Quiet & fast 7200RPM drive for X22 or X32?

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silo · #1 Post by **silo** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 5:34 am

I have a Hitachi 7K60 that I put in my X22 but it's MUCH louder and produces much more vibration than the Samsung 5400RPM 40G I had in there before. Is there a better 7200RPM drive (quieter, just as fast, but vibration-free) available?

asiafish · #2 Post by **asiafish** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 1:10 pm

I think its more production variance. My 7K60 was silent and the 7K100 I have now is equally silent.

Aristotle11 · #3 Post by **Aristotle11** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 8:51 pm

While HD noise is subjective, I think the 7k60 is FAST but LOUD (with the fan off). Its not the seek noise, but the "whirr" noice of a vacuum cleaner that bothers me. I have two: one in both my X31 and T42 and both sounded loud in a quiet room. Many reviewers have noted the same thing (see http://www.laptoplogic.com/reviews/deta ... ll&page=16 where they find the 7200 RPM 7k60 the loudest of all 12 reviewed hard drives). Aboyut 10 web sites and my own experiments say the same thing. I suggest you buy one of the 12 reviewed hard drives above at laptoplogic.com.

I switched to a super-quiet Hitachi IC25N040ATMR04-0 and the thing is so quet I can't hear it in the quietest room (its 2 dB quieter than the next quietest Hitachi HD... see http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:2bw ... =clnk&cd=1 ). But its 4200RPM is sooo slow when I'm multi-tasking.

So now I'm on a quest for a fast but quiet hard drive.

My only problem is that I don't want to spend more than $50. I have a large external HD and 5GB in my network drive where I keep all my work, so only need about 30-40GB on my laptop. I think I'll buy a good 5400 RPM 40GB single platter drive with 8MB cache, but what I really want is a 7200 drive that is as silent as the 4200 drive I have. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Silo: Is the 7k60 much faster than the 5400 Samsung? I was thinking of buying a 5400 Samsing 40 GB.

vincentfox · #4 Post by **vincentfox** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 9:23 pm

The Samsung unit is the Silent Queen.

EVERYTHING will be noisier than that. Perhaps you got spoiled?

silo · #5 Post by **silo** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 9:30 pm

Aristotle11 wrote:Silo: Is the 7k60 much faster than the 5400 Samsung? I was thinking of buying a 5400 Samsing 40 GB.

Thanks for the info. Will pursue. The 5400RPM Samsung 40G is quiet and vibration-free, and pretty quick. The 7K60 is noticeably quicker, however. It's not like night and day, but you can feel it--a lot more SNAP! opening and closing and so on.

In fact, the 7K60 was both noisy and, more unpleasant for me, vibration-inducing in the X22, whereas in teh T30 it is neither. Don't know why. I assumed it was the lighter weight of X22. You get the zipper-like noise the clicking as it reads/writes (I assume that's what it's doing) and you get a constant vibration in the palmrest. Really not acceptable.

I suppose it's possible I did a poor install, failed to tighten the mouting screws sufficiently, got something else bunged up, but I don't think so.

Cheers--

aceo07 · #6 Post by **aceo07** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 12:52 pm

I just ordered a 7k100 60GB for my X22, which isn't even shipped yet.

I hope it isn't too noisy. I don't know what everybody's standards of 'noisy' are.

I'll give an update when I get the harddrive and my X22.

Aristotle11 · #7 Post by **Aristotle11** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:17 pm

I guess it is not possible to have something fast and as quiet as the samsung. The 7k60 was fast, but I'm willing to wait an extra couple seconds when I load Word so I don't have to listen to a whirr for a couple hours.

Anyone with experience with the newer Samsungs? Is the new 160GB quiet and fast?

vincentfox · #8 Post by **vincentfox** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 5:11 pm

A site I look at sometimes is http://www.silentpcreview.com/

While they tend to focus on desktops, they are silence-obsessed people. So laptop drives suspended in elastic bands are very popular. I don't know if they reviewed latest Samsungs yet, but the old ones are #1 on the list as far as quiet with decent performance.

silo · #9 Post by **silo** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:35 am

Note that the source mentioned in previous msg tested the Hitachi E7K100 and thought highly of it from a noise standpoint:

"CONCLUSIONS

The E7K100 represents one of the best compromises between drive performance and noise that we've seen. The noise level is the same as most other notebook drives: Inaudible except to the extremely sensitive and/or picky. Even better, drive performance should be on par with most desktop drives; both rotation speed and areal density are similar. Not only that, the drive is targeted at the server and workstation markets, so power management (and the associated performance and longevity issues) should not be an issue. The E7K100 has the acoustic advantage of a notebook drive without the usual disadvantages.

Thanks to all of the above, the E7K100 is well positioned to lead the upcoming transition to 2.5" drives. That's not to say it doesn't have drawbacks, but most of the drawbacks are a matter of circumstance and convention rather than any inherent flaws in the design.

As with any new technology, the E7K100 costs an arm and a leg, and it is difficult to find. Large OEMs should not have a problem of course, but pickings are pretty slim from the retail side. In fact, at the time of writing, I was unable to find any online stores that carry the specific model reviewed here. However, several sites had lower capacity models, and several had the 7K100 (no "E") with a 100 GB capacity. Given the similarity between the two models, the non-"E" version could easily be substituted with APM was disabled.

In spite of its advantages, the E7K100 is unlikely to become a smash hit among desktop PC users — it simply costs too much. Until it comes down in price, it will most likely remain a rosy indicator of good things to come."

silo · #10 Post by **silo** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:37 am

aceo07 wrote:I just ordered a 7k100 60GB for my X22, which isn't even shipped yet. I hope it isn't too noisy. I don't know what everybody's standards of 'noisy' are.

I'll give an update when I get the harddrive and my X22.

See my note on the review of the E7K100 that ends up saying the 7K100 may be virtually the same.

Where did you buy and what did you pay, if you don't mind my asking.

aceo07 · #11 Post by **aceo07** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 8:33 am

I ordered from www.newegg.com, for $125 plus $4.99 shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822146046

It's actually $5 cheaper today than it was yesterday when I bought it!

vincentfox · #12 Post by **vincentfox** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 2:50 pm

I'll stick with the Samsung 40-gig for my laptop. If someone came up with a faster drive that matched or beat it for it's low noise-level I'd be interested. People are always unconvinced my X22 is even turned on.

This new Hitachi drive does sound interesting, for a small server I'd be tempted to get one and mount it in a NoVibes-III unit.

silo · #13 Post by **silo** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 10:24 pm

aceo07 wrote:I ordered from www.newegg.com, for $125 plus $4.99 shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822146046

It's actually $5 cheaper today than it was yesterday when I bought it!

did it arrive and how noisy is it? how much vibration?

aceo07 · #14 Post by **aceo07** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 11:26 pm

Unfortunately I'm still waiting for my X22.

I just hope I haven't been scammed on ebay. I won ebay auction last Sunday. Seller was having problems shipping it to me and said he shipped it on Friday. So, hopefully I'll have it by Tuesday. (Seller better not be lying..)

I've been checking email every 30minutes daily for his responses to my emails and jumping at every doorbell the last 3days..

I'll remember to update this when I upgrade the drive.

silo · #15 Post by **silo** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 4:59 am

aceo07 wrote:Unfortunately I'm still waiting for my X22. I just hope I haven't been scammed on ebay. I won ebay auction last Sunday. Seller was having problems shipping it to me and said he shipped it on Friday. So, hopefully I'll have it by Tuesday. (Seller better not be lying..)

I've been checking email every 30minutes daily for his responses to my emails and jumping at every doorbell the last 3days..

I'll remember to update this when I upgrade the drive.

Who is the eBay seller? Just for my info. I like to hear what other folks have gotten in the way of service etc on eBay. Thx.

I have removed my 7K60 Hitachi 60G 7200RPM from my new X32 because the vibration bothers me, just as it did in my X22. I'll probably be buying a 5400RPM Samsung or similar, unless your report is that the 7K100 is vibration free and noise free.

Here's hoping for good luck all around--

aceo07 · #16 Post by **aceo07** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 11:40 am

I bought the X22 from 'rjfal', and the 4400mAh battery from 'johnxsc'. For the battery, I got tracking number the day after I won and paid.

edit: I'm too [censored] impatient.

#17 Post by **aamsel** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 2:36 pm

Looks like the seller has great feedback (1702 with 99.2% positive).
Also, the purchase qualified for "Free PayPal Buyer Protection" so even if you were ripped off (which seems unlikely), you should be covered.
My guess is that you will be fine.

Andrew

aceo07 · #18 Post by **aceo07** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 4:38 pm

aamsel wrote:Looks like the seller has great feedback (1702 with 99.2% positive).
Also, the purchase qualified for "Free PayPal Buyer Protection" so even if you were ripped off (which seems unlikely), you should be covered.
My guess is that you will be fine.

Andrew

Thanks for the comforting words. I hope so too. I want it for a long trip in next week.

Strange things I have noticed though, in his feedback there's a buyer who received his item but he won it after I won mine. The guy won on 1/30/06 and posted a positive feedback today that he got it. However, I won on 1/29/06.

Anyways, I hope for the best too. I take every bad thought back if I receive it in the next couple of days. I hate waiting..

I already have the following items,
512MB Ram - Free from friend who didn't need it last year. It's been sitting in my desk waiting for a home.
60GB 7200rpm Hitachi Drive - Arrived last week.
4400mAh battery - Bought on ebay. Shipped out and expect in a couple of days.
802.11g card - Left over from last ancient laptop, which I don't have here anymore.

So you can see why I'm anxious. It's be a huge waste of time and money for me if I don't get the central piece to this puzzle.

silo · #19 Post by **silo** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 5:18 am

aceo07 wrote:
aamsel wrote:Looks like the seller has great feedback (1702 with 99.2% positive).
Also, the purchase qualified for "Free PayPal Buyer Protection" so even if you were ripped off (which seems unlikely), you should be covered.
My guess is that you will be fine.

Andrew
Thanks for the comforting words. I hope so too. I want it for a long trip in next week.

Strange things I have noticed though, in his feedback there's a buyer who received his item but he won it after I won mine. The guy won on 1/30/06 and posted a positive feedback today that he got it. However, I won on 1/29/06.

Anyways, I hope for the best too. I take every bad thought back if I receive it in the next couple of days. I hate waiting..

I already have the following items,
512MB Ram - Free from friend who didn't need it last year. It's been sitting in my desk waiting for a home.
60GB 7200rpm Hitachi Drive - Arrived last week.
4400mAh battery - Bought on ebay. Shipped out and expect in a couple of days.
802.11g card - Left over from last ancient laptop, which I don't have here anymore.

So you can see why I'm anxious. It's be a huge waste of time and money for me if I don't get the central piece to this puzzle.

it'll be fine. the x22 will arrive and you'll love it. i've got an X22 with a 5400RPM Samsung Spinpoint 40G drive and 640 MB of memory in and it's very quick and comfortable. I'm probably selling it on eBay now that I've got an X32 with 1G memory and a new drive TBA. But, as Asiafish said elsewhere, there's not a lot of difference between the X22 and the X32. In fact, some aspects of the 22 (keyboard, palmrest, weight) are a little better than the X32!

Keep us posted on the drive, please.

Silo

asiafish · #20 Post by **asiafish** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:38 am

The X32 is lighter than the X22. I agree on the X22 keyboard being better. The palmrest is a mixed bag. On the X32 the hard plastic doesn't look as nice as the rubberized finish of the X22, but after using it for a while the X22 gets ugly from the oils on your hands. While it cleans up, it looks bad until its done.

Performance is similar in office-type apps, though there was at least one thing (other than games, which both are horrible at) that I like to do where the X22 falls short and the X32 handles like a dream, and that is watching TV shows on iTunes. On the X22 it is simply too jittery to watch in full-screen, while on the X32 it is as good as it will get (a few artifacts, but overall not bad).

Office apps and DVD movies are terrific on both.

Aroc · #21 Post by **Aroc** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:49 pm

If the 7k100 or 7k60 is too loud, why not try the Seagate Momentus 7200.1 drive? See the shootout at www.storagereview.com .

aceo07 · #22 Post by **aceo07** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:50 pm

I just got it an hour ago. So I apologize to Mr. 'rjfal' for my bad thoughts.

I tried installing my 512MB RAM, but the laptop wouldn't boot. No beeps or text on the screen. I assume it's the RAM. I think that's the reason I got it from my friend. It did partially work in an old dell laptop though. It does run fine with the default 128MB.

I will test the drive later tonight when I get home. The original 20GB drive isn't exactly 'quiet'. I hope the new drive is the same if not quieter.

aceo07 · #23 Post by **aceo07** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:14 pm

I'm reinstalling Windows XP onto the 7k100 drive now. It's actually QUIETER than the original 20GB IBM drive by a little bit when it's seeking. The acess noise isn't bad either. I'll write more after Windows is installed since the CD drive noise is making it hard to compare.

silo · #24 Post by **silo** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 2:17 am

aceo07 wrote:I'm reinstalling Windows XP onto the 7k100 drive now. It's actually QUIETER than the original 20GB IBM drive by a little bit when it's seeking. The acess noise isn't bad either. I'll write more after Windows is installed since the CD drive noise is making it hard to compare.

In my case (Hitachi 7k60 60G 7200RPM) what bothered me was the vibration, not the noise. If I left my hands on the palm rest, say while thinking (admittedly a rare event), I felt like it was a "Magic Fingers" palm rest, giving me a zippy massage.

Still shopping for another drive.

aceo07 · #25 Post by **aceo07** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 2:31 am

No vibrations here. If I place my hand on the laptop on top of the drive, I still can't feel anything. Besides the occasional tick of the drive, I only hear the fan. I'm also missing the screw that holds the drive bay in place...

I should go into a hardware store and get a new one. It's snug and probably won't fall out, but prefer to have it locked in place by a screw.

silo · #26 Post by **silo** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 5:08 am

aceo07 wrote:No vibrations here. If I place my hand on the laptop on top of the drive, I still can't feel anything. Besides the occasional tick of the drive, I only hear the fan. I'm also missing the screw that holds the drive bay in place... I should go into a hardware store and get a new one. It's snug and probably won't fall out, but prefer to have it locked in place by a screw.

Well, I'm glad it's working out, though I thought I read something from you on another thread where you were mistaking HD noise for fan noise? Or was that two other guys. Anyway, best luck.

i just ordered a 60G 5400 Seagate Momentus 5400.2 for my X32. i was thinking of going with one of the 16MB cache Toshibas, but the review of HDs at laptop Logic

http://www.laptoplogic.com/reviews/deta ... ll&page=19

persuaded me to go with the Seagate. First time I will have used Seagate in a laptop, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This is the one I ordered for those of you following along at home. If someone else has got this, or has used it, I'd appreciate any opinions.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... etailSpecs

Thanks

aceo07 · #27 Post by **aceo07** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:55 pm

Yup, that was me thinking the drive was a fan. The fan isn't loud. Just a soft whirring sound. I live in a quiet area so I can hear the fan. However in my office I can't hear it except when it's doing some hard work with data.

The 7k100 is actually quieter than a 2yr old 5400rpm drive I have in my Dell.

Good luck with your new drive.

silo · #28 Post by **silo** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 4:44 am

silo wrote:i just ordered a 60G 5400 Seagate Momentus 5400.2 for my X32. i was thinking of going with one of the 16MB cache Toshibas, but the review of HDs at laptop Logic

http://www.laptoplogic.com/reviews/deta ... ll&page=19

persuaded me to go with the Seagate. First time I will have used Seagate in a laptop, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This is the one I ordered for those of you following along at home. If someone else has got this, or has used it, I'd appreciate any opinions.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... etailSpecs

Thanks

Further to my previous note. I got this drive today and installed it and, uh, it's not "great performance" as the 120G version in the above test. Seems kind of pokey and slow installing things and not a lot of snap running things. It is pretty quiet, but unless things change I'll be returning it and getting a 7200RPM drive, probably the Hitachi 7K100 80 G

A real disappointment, since I had my 7K60 in there and it was real quick (though it vibrated a lot).

Cheers--

aabram · #29 Post by **aabram** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 7:22 am

I've yet to see a perfect harddrive.
Fast, big and quiet - pick two. You can't have all three. No, really.

Aristotle11 · #30 Post by **Aristotle11** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:52 pm

I only want fast and quiet...not big. Any ideas?

Quiet & fast 7200RPM drive for X22 or X32?

Quiet & fast 7200RPM drive for X22 or X32?

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