Is the raptor much louder than the caviar?

[Bidybag]

I want to get the western digital raptor but i am worried about how loud it is going to be. I have read a lot of people saying its the loudest hardest ever. I dont mind about how long it is while im on the computer but the problem is that i have the computer in my bedroom and i want to leave my computer on when i go to sleep.

Is there anyway to reduce the noise of my hard drive for when i go to sleep? Or should i get the western digital caviar instead? Is this much quieter or would it still be too loud?

 

[rubix_1011]

It depends, are you going to be setting it to degrag or anything overnight? If so, you might want to check out some vibration dampening mounts for it some somewhere like FrozenCPU.com or something. I have one and it's fantastic for the speed it provides. However, it is pretty loud when defragging...but that's about it. During OS loads, game loads or just sitting idle, its pretty quiet and you wouldn't know it was in there. Flip on the defrag and it sounds like I'm polishing rare gemstones inside my case. (To be honest, even then, its not really that loud, but I know many people that complain about fan noise...come on...) Also, they can get rather warm, so a vibration kit and/or cooling fan solution does help keep this sucker cool and quiet.

The main question is: does the performance factor override the decibel factor, even if its somewhat minimal?

 

[ethel]

The Raptors ARE loud when seeking - when they are fetching / writing data there is a coffee grinder type noise. However when they are idle they are pretty quiet.

I have a 74GB Raptor and a 74GB 15K SCSI and the raptor is definitely a little louder to my ears. Compared to a 7200rpm drive the Raptor is significantly louder.

However, I solved this problem by suspending the drives, which makes a really big difference. I was lucky because with my P150 case this feature is built in, but with a little effort you can DIY. I can't hear my drives now, and they're lightning fast too.

 

[Bidybag]

I forgot to say, i will be getting this case: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-144-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=29

And the only thing i will be doing overnight is downloading around 1 big file.

So the raptor would be ok and i wont hear it at night?

 

[choirbass]

raptors are louder than 7200s (their idle noise primarily from what ive found, the actual data seeking however isnt offensive sounding though either, but it depends on who you ask, it sounds more like a wolverine purring as someone said before, or a coffee grinder somewhat, as ethel had said). but even when i had 5 raptors in my tower simultaneously before (4*36GB and 1*74GB), it still wasnt as loud as some coolers can get... usually stock cpu coolers and gpu fans for instance, or even psus. but, if youre comparing a single hdd to a single hdd, a raptor will be somewhat louder most of the time.

i wouldnt worry about hearing the raptor though, as long as your case has a good design, then thats what matters most... as a poorly designed case is only going to amplify everything happening inside of it, instead of the opposite.

 

[Bidybag]

I checked the western digital website and it says this for the raptor:

Acoustics
Idle Mode 29 dBA (average)
Seek Mode 0 36 dBA (average)


So if i leave my PC on at night while its only downloading its going to be around 29 DB. Wont this be too loud?

 

[choirbass]

comparing the raptors specs to that of the 750GB caviar, which i gather is considered exceptionally quiet

Acoustics
Idle Mode 28 dBA (average)
Seek Mode 0 33 dBA (average)
Seek Mode 3 29 dBA (average)

it looks like theres only a 3 db difference between their loudest, and only 1 db between their quietest. and if your case can quiet the 3 db difference between them, then you shouldnt hear it, unless you really listen for it, and even then im not so sure you will, all youll probably hear other things in your case too

depending on who you ask, some people cant hear the raptor at all... it largely depends on the internal design of your case. bad case = lots of noise, good case = very little noise. but if you want absolute silence, you may want to forego air cooling altogether, and consider something along the lines of water cooling. water cooling can be a pain though from what ive heard, and unless youve got lots of money to spend on it, it may not be worth it anyhow.

also, as far as raptors, the original 36GB GD raptors were noticably louder than even the 74GB GD raptors released just months afterwards... because they didnt use liquid ball bearings inside, which i gather reduces wear and noise altogether. and when people talk about a raptor being loud, they may be thinking of the original.

 

[sailer]

I have four computers, two using Western Digitals, one using a Seagate, and one using a Raptor 150. I don't notice the Raptor 150 as being any louder than the Western Digital or Seagate drives. It could be that the newer Raptor uses better bearings and is therefore quieter than the originals, as choirbass noted, but it is also probably because the fans on the video cards are so loud that I usually can't hear the hard drives at all.

 

[Bidybag]

Is there a difference between the Raptor and the Raptor X? I see that the only difference is one is see through so you can see what its doing but is there anything else? I read a review and somebody said he found that the Raptor was quieter than the Raptor X.

 

[choirbass]

the raptor x (ADHD) and standard current raptor (ADFD) are pretty much the same. though there are a few differences, one is that the ADHD raptors strs are slightly lower due to it having an older firmware version, another is the case design as you said so you can see whats going on inside, another is the price, the ADHD raptor is slightly more expensive, another is that the ADHD only comes in one size (150), whereas the ADFD comes in 3 sizes (36, 74, and 150)... and another thing that im not positive about, but that the older ADHD version also has certain features enabled by default, that can have a negative affect on performance (either TLER and/or RAFF), which are both features used in raid arrays, but are less important for standalone hdds. those are also features on the ADFD raptors, but i believe they might be disabled by default... im not positive that the ADHD has those enabled by default, thus having a potential negative impact on performance (but increase in data integrity), its just something i remember hearing about. and also noise levels too that you pointed out, i think i actually remember reading that too. but only owning GD and ADFD raptors, i cant comment for sure on that.

 

[Zorg]

Check that case at cooler master and determine if it has the rubber HDD isolators. If it does then the noise is no problem. If the drive is just screwed to the metal carrier it will be loud. I don't mind the noise with the isolators, but I keep all my fans on medium or high too.

 

[Rabidpeanut]

A raptor is much loader than a caviar, it sounds a bit like a caviar that is dying... you can hear when it is working.

 

[rodney_ws]

My Raptor had a distinct sound to it... but unless you have an ultra quiet system, I don't see it being an issue. For most people the price or the capacity is the real issue.