Hard Drive silencers...do they work?

[True_Orb]

I found this one at xoxide.com; http://xoxide.com/hadrsi.html

Does it really lower sound output? If so, is it worth the $19.99+shipping?

I am not too concerned with my current comp, but my new comp I buy this summer has to be extra quiet while packing top-of-the-line punch

 

[True_Orb]

OK thanks.

 

[ekÆsine]

yes they do work, find a silencer that encloses the entire drive into a concealed box. your drive temp will go up a bit, but it will make your disk completely silent as a ghost.

the one you showed will reduce your noise by a few decibels, not nearly as good as a box. make your choice, sacrifice higher temps or midway between

 

[True_Orb]

Well if that's the case then I need to know if anyone knows which will wear out a drive faster.

The one I showed said it reduced vibration to reduce sound, therefore prolongs drive life.

So do I want to prolong drive life with a case and cut it short with heat, or prolong a case life with low temps and shorten it with higher vibration?

 

[True_Orb]

I went to newegg.com to find some more 'silencers' and I only found these two.

Zalman Noise Prevention HD cooler

Cooler Master Hard Disk Cooler (Also says that it lowers case temp, but that's secondary and feedback is a little iffy.

I'd be happy to look at more if someone has some ideas!

 

[True_Orb]

I think I've decided on the Zalman, which will, according to customer reviews, significantly reduce sound while also reducing heat.

The only problem is I found this in one of the reviews; "Note that you will need a 5.25" hard-drive slot in your case for this unit, even though it holds a 3.5" drive."

How do I know if I have this, and what modifications would I have to make if I don't?

My hard drive is currently under my floppy in a 3.5'' bay, would I have to move it up to my spare 5.25 drive?

 

[mousepad]

I really don't think H.D.D silencers or coolers are needed at all; H.D.D's don't make enough heat or noise. It's really not worth it. Plus all I see in the casing is a fan, wow, not worth $30 when you could just put a nice small fan in front of a H.D.D...

 

[True_Orb]

There are no fans, the whole idea is that it is silent. The cooling part is just a bonus.

All I know is that my computer makes noise, and I know it's not the 2 case fans, the CPU fan is quiet, and when I put my ear by the hard drive I hear a lot of noise...

 

[ekÆsine]

True_Orb those coolmaster boxes are coolers not noise reducers, its not the same thing. i saw an article on a tech site (anandtech, tomshardware, ect) that had an article on this.

they had exact models and showed testing results, i can't remeber which site and what the article was called. . . .heres an example of one called SilentDrive:
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/desktops/0,39023850,10001586,00.htm

if you can't find any that zalman silencer looks okay

 

[True_Orb]

I know they are coolers, but it says in both the advertisement and customer reviews that they also keep the drive quiet. And in the case of the one I had selected, people said it worked better as a silencer than a cooler.

Sounds like the best deal because I don't want to make my hard drive sweat, but I will check out that link, thanks.