Thinkpads Forum

Hi,

I got my X60 ( UX08GGE) with 100GB HDD today. I was very excited at first because it looks nice, has a good quality keyboard and is smaller and lighter than my current X30.

But I noticed that the harddisk produces a pretty annoying vibration when the notebook is on a hard surface (like a table). The area where I have my palm vibrates constantly even if the hdd is not active (but only spinning). When the hdd is turned off, the vibration goes away. My old X30 dosn't have this behaviour and I haven't read anything about this in a review or in the forums. Am I just having a bad model/hdd? Or do others have this problem as well?

I'm seriously considering sending my machine back because I find this vibrations pretty annoying.

Cheers,
Michael

That's why I chose the one with 5400rpm HDD.

From what I read in the spec it is a 5400rpm model. So am I'm the only one with this problem?

Cheers,
Michael

I think so, tough you could be more sensitive for it, I also notice the vibration form my E7K60 in my X31

I send my model back today because the vibration was too anoying.

Now I wonder if I should give it another try and get a x60s with a different hard disk. I liked the machine a lot and the fact that noone else apparently had this problem gives me some hope

Get the 5400 RPM version and you will consume less power as well.

RS_003 wrote:I think so, tough you could be more sensitive for it, I also notice the vibration form my E7K60 in my X31

An E7K60?! Those disks were designed for 24/7 use with servers, and as a result, radiate more heat and vibration. They are NOT designed for laptops.

Naturally, you'd feel the vibration. If possible, I suggest you exchange it for a standard laptop drive, e.g. the 7K60.

On my X40, my drive doesn't vibrate, but it sure does click a lot!

pphilipko wrote:An E7K60?! Those disks were designed for 24/7 use with servers, and as a result, radiate more heat and vibration. They are NOT designed for laptops.

Naturally, you'd feel the vibration. If possible, I suggest you exchange it for a standard laptop drive, e.g. the 7K60.

On my X40, my drive doesn't vibrate, but it sure does click a lot!

The 7K60 in my x31 does vibrate a bit, too, though not enough to bother me.

pphilipko wrote:

RS_003 wrote:I think so, tough you could be more sensitive for it, I also notice the vibration form my E7K60 in my X31

An E7K60?! Those disks were designed for 24/7 use with servers, and as a result, radiate more heat and vibration. They are NOT designed for laptops.

Naturally, you'd feel the vibration. If possible, I suggest you exchange it for a standard laptop drive, e.g. the 7K60.

On my X40, my drive doesn't vibrate, but it sure does click a lot!

I know this.
But they where cheaper, and it isn’t like I really care, only if I use it at my lap I can feel the palm rest vibrating, if its on a desk I useably don’t even notice / bother

pphilipko wrote:An E7K60?! Those disks were designed for 24/7 use with servers, and as a result, radiate more heat and vibration. They are NOT designed for laptops.

Checking the Hitachi web site, I think the mechanical specs for E7K60 and 7K60 are identical (so the vibration effect should be the same as well). The difference is that the E7K60 doesn't have the "A.B.L.E." energy-saving technology, as that's not really necessary (or desirable) in a blade server.
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/library/able.htm

Indeed... but I believed the E7k60 series could handle a few degrees more (which is needed in an blade server )

Further than that notting that has changed (yes... powermanagent like you said, but I only lost like 10 to 20 minutes on an 4+ hours charge versus an 4200rpm hdd... )

mvo wrote:I send my model back today because the vibration was too anoying.

Now I wonder if I should give it another try and get a x60s with a different hard disk. I liked the machine a lot and the fact that noone else apparently had this problem gives me some hope

Do you know the exact model of the HD that was in it?

7k60 and the E7k60 has AAM (Acoustic Audio Management), you can pop in a cd and set it to run silent.
Now the E7k100 I believe does nto have AAM and would pose a problem with vibartions.

I have the 7k100 (100gb)and turned AAM on, there is only a slight vibration and hardly noticable even on a table at a quite meeting. No high pitched buzzing either, slight hum yes but nothing my sensitive ear didn't like.

I've replaced the built in HDD with a Hitachi 7K100 and would like to also turn on AAM as you did. I see on Hitachi's site their "Feature Tool". Is this what you used to turn on AAM? If not, what utility did you use and where did you get it?

Feature Tool also allows one to change SATA Settings:
Enable / Disable Spread Spectrum Clocking.
Max capable drive interface speed – 1.5Gb/s or 3.0Gb/s
WARNING! SWITCHING YOUR DRIVE TO SUPPORT 3.0Gb/s OR ENABLING SPREAD SPECTRUM CLOCKING ON YOUR DRIVE AND THEN USING IT IN A SYSTEM THAT CANNOT SUPPORT THESE FUNCTIONS, MAY RENDER YOUR DRIVE UNUSABLE IN THAT
SYSTEM

Which SATA setting did you use? Do you know whether the X60/s supports spread spectrum clocking?

I've using a 7K60 in my X32 and I have no vibration problems at all?

Please remember turning ON AAM will largely increase latency of your drive. Speed transfer doesn't move but latency will grow, sometimes (depends on the brand) quite much.