Ok have decided to use up the PIII 667 CPU and Abit mobo I have as a lmachine to download stuff while I'm sleeping, so it has to be silent, I've got the case, and PSU. The main thing that the hard drive has to be pretty much silent, I'm a really light sleeper, and it doesn't really have to be any larger than 10 maybe 15 gig (which are very hard to get) as I'll transfer what I download over to my main rig, which is a real noisy beast!! 1 Delta Screamer on the coolermaster heatpipe, and half a dozen other 80 MM case fans.
Funny you should say that... I've just been working on my P3 733 silent box....only thing left making noise is the 75GXP hard disk.... The quietest hard disk is the Seagate Barracuda IV, which comes in 20, 40, 60 and 80GB versions. the 40 is only a few £ more than the 20, so go for the 40. Download more.
Yea mine is basically silent in the case. I found putting the PC in a wooden cupboard really helps cut out lower frequency noise.
Hmm not owned any Seagates recently, but will definatley get one when funds allow for one. I was planning on using my 40 gig IBM, but then discovered it was a 60 GXP (I thought it was a 120 GXP) I'm actually waiting for the srive to fail, becauseI swear there is something wrong with it, it's an IBM replacment for my orignal deskstar. The server will evntually sit under my desk well out the way, I've got a frotty looking ATX case, but it will do, out of site, out of the way from my mother's nasty duster.
Seagate Barracuda ATA IV's are very quiet, I have an 80 giger, and even in it's extenal enclosure it is almost silent. As for the IBM, try running defrag, the Norton Speeddisk is especially effective. If the defrag hangs, you should be able to run IBM fitness test and get a failure so you can RMA the drive. Unfortunately, IBM is currently replacing 60GXP's with 60 GXP's. When I RMA'd my 75GXP I received a 120GXP, no luck with the 60GXP's, so you may want to wait.
Unfortunately, being an ex-corp, HP-badged, second-user drive, I suspect that I don't have a warranty.... Oh well.... It doesn't seem to have any problems. It's a 15GB, so only a single platter, and doesn't get hard usage, so it will probably last me long enough.
i found my western digital drives are really quiet...pretty much silent imo i only hear them spin up@boot, sounds kinda cool too well, at least im sayin theyre quiet compared to my old 4gig samsung...that had quite a whiney noise and could be heard downstairs at nite
