Lots of great ideas here already... for more I'd look to computer based mags or websites for just such info. PC & Mac World, PC Magazine, etc. I just began Googling for best rated encloseures, servers, NAS drives, etc... found reviews and went shopping for my picks from those which best suited my budget and needs. I bought a NAS drive instead of a server. For me, it works great enough... and I've found the support for it exceptionally good too. Iomega 1TB NAS w/2 ext. USB slots. $235.00.
Best Hard Drive and Enclosure for Music Server
I'm going through the muck dealing with a faulty OWC miniStack. It's a great idea since it fits perfectly under a Mac Mini. But I had lots of problems with its connection to the computer dropping. I returned it for repair, they said the controller board failed its tests, replaced it and sent it back. Now the thing is giving me trouble again. The drive just disconnects.
Also just bought a Western Digital 1.5TB Green Caviar drive that's supposed to be really quiet. So far it's so-so. On idle it sometimes has a high pitch that goes away once it's accessing the disc.
Looking for a relatively rock solid solution that's not too noisy. Any suggestions or experiences to share?
Also just bought a Western Digital 1.5TB Green Caviar drive that's supposed to be really quiet. So far it's so-so. On idle it sometimes has a high pitch that goes away once it's accessing the disc.
Looking for a relatively rock solid solution that's not too noisy. Any suggestions or experiences to share?
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So I installed a WD Green Caviar 1.5TB drive in an EZQuest enclosure. The enclosure doesn't have a fan so it doesn't contribute to noise, but doesn't do much to absorb noise from the drive. During operation it's O.K. and the drive makes too much noise when it's idle. Might be a dud. Not happy. So I'm back to using a Fantom enclosure with a Seagate 1TB. My conclusion is that there aren't any quiet enclosures. For now solid state is too expensive and NAS wireless is too slow for video (at least in my place). I've decided to try to stow the drive away. I wonder if I could build a foam padded box to put the enclosure in. |
I think you would have good luck with the aluminum enclosures from Other World Computing (http://macsales.com). They specialize in Macs, but their external drives will work with any computer, and you can spec out the HD inside the case (call them if you need a specific drive that is not listed). I would choose a Seagate drive for the least drive noise. In my experience they are much quieter than those offered from other manufacturers. I know they sometimes get a bad rep, but all consumer level drives fail on occasion, and this is not unique to Seagate. |
My WD green drives are very quiet. They are enterprise level so that may make a difference. They are also 5400rpm. I think that most 5400 rpm drives will have less noise than those running faster. For music the 5400rpm seems to work just fine for me. My Icy Dock enclosure has an adjustable fan speed. I keep it on the slowest speed. It is very hard to hear but with no music it can be detected. I placed the drive in a wooden box with an open back and what little noise it made was gone. |
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