Silent / Cool running HD?

I have got a couple of HDs to choose from to put in my new notebook. My main concerns are that I want my notebook to run cool and silent. Of course, if differences are small, I prefer fast over slow! Unfortunately, I'm not an expert in this area...

The HD is probably not the most heat producing element in a notebook, but still it may add considerably to fan noise, right? Anyway, 'the' list:

• Seagate 5400 250GB
• Hitachi 5K320 320GB
• Hitachi 7k200 200GB 7200RPM
• 7k320, 320GB 7200

How would you rank these drives on heat and noise (please also anticipate the fan noise that will result from the heat it produces)? Or would the differences just be really small? I heard the Hitachi 5K320 320GB would probably be the best choice? Thanks so much in advance for your expert insights!

 

1. Seagate 5400.5 (?) 250GB (Slow access times)
2. Hitachi 5K320 320GB (Best Choice)
3. Hitachi 7K320 320GB (Best performance, 2nd Best Choice)
4. Hitachi 7K200 200GB (Aged)

You could checkout the Seagate 7200.3 320/250GB too --> Super Cheap !!

 

Thanks for your reply Andy.

Do you think the difference concerning 1) speed, 2) noise (also as in 'fas noise'), and 3) heat, between the Hitachi 5K320 320GB and the Hitachi 7K320 320GB is 'relatively' large? Is it (well) noticeable?

 

7K320 is way faster than the 5K320, and the boost will definitely be noticeable. AT the users, and some charts at Tomshardware, the 5K320 is cooler, quieter, and has a lower power consumption than the 7K320.
The difference in noise and heat is not much, so checkout, which drive you can get at a good price.

 

I have the 7k320 drives, and they are very quiet. From what I hear the 5k320 is the quietest of the 320gb 5400rpm drives. From personal use, the 7k320 is a very quiet drive. I do not use drives other than Hitachi, but usually WD is the most power efficient, seagate is generally the quietest and Hitachi is the fastest. But this last generation seems to violate these generics. The seagate drive is now the fastest, the hitachi is the quietest and wd is still very power efficient and quiet.

K-TRON

 

I agree with Andy here, except for number 4.

In my opinion the 7K200 is still a very good drive, quieter than the 320GB 7K320.

But Tomassi, you may want to check with Vaio Z owners how quiet their 7K200 is in their Z. Each laptop is different and will react different to noise and vibrations.

 

Hi K-Tron, thanks for your insights.

Would you say the 7k320 is also very silent when it comes to fan noise it results in? Or did you only mean to say that the 7k320 itself is very silent, but that it may well hold that the 7k320 gets relatively a lot hotter and as such needs a fan more often? In other words, is there still a big 'gain in silence' to be gained by going from a 7k320 to a 5k320?

Thanks.

 

Tomassi please be aware that K-Tron's laptop is a "Voodoo ENVY U709 heavyweight server replacement". This has very different characteristics
than a 1.49kg Vaio Z.

His 7K320s are 160GB drives, so versions with one platter. The two platter 320GB has different characteristics.

If you want to read more user reviews of the 7K320 check out Newegg.com

 

I'd buy a 5K320, shame I can't get it outside the US.

 

I have the 160gb drives, which have one disk instead of 2. That means that their will be less vibration inside, cause their is only one spinning disc rather than two.
My harddrive caddy has 8 shock absorbers on it so there is no vibration at all. I have active cooling on the drives via EBM PAPST high end cooling fans I have added.
I have used the 7k320 externally and it does not vibrate much at all when I hold it in my hand. It is a very quiet drive, and you can only here a very low noise when defragmenting.
Your best bet may be to go with the 5400rpm variant, cause they will use less power and run a bit cooler.

In essence go for a single platter 7200rpm drive or a single platter 5400rpm drive, both will run cool and have very low vibrations in comparison to dual platter drives.

K-TRON

 

Guys, how do these two HDs compare:

- Western Digital 320GB SATA3 5400RPM
- Hitachi 5K320

Which runs cooler? Which one is more silent? Which one uses less energy? Which one is faster? Which one would you take?

Your thoughts are really appreciated!!

 

I believe you are referring to the WD3200BEVT, right ?

I have the WD3200BEVT, and it is cool, never goes above 40*C. Battery life/Power Consumption is said to be high at Tomshardware, but my laptop does not have a battery, so I cannot comment on it. But it is the best performer among the 320GB 5400RPM drives.

The Hitachi 5K320 also remains cool, and is said to have a lower Power Consumption/better battery life by Tomshardware. It is also said to be quieter than the WD Blue.

If battery life is not a problem then the WD3200BEVT, else the Hitachi 5K320.