How loud is an old 10K or 15K HDD?

[automobus]

I have a server with a six-bay SCA backplane. I had no appropriate drives, so I removed the backplane and used PATA drives. Used SCA drives are not expensive or hard to find, so I want to buy a few and try-out the backplane. It will be much tidier than using several PATA drives, each with a power and data cable. But I am concerned about increased noise. I replaced the old (double) power supply with a quiet and efficient modern model, and I swapped the ~100CFM server-grade fans with quiet "normal" ones, so do not point out that servers are too noisy to notice the hard disks!

I only have experience with PATA disks. I know that just a few years ago, all mainstream HDDs were similarly noisy, until fluid bearings became the norm. Now, they are all similarly quiet. I assume modern 10K or 15K RPM enterprise drives are a bit louder than the near-silent consumer drives (at 7200 RPM). How loud were they in the days of Ultra SCSI and SCA connectors?

[Navck]

My 36 and 74GB Raptors are less loud than my 500GB (7200.7 or .8... Not sure) Seagate harddrives during seek. The Seagate only has an advantage of being more silent during idle. Otherwise you can get the acoustic specs from manufacturers to get an idea of the idle and seek noises..

I would also... Not swap the high airflow fans, but instead use a fancontroller. Cooler harddrives are happier harddrives and happier harddrives is less data being lost from premature failure. Mind you my desktop has 10 120-200mm fans within the 60-80CFM area, with the fan controller I can get them low enough to let me hear the harddrives seek (Barely, thick steel-plastic case sides prevents most of the noise from escaping as with foam filters behind the mesh filters in the front.)

[ansible212]

I had a 10,000RPM Seagate drive for a while and it sounded like a jet plane, dead impressive as it powered up. It was a double height drive too... ran really, really hot despite some impressive fins on the case.

Followed that with a Quantum Atlas 10k II... standard height and considerably quieter but still several times louder (subjectively) than the WD 120GB ATA disks I was using at the time (in fact I had 3 of them installed alongside the Atlas, and they were quieter together than the Atlas was by itself).

Never again...

[Navck]

Perhaps you should see some of the modern 10k HDDs, they are quite reasonable these days.

[Unknown_K]

Early generation 10K and 15KRPM drives are noisier then later generation ones (hotter running as well). I have a few 10K drives here and they are not too bad. Still for a desktop machine in your room they will all be louder then most 7200 RPM desktop IDe/SATA drives.

And yes, SCA drives are getting cheap. I just won 7x36GB 10K Seagates on ebay for around $23 shipped (good deal if they all work) that will go into a Compaq server in my basement.

[automobus]

Navck: I thought WD started the Raptor line only four or five years ago, but after a quick search I found a review from 2003. Do you know if they have fluid bearings? I find it hard to rely on sound specs alone. I once checked the the specs of old Seagate drives at 15K vs 7200, which I remember being different by 10dB. Cooling was no issue before, but I might make some changes if I do use fast drives. The backplane blocks a lot of HDD airflow.

ansible212: The first drive you described seems so old, I imagine 15K models did not exist at that time. Your subjective description of the Atlus is just the type I want. Your experience with one 10K beside three consumer models is a good scenario.

Unknown_K: I am using it as a personal computer, not as a server; so, unfortunately, I cannot put the noise away in the basement. They are indeed cheap! I think I'll stick with my current PATA array. If I ever do use it as a server, I'll buy some noisy drives and reinstall the turbine fans.

[Navck]

The Raptor most likely has fluid bearings, the modern VeloRaptors will definitely have fluid bearings. Its a requirement practically for modern harddrives in design. (Just like most harddrives around... 07 or later I believe, use ramps. The original Raptor does not use a ramp for the head but they do fine without them anyways.)