Shiny!

[beskippy]

I spent some time recently saving up in order to buy myself a computer upgrade.  About the only things I will be keeping are a 250GB ATA100 HD and my ATA DVD+-RW drive.  Everything else is going to be new.  A year ago I told myself that I would move to console gaming in the future, and wouldn't need a new computer for a long time.  But then I found

Comments

[electroly]

The 7200.10 is without question the loudest hard drive I've ever owned, and this includes the 386 and other ancient stuff I've used over the years. The sound of the head moving is VERY noticeable.

[electroly]

(I have 2x500GB though. The 160GB might be single-platter or different in some other way.)

[beskippy]

I have a 7200.9 (250GB ATA) in my current machine, and I cannot hear it over the god awful fans. I've had far noisier HDs in the past, and really I don't mind the head noise so much, it's only really the whine from the bearings that get to me.

Fingers crossed that the 160GB is a reasonably quietish drive. If it really sucks I can always return the thing and pick up a different drive if necessary.

[beskippy]

Ah yes, the 500GB drive is apparently 3.7 bels during seek, and the 160GB drive is only 2.9. Assuming that bels->decibels corresponds at the 10:1 as I would assume, that means the 500GB drive is 8dB louder, which is about 6-7 times as loud as the 160GB drive (iirc).