Quiet External Hard Drives ???

danceclimber

I'm looking to get a quieter external hard drive.



Currently I have a 300GB Maxor OneTouch III FireWire 400/USB 2.0

http://www.maxtorsolutions.com/en/ca..._FireWire_USB/



It is definitely louder than my iMac and it's LED light is a little annoying.

My computer is close to my bed. If I don't turn off the external HD each night, then both loudness of the drive and the flashing of it's LED, keep me up.



Does anyone know if there are any external hard drives that are as quiet as an iMac?

Getting rid of the flashing LED light would be nice too.



Looking forward to hearing your suggestions.

ireland

The Lacie Brick's are very quiet, and the go to sleep when inactive.

I have the 300GB blue one (color is different depending on size) in this picture. It's a darker blue in person, it's cute and it does the job. The top surface is about the size of a mans hand.

jeffdm

Does it have a fan? Fanless drives should be just fine.



As for the light, I'd just put a piece of tape over it.

m01ety

I just bought a Samsung 400GB SATA drive and an Azio eSATA/USB2 enclosure (both from NewEgg), and they've made a very fast and very quiet external drive. The enclosure has no fans, and the Samsung drives are some of the quietest around. Better yet, the enclosure supports power management, so the drive goes to sleep when quiet, becoming silent. Highly recommended combo.



As far as the annoying LEDs go, you can disconnect it, or just cover it.

kfdan

OWC E-sata 2 duel drive kit - 2= 500 Baracuda 7200.10 sata 2 drives and a Express34 dual eSATA ports Wiebetech 3 gig throughput. Need it for video editing. The MacBook Pro has a 7200 Hitachi internal. The whole thing is FAST and so far NOT hot or over taxed at all. Beautiful system!!!