Anyone using solid state miss the sounds of their mechanical drives working?

[Rubycon]

Coming from bucket loads of 15K drives here for years...

When the system works hard there is no noise. I kind of miss the hailstorm on the awning effect. I even tried connecting an array of small piezos to the drive activity headers (instead of LEDs) but that made my system sound like a crate full of crickets headed to a lizard store. :laugh:

The boxes in the media room would make no difference as you can hear nothing over those screaming fans...

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

no

 

[kami]

Nope. The sound used to be a comfort because when you were waiting for something to load at least you heard the drive going and you knew it was going to happen soon. With SSD you don't wait anyway so no need for the noise.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: kami
Nope. The sound used to be a comfort because when you were waiting for something to load at least you heard the drive going and you knew it was going to happen soon. With SSD you don't wait anyway so no need for the noise.

Haha no - it reduces the time but not eliminates it. I'm not talking about opening programs and similar. Real work where the drives are working 100% for hours and hours. The 15K arrays would grind-pause-grind-pause over and over in a rhythmic fashion that was somewhat relaxing compared to hearing nothing.

Now if you're talking about a slow desktop with a single IDE drive that grinds for 5 minutes upon booting Vista while superfetch loads everything into RAM (and your PC is super slow until this is done!) well sure that is very annoying.

 

[rcpratt]

I do find myself looking at the HDD LED more often. Can't say I miss the noise, though.

 

[TemjinGold]

Ruby: If you miss it, just record it on a cd and play it back every time you use your computer... :beer:

 

[alcoholbob]

The grinding of a high performance drive gives you validation of your purchase. It's like owning that V8 that's killing your hearing.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: TemjinGold
Ruby: If you miss it, just record it on a cd and play it back every time you use your computer... :beer:

Yeah but a recording is static. Something that fires when each disk is accessed would do the trick. I have to wonder if the LED signal line from the host is strong enough to sufficiently energize the coil of a reed relay? Their click is VERY subtle but enough to let you know it's working. Vary the size of the reed and it can even become semi musical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_hiz-Kx0kM

 

[capeconsultant]

I had an SSD for a week or 2. I have always been a completely obsessive nut about computer silence. Funny, the HD, assuming there was no absurd whine, I always kind of liked the accessing sound. Well, at least I found it the least obnoxious of the computer sounds.

So, in a way, I did miss it. I sold the SSD on Ebay due to lack of funds, and went back to my WD 320GB Black, which is amazingly silent. I use a lappy on a docking station, so it is hard to see the disk access light. I think when I make the move to SSD for good (and the new Intel G2 is calling me) I might like a HDD LED on a wire with a USB wire so I can more easily look at it.

 

[Old Hippie]

I worked in a steel mill for 31 yrs.

Wadda say?

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
I worked in a steel mill for 31 yrs.

Wadda say?

Then 600CFM of delta fans would be fine.

 

[taltamir]

my current drive is a WD640... it is nearly silent. my previous was a raptor 74GB, it was LOUD. I actually got to try using both a while, I removed the raptor right away and sold it on ebay cause the noise drove me nuts.
Every time I have gotten rid of noise, i have never ever EVER missed it.
I also disconnect the HDD and power LED on all my computers, I don't need a blinking light thank you very much. (And I put electrical tape on the lights on my router)... although those are mainly because i sleep in the same room. Nonetheless my fileserver has its LEDs disconnected and it is in a different room altogether.

 

[n7]

Hell no!

 

[capeconsultant]

Yeah, I cannot stand the explosion of LEDs in my house. I cover as many as possible. If I didn't, it would be as light as having the damn Moon inside my house. Totally impossible to sleep. I take the elec. toothbrush off the charger. Less is more, but my lively hood depends on that HD light flashing so I have become rather fond of that one. (I fix computers) and the few times that HD LED has stopped have been very bad days

 

[taltamir]

at night, i no longer need to turn on lights to see what i am doing. LED provide enough for me to see everything... except for reading a book that is.

 

[Rubycon]

People have computers where they sleep? That's nasty! :Q

 

[WildW]

I am suddenly reminded of how the Amiga Forever emulator also emulates the sound of the Amiga's floppy drive through your soundcard. That's nuts too =)

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
People have computers where they sleep? That's nasty! :Q

Not all of us live in huge accommodations.

Two of mine are in my room presently.

So silence is rather imperative...

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: n7

Originally posted by: Rubycon
People have computers where they sleep? That's nasty! :Q

Not all of us live in huge accommodations.

Two of mine are in my room presently.

So silence is rather imperative...

My quarters certainly won't win any awards for square footage. Comfort OTOH...

Computer within sight of bed = nono though.

Perhaps people are thinking of the hum of spindle motors. I hate that especially when you have 10+ 15K drives and they buzz and produce a throbbing off zero beat noise. That's enough to give anyone a headache. I'm talking about the clicking noise the head actuators make. Obviously that is completely absent from a solid state array.

Although I was able to hear a feeble squeaking noise like a video card makes with a stethoscope. It's MUCH more subtle though and likely only noticeable if you slept with a SSD under your pillow. :laugh:

 

[rcpratt]

I love having my computer within sight of my bed.

 

[Denithor]

Ruby :heart: white noise!

Originally posted by: Rubycon
People have computers where they sleep? That's nasty! :Q

You make it sound like a computer is a communicable disease or something...

Although I guess if I ever catch a virus from my computer it will get moved out of the bedroom!

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: Denithor


You make it sound like a computer is a communicable disease or something...

Although I guess if I ever catch a virus from my computer it will get moved out of the bedroom!

Haha from some of the keyboards I've seen I'm not so sure you cannot catch something! :Q

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Haha from some of the keyboards I've seen I'm not so sure you cannot catch something! :Q

Ewww.

I know what you mean though - I've seen some nasty jobs in plants & etc. Stuff I wouldn't touch with your hands.