From: STeve Andre' (andres_at_pilot.msu.edu)
Date: Fri Jul 02 1999 - 12:46:10 EDT
There is variance between any two identical disks I'm afraid, and worse
is the fact that all of them are more noisy than you'd like. My 4G disk
on my 1451 i is louder than I'd like it be, but another 1451 I recently
saw had a louder disk, so I stopped my mental objections--mine was better!
These small disks are a real engineering marvel, but with any such item
there are tradeoffs. They are all optimized for size first above all
else, then power consumption. Noise is not far up on the design criteria
list, as I understand it.
There certainly are things that could be done to dampen noise levels but
they all involve physical changes to the disk, adding weight, size and
cost to the bottom line. Given the ever increasing noise pollution in
our lives I don't think the disk people really see this as an issue,
which is a pity. As I write this I'm more annoyed at my disks soft
whining sound--but others I know who have laptops just look at me when
I've asked them about disk noise; they just don't care.
Now, it still could be the case that your disk is one of the really
noisy ones, and maybe you could get it replaced. But I think you'll be
in for a fight on that one; how does one determine whats reasonable?
With an active matrix display at least, there is never any doubt as to
bad pixels; everyone can see them and then argue about how many have to
be bad to be "bad". Not so with noise, alas.
Good luck with it and perhaps the noise will get better over time. I've
seen noise all but disappear before, and I have never understood that one.
--STeve Andre'
andres_at_pilot.msu.edu
At 12:31 PM 7/2/99 -0400, Jeffrey Baker & Bay James wrote:
>I'm wondering what it's reasonable to expect as to quietness. This new
>laptop, with the 14.1 gig hd, is for my purposes remarkably noisy -- a
>constant high whining noise that I find irritating. I sit with the machine
>for hours, writing, and the noise is quite unpleasant, even when I have
>music playing. I don't know whether it's a problem with this drive/ this
>machine, or whether it's "normal." I also read somewhere, I believe, about
>interference noise caused by poor shielding in these machines, but don't
>know whether it could be that as opposed to the hard drive. Thanks. All
>input appreciated -- Jeff
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