[joemix]

To those that have had their Barracuda IV/fluid bearings for a while;

How is the noise level after break-in? I know almost all HDDs I've owned are quiet at first, and become loud after break-in. I need silent drive operation.. do I need an acoustic HDD enclosure? thanx

[Rezman5]

Mine is sooo quite, I can't hear it unless I put my ear to my case. Have had it for 8 months now, no problems.

[thefly]

Got one at work. it's pretty darn quiet. It quiet. but not that fast.

[joemix]

Thanks for the replies. Looking at the Seagate web site, the 5400 rpm drives have faster seek times than the Barracuda IV. I guess this is the sacrafice for quieter performance?

[Jeff_H]

Joe, I've installed at least four BIV's recently, and one Maxtor FDB drive, and w/o a doubt the Seagates are quieter. I've had a 40GB drive in my recently retired main box for three months now and it's as quiet as the day I installed it. I'm amazed by the literal silence of these drives. Only fly in the ointment w/ BIV's is RAID performance.

[evilhom3r]

to all the BIV users, is it a good idea to get a hdd cooler for the drive? or is it just a waste of money that will create more noise?

[Jeff_H]

evilhom3r, IMO HD coolers aren't necessary w/ the BIV. I put one in nevertheless as it aids in airflow through the case, and eliminates increased case temps from the HD. The HD coolers I use are fairly quiet. They're available any number of places, including Newegg and 2CoolTek.

[joemix]

I ordered the Seagate. May not be the fastest but the low noise level is more of a priority to me. I'm not going to use RAID with this one anyway, simply because the extra drive will add more noise/heat. Though it'd be nice to know that RAID was an option. Who knows, maybe Seagate will realease a firmware fix in the future.. Thanks again for the replies.

[Jeff_H]

joemix, you won't be disappointed w/ the Barracuda IV. I still find it uncanny the total lack of noise from this drive.