by Sergey Lepilov
02/24/2010 | 11:34 AM
Contemporary hard disk drives in 3.5-inch form-factor get faster, more complex and larger in capacity by the year. Therefore, the manufacturers monitor their temperature mode as well as their acoustic performance vey attentively, because these two factors are just as important to users concerned with security of their data as the HDD speed or storage capacity. Anyway, those who are still not quite satisfied with the HDD thermal performance or acoustics can resort to special devices that could be considered coolers, if they only served to lower the HDD operational temperatures.
However, besides lowering the HDD temp, these devices also lower the level of noise generated by the drive, and in some cases the latter function is of even greater priority than the former. Home file-servers and HTPC that become increasingly popular these days, require not only very quiet processor and graphics card cooling solutions, but practically noiselessly operating storage devices, as well. The interesting thing is that the user actually notices that his or her hard drive produces some whistling or crackling sounds only after they managed to get all of their other system components to work at their quietest. This is when lowering the noise from the hard disk drive becomes a serious challenge.
The third obvious function of devices like that is the ability to place 3.5-inch HDDs into 5-inch bays of your system case, when there are not enough 3.5-inch ones left. Today’s expensive system cases do not really pose this problem, because they normally have more than six 3.5-inch bays, which is more than enough for most users out there. Nevertheless, considering that you replace the system case nearly 10 times less frequently than the rest of the components, it might be a pretty common situation when there will be not enough 3.5-inch bays. So, this is when the devices we are going to discuss in our today’s roundup come in very handy.
For our today’s article we managed to collect six cooling boxes for HDDs from GlacialTech, Scythe, Tuniq, Xilence and A.C.Ryan. The primary goal of our today’s article is fairly simple: to find the best device of the size in terms of acoustics and cooling efficiency, also keeping in mind their reliability, ease of assembly and use, ergonomics and price. So, let’s get started.
The first solution – IdeCRown 1000 – is made by GlacialTech, INC. It was made back in 2005 and has already been discontinued. However, it is still available in retail for a very moderate price of only $24. The cooler comes in a small flat box with the photo of IceCrown 1000 on the front and specifications and installation procedure description on the back:
Included with the device are twelve screws with rubber washers, which fell apart after the very first use, and a cable for grounding the HDD:
IceCrown 1000 consists of two parts: an aluminum heatsink measuring 145x146x41 mm and weighing 360 g, and a 102x100x19 mm frame with a fan:
The heatsink looks like a half-open box that is inserted into the system case five-inch bay:
Two internal long rails hold the HDD inside the box, while two external short rails hold the heatsink with the drive in the system case bay. Note that in this case the top of the hard drive will contact the heatsink chassis, but there are no thermal pads on any kind included with the device, which is fairly strange, I should say. There is also no thermal paste included. Looks like the manufacturer considers this “dry” contact to be more than efficient for proper heat transfer.
IceCrown 1000 can work in passive mode, but to ensure proper cooling of the HDD spindle and electronic components, you can use a special aluminum frame with a fan that attaches to the bottom of the drive:
The 80x80x15 mm fan rotates at a constant speed of 1300 RPM and creates 14.4 CFM airflow generating no more than 15 dBA of noise. The fan is made in China by Everflow Company (R128015DL model):
It uses a slide bearing with unknown MTBF, but it will most likely last a little less than your hard drive.
It is very easy to install a hard drive into IceCrown 1000 chassis and then attach a fan to it:
Once everything is in place, you can mount the cooler with the HDD inside into the five-inch bay of your system case. This is what it is going to look like:
If IceCrown 1000 works in passive more, it will take up only one five-inch bay. In case it is used with a fan, you have to make sure that the bay below it is empty.
Unlike the cooler from Glacial Tech, Himuro solution from the Japanese Scythe Co., Ltd. is made in 2008, which is not a serious age at all for rarely updated devices like that. A small box with the cooler is covered with all sorts of info, which is pretty typical of Scythe:
Besides the actual HDD chassis, there is only the instructions booklet and a set of screws enclosed with the cooler:
The device is actually a passive aluminum heatsink measuring 132x178x41 mm. It weighs 790 g:
The distinguishing feature of Scythe Himuro is the fact that all sides of the chassis have ribbed structure, which makes them parts of a complex heatsink:
Scythe Himuro consists of two major parts: base and top cover.
There is a layer of dense foam stuck to the bottom of the base plate and one of the sides of the top cover from the inside. The sides of the base as well as the top of the cover have special thermal pads ensuring efficient heat transfer from the HDD to the cooler heatsink.
The installation of the hard disk drive into the chassis requires placing the HDD inside the box, pulling the power cable and SATA cable through the slit in the back and securing the top cover with enclosed screws.
Then all you need to do is to insert Scythe Himuro into any free five-inch bay of the system case and tighten the screws. That’s all. Oh, I almost forgot: the rubber feet with aluminum centers can be removed from the chassis and attached to any part or side of it:
I would also like to add that Scythe Himuro is priced as low as $25.
The next solution is also made by Scythe, but came out a few years earlier than Himuro. Scythe Quiet Drive is packed into a small box that is also covered with all sorts of information, just like the Himuro box:
The cooling chassis is accompanied with two thermal pads, screws, assembly and installation instructions, power cable with a Molex connector and a combination power and SATA cable:
Unlike Himuro, this solution doesn’t have any ribbing. On the contrary, the outside of the chassis panels is glossy and smooth:
The retentions are attached to its sides, and there is a slit for the cables in the back covered with foam:
Scythe Quiet Drive measures 145x198x36.5 mm and weighs 680 g. When we opened it, we found a solid frame made of dense foam material and two aluminum covers for the hard drive:
The assembly and installation procedure is shown on the following picture:
In our opinion everything is very simple and understandable, although it may require a bit more effort from you than Scythe Himuro would. I have to point out that the chassis is closed very tightly and even the cables coming out of the drive are caught securely in the foam in the back, once you tighten the screws. Scythe Quiet Drive occupies one five-inch bay of the system case and is then covered with a panel. The only drawback this solution has is its extreme length of 198 mm, which may cause some problems during installation. Besides, it may never fit into some shorter system cases at all. Its recommended retail price is $38.
We are already well familiar with CPU coolers from Tuniq. Now time has come to check out their cooling solution for hard disk drives called Tuniq Sanctum. This product comes in a small flat box with a cooler photo on the front side and its detailed specification on the back:
Sanctum comes with two thermal pads, installation instructions, power and SATA cables, and a set of screws:
Tuniq Sanctum is available in two colors: black and silver. We got our hands on a silver model:
The device is 148x208x42 mm big and it is in fact the longest cooler of all our today’s testing participants, which is definitely a drawback. Sanctum weighs no more than 650 g and is made of aluminum.
The front panel of the chassis is wave-shaped and looks very interesting:
On the back all you can see is just a thin slit for the cables. The base of the chassis and its top cover function as heatsinks, since they have low-profile ribbing.
The top cover is fastened with four screws. When we removed it we found accessories and inserts made of thick and dense foam:
There are two inserts like that: one at the bottom of the chassis and another one will surround the HDD along its perimeter:
The HDD is installed into Tuniq Sanctum just as easily as into any other box discussed today. First you stick a thermal pad to the bottom of the chassis and then install the hard drive on top of it. After that you top the HDD with another pad:
The last thing you need to do is to pull the cables through the slit in the back and close it tightly fixing the four screws. Tuniq Sanctum fits into the five-inch bay of the system case. Its decorative panel will be outside the case that is why when you buy your Tuniq Sanctum solution for the recommended $24, make sure that its color matches that of your case, so that it could look good in the front panel.
The next solution is made by the Taiwanese XILENCE Technology Co., Ltd., which our regular readers are already familiar with from our previous cooler reviews. The box obviously has been through a lot on the way to us :) It is designed in black and red colors:
The cooler comes bundled with a ground cable for the hard drive, screws and installation instructions:
The device is in fact very compact, it measures only 137x161x40 mm and is made of anodized aluminum. It looks very neat and nice:
The top cover and sides have 5 mm ribbing that will dissipate the heat from the hard drive. There are rubber bushes with screw-nuts inside put into the sides of the chassis:
They absorb vibrations and prevent them from being transferred to the system case.
The top and two sides of the Xilence HD Cooler CL have thermal pads, while the front panel and the bottom are covered with a thick layer of foam:
The HDD installation into this chassis is so simple that you can do it with your eyes closed the morning after your birthday party. The only thing to remember is that the bottom of the chassis closes very tightly, pressing the HDD against the pads and foam with substantial force.
The front of Xilence HD Cooler CL is very attractive that is why there is no need to cover it with the decorative panel once it is installed into the five-inch case bay:
Xilence HD Cooler CL cooler is priced at $20.
Finally, the sixth competitor discussed today is a HDD cooler called Xilencer XTOR made by not very well-known A.C. Ryan Company. The packaging is fairly simple: it consists of an external slip cover made of thin cardboard covering a flat internal box:
At first glance looks like there are a lot of accessories included with the device:
However, when we took a closer look at what was inside, the accessories no longer seemed so numerous: IDE power cable for the hard drive, screws, two pairs of foam bricks of different length, two cover-up panels for the cooler sides and assembly instructions:
The cooler is of very simple design. It consists of two aluminum halves with ribbed structure that simply link up with one another.
Xilencer XTOR measures 143x175x43 mm and weighs about 800 g.
There are no thermal pads on any kind included with the device that is why there is “dry” contact between the HDD and the heatsink. Short foam panels are inserted on both ends of the drive, but you will need to cut a slit in one of them to let the cables go through. After that you should attach the plastic panels with self-tapping screws to the sides of the chassis:
And that’s about all. I was surprised to see that Xilencer XTOR is not fastened in any way when installed into the five-inch system case bay. Looks like that manufacturer is certain that the two long foam panels inserted into the sides of the chassis when it is installed into the system case should do the trick just fine and ensure that Xilencer XTOR sits securely in the bay. Well, that could be true, as these panels will also perform vibration-absorbing functions. The cooler is priced at $19 MSRP.
Click to enlarge
We are going to test the cooling efficiency of our today’s testing participants in the following testbed:
As you can see, the configuration is set for minimal noise. In fact, the only component producing noticeable noise is a 140 mm fan of the power supply unit. However, it is relatively far from the spot where the HDD coolers were tested that is why it didn’t affect the results of the acoustic measurements. The system HDD in the Scythe Quiet Drive chassis located at the top of the system case, didn’t affect the acoustics tests either.
For our today’s test session we picked the noisiest HDD of the three I had available at the time of tests. It was Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640 GB 7200 RPM.
All coolers were installed into the fifth five-inch bay counting from the bottom of our Antec Twelve Hundred case:
The HDD noise level inside each cooler was measured between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM in a closed room about 20 m2 big using CENTER-321 electronic noise meter. The noise meter was installed on a tripod and was always at a 130 mm distance from each of the coolers or the HDD inside (in case of GlacialTech IceCrown 1000):
The lowest noise reading our noise meter device can register is 29.8 dBA and the subjectively comfortable noise level in these testing conditions was around 36 dBA (do not mix it up with low noise level).
We measured the HDD noise in three modes: without any activity, during linear reading from the drive, during random data seek. All test modes were emulated using Everest 5.30.2027b, which was also used to monitor the HDD temperature:
To heat up the HDD we used a stress-test from the same Everest suite that ran for an hour, which is more than enough to hit the maximum HDD temperature. We performed two test cycles like that for each cooler with the stabilization period between the cycles of approximately one hour. The room temperature during this test session varied between 24.8 and 25°C.
Let’s check out the diagram with the temperature readings for the test HDD inside all of the cooling boxes as well as for a single HDD installed into a default case chassis cooled by a 120 mm fan or without any fans at all:
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The first thing that comes to mind after looking at these results is: why would I need to cool my hard drive at all? I have to remind you that we tested a contemporary fast HDD from one of the performance leaders, but nevertheless, its temperature didn’t go past 42°C even after two consecutive stress-test cycles. But if you are still concerned with the thermal performance of your HDD, then you won’t really need to go for a cooling chassis, but just have to install a quiet 120 mm fan and forget about this “problem” once and for all. Note that only when the HDD was cooled with a 120 mm fan, its temperature under heavy load didn’t change by a single degree.
Quite predictably, GlacialTech IceCrown 1000 wins among the today’s testing participants. Among the box-type coolers Scythe Himuro is the best, but its advantage over Scythe Quiet Drive and Xilence HD Cooler CL is only 1°C. HDD without any additional cooling as well as Tuniq Sanctum and Xilencer XTOR lose another 1°C to the latter two, which is difficult to call a defeat, really.
Now let’s check out a more interesting chart that shows the noise readings taken off the HDD installed into each of the cooling chassis discussed in this roundup and compared against the level of noise generated by a hard drive in a standard system case chassis:
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The results here are much more interesting. The absolute leader in lowering the noise generated by the hard drive is Scythe Quiet Drive. This device proved much better than all of its today’s testing competitors not only in lower dBA readings: you can literary hear nothing. Even during random seek operations performed on a data stream the hard drive works extremely close to the zone of subjective acoustic comfort, and during liner reading or in idle mode you can only hear the hard drive inside if you press your ear against the HDD chassis. Way to go, Scythe Quiet Drive!
Tuniq Sanctum box is just a little behind the leader, Scythe Himuro and Xilence HD Cooler CL are a little more behind and the difference between them is pretty small. The least efficient in terms of acoustic performance is Xilencer XTOR, but even this solution managed to noticeably lower the noise from the installed hard drive compared against GlacialTech IceCrown 1000 or a default system case chassis. By the way, the latter device performs worse here just as we have expected and the noise from it in random seek mode can be compared with an empty can jumping on the pavement.
Summing up the results of our today’s test session I can say that the devices we talked about in this roundup will be primarily useful for those who need a quiet system case. According to our tests, contemporary hard disk drives do not really need any additional cooling. As we have already said before, if you are still concerned with the temperature mode of your hard drive, then simply install an additional 120 mm fan and the problem will be solved once and for all. None of the tested cooling solutions could ensure the same thermal conditions as a 120 mm fan.
However, the acoustic performance seems to be a more acute matter these days and Scythe Quiet Drive would be the best choice for resolving it. By using this chassis, you will be able to almost completely eliminate the noise generated by the HDD. Only during random seek operations, you can notice it against the background of a noiseless system case. In all other modes when a HDD inside Scythe Quiet Drive is installed into a silent computer system, you won’t be able to distinguish the noise from the HDD. Moreover, inside this box the drive won’t get any warmer even after a long-term load, unlike the situation when the drive is installed into the default system case chassis. The only drawback of Scythe Quiet Drive solution is its excessive length of 198 mm. had it been about 20 mm shorter, it would be way easier to install into a system case.
Closely following the leader are three devices: Tuniq Sanctum, Scythe Himuro and Xilence HD Cooler CL. The first one is just a tiny bit behind the leader in acoustic readings, but at the same time is 10 mm longer than Scythe Quiet Drive. The other two solutions are considerably shorter and simpler to put together that is why they are worth checking out as well. Moreover, all three of them cost less than Scythe Quiet Drive, which is also important. The least effective cooling solutions for hard drives is Xilencer XTOR, while GlacialTech IceCrown 1000 doesn’t improve the acoustic performance of the HDD installed into it at all, but cools it down quite well instead.