Is it possible to have a quiet raptor?

starbuck · Post by **starbuck** » Mon May 14, 2007 10:46 am

Am currently speccing a major upgrade at the moment.

Thought about getting a raptor(prob 2 36gb raptors in raid).

I know they are very fast but also very noisy and wondered how successfully you can quieten them down with enclosures.

Am also worried about any extra heat these enclosures may cause.

Advice/suggestions welcome.

As am getting an e6600 on a p5b deluxe board and an 8800gts, am obviously looking for speed in my system but don't want my pc sounding like the start of a grand prix.

I want the fastest but quietest pc possible. I know with raptors and the other components, there is a major trade off with noise but how much can be done to minimise it?

derekchinese · Post by **derekchinese** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:14 am

I have been told that seagate 7200.10's are comparable performance wise to the raptors, have less noise, and are way cheaper. Might be something to look into.

Drive enclosures like the Scythe Quiet Drive may really quiet the raptors but probably will not have enough cooling prowess to handle them.

Derek

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:27 am

Is it possible to have a quiet raptor?

take a look at this post:
viewtopic.php?t=40458

I have a Scythe SQD hardmounted in a TJ08. The vibration it causes is terrible. I'd place it inside the case. on the floor, if I had more space. It does a great job with the seeks though, and since I'm using a Raptor, I think overall it was worth it. Seeks are still very intrusive however. Definitely not the end-all solution I thought it was going to be.

Thought about getting a raptor(prob 2 36gb raptors in raid).

IIRC the 36GB were/are much noisier even than the 74GB.

seagate 7200.10's are comparable performance wise to the raptors, have less noise

most user feedback about the 7200.10 on this forum says too noisy for SPCR.

samuelmorris · Post by **samuelmorris** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:01 pm

I have a 36GB Raptor and 250GB 7200.9 Barracuda (neither of which are quiet drives) in Nexus Drive-A-Way enclosures. The seek noise of both is very reasonable, and the 120Hz of the Barracuda is just about audible (I'd guess somewhere in the 21-22dB range). The 166Hz of the raptor is slightly louder (perhaps 23-24dB). However, from what I'm told today's bigger drives have just as good performance as the raptors, such as the 500GB Spinpoint and Caviar SE16, the latter of which I intend to replace my Raptor with.
Temps are 44C in a wide open space, and 50C in my hot room (with only about 1C variation with usage). This goes for both drives, cooler running drives like WDs would fare better there.

jaldridge6 · Post by **jaldridge6** » Mon May 14, 2007 6:59 pm

Raptors are unbelievably loud. I had one in my system for like 10 minutes before popping it back in the box for a refund.

Sylph-DS · Post by **Sylph-DS** » Tue May 15, 2007 2:31 am

I would ditch the raptor idea and go with a double seagate 7200.10 drives in striped raid, even if they are noisy, they aren't near as noisy as the raptors. I have a 7200.10, and really, if you suspend it, they're not half bad.

I'd say if you get two Seagates, put them in quiet drives or some other enclosure, and then suspend them. This'd probably get you some pretty good performance, but keep it relatively quiet.

mcoleg · Post by **mcoleg** » Tue May 15, 2007 2:16 pm

7200.10 have a big difference between batches in the noise level. most of the new ones are pretty loud. i got several, it takes some serious work to make them reasonable.

raptors are loud too but at least you know they are what they are... an enclosure on some foam inside a closed case - it should be almost ok...

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Tue May 15, 2007 3:49 pm

jaganath wrote:
Is it possible to have a quiet raptor?
take a look at this post:
viewtopic.php?t=40458
I have a Scythe SQD hardmounted in a TJ08. The vibration it causes is terrible. I'd place it inside the case. on the floor, if I had more space. It does a great job with the seeks though, and since I'm using a Raptor, I think overall it was worth it. Seeks are still very intrusive however. Definitely not the end-all solution I thought it was going to be.

I can back up everything Moogles said.

IIRC the 36GB were/are much noisier even than the 74GB.

This used to be the case when the first 36gb versions were ball bearing drives. The new 36gb drives should be pretty decent. I wonder how much quieter the new 36gb and 74gb drives are compared to the 150gb model. They have only one platter compared to two in 150gb model.

seagate 7200.10's are comparable performance wise to the raptors, have less noise
most user feedback about the 7200.10 on this forum says too noisy for SPCR.

Not to mention their performance isn't comparable.

derekchinese wrote:Drive enclosures like the Scythe Quiet Drive may really quiet the raptors but probably will not have enough cooling prowess to handle them.

Bah. My 150 raptor runs plenty cool inside a SQD. Usually below 44c inside a case and currently 40 celsius with the side open. Actually I was very unimpressed with the SQD. I don't think it did much to raptor acoustically. It was very quiet at idle to being with and the seeks are still clearly audible. If you are a total silence freek you can't use raptor under no circumstance (nor seagate 7200.10). But with an enclosure and case with dampening, it can be ok. I got used to the seeks very fast, I don't even notice them anymore, except during nights.

bkh · Post by **bkh** » Tue May 15, 2007 4:52 pm

I run a raptor 150 in a smart drive 2002. That keeps it quiet.

For home PC workloads, a raptor 150 may give better performance than a stripe pair of raptor 36's.

MC FLMJIG · Post by **MC FLMJIG** » Tue May 15, 2007 6:05 pm

I have a 36 Rappy suspended. Much quieter than most drives. If you suspend a Raptor it is virtually inaudible. During seek times it can barely be heard. I'm sure the 74 is probably silent.

EV10 · Post by **EV10** » Tue May 15, 2007 11:31 pm

starbuck wrote:Am currently speccing a major upgrade at the moment.

Thought about getting a raptor(prob 2 36gb raptors in raid).

What do you need them for?

Sylph-DS · Post by **Sylph-DS** » Wed May 16, 2007 3:03 am

mcoleg wrote:7200.10 have a big difference between batches in the noise level. most of the new ones are pretty loud. i got several, it takes some serious work to make them reasonable.

raptors are loud too but at least you know they are what they are... an enclosure on some foam inside a closed case - it should be almost ok...

Hmm, never knew they were so different in batches. Guess I probably got a relatively quiet batch. I have mine in the Antec Solo suspension, and then its... acceptable.. Untill I get something better

KnightRT · Post by **KnightRT** » Wed May 16, 2007 9:27 pm

My experiences differ a bit. I've been a running a second-gen Raptor 74 GB suspended in an Antec P150. I can't hear it at all, and it's almost completely inaudible even with the case open. Can't speak to the 36 GB, nor the 150 GB.

merlyn · Post by **merlyn** » Thu May 17, 2007 3:34 am

I've got a 150 in a suspended silentmaxx, minimum idle noise. seeks are audible but muted. i consider it a fair trade off.

these type of discussions are highly subjective. everyone has different sensitivities to HD noise. there is no way i could use a suspended 3.5" drive without enclosing it, others find that suspension is enough.

there is probably something to be said about direct noise path here too, my HD's are at the front of the case behind an air filter so no baffle at all. might be worht talking to bluefront on that one.

Erssa · Post by **Erssa** » Thu May 17, 2007 4:29 am

merlyn wrote:these type of discussions are highly subjective. everyone has different sensitivities to HD noise. there is no way i could use a suspended 3.5" drive without enclosing it, others find that suspension is enough.

there is probably something to be said about direct noise path here too, my HD's are at the front of the case behind an air filter so no baffle at all. might be worht talking to bluefront on that one.

Very wise words.

Is it possible to have a quiet raptor?

Is it possible to have a quiet raptor?

Re: Is it possible to have a quiet raptor?