Noise Level Hitachi 5k500 vs other drives

I have the UltraBay for my R60. It's a third party unit made so there no gap like the ThinkPad UltraBay caddy. So far I've tried three drives in there, the Seagate 500GB 7200.4, the 640GB WD 5400RPM and the Hitachi 250GB 7k320. They all have sort of a dull hum to them when in use. You can't hear it if you're listening to music or something, but it's there in a quiet room. I'd like somethin quieter. A SSD is an option, but seems kind of expensive.

I think the Hitachi is 7k320 the best of them, but I'd like more space. I've always heard the 5k500 is the quietest drive available. Anyone got any firsthand experience to compare the Hitachi to the other drives. I got the SSD as my main drive. I'd like a 500GB drive in the UltraBay. The 5k500 seems like a good bet, but if it's no better than what I've got now, I'll stick with what I've got. Thanks for any help.

 

According to Techreport, Samsung Spinpoint M7 and WD5000BEVT are quieter than the Hitachi 5K500.b



WD5000BEVT has often been reported to make a lot of 'swoosh' sounds though. Maybe you should try the Samsung. They have often made quiet drives.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...fbGeav-QaxndHaDQ&sa=title&ved=0CAcQ8wIwADgA#p

 

Thanks Phil. The swoosh is what I heard with all the drives, but I think the Hitachi spins down if not in use, which is why it is quieter. Interesting the X25-M is only slightly quieter than the WD. If it's that loud, that's not really an option. I was over on SilentPCReview and they said the 5k500 was the quietest drive they've ever tested, which I was gravitating toward it. I gathered they take their decibels seriously over there.

 

I've always heard the 5K500.b is very quiet, so I was a bit surprised by the Techreport measurements.

 

I currently have 3 WD500BEVT drives and 2 Hitachi 5K500.b drives. All 5 have AAM set at 128 and both of the Hitachi drives are a bit quieter at idle than the WD drives. The "whoosh" noise on the WD's is just a bit louder than the Hitachi drives. The seek noise is about equal on all of them.

 

I read the German computer magazine Chip today. According to them the Seagate 5400.7 640GB is the quietest hard drive they ever tested.

 

Thanks for the input. I'm not sure if it's worth it to upgrade from what I have now. Even if it's 20% quieter, I don't know that's enough to make it usable. I'd like it to silent like my SSD, which may be pie in the sky.