Being noise sensitive can have a huge impact on a daily work routine. Having to use a noisy computer can be a distraction and it might even cause sickness in the long run. One of the components that still gets neglected quite a bit when it comes to noise reduction is the computer’s hard drive. That’s understandable because it usually is not the loudest component of the computer.
That honor would be reserved for the fans of the video card, processor, power unit and case. You might not even hear the noise of the hard drive until you decide to lower down the noise of the other components. Hard drives on the other hand can cause a very high distracting pitching noise.
One possibility to lower the noise of the hard drive would be to use special hard drive cases and other hardware to reduce the noise. Software solutions on the other hand are rare, most are outdated and some even require the creation of a boot disk before they can be run.
WinAAM is a refreshing change. It is compatible with all Windows NT operating systems including the popular Windows XP and Windows Vista. It requires no installation and can be started right after the download has finished.
The software will automatically detect connected IDE or SATA drives and display the status of the Acoustic Management of the device.
The status can either be inactive, low or normal and the noise reduction software displays possible options the acoustic management can be set to in a basic interface. The option to test the changes is given in the application but it was badly implemented. Changing a setting will close the application at the end which means that the application has to be started again to perform the test.
The software can be downloaded at the author’s homepage. The same page contains a version for Mac OS Classic and tips for Mac OS X users.
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It only solves part of the problem. AAM reduces noice that HDD heads make but it can’t reduce hum of engine.
I am big fan on silent computing and HDD noise is bigger problem than it seems – it’d hardest part to silence.
I am currently using boxes from Scythe http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/hdd/005/sqd1000_detail.html
Not really DIY person and those are as good as manufactured boxes get.
Coolers makes much more noise than my Seagate HDDs. I really like Seagate for that low-noise drives :)
Adjusting the acoustic management to quite your drive will have a big impact on seek times. It can easily double your seek time.
I would only recommend doing this If performance is not a top priority for you.