Choosing a VelociRaptor

Silencing hard drives, optical drives and other storage devices

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Mr. B
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Choosing a VelociRaptor

Post by Mr. B » Thu Jan 29, 2009 10:43 am

I am looking to buy a new "C:\" drive as part of upgrades I'll be doing this year. I've read a handful of the topics here and decided to take a chance on the noise factor and buy a 300gb WD VelociRaptor drive and NoVibes 2.5. From what I've read, it seems the WD3000BLFS (no icepack) is the best choice but I am having trouble finding this model for sale at a reasonable price.

My question is, is there any difference between the sans-icepack model, the WD3000GLFS and WD3000HLFS? I presume all three models use the same actual drive but I want to be certain.

NeilBlanchard
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Post by NeilBlanchard » Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:41 pm

Hello,

The second model appears to have a different design on the aluminum casting "heatsink". I would compare them both with the SPCR review, which shows the drive disconnected. I think that you might have to use this (older) one, and unbolt it? The newer version looks like it may not be able to be separated from it's "heatsink".

dhanson865
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Post by dhanson865 » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:59 pm

I'm going to play the devil's advocate here not because I have anything against the velociraptor but because there is a cheaper option that might satisfy your needs.

How about considering the WD Black 640 GB (WD6401AALS )?

You can get one for about $85 US and while it has a lower RPM vs the velociraptor it isn't slower in all tests.

Then save difference in cost towards your first SSD purchase a couple of years down the road when you will probably be able to get an SSD that is reasonably priced and faster than the velociraptor.

Mr. B
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Post by Mr. B » Thu Jan 29, 2009 6:06 pm

I haven't considered the Cavair black but I certainly will. I am currently using Samsung's HD501LJ drives in my PC and I just want a faster C drive with no additional noise penalty.

aztec
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Post by aztec » Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:50 pm

Mr. B wrote:I haven't considered the Cavair black but I certainly will. I am currently using Samsung's HD501LJ drives in my PC and I just want a faster C drive with no additional noise penalty.
That seems like the Black then.

I have the same Samsung as you do, and though it is quiet. It is on the slower side. No doubt about the latter. :)

BTW. You can get the 640Gb Black for $80, free shipping from Newegg.

Mr. B
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Post by Mr. B » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:16 am

I think I'm sold on the Caviar Black. I had a look at performance and they are more than sufficiently comparable for my needs.

Image

Image

maf718
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Post by maf718 » Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:09 pm

Have you considered the Caviar Blue 640GB (WD6400AAKS) instead of the black? I have one and it is quieter than my Samsung HD501LJ. The 1GB version of the Black SPCR tested was much louder than the 640GB Blue. How much of the noise was down to the extra platter and how much to it being Black rather than Blue? I don't know without hearing a direct comparison.

If you are worried by performance in HDTune my WD6400AAKS posts better results than the Caviar Black you listed: Image

Mr. B
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Post by Mr. B » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:23 pm

I did some looking and the difference between the blue and black seem minimal. That being the case, I found no reason or evidence that the black would be noticeably louder than the blue. For me the double cache (lower CPU usage?) and 5 year warranty are sufficient motivation to pay the small price premium. When I get the black I'll post an objective comparison with my Samsungs.

lm
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Post by lm » Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:25 am

Mr. B wrote:I think I'm sold on the Caviar Black. I had a look at performance and they are more than sufficiently comparable for my needs.
12ms vs 7ms access time? :)

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