February 25, 2009, by kike_1974
NOTE: The updated version of this article can be found in PCSilencioso.com:
UPDATED GUIDE
On a PC that has been muted properly (suitable box for cooling components with moderate consumption of large heat sinks and fans at low speed, power efficient with low fan speed, etc..), The noisy element is the hard disk.
This may change in future with SSDs (solid state drives), but today these devices do not have storage capacities that can have a conventional hard drive, and too expensive. Therefore, even if we decide to use a SSD for the operating system, it is common that we have a disk to store large data.This article shows an effective way to soundproof the hard disks based on encapsulate them in an aluminum box and covering them with bags of gel coolpacks. "
Note: This guide was originally published on 25/3/2007 n3D forum, the original (not updated) you can find the here. Index- Introduction
- Warning risk
- hard drives temperatures
- Coolpacks
- Aluminum Boxes
- Possible problems
- Systems and temperatures
Introduction:
the soundproofing of a PC are taking each day a more important role. Increasingly manufacturers are more concerned to provide silent power supplies, microprocessors with low power consumption, highly efficient heat sinks that work almost passive or fan at low speed, etc.
Many of us have put us to silence our PC and we ended up arriving at the same point: almost nothing makes noise in our PC, we have almost a liability along with a few fans at very low rpm 12cm. But there is an element that upsets our desired silence: the hard disk. Desktop hard drives generally run at 7200 rpms and at idle they sound like a fan, but their sound is considerably higher than the 12 cm silent fans at 500-700 rpms. They also produce an annoying noise when they search on the surface of the disc ("seek"), and this noise is even more pronounced than idle.
So for us really cranky noise is intended to silence the problem. The first step to getting a hard drive making noise is not appropriately chosen disk. The starting point is important. Here are two options:
- Portable Hard Drives (2.5 "): Currently 5400rpms portable disks are as quiet as we can find. They have two drawbacks: They are far less rapid than those of desktops and capabilities of these discs are quite far from the desktop (you can find up to 160GB notebook, desktop while there are 500GB and even older). They also tend to be more expensive.
- Records desktop (3.5 "): They have higher capacities, faster and cheaper. But they make more noise. This guide focuses on the way to silence these discs (although it also applies to 2.5 "disks). It is important to choose a disk to which they are quieter to get the best results. The quieter considered to date in this guide are the Samsung (401LJ, 501LJ) and WD (series ks). Furthermore, these discs support AAM (Automatic Acoustic Management), and using software (eg Hitachi Feature Tool) can be activated greatly reducing the loudness of the searches, at the expense of a small loss of performance.
Having chosen the appropriate disc, there are several commercial solutions and soundproofing to encapsulate disks: scythe quiet drive, smart drive, etc. These solutions maintain the disc sufficiently cooled and reduce drive noise. But the results soundproofing still leave something to be desired, and silent fans looking for something more. And this is where the solution proposed in this guide: encapsulate the disks in an aluminum case with gel bags ("coolpacks").
The system proposed in this guide is based on the use of an aluminum box plus a coolpacks. The aim of the coolpacks is to soundproof the disc, absorbing and transmitting the heat generated while the aluminum case. The purpose of the aluminum housing is to keep the disc and compact coolpacks, and transmit the heat from the outside coolpacks.
This guide is not going to talk solutions trade, but only the solution "do it yourself" with coolpacks. There are some users who have made comparisons SPCR in SPCR forums any business case and solution with coolpacks eg here.
In general the consensus is that business solutions are achieved at lower temperatures, but with better soundproofing coolpacks achieved. The temperatures obtained with different commercial and coolpacks solutions are also shown in this one compared to LPS .
EDIT: I recently bought a box scythe quiet drive to compare with the solution coolpacks, and to use in a small box in which I can not use the coolpacks. Took the opportunity to make some comparisons you can see in this post .
risk Warning:
This solution entails a certain risk, because the "coolpacks" contains a jelly-like fluid when broken could damage the hard disk. The risk is not high if you do things carefully. If you choose coolpack properly, so that the liquid is too thick, then it is unlikely that the fluid reaches the disk even in case of breakage. I took about 6 months using this system and I have not had any problems. There are certain risks in the computers that make up: to overclock at the expense of reducing the life of a component, change the sink set of a graph with the risk of damaging it (besides losing the warranty), use liquid cooling with the risk of possible leak, etc. But the benefits are important and are therefore commonly adopted solutions. I would add the "coolpacks" these solutions.
In any case, if someone is not comfortable with this risk it is best not to try this solution.
HDD Temperatures:
is
important not only to soundproof the disk, but keep at a safe temperature. Both commercial solutions like this solution proposed in the guide allow discs to maintain proper temperatures. In any case, a recent Google study shows a statistical database of 450000 records and concluded that disk failures are not correlated with the operating temperature while in the operating range of the manufacturer. The original article google :
"Failures Do Not Increase When the average temperature increases. In FACT, There is a clear trend lower temperatures Showing That Are Associated with Higher failure rates. Only at very high temperatures Is There a slight reversal of this trend, "
words, not worth obsessing about having the disc 5 º C cooler, while the disc is in a safe range of operation, it is not likely to that lengthen the operating life of the disc. is usually considered that a maximum temperature adequate performance for a disk is 45 ° C.
In the comparison of temperatures of SPCR above can see that the temperatures are right through the system of coolpacks in a conventional system. Later in this guide will show more results of temperatures in different systems.
Coolpacks:
The coolpacks are usually formed by a viscous fluid and an outer plastic used to contain the liquid. This liquid is mainly water, cellulose and dye (more on this link ). Commonly used for portable refrigeration systems (refrigerators), or medical applications (bags of hot / cold to be applied to strokes). The
coolpacks have a very interesting thermal property that makes the liquid is heated or cooled very slowly, absorbing the hot / cold outside to reach the equilibrium temperature.
coolpacks Applying the hard disks, this property allows the discs to heat very slowly until they reach the equilibrium temperature. Can take over two hours to reach the final temperature. Once the coolpack and disc are in the equilibrium temperature, is the aluminum housing that keeps this balance to transfer heat to the outside. In general, the temperatures obtained in hard drives with this system (after reaching equilibrium) are generally lower than those obtained when the disk is not encapsulated. The reason is the greater total surface dissipation that results.
google's article above failures are correlated of these aging discs. Untested, but it seems that one of the reasons of failure of a disk is continuous on / off of it and that causes sudden temperature changes in materials that expand / contract at different rates. The property that the coolpacks cool / warm up very slowly could be beneficial in the long run for the record, since the process of expansion / contraction of the metal is much more subdued. The
coolpacks can be found in pharmacies, sports shops and medical stores online. They come in various sizes and different consistencies. The most recommended are those that are more viscous as they minimize the risk of havoc caused by leaks. It is strongly recommended that are too cold / hot and cold not only because the former have a much stronger protective plastic. The
coolpacks that have been tested are as follows:
1 - decathlon packs of 13x24mm (4.5 € each).
2 - Rapid Relief of 10x15mm (1.8 € each), tested by eclipseedd here.
3 - Rapid Relief of 13x24mm (2.3 € each), also tested eclipseedd.
4 - Medical-Express of 15x25mm (1.53 € each), also tested eclipseedd.
packs decathlon (option 1) are quite viscous and have a reasonably adequate for the boxes that will be mentioned in the next section. Thanks to its high viscosity helps to minimize risks in case of breakage. The plastic is quite sturdy. I've used for about 6 months, I have given enough cane and have held up well without any break. They have the advantage of being easy to find in any decathlon, and the downside is they are a bit more expensive, even with shipping costs of the other packs are small differences. I would advise use these, since the other packs are more liquid and can be more dangerous.
Although measures are all very similar, the difference is the thickness and amount of liquid. The large relief and medical rapid express (options 3 and 4) are much more crowded and are less manageable, and the rule itself in eclipseedd this post . Therefore the most comfortable and desirable are the decathlon.
can use two small rapid relief of 10x15 (option 2) instead of one of the greats of the other packs, and may also be used to fill voids or gaps. In his post eclipseedd gave very useful;)
Of course there are more packs that these, as there are more cases than those proposed in the next section. Which are discussed in this guide are just one example that has been tested to have a reference for others interested in setting up this system.
aluminum boxes:
The aluminum box used to keep the coolpacks compact and hard, and to transmit heat from the outdoor packs. It is difficult to give exact measurements for a given case fits well the disk and packs. As the packs are the decathlon, the right thing is to find cases in which While these bags fit.
The following photo shows a choice of boxes that have been tested with satisfactory results, along with a hard disk to compare the sizes
1) The first solution, based on tests done by Forero of LPS, is to use a Hammond box 187x119x56 measures:
This box can be found at Farnell . In this case it is a hard drive and two coolpacks, one above and one below the disc. With
I tried I is not exactly that, but one of the same measures but with screws on the sides (I find no reference and Farnell):
come in this pretty fair things and do not close at all ends of the box, as seen in the following picture:
In addition the side screws are very close to the disc and I had conveniently rasp to make room for the packs on the sides of the box. So better to use one of these boxes without these screws, as I put into the model, which does not have this problem.
Eclipseedd tested with other box is very similar to 187x119x52 in amidated. These were results, very similar to mine.
In either case, these measures is the solution that occupies less space, the most adjusted two coolpacks. While not completely closing the case the results are quite good and that closing the screws put pressure on coolpacks and the disc is locked tightly between the packs.
2) The second solution is to use a slightly larger box. The box measures 222.3x146x59 (reference 459-0070) can also be found at Farnell .
In this case it takes 3 packs of decathlon in total. Two packs as base stations, and a third covering the top. It is convenient to a hole for the wires and in this case the box that closes itself completely. This can be done simply with a file.
This box is not as airtight as the Hammond, and for more optimal results can be filled with foam (which comes in many packages can be used):
3) The third possibility is to use an even bigger box that allows two discs encapsulate. The measures are 222.3x146x109.7 (reference 459-0080) and can also be found in Farnell . Eclipsed
made a series of tests with this box as well and needed 5 coolpacks, 2 at the base, one separating the disks, and two in the top.
In my tests I needed 6 packs: two down below the width, then the disk, then a pack along, the other disk, two packs to width (so far as eclipseedd). But there is something of a hole, so I finally finally get another one along. With 5 was a little loose and with 6 a fair bit, but closes well. Maybe not all decathlon packs are exactly alike and there are some thicker.
My opinion is that the more fair is better, the packs are sealed around the disc and calmest. Of course, we must be careful not to force things then there is a risk of puncturing the bag.
As always add a bag of silica gel and make a slot with a file in the box for the wires. Things are as follows:
Given that fit 6, finally reorganized in another way, first a bag along, then two in width, then a disc then another bag along, the other hard and finally two in width. In this way a mattress bag is larger in the bottom which is what holds all the weight.
Section of the P180 put comments on temperatures. The result is that they are higher than in the case of a single disk, but the soundproofing is more likely to use more packs.
4) Another example of the box (tested by menosmolas in this post ):
This case is an intermediate step between the case 1) that is too small, and 2) that is perhaps too large and hard to find place in the PC case. The boxes are these, first for two albums and the second one:
Natural Al box, 171.5x120.6x105.7mm
http://es.rs-online.com/web/search/s...hTerm € 16.24 = 517-3412
aluminum box, € 15.86
171.5x120.6x55.9mm http://es.rs-online.com/web/search/s...3478&x=37&y=11
And some pictures of these boxes:
Possible problems
One problem that has been a user of LPS that was using the boxes with coolpacks is the problem of condensation .
Condensation occurs when an object is a temperature below room temperature. Then the water particles in the atmosphere form condensed gas in liquid form on the surface of the object. As the packs are heated more slowly than the box, while the temperature is not reached equilibrium yet the case. The coolpacks are colder than the temperature of the box. If the humidity is high, condensation may occur.
This problem has only been reported by a user, who also used only coolpacks without aluminum box, but best health cure. The best solution is to introduce a bag of silica gel inside the aluminum box. The role of silica gel to absorb moisture. Are readily available, can be found in many containers of medicines, clothing, packaging, etc..
Systems and temperatures:
- Antec Fusion:
Eclipsedd coolpacks discs mounted in its case antec fusion. All described in detail in this post .
eclipsed in that post also talks about different coolpacks that can be used, said the various aluminum cases for one and two disks, and performs testing system temperatures. It is a very interesting post.
- Antec Sonata:
In this case I had coolpacks discs with more than 6 months. It is difficult to fit the crate in the sonata because it is small, but can be embedded in the disk of 2.5 'off the rails that come for hard drives and putting the box in vertical
addition, the picture you can see exactly how the box was not close at all. It is also important to note that rests on soundproofing foam, and secured with rubber bands to keep it from moving. This will eliminate all the vibrations of the crate and does not transmit anything to the sonata.
With a really low air flow, since the FA is a passive phantom and the flow creates only a 12cm fan taking air at between 500 and 700rpms sonata (controlled by speedfan), summer temperatures never 40 ° C in the Samsung HD401LJ (room temperature in summer in my house is 25-28 º C.
The stress test I tried is backups to disk (with Cobian Backup) lasting about 1 hour and fsck to scan surface for lasting approximately 2 hours. The tests were performed two hours after turning the computer to had stabilized temperatures of the disks (it cost about 2 hours going from room temperature to about 36-38 º C idle temperature.
Now in winter the temperature of my PC-Server that is 24 / 7 with emule and chilled with a single 12cm fan to 500rpms temperature HD401LJ is stable at 34 º C (ambient temperature 22-24 ° C).
also did some early tests with a Seagate 7200.8 250GB is heated much more. Here in summer (with the same PC configuration) the temperature reached 42 ° C.
is, HD401LJ reach a temperature of about ambient + 10 º C, and a temperature seagate Approximate ambient + 15 º C.
- Antec P180:
I did some tests on how fit the boxes on the P180.
In the area below the P180, without cutting anything, just be small Hammond box, the other will not fit in length.
For others, the options are in the area of \u200b\u200bthe medium to hard drives, and drive up area of \u200b\u200b5 "1 / 4. In the area above fair fit width:
Little occupies more than one unit of 5 "1 / 4 (disabling two slots), and the big box and took about 2 and a half units (disabled three slots). In the background are also very fair, putting the edge of the box (without stand) just hit the power connector on the motherboard on the other side:
In the middle zone also fit, but also the hairs on my XFX 7900 GT graphics. With a 3mm graphic. no longer could. Of course to fit the fan must be removed from this area, otherwise do not fit:
fair and options are limited, but with some sacrifice of optical drives and fan of the middle can be to multiple hard disks. For example, in this picture you can see a large box of 1 disk in the top (leaving room for two optical drives), the big box 2 disc in the middle (by removing the fan) and housing in hammond bottom that fits perfectly even side (4 drives total):
With the latest cases brought by menosmolas, the P180 is more spacious. This is a picture of your PC with your boxes:
As for temperatures in my system that has fans at low rpms (Figure ~ 350rpms, micro ~ 500 RMPS, safe 500rpms ~, ~ 500rpms source) I did the following tests:
1) The box with a small Hammond HD401LJ at the bottom is usually at a temperature of 32-34 º C (ambient temperature of 22-24 º C).
2) The two-disc box with a Seagate 7200.7 160GB HD401LJ and in the middle of the P180 (I had to remove the fan), makes the temperature of the disks after 3 hours doing hard copies at 47 º C in the seagate and 45 º C in the Samsung (ambient temperature of 22-24 º C).
The soundproofing in the two-disc box is impressive, even less is heard in the small box, I guess because of the 6 packs that make missing.
In this test the temperatures are a bit high, but it is not surprising. The seagate is hot enough (before encapsulated when they had suspended with rubber and is placed at 48 º C), and I have no fan getting air into the cooler box with discs, and that only I have a 12cm fan taking air out of the box to 500rpms. Yet I believe that temperatures are not dangerous for those records as they are within the range specified by the manufacturer.
Besides, I have the intuition that the hotter disk is dominant and the temperature of the whole box is determined by this record. Later I'll try with two disks samsung in the box to check if the temperatures are lower.
And here ends this guide. It would be interesting to most users who have their temperatures tested and comment on how they fit the boxes in their proposals or other systems: D
Greetings: D
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