• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

27 vs 36 decibel HDD

Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
4,330 (3.92/day)
Location
Colorado, U.S.A.
System Name HP Compaq 8000 Elite CMT
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Motherboard Hewlett-Packard 3647h
Memory 16GB DDR3
Video Card(s) Asus NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 (fan-less)
Storage 2TB Micron SATA SSD; 2TB Seagate Firecuda 3.5" HDD
Display(s) Dell P2416D (2560 x 1440)
Power Supply 12V HP proprietary
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
double check : yep they're 7 orders of magnitude apart 0.06x7=0.42

7 times apart; 7 orders of magnitude is 10,000,000
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lei
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
7,762 (3.08/day)
Location
Back in Norway
System Name Hotbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 110/95/110, PBO +150Mhz, CO -7,-7,-20(x6),
Motherboard ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 ITX/ax
Cooling LOBO + Laing DDC 1T Plus PWM + Corsair XR5 280mm + 2x Arctic P14
Memory 32GB G.Skill FlareX 3200c14 @3800c15
Video Card(s) PowerColor Radeon 6900XT Liquid Devil Ultimate, UC@2250MHz max @~200W
Storage 2TB Adata SX8200 Pro
Display(s) Dell U2711 main, AOC 24P2C secondary
Case SSUPD Meshlicious
Audio Device(s) Optoma Nuforce μDAC 3
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Keychron K3/Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M w/DSA profile caps
Software Windows 10 Pro
Air density 1.27 kg/m3

HDD dimensions: 14x10x26 = 0.00038602 cubic meter
if hard drive was entirely made of air, it would weight 0.4902454 grams
if it was all helium it would be 0.0656234 grams
double check : yep they're 7 times apart 0.06x7=0.42

difference between weight of air and helium in that volume : 0.424622

Ok, helium makes it half a gram lighter, so other components must be also different.
Anyway, from 12tb and up, a lot of things including acoustics change. We tend to think higher capacities are louder because they have more platters and arms; but it's not true once Helioseal enters the realm.


So this statement is disregarding Helium capability:
AFAIK (don't ask me about details, I don't know them) heluim drives use different platters and heads than conventional drives. There are plenty of possible reasons why: less drag on platters means less need for rotating mass to counteract drag-induced vibration; less drag means head designs can be different; less turbulence allows for different aerodynamics, tighter tolerances, etc. Lighter platters could also help explain the reduced power draw (alongside the lowered drag). And so on, and so on.

Either way, if you need significant storege space, I would very much recommend a NAS. Either DIY with TrueNAS or something similar (my choice, works amazingly well, low cost from spare/hand-me-down PC parts), or off the shelf. Place it out of the way and you don't have to worry about noise, and even cheap 2.5GbE is fast enough for HDD speeds. I use shucked external HDDs in my NAS, and some of them are very clicky and loud, but that doesn't matter when the NAS lives in a hallway cupboard.
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
4,330 (3.92/day)
Location
Colorado, U.S.A.
System Name HP Compaq 8000 Elite CMT
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Motherboard Hewlett-Packard 3647h
Memory 16GB DDR3
Video Card(s) Asus NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 (fan-less)
Storage 2TB Micron SATA SSD; 2TB Seagate Firecuda 3.5" HDD
Display(s) Dell P2416D (2560 x 1440)
Power Supply 12V HP proprietary
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Which leads to an interesting question (for me at least)

The heads surf on a different medium (Helium) so I wonder what would happen if air did indeed leak in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lei

Lei

Joined
Jul 3, 2021
Messages
1,142 (1.14/day)
Location
usually in my shirt
Processor 3900x - Bykski waterblock
Motherboard MSI b450m mortar max BIOS Date 27 Apr 2023
Cooling αcool 560 rad - 2xPhanteks F140XP
Memory Micron 32gb 3200mhz ddr4
Video Card(s) Colorful 3090 ADOC active backplate cooling
Storage WD SN850 2tb ,HP EX950 1tb, WD UltraStar Helioseal 18tb+18tb
Display(s) 24“ HUION pro 4k 10bit
Case aluminium extrusions copper panels, 60 deliveries for every piece down to screws
Audio Device(s) sony stereo mic, logitech c930, Gulikit pro 2 + xbox Series S controller, moded bt headphone 1200mAh
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x
Mouse pen display, no mouse no click
Keyboard Microsoft aio media embedded touchpad (moded lithium battery 1000mAh)
Software Win 11 23h2 build 22631
Benchmark Scores cine23 20000
It becomes unusable. there's no filter hole and the lid is laser welded Opening Helium hard drive
There's no "do not cover this hole"

This blog from WD says that if they just empty the drive, the head will crash into the disk. And Hydrogen is flammable
Rise of Helium

It would be great if we could have an empty drive without crashing the head into the disk, don't mind density but sound would not be able to propagate. We'd never hear the head or any moving parts. Just tiny vibrations of hdd body. Please make it, at least it won't catch fire.
Which leads to an interesting question (for me at least)

The heads surf on a different medium (Helium) so I wonder what would happen if air did indeed leak in.
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
4,330 (3.92/day)
Location
Colorado, U.S.A.
System Name HP Compaq 8000 Elite CMT
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Motherboard Hewlett-Packard 3647h
Memory 16GB DDR3
Video Card(s) Asus NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 (fan-less)
Storage 2TB Micron SATA SSD; 2TB Seagate Firecuda 3.5" HDD
Display(s) Dell P2416D (2560 x 1440)
Power Supply 12V HP proprietary
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Didn't realize it was welded; many thanks for the clarification.

However the video
shows screws, so there is still a possibility of leakage.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Lei
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Messages
2,373 (0.61/day)
System Name boomer--->zoomer not your typical millenial build
Processor i5-760 @ 3.8ghz + turbo ~goes wayyyyyyyyy fast cuz turboooooz~
Motherboard P55-GD80 ~best motherboard ever designed~
Cooling NH-D15 ~double stack thot twerk all day~
Memory 16GB Crucial Ballistix LP ~memory gone AWOL~
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 970 ~*~GOLDEN EDITION~*~ RAWRRRRRR
Storage 500GB Samsung 850 Evo (OS X, *nix), 128GB Samsung 840 Pro (W10 Pro), 1TB SpinPoint F3 ~best in class
Display(s) ASUS VW246H ~best 24" you've seen *FULL HD* *1O80PP* *SLAPS*~
Case FT02-W ~the W stands for white but it's brushed aluminum except for the disgusting ODD bays; *cries*
Audio Device(s) A LOT
Power Supply 850W EVGA SuperNova G2 ~hot fire like champagne~
Mouse CM Spawn ~cmcz R c00l seth mcfarlane darawss~
Keyboard CM QF Rapid - Browns ~fastrrr kees for fstr teens~
Software integrated into the chassis
Benchmark Scores 9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
So this statement is disregarding Helium capability:
With respect, having purchased dozens of helium drives to build NAS systems for others, it’s not. I am sure there are differences that affect noise, but the bigger you go the louder they get… Your own research verifies as much :)

Sure, a 12TB helium drive is quieter than a traditional 12TB drive, but they’re both still louder than 8TB drives at the same rpm, and 16TB are louder still, which was my caveat — I think your setup would be quieter with two 8TB drives rather than a single 16TB drive. Maybe the spec sheets will prove me wrong, but that’s just my experience. :shrug:
 
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
7,762 (3.08/day)
Location
Back in Norway
System Name Hotbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 110/95/110, PBO +150Mhz, CO -7,-7,-20(x6),
Motherboard ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 ITX/ax
Cooling LOBO + Laing DDC 1T Plus PWM + Corsair XR5 280mm + 2x Arctic P14
Memory 32GB G.Skill FlareX 3200c14 @3800c15
Video Card(s) PowerColor Radeon 6900XT Liquid Devil Ultimate, UC@2250MHz max @~200W
Storage 2TB Adata SX8200 Pro
Display(s) Dell U2711 main, AOC 24P2C secondary
Case SSUPD Meshlicious
Audio Device(s) Optoma Nuforce μDAC 3
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Keychron K3/Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M w/DSA profile caps
Software Windows 10 Pro
With respect, having purchased dozens of helium drives to build NAS systems for others, it’s not. I am sure there are differences that affect noise, but the bigger you go the louder they get… Your own research verifies as much :)

Sure, a 12TB helium drive is quieter than a traditional 12TB drive, but they’re both still louder than 8TB drives at the same rpm, and 16TB are louder still, which was my caveat — I think your setup would be quieter with two 8TB drives rather than a single 16TB drive. Maybe the spec sheets will prove me wrong, but that’s just my experience. :shrug:
Spec sheets are hardly exhaustive though. dBA measurements might be comparable, but are the conditions of measurement the same? Distance, direction, type and sensitivity of the measurement device, etc. - are those standardized between manufacturers? If not, the numbers are only internally comparable. Then there's the question of frequency and how human hearing sensitivity isn't linear across the audible frequency spectrum - and some frequencies are just more annoying than others, regardless of volume. I've long since stopped putting any trust in dBA measurements for this reason - without strict standardization, the numbers are meaningless at best, misleading at worst.
 
Joined
Apr 7, 2011
Messages
1,380 (0.29/day)
System Name Desktop
Processor Intel Xeon E5-1680v2
Motherboard ASUS Sabertooth X79
Cooling Intel AIO
Memory 8x4GB DDR3 1866MHz
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX 970 SC
Storage Crucial MX500 1TB + 2x WD RE 4TB HDD
Display(s) HP ZR24w
Case Fractal Define XL Black
Audio Device(s) Schiit Modi Uber/Sony CDP-XA20ES/Pioneer CT-656>Sony TA-F630ESD>Sennheiser HD600
Power Supply Corsair HX850
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Logitech G613
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
The helium drives started with 8TB I think (Hitachi He8), but I'm not sure if they still make them.
 
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Messages
12,015 (1.86/day)
Location
Nebraska, USA
System Name Brightworks Systems BWS-6 E-IV
Processor Intel Core i5-6600 @ 3.9GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 Rev 1.0
Cooling Quality case, 2 x Fractal Design 140mm fans, stock CPU HSF
Memory 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) EVGA GEForce GTX 1050Ti 4Gb GDDR5
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD, Samsung 860 Evo 500GB SSD
Display(s) Samsung S24E650BW LED x 2
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 550W G2 Gold
Mouse Logitech M190
Keyboard Microsoft Wireless Comfort 5050
Software W10 Pro 64-bit
Helium is 7 times lighter than air
While true, this is NOT a factor in the weight of drives. There just is not enough "empty space" (for lack of a better term) inside a drive that is filled with gas (air or helium) to affect the weight of a drive.

HDD dimensions: 14x10x2.6 = 0.00038602 cubic meter
if hard drive was entirely made of air, it would weight 0.4902454 grams
if it was all helium it would be 0.0656234 grams
double check : yep they're 7 times apart 0.06x7=0.42

difference between weight of air and helium in that volume : 0.424622

Ok, helium makes it half a gram lighter
None of this makes any sense. The volume of the entire drive (external dimensions) is not a factor in this discussion. And the "empty space" inside a hard drive is so insignificant, discussing weights at all makes no sense.

As seen by this weight per volume calculator,

1 inch³ air = 21.19 milligram (mg)​
1 inch³ helium = 2.93 mg (confirming the x 7 difference)​

1/2 gram = 500mg.

The weight of the drive indicated by the OP in post #44 above is .66kg. That's 660 grams. It takes almost 4 meter³ of helium to make up that much weight. 500mg of helium would take up over 3 meter³. If anyone has ever worked with concrete, they would know 3 "yards" of concrete would make a lot of sidewalk!

I doubt there is even 1 inch³ of empty space inside a drive - certainly not enough empty space inside a drive (let alone exterior volume) so that it is 1/2 gram (500 milligrams) lighter just because it is helium vs air.

I just heard [barely!] a car rolling down the street. That was only because the TV in the other room is turned off. I still cannot hear the 2 computers in this room with their 4 case fans, 2 CPU fans, 2 PSU fans, and 2 GPU fans running. Okay, these computers both have SSDs, but I think my point is sound (pun intended).
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
25,559 (6.52/day)
Either way, if you need significant storege space, I would very much recommend a NAS.
Some people want a big drive to put in their PC, not a big box of drives they have to find a place for, set up and configure. There are many things to be said about the ease of "plug & play".
 

Lei

Joined
Jul 3, 2021
Messages
1,142 (1.14/day)
Location
usually in my shirt
Processor 3900x - Bykski waterblock
Motherboard MSI b450m mortar max BIOS Date 27 Apr 2023
Cooling αcool 560 rad - 2xPhanteks F140XP
Memory Micron 32gb 3200mhz ddr4
Video Card(s) Colorful 3090 ADOC active backplate cooling
Storage WD SN850 2tb ,HP EX950 1tb, WD UltraStar Helioseal 18tb+18tb
Display(s) 24“ HUION pro 4k 10bit
Case aluminium extrusions copper panels, 60 deliveries for every piece down to screws
Audio Device(s) sony stereo mic, logitech c930, Gulikit pro 2 + xbox Series S controller, moded bt headphone 1200mAh
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x
Mouse pen display, no mouse no click
Keyboard Microsoft aio media embedded touchpad (moded lithium battery 1000mAh)
Software Win 11 23h2 build 22631
Benchmark Scores cine23 20000
The helium drives started with 8TB I think (Hitachi He8), but I'm not sure if they still make them.
1634011580721.png
1634011510079.png
 

Chloefile

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
10,879 (2.64/day)
Location
Finland
System Name 4K-gaming
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite
Cooling Custom loop (CPU+GPU, 240 & 120 rads)
Memory 32GB Kingston HyperX Fury @ DDR4-3466
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX 6700 XT Fighter
Storage ~4TB SSD + 6TB HDD
Display(s) Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case Fractal Design Define Mini C
Audio Device(s) Asus TUF H3 Wireless
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse Logitech MX518
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores It runs Crysis remastered at 4K
Personally I'd say that any HDD is too noisy. But decibels are also marketing and can you really trust what the manufacturer says?

Probably a louder drive would still be tolerable as we don't have those hella noisy drives like in the 80s and 90s had.
 
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
7,762 (3.08/day)
Location
Back in Norway
System Name Hotbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 110/95/110, PBO +150Mhz, CO -7,-7,-20(x6),
Motherboard ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 ITX/ax
Cooling LOBO + Laing DDC 1T Plus PWM + Corsair XR5 280mm + 2x Arctic P14
Memory 32GB G.Skill FlareX 3200c14 @3800c15
Video Card(s) PowerColor Radeon 6900XT Liquid Devil Ultimate, UC@2250MHz max @~200W
Storage 2TB Adata SX8200 Pro
Display(s) Dell U2711 main, AOC 24P2C secondary
Case SSUPD Meshlicious
Audio Device(s) Optoma Nuforce μDAC 3
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Keychron K3/Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M w/DSA profile caps
Software Windows 10 Pro
Some people want a big drive to put in their PC, not a big box of drives they have to find a place for, set up and configure. There are many things to be said about the ease of "plug & play".
I would say a key point of a NAS is that that "box of drives" isn't big at all. Most off-the-shelf units are tiny, with a decent diy solution only being marginally larger. Off-the-shelf units are also very easy to configure. I can understand not wanting the extra hardware and config, but IMO the benefits far outweigh the hassle. Hence my recommendation. And as the OP is clearly somewhat worried about noise, it seems like a no-brainer to me.
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
25,559 (6.52/day)
I would say a key point of a NAS is that that "box of drives" isn't big at all.
It's still more complicated and expensive than most people care to deal with. A large drive is easy to install buy, easy to install, easy to use and fits into an existing PC. NAS is not a great option for most users.
 
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
7,762 (3.08/day)
Location
Back in Norway
System Name Hotbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 110/95/110, PBO +150Mhz, CO -7,-7,-20(x6),
Motherboard ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 ITX/ax
Cooling LOBO + Laing DDC 1T Plus PWM + Corsair XR5 280mm + 2x Arctic P14
Memory 32GB G.Skill FlareX 3200c14 @3800c15
Video Card(s) PowerColor Radeon 6900XT Liquid Devil Ultimate, UC@2250MHz max @~200W
Storage 2TB Adata SX8200 Pro
Display(s) Dell U2711 main, AOC 24P2C secondary
Case SSUPD Meshlicious
Audio Device(s) Optoma Nuforce μDAC 3
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Keychron K3/Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M w/DSA profile caps
Software Windows 10 Pro
It's still more complicated and expensive than most people care to deal with. A large drive is easy to install buy, easy to install, easy to use and fits into an existing PC. NAS is not a great option for most users.
But a 16TB drive isn't a great option for most users either - ridiculously expensive, stores so much data that any loss would be catastrophic, etc. So the OP here is clearly not "most users". That is not the premise for this discussion. As storage needs increase, so do data management needs - and often also data access needs/wants. Keeping your main PC (which is typically quite powerful and likely not very efficient) turned on 24/7 for data access from other devices is pretty stupid compared to something made for that purpose. Sure, there are cases where the data is only ever accessed from one device by one user and they still need that much space, but I'd say that's reasonably rare compared to more varied use cases. To each their own, but IMO, once you get to a point where a >10TB drive makes sense to you, keeping that drive in your main PC is likely to also have significant downsides, and you're likely to see some value in the additional features a NAS can bring to the table.
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
25,559 (6.52/day)
But a 16TB drive isn't a great option for most users either - ridiculously expensive
Um..
You were saying?
stores so much data that any loss would be catastrophic, etc.
You are arguing a "what-if" again as if drives fail that often. Drive failures are rare in performance consumer drives and for enterprise drives even more rare when in consumer use. Not a good argument.
That is not the premise for this discussion.
You're right, it's not. The topic of discussion is the sound levels of the drives the OP is interested in as they have already decided to get one large drive. So can we have done with the off-topic jibber-jabber?

On that note.

@Lei
The above linked Toshiba drive has a spec of 20db which would meet your desire to have a quiet drive with large capacity & good performance.

This drive seems like a great option for what you want.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Lei
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
4,330 (3.92/day)
Location
Colorado, U.S.A.
System Name HP Compaq 8000 Elite CMT
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Motherboard Hewlett-Packard 3647h
Memory 16GB DDR3
Video Card(s) Asus NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 (fan-less)
Storage 2TB Micron SATA SSD; 2TB Seagate Firecuda 3.5" HDD
Display(s) Dell P2416D (2560 x 1440)
Power Supply 12V HP proprietary
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
We all know Helium changes the pitch of peoples voices; is the same true for noise made in the drive? The human ear is more sensitive to higher pitch.

Do most drives still have the AAM (Automatic Acoustic Management) setting so they can be quietened?
 
Last edited:
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
7,762 (3.08/day)
Location
Back in Norway
System Name Hotbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 110/95/110, PBO +150Mhz, CO -7,-7,-20(x6),
Motherboard ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 ITX/ax
Cooling LOBO + Laing DDC 1T Plus PWM + Corsair XR5 280mm + 2x Arctic P14
Memory 32GB G.Skill FlareX 3200c14 @3800c15
Video Card(s) PowerColor Radeon 6900XT Liquid Devil Ultimate, UC@2250MHz max @~200W
Storage 2TB Adata SX8200 Pro
Display(s) Dell U2711 main, AOC 24P2C secondary
Case SSUPD Meshlicious
Audio Device(s) Optoma Nuforce μDAC 3
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Keychron K3/Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M w/DSA profile caps
Software Windows 10 Pro
We all know Helium changes the pitch of peoples voices; is the same true for noise made in the drive? The human ear is more sensitive to higher pitch.

Do most drives still have the AAM (Automatic Acoustic Management) setting so they can be quietened?
If so, I doubt it's noticeable as all the noise will be passing through an intermediary material (the metal casing of the drive), and might not even pass meaningfully through helium at all given the tiny amount + noise source (motor) being directly coupled to the metal casing. In the case of your voice, your vocal cords cause vibrations to propagate within and through the helium, which again pass into other surrounding gases as the noise leaves your mouth. That's very different from how HDD noise is created and propagates.
Um..
You were saying?
That's cheap /GB, but ... it's a $320 HDD. That's a lot of money unless you're pretty well off. Any storage device above $200 starts to hurt in my world.
You are arguing a "what-if" again as if drives fail that often. Drive failures are rare in performance consumer drives and for enterprise drives even more rare when in consumer use. Not a good argument.
No, I'm mentioning that as one of many potential benefits of NAS use, and a generally useful rule of thumb that the higher the amount of data you're storing, the more you'll lose if it fails, and thus the more care you should take to prevent this. That obviously isn't a universally applicable statement - even 100MB of priceless photos of a deceased loved one can be a tragic loss, after all - but the more data, the higher the chance that it's valuable to you overall (and even if it's replaceable, the more hassle doing so will be).
You're right, it's not. The topic of discussion is the sound levels of the drives the OP is interested in as they have already decided to get one large drive. So can we have done with the off-topic jibber-jabber?

On that note.

@Lei
The above linked Toshiba drive has a spec of 20db which would meet your desire to have a quiet drive with large capacity good performance.

This drive seems like a great option for what you want.
Well, the argument that "a drive in a NAS in a cupboard/other room won't bother you no matter its noise level" still addresses this concern, which is why it was brought up in the first place. Yet another benefit of NAS use. Presenting the OP with insight on alternative solutions that might address their concerns is generally a good thing, no?

Also, you're making the same previously pointed out mistake of assuming that dBA measurements are comparable - we know neither the equipment, measurement distance, or frequency spectrum of the noise, which makes it at best useful as a ballpark estimate. How it sounds when mounted in a case (with interactions between vibration and resonant frequencies etc.) further complicates this.
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
4,330 (3.92/day)
Location
Colorado, U.S.A.
System Name HP Compaq 8000 Elite CMT
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Motherboard Hewlett-Packard 3647h
Memory 16GB DDR3
Video Card(s) Asus NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 (fan-less)
Storage 2TB Micron SATA SSD; 2TB Seagate Firecuda 3.5" HDD
Display(s) Dell P2416D (2560 x 1440)
Power Supply 12V HP proprietary
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
In the case of your voice, your vocal cords cause vibrations to propagate within and through the helium, which again pass into other surrounding gases as the noise leaves your mouth. That's very different from how HDD noise is created and propagates.

I was picturing the arms vibrating and a thud becoming a dink; but the picture may be all wrong.
 
Joined
May 2, 2017
Messages
7,762 (3.08/day)
Location
Back in Norway
System Name Hotbox
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, 110/95/110, PBO +150Mhz, CO -7,-7,-20(x6),
Motherboard ASRock Phantom Gaming B550 ITX/ax
Cooling LOBO + Laing DDC 1T Plus PWM + Corsair XR5 280mm + 2x Arctic P14
Memory 32GB G.Skill FlareX 3200c14 @3800c15
Video Card(s) PowerColor Radeon 6900XT Liquid Devil Ultimate, UC@2250MHz max @~200W
Storage 2TB Adata SX8200 Pro
Display(s) Dell U2711 main, AOC 24P2C secondary
Case SSUPD Meshlicious
Audio Device(s) Optoma Nuforce μDAC 3
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Keychron K3/Cooler Master MasterKeys Pro M w/DSA profile caps
Software Windows 10 Pro
I was picturing the arms vibrating and a thud becoming a dink; but the picture may be all wrong.
I would assume that noise propagates something like arms -> actuator assembly -> casing -> air, so I doubt the helium would affect that meaningfully - though I guess the lower density of the gas might cause the 'dink' to be slightly different in terms of frequency. I'd assume the metal and construction of the arm to have a greater determining effect on that, but I might be wrong. I don't think I've ever heard a "thud" from a HDD :p
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2021
Messages
4,330 (3.92/day)
Location
Colorado, U.S.A.
System Name HP Compaq 8000 Elite CMT
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Motherboard Hewlett-Packard 3647h
Memory 16GB DDR3
Video Card(s) Asus NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB GDDR5 (fan-less)
Storage 2TB Micron SATA SSD; 2TB Seagate Firecuda 3.5" HDD
Display(s) Dell P2416D (2560 x 1440)
Power Supply 12V HP proprietary
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
I am also at a bit of a loss as to the mechanism; but I recall drives that thud, but it may have been an old SCSI drive.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Messages
12,015 (1.86/day)
Location
Nebraska, USA
System Name Brightworks Systems BWS-6 E-IV
Processor Intel Core i5-6600 @ 3.9GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 Rev 1.0
Cooling Quality case, 2 x Fractal Design 140mm fans, stock CPU HSF
Memory 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) EVGA GEForce GTX 1050Ti 4Gb GDDR5
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD, Samsung 860 Evo 500GB SSD
Display(s) Samsung S24E650BW LED x 2
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 550W G2 Gold
Mouse Logitech M190
Keyboard Microsoft Wireless Comfort 5050
Software W10 Pro 64-bit
It's still more complicated and expensive than most people care to deal with.
Maybe, maybe not.

A NAS can be 1 drive in an enclosure that connects via Ethernet. Or it can be many drives in an enclosure configured in all sorts of different RAID arrays. Or can simply be a spare PC on your network with shared drives.
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Messages
2,373 (0.61/day)
System Name boomer--->zoomer not your typical millenial build
Processor i5-760 @ 3.8ghz + turbo ~goes wayyyyyyyyy fast cuz turboooooz~
Motherboard P55-GD80 ~best motherboard ever designed~
Cooling NH-D15 ~double stack thot twerk all day~
Memory 16GB Crucial Ballistix LP ~memory gone AWOL~
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 970 ~*~GOLDEN EDITION~*~ RAWRRRRRR
Storage 500GB Samsung 850 Evo (OS X, *nix), 128GB Samsung 840 Pro (W10 Pro), 1TB SpinPoint F3 ~best in class
Display(s) ASUS VW246H ~best 24" you've seen *FULL HD* *1O80PP* *SLAPS*~
Case FT02-W ~the W stands for white but it's brushed aluminum except for the disgusting ODD bays; *cries*
Audio Device(s) A LOT
Power Supply 850W EVGA SuperNova G2 ~hot fire like champagne~
Mouse CM Spawn ~cmcz R c00l seth mcfarlane darawss~
Keyboard CM QF Rapid - Browns ~fastrrr kees for fstr teens~
Software integrated into the chassis
Benchmark Scores 9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
I don’t know why so many people are trying to convince @Lei that they aren’t hearing the things they’re hearing, so much so that they started a thread about that noise driving (harr, harr) their purchasing decisions, but hey, keep on fighting the good fight, maybe you’ll convince them that they’re delusional.

That said, @Lei is either over evaluating this decision (much respect, genuinely), or trolling us (I hope not!). Lei — you will not find answers in PRs, data sheets (20dB at idle for that Toshoba drive, but no seek measurements? Lol), or trying to become a sound scientist (believe me, I’ve tried :)). I’d just buy the drive and see how you feel about it. Run some checks on it, and see how it sounds — you can always return it if you don’t like the noise or it doesn’t pass your preferred checks.

Noise is subjective, not objective — as you’ve noticed, most users on this forum don’t actually care about noise at all as long as it works, and will even denigrate you for having more sensitive hearing than they do (lot of olds on this forum), and isn’t it odd that a much more mechanically complicated drive is quoted at idle to be quieter than a less complicated drive, but louder when in use? Density matters, and not just that of the gas surrounding it. More platters = more noise.

The “power” of noise (dB) doesn’t account for dozens of other perceptions, which are all subjective and incalculable. You won’t know until you try and, even then, others experiences won’t align with yours. I’d say go for a swim and see how the water feels!
 
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Messages
12,015 (1.86/day)
Location
Nebraska, USA
System Name Brightworks Systems BWS-6 E-IV
Processor Intel Core i5-6600 @ 3.9GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 Rev 1.0
Cooling Quality case, 2 x Fractal Design 140mm fans, stock CPU HSF
Memory 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) EVGA GEForce GTX 1050Ti 4Gb GDDR5
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD, Samsung 860 Evo 500GB SSD
Display(s) Samsung S24E650BW LED x 2
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 550W G2 Gold
Mouse Logitech M190
Keyboard Microsoft Wireless Comfort 5050
Software W10 Pro 64-bit
I don't think you, claes, have assessed the replies properly. Nobody suggested the noise is not there. Only that the differences mentioned are not likely to be that significant, if significant at all.

Noise is subjective, not objective
Not true at all. Noise is subjective and objective. Yes, it is a matter of opinion as to how annoying noise it. But noise can be measured (and calculable)with test equipment too. So therefore, subjective and objective.

most users on this forum don’t actually care about noise at all as long as it works,
I don't know about most. I for one, hate fan noise, for example. I really hate it. I am not a fan (no pun intended) of drive motor noise either - another reason to go SSD.
 
Joined
Sep 20, 2021
Messages
36 (0.04/day)
System Name Z840
Processor E5-2698 V4 X2
Memory 128GB ECC 2400mhz
Storage a lot
Power Supply 1400W
I have 4 of those helium filled hgst hdd's on one of my systems, and they are as loud as any other 7K drives. I measure around 38 DB's with my phone next to them...for what is worth.

 
Top