Cool but fast - Looking for new HDD

Shakey_Jake33 · 4 Jul 2006 at 08:31

Basically looking for a HDD for a system I'm building in August.

I tend to leave my machines on 24-7 most of the time, so I really need a drive that's nice and cool. At the same time, I do the usual stuff with my machine like gaming, so I'm still going to need a drive that's fast.

Looking at pure specs, the Maxtor drives look like the fastest (putting aside the Raptors - I'm going for 320-500GB capacity here), but I'm told they can run pretty roasty.
Then again, I was told Seagate drives run the coolest, but the Seagates I own don't seem significantly cooler than my WD drives...

Opinions? Thanks

Zefan · 4 Jul 2006 at 08:32

Not up to your capacity but the Samsung Spinpoint is in a league of it's own for noise/quietness.

Behemoth · 4 Jul 2006 at 12:34

Zefan said:
Not up to your capacity but the Samsung Spinpoint is in a league of it's own for noise/quietness.

Agreed,they arelovely drives, I've got 2, a 160 gig drive and a 120 and they are indeeda joy to haveinmy PC

I also have 2 160 Gig Maxtor Drives raided up, and they aren't as bad as people make them out to be, have so far been very haopy with them.

Shakey_Jake33 · 6 Jul 2006 at 17:37

Hmm you can get 400GB Spinpoint drives for cheaper than 400GB Seagate drives. I've not heard much about the Spinpoint ones though.

TheVoice · 6 Jul 2006 at 17:43

Then again, I was told Seagate drives run the coolest, but the Seagates I own don't seem significantly cooler than my WD drives...

WD drives are usually cooler than Seagates. That said, as long as you've got some form of cooling for your drives (just an intake fan), there's no problem. I run two Seagates in my machine with a low-speed 120mm intake fan in front of them and they're fine, and that's being left on 24/7 too. You can also have your non-system hard-drives spin down after a certain amount of time if you want (in Windows under Power Management).

The new Seagate 7200.10s are seemingly the fastest high-capacity drives around at the moment. Well worth checking out.

Shakey_Jake33 · 7 Jul 2006 at 07:06

Don't have any kind of intake fan installed for that usage at the moment, for noise reasons, but it sounds like it might be worth looking into. These will be installed into an Antec P180 case mind.
Guess my only worry there is blowin (potentially) hot air over the GPU.

hp7909 · 7 Jul 2006 at 07:17

Shakey_Jake33 said:
Don't have any kind of intake fan installed for that usage at the moment, for noise reasons, but it sounds like it might be worth looking into. These will be installed into an Antec P180 case mind{snip}

I seriously recommend you look into having a fan blowing air on/over hard disk/s. Even if it runs cool, a fan will make it cooler & somewhat quieter, consequently lasting longer.

Shakey_Jake33 said:
{snip}Guess my only worry there is blowin (potentially) hot air over the GPU.

Intake fan also helps in circulation of air in the case, i.e. your case will be much cooler with an intake fan (even if blowing over a HD) because of more air coming in :cool:

Shakey_Jake33 · 7 Jul 2006 at 07:43

Good call, better get one for both machines then

TheVoice · 7 Jul 2006 at 10:36

A low speed 120mm won't add much noise. I know Antec do quiet ones (with switches so you can turn the speed up). I have a P160 with a window myself, so I use CoolerMaster 120mm LED fans that use 3 pin headers. They connect straight to the motherboard, sallowing the speeds to be controlled from Windows (using the Abit applet). I have all the fans on low when I'm just using the PC for regular stuff, then press a button and they all go full-blast for gaming.

Shakey_Jake33 · 7 Jul 2006 at 19:58

See, in the Antec P180 there's a compartment at the bottom for HDD's (as well as the usual place), next to the PSU (which is also at the bottom) with a 120mm between them... the idea being that it draws air over the HDD's and onto the PSU. One touch of the HDD's proves it just doesn't work though.
Might put the HDD's in the normal place and put a 120mm there. I see OC doesn't sell Antec 120mm's, how are the AcoustiFan ones?

Shakey_Jake33 · 8 Jul 2006 at 17:47

Here's something that's come to mind.

You may be aware that while the P180 does have a front intake, it has a door over the front of the case.... the front of the machine is basically plain and you open the door to get to your drives etc.
This means with the door closed, the front intake is covered from the outside. The machine is noticably quieter with the door closed.
Is it still worth bothering with? Will the 120mm fan front intake till be effective?

Gibbs · 8 Jul 2006 at 20:36

Coolermaster Stacker 4in3 Device Module
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Coolermaster_Cases.html

nice unit, i have one for my next case

Shakey_Jake33 · 8 Jul 2006 at 22:14

Brill, that compatible with the Antec, or just the CM cases?

Gibbs · 8 Jul 2006 at 22:41

Compatible with any ATX case with 3 spare 5.25" drive bays