Raptor vs. 7k2 HDDs

[devman]

I've read all the storage review stuff so I know about the performance differences, what I'm curious about is the noise factor from the raptor vs a regular 7k2 hdd (idle and seek).

Is it going to be much more, just a little more a lot more. Also how hot is this thing gonna run by comparison.

I'll probably make a decision by today as there is a $20 rebate on Raptor 74 at Newegg.
Btw, are there any issues with the way Newegg ships HDDs or do they pack them well?

Thanks!

 

[tuskenraider]

At idle you won't notice a difference, but seeking, these things grind. This can be relative to the case and mount system used, but it'll never be "quiet". If that'll bother you, don't get this drive. As far as heat is concerned, my Raptors run a degree cooler than my Seagate drive I use for storage according to Everest.

 

[bbz_Ghost]

I built a box last week for a local customer here in Vegas:

4 Raptor 150 drives in a RAID 0 for video editing purposes with a 74GB Raptor as the primary system drive.

He can't hear jack when the machine is on - rubber band shock mounts ftw!!!

Only sound he does hear really is when he puts a CD/DVD in the 18x Plextor SATA drive and it spins up. Aside from that, and the Zalman HSF, and some low noise Panaflos, the machine is for all intents and purposes silent, even with an ear a few inches from the case itself.

It is possible to get a system essentially noise-free, it just requires some effort.

 

[unhappy_mage]

He can't hear jack when the machine is on - rubber band shock mounts ftw!!!

If the drives are completely suspended, you're hurting performance, and could be hurting drive life. When the heads move, they move fast enough that they kick the drive in the other direction. So with rubber band mounts, the drive is free to rotate just a little bit, and the head can miss what it was aiming for and have to seek again to get where it's going. This doubled seeking could potentially wear out the moving parts faster.

If you do no work to keep them quiet, Raptors will be slightly audible while spinning, and seeks will be rather definite. A padded drive mount will reduce the noise of spinning quite a bit, and if your case of choice is more closed than mine, seeks will likely be quiet enough. If your machine is going to be used as an HTPC, a Raptor probably isn't the best idea, but otherwise go for it. The worst case scenario is you have to return or re-sell the drive.