Let me show you the WD specs another way
Code: Select all
640GB Blue 25-29 dBA
640GB Black 25-29 dBA
750/1TB Black 24-33 dBA
400/500/750GB Blue 28-33 dBA
I sure hope some of you can see that the 640GB drives are quieter than the 400, 500, 750 and 1 TB drives in the same series.
I sure hope you also see that the black drives are even quieter than the blue drives of the 400, 500, and 750GB varieties.
fyleow wrote:Not just SPCR but all of the reviews I've seen for the black with noise measurements have shown it to be louder.
Given the information above I bet you can go back and notice that those reviews were based on 1TB black drives not the quieter 640GB version. Or worse they compared a 1TB black versus a 640GB blue. Talk about apples to oranges.
Oh and for those of you that are curious about the stated specs as compared to the Green series the order is
Code: Select all
1TB Green 16 or 32 25-27 dBA
750 Green 25-27 dBA
500/640 Green 24-29 dBA
1.5/2TB Green 32 25-29 dBA
and the combined list is
Code: Select all
1TB Green 16 or 32 25-27 dBA
750 Green 25-27 dBA
500/640 Green 24-29 dBA
1.5/2TB Green 32 25-29 dBA
640GB Blue 25-29 dBA
640GB Black 25-29 dBA
750/1TB Black 24-33 dBA
400/500/750GB Blue 28-33 dBA
Which I'd simplify as:
Green drives are quieter than Black or Blue but they are slower.
640GB drives are quieter than other sizes and are generally faster.
The best balance for noise and speed is the 640GB black with the 640GB blue a close runner up.