HDD in back?

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:16 am

is there or why isn't there a case with the Hdd in the back?
it could lower the sound emited from them in the front.
does anyone know of such a thing?

Sooty · Post by **Sooty** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:57 am

Silverstone TJ06. Thereâ€™s a few others, the Akasa Eclipse, if your CPU cooler is small enough, and some of the old very tall tower server cases, and at least one ThermalTake case, iirc.

I donâ€™t think it would make that much of a difference, to be honest.

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:38 am

the psu is in the front so it will make more noise.
in the p180\182 the psu is in a different bay so the hdd can be at the back.
you don't think it will make it quieter?

toki_c · Post by **toki_c** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:38 am

Don't bother getting a new case because of the hdd noises and vibrations. If you have already silent components and followed the fundementals like suspending and such...
You shall consider:
firsly, case insulation! it will really lower the noise level but you have to pay a little effort on material dampping because so many packs designed and sold as insulation package arise more suspicions than confidence about the dampping ability...
secondly, hdd enclosures...

good luck,
toki.

NOTE: in my really silent rig, dampping material (several layers, 3, in the critical areas) ended up being more than enough to damp spinning+seek noises from a 320GB WD SE16 + 300GB Hitachi (noisy, high vibration)...
Two noise sources remain in my rig: air turbulances, and the high frequency psu noise from a 425W Pro82+ which is unnoticeable instead of being too close ~10cm in quiet night time.

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:43 am

i replaced my rear fan to a scythe sflex 1200 and it actually makes more noise then the stock that was before. maybe because it's 1200 and the previous was 500 (i'm not sutre), and it's under volted to 5v.
my vx450w is nosier then the zalman.
in any case, what did you use to dampen the case?
my hdd are suspended, so i can't put then in enclosures (and i don't want to spen much more money)

toki_c · Post by **toki_c** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:49 am

Lt_Dan wrote:i replaced my rear fan to a scythe sflex 1200 and it actually makes more noise then the stock that was before. maybe because it's 1200 and the previous was 500 (i'm not sutre), and it's under volted to 5v.

Are you sure your Scythe Flex is correctly undervolted? I don't so there's noway a "stock case fan" can be quieter than the former undervolted to 5V.

Go to the dammping material for more inforamtion about... it will depends on your location. Are you in north america? europe?

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 3:28 am

I'll check it's volt.
middle east.
it's pretty hot here so i need to consider heat much more.

Sooty · Post by **Sooty** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 6:01 am

Lt_Dan wrote:the psu is in the front so it will make more noise.

The TJ06? It has the PSU at the back, but on top of the hddâ€™s (if thatâ€™s what you meant) so more heat going through the PSU, so yes, potential to ramp up the PSU fan speed.

Lt_Dan wrote:in the p180\182 the psu is in a different bay so the hdd can be at the back.

Yes the psu has itâ€™s own â€˜bayâ€™, but the hddâ€™s are still at the front.

Lt_Dan wrote:you don't think it will make it quieter?

Not really. In almost all cases there are larger openings at the back of a case than in the front. HDD seek noise, once escaped from the case, tends to reflect off of other surfaces, and fill your room. Where as a PSUâ€™s noise is more affected by direction, so placing it at the back of the case makes a difference.

Btw, another case is the Yeong Yang cube, which has the HDDâ€™s at the back and the PSU underneath them. Trouble is, the cooling in the MOBO chamber is flawed.

Tsorovan · Post by **Tsorovan** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 6:42 am

A few Lian-Li cases like the PC-A70 have an extra harddrive cage (3 x 3.5") at the top back.

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 7:02 am

thanks!
the case in the pic is the p180?

also, do you know what can i use for dampening?

Tsorovan · Post by **Tsorovan** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 8:00 am

No, that is a Lian-Li PC-A70B (B for "black").

yukon · Post by **yukon** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:02 pm

That's brilliant. I hate cases with the mesh front, since the HDs are in front right behind the mesh, so the noise escapes with a direct path to the user.

I've always disliked Lian-Li cases, since they're usually if not all aluminum, and usually incredibly expensive. But that HD position is the kind of innovation that can actually reduce noise in even a quiet system.

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:59 pm

I have one system with the hdd soft mounted on its edge in front of pci slots and under the gpu, at the rear of the case. As you look at the case from the side the drive sits in the lower left corner, top facing out and cables on the right. the open pci slots and lower rear vent holes allow cool air to flow across the drive . i blocked all front vents and insulated the front on this setup so all intake air goes across the hdd.

Cistron · Post by **Cistron** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:08 am

How about the dust problem?

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:14 am

sounds complicated, doesn't it heat up too much?
can you post a pic? it sounds interesting.

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:33 am

Dust is not a big issue since its about 4 feet off the floor. the dust that gets inside tends to settle on the case floor, since no intake fans are used, and is easy to vacuum out once a year. No dust really makes it to the cpu fan.

Easy to install- thick foam 3m double sided tape on one edge and on piece on the rear end of the drive., then stick it in the corner. Strong stuff!

temps are 34(idle)-40(defrag)

pics are a hassle right now, the case is in wedged in my server rack.- next time im moving stuff around in there i'll take a pic.

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:30 am

dust gathers everywhere...
can you post a pic of the foam it self?

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 10:11 am

I guess my pacific ocean breeze has less dust than yours in the mid-east. (IMO the mid-west starts at least west of the Mississippi, more like Colorado...

)

I use three layers of this...
http://www.google.com/products?q=3m+dou ... scoring=pd

My case is fairly heavy gauge steel, so vibration isn't as big a factor as some lighter weight cases I have also used soft weather stripping as well.

Here's an example of one in my nas. All the air comes in behind the HDD and out the top via psu and exhaust fan.

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 10:53 am

is that yours? seems cramped.
an old hdd as well. is it ok to put it on the side?
isn't that just the tape to hold it to the case?
(btw - it's middle east - specifically israel)

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:22 am

Its just an ftp/nas server.
I didn't want to unhook and drag out my main rig- its a pain.
Ive run many different HDDs on their side W/O issue for many many years.(5 disks right now) As a mater of fact that case in the picture started life a hp pavilion 4450 that came from HP with the drive mounted on its side, but in the front of the case.
Yep simple foam tape, tripled up for thickness to isolate any vibration to the case. no metal to metal contact. its very dificult to remove the HDD once its stuck though...

(Wow, sorry I was thinking IL meant Illinois, damn American-centric POV!- i love how global this site is!- Im sure 'mendo' must confuse more people though...

)

I imagine the dust in Israel to be quite a problem! Here on the north west coast of California, 30 miles from the pacific, not so much.

ntavlas · Post by **ntavlas** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:54 am

Dell sells some machines with the disk drives mounted on the side.

Currently I have my drive lying horizontaly in the back. Cool air comes in through the uncovered pci slots. With an ambient temperature of 20c the drive settles @34c.

The biggest improvement was made by completely sealing the front of the case though.

Lt_Dan · Post by **Lt_Dan** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 12:53 pm

it's incredible - my hdd are suspended in the front, and i left a front slot open to enter some air - but i used a stocking (seriously) to filter any dust,
and my hdd are around 45-50 c'.

(it's IL as co.il... maybe it's the air... how do you clean dust anyway? just vacuuming? )