have. So maybe I will just wait for this 3 TB drive to die, and when it does, replace it with an external drive like that one. These days, I usually go for SATA connections (either internal or eSATA), since I've had problems with USB drives in the past, but maybe times have changed.

Do we know anything about the acoustics of the existing Passport Ultra drives? A quick Google search seems to find lots of people saying they are very quiet (except when there are problems with the drives, like grating or clicking).

Are silent enthusiasts typically using these external drives as quieter alternatives to the louder internal drives?

I can't speak to the newest generation of WD My Passports, but older gen single platter is pretty darn quiet.