Looking for the quietest hard drives for your computer?. Perfect, in this guide, you will discover some of the best quiet hard drive models to upgrade your computer hard drive with less noise.
The best hard drives are normally determined by their price and space. They are affordable and they offer additional space that you need to back up your information. You will need to rely on a quiet hard drive for your storage needs and peace of mind.
It is hard to find a perfectly quiet hard drive on the market. However, there are decent hard drives models that are quiet. They are less noisy to help you maintain your concentration, will not disrupt your peace or distort your mind.
A quiet hard drive will offer an environment that is relaxed to enable a free-flowing thinking process. Quiet hard drives are known to emit less heat and noise, therefore, they are energy efficient and consume less electricity compared to a loud hard drive.
Quick Preview of the Quietest Hard Drive Models in the Market
In a hurry?. I understand. Quick overview of the best quiet hard drives for your computer.
- Seagate BarraCuba Pro 10TB Hard Drive ( Best Overall )
- WD Purple 6TB Surveillance Quiet Hard Drive with 5400 rpm ( Best Budget-Friendly)
- WD Red 10TB NAS Hard Drive
- WD Red Pro 8TB NAS Internal Hard Drive
- WD Green 6TB 3.5 Inch SATA 6.0 Gb/s Hard Drive
- Seagate BarraCuda 500 GB Internal Hard Drive
- Seagate IronWolf Pro 4TB NAS Internal Hard Disk
- Toshiba N300 10TB NAS Hard Drive
- WD Blue 6TB PC Hard Drive
9 Best Quiet Hard Drives
Here are 9 of the best quiet hard drives: These hard drives have a different specific function that they are good for. Some are versatile and can be used for different storage activities while others are specialized and optimized for some high-performance functions. Depending on what you need the hard drive for, I am sure I have you covered here.
1. Seagate BarraCuba Pro 10TB Hard Drive
It is an excellent choice from the Seagate models of hard drives. It comes with a storage capacity of 10TB and delivers 7200 rpm. This means that it combines high speed as well as high storage.
It is the best choice for IT experts since they offer room to work on large projects and delivers in time because of the transfer rate of 250MB/s with great endurance.
The writing speed is 229MB/s and the reading speed is 245MB/s. The increased speed is owed to the high-quality conventional magnetic recording drives. It has more than 7 read-write heads and 14 platters.
It demonstrates a great rate of workload. The limit is 300TB annually, making it easy for you to use it because you are aware that the rate of failure of significantly reduced.
It also offers an extra-large cache buffer of 256MB. Additionally, it is energy efficient and you will not have to worry about your utility bills. It offers a 5-year warranty and this is an indication of the efficacy of the hard drive.
It uses 6.8W when in use, making it an efficient hard drive in the market. It is ideal for any professional work or for improving the capacity of DAS, desktops, or home servers. It is very for a high-performance hard drive.
Specs
• It weighs 1.72 pounds with dimensions of 5.79 by 4.01 by 1.03 inches
• The size of the hard disk is 10TB
• 7200 rpm
• The hardware interface is SATA 6.0 Gb/s
• High speeds of 250MB/s
• More than 7 read-write heads and 14 platters
• Cache buffer of 265MB
Pros
• It is energy efficient
• Comes with 5-year limited warranty
• Has a large storage capacity
• It is faster
• Great endurance
• High performance
• Very quiet
Cons
• None
2. WD Purple 6TB Surveillance Quiet Hard Drive with 5400 rpm
It is manufactured by Western Digital to offer silence, especially for security installations. It has 5400 rpm and is a premium product that significantly reduces the loss of video frames.
It gives 31.1 dB when not in use and 34.7 dB when in operation. It ensures the surveillance performance, ATA streaming, and TLER are all optimized. The package only has a hard drive without cables or screws, which you may be required to purchase separately.
It was manufactured to offer 24/7 surveillance, providing reliable surveillance storage. It has the ability to function well under harsh conditions, and you can trust and rely on the quality of videos on the playback. It has a technology missed and AllFrame 4K frames that are great for retrieving video footage that was lost.
This technology is known to improve ATA streaming, which greatly minimizes the possibility of losing surveillance recording. It is tuned for low bit rate, write-intensive, and high-stream count applications that make the hard drive the best choice when it comes to surveillance applications.
It is convenient since it offers continuous operation and has built-in applications that are required in surveillance. It is very versatile and it is compatible with most window applications, such as 7, 8, 10, and 9 as well as Mac operating systems.
It was manufacture using frame technology that makes sure there is low pixilation as well as a minimal interruption.
It also has the ability to support 3HD cameras and its capacity is 6TB which can hold up to 1.2 million digital photos, 1.5 million MO3 files, and 450 HD video hours. The manufacturers offer a 3-year limited warranty.
Specs
• AllFrame technology
• Weighs 1.65 pounds with the dimensions of 5.79 by 4 by 1.03 inches
• The hardware interface is SATA 6.0 Gb/s
• The size of the hard drive is 6TB
• 5400 rpm
• Cache memory size of 64
• 3.5 inch of hard drive form factor
Pros
• 3 year limited warranty
• Produces less noise
• Very efficient
• Can be used for 64 HD cameras
Cons
• It does not come with screws thus you will incur additional costs
3. WD Red 10TB NAS Hard Drive
It is one of the best NAS HDD silent models in the market and offers quiet operation even when overloaded. It is the best quietest NAS drive when used with the Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices rather than desktop computers.
It is a capacity unit that is expanded and does not need extra storage. It is the perfect choice for IT experts who may require the creation and storage of large files.
It comes with a 5400 rpm spinning speed that makes it operate quietly. It uses less power and expends less heat when in use.
The WD Red hard drive ranges from 1TB to 12TB capacities. It comes with a 3-year warranty. Additionally, it offers high endurance, reliability, and top-rated data integrity.
The 180TB annual workload rating makes it a great option for businesses whose goals are to process lots of data. It uses NASware technologies, components as well as features for the enhancement of its performance.
It uses the HelioSeal technology that helps the hard drive maintain its high storage capacity, which is a technology that utilizes helium rather than air.
It ensures that the speed of WD Red 10TB is increased by reducing the resistance in the data that is handled within the hard drive. Consequently, more platters are added by the manufacturer to ensure that storage capacity is improved. it is one of the best quiet NAS hard drives.
Specs
• It weighs 1.43 pounds with dimensions of 5.79 by 4 by 1.03 inches
• The size of the hard drive is 10TB
• The hardware interface is SATA 6.0Gb/s
• 5400 rpm
• Uses HelioSeal technology for high storage capacity
• RAID error for effectiveness of the hard drive
Pros
• Quieter operation
• Has a larger storage capacity
• It offers technologies and features from NASware
• It is energy efficient
Cons
• It has a slower transfer speed
• It is expensive
• Poor consumer support
4. WD Red Pro 8TB NAS Internal Hard Drive
It is manufactured by Western Digital to produce 30.3 dB when not in use and 33.4 dB when in use. It has the ability to support large capacities of up to 24 bays.
It has a reliability enhancement because it features a 3D Active Balance Plus system. Also, it comes with an error recovery mechanism that improves reliability.
The NASware 3.0 technology is built purposely for balanced performance as well as reliability in the environment of NAS and RAID. It is effective and certified to be used 24/7, no matter if it is NAS, RAID enclosures or single drives. Similarly, the drive is engineered to run quietly and cool as it offers perfect compatibility with NAS devices.
Nothing can prevent you from using the drive on your computer, however, doing that in reverse is detrimental, that is, using desktop drives in NAS. This is because multi-drive devices can catch these vibrations and affect the reliability and performance of the drives.
It has a 3D Active Balance Plus that maintains the performance of the drive over time. It also protects it from excessive vibrations as well as noise.
It is more advanced and has more improved system compatibility that uses NASware 3.0 technology. Thus, it offers an automated integration with your infrastructure of the network.
Moreover, it is fitted with an automatic shock absorber and has a distinctive technology that permits adjustments in reading or writing functions. Therefore, it protects your data.
Specs
• It weighs 1.1 pounds with dimensions of 5.79 by 4 by 1.03 inches
• The hard drive size is 8,000 with storage capacity of 8TB
• 7200 rpm
• Its hardware interface is SATA 6.0 Gb/s
• Uses NASware 3.0 technologies
Pros
• Improved overall performance
• Has a large storage capacity
• Reliable
• It is quiet
Cons
• It is not energy efficient
5. WD Green 6TB 3.5 Inch SATA 6.0 Gb/s Hard Drive
It is manufactured by Western Digital. It does not have plenty of storage capacity as the other model. However, it is very efficient. It does not consume energy and thus you will not have to worry about increased utility bills. It is quiet and produces fewer vibrations.
The cooling operation and power consumption of this hard drive are 6.4W when loading and 3.9W when not in use. It has a great figure that easily fits for its efficiency.
It is a 5400 rpm drive, which means that it is not the best when it comes to speed. It utilizes IntelliPower for its functionality. This is a set of algorithms that helps in the management of spin speed, rate of transfer, and caching. NAS devices increase the performance of this hard drive compared to when used on computer desktops or laptops.
It is going to work if you have vast storage needs. It only has 6TB, meaning that you may want to use the hard drive for small-sized projects and not to be used as a primary device.
It has a 2-year limited warranty. It may feel hefty than normal because of the 6-platter and 12-head configuration. It has a slight drive-to-drive variance. It is slower on reading compared to the other drives.
Specs
• It weighs 1.65 pounds with dimensions of 5.8 by 4 by 1 inch
• The size of the hard disk is 6TB
• 5400 rpm
• The digital storage capacity is 6,000 GB
• The interface of its hardware SATA 6.0Gb/s
• Uses IntelliPower
• 6-platter and 12-head configuration
Pros
• It is reliable
• Produces fewer vibrations
• It is energy efficient
• It is great for backup
Cons
• Lower storage capacity
6. Seagate BarraCuda 500 GB Internal Hard Drive
It is a high-quality, cost-effective, and quiet hard drive. It is made of superior quality and offers 26.5db when not in use and 34.7db when in use.
It is very reliable and will allow you to store files, movies, videos, and photos. The internal storage for the unit is 500GB, making it easier for your computer to function and run faster.
It is reliable that will offer you confidence. It is a powerhouse for any desktop and will allow you to set different capacities as well as other form factors. It is a solution for most PC applications if you want to store videos, music, edit photos, and also for PC games.
It is manufactured using world-class technology, which has been around for more than two decades. It comes with a two-year warranty, which increases the confidence of the buyer as they are shopping. It offers a 2-year limited warranty.
Specs
• It weighs 14.1oz and its dimension is 4 by 5.79 by 0.79 inches
• The size of the hard drive is 500 GB
• 7200 rpm
• The interface of SATA 6.0 Gb/s
Pros
• It is quiet
• Energy efficient
• 2 year limited warranty
Cons
• None
7. Seagate IronWolf Pro 4TB NAS Internal Hard Disk
It offers cool and noiseless operations. It gives 34.6db when in operation and 26.1db when not in use. It is a high-quality hard drive and it has no sound or vibrations.
It is a great solution for a maximum of 24 bay and it is available to be used in a NAS server environment, where users mainly want high-level performance.
It is fast and has increased storage space for photos, files, videos, and movies. If you have a large company, employees will be able to share files as well as folders faster and reliably when using this hard drive.
It can offer up to 4TB with a speed of 214MB/s. It has the ability to boost the sharing of files as well as protecting the data in case of loss of power.
It is a great choice for S.M.A.R.T. drive reporting and monitoring. It offers a 5-year limited warranty as well as 2 years Rescue Data Recovery Services.
Specs
• It weighs 1.5 pounds with 5.79 by 1.03 by 1.03 inches
• The size of the hard drive is 4TB
• Speed of 214MB/s
• 7200 rpm
• The interface of the hardware is SATA 6.0 Gb/s
• Has a cache memory size of 128MB for Raid Network Attached Storage
• Data Recovery Service
• Offers 34.6db when in use and 26.1db when idle
Pros
• It is silent
• High quality and reliable
• 5 year limited warranty
• 2 year Rescue Data Recovery Services
• High storage capacity
Cons
• None
8. Toshiba N300 10TB NAS Hard Drive
It is a high-performance and top-capacity device, which features a 6.0Gb/s SATA interface and the speed of transfer is 7200 rpm. It is a 10TB hard drive that can be expanded up to 14TB and at the same time offer a buffer limitation of up to 256MBs.
It is built to handle high data workloads of up to 180TB annually. This is enough to last your NAS system for many years. Additionally, it offers fast transfer speeds of 260MB/s. The effectiveness of the high storage capacity works for NAS devices.
It has an in-built RV sensing technology that detects and controls the vibrations as well as shock that the system may have. It offers a 3-year limited warranty.
Specs
• It weighs 1.7 pounds with dimensions of 5.79 by 4 by 1.03 inches
• The size of the hard disk is 10TB
• 7200 rpm
• Hardware interface of SATA 6.0Gb/s
• Cache memory of 256MB
• In-built RV sensing technology
Pros
• High speed
• Great storage capacity
Cons
• Shorter warranty period
9. WD Blue 6TB PC Hard Drive
It has a rotational speed of 5400 rpm and comes with a 2-year limited warranty. It is one of the quiet hard disks available in the market. It uses SATA 6.0 Gb/s connection interface. The hard drive has a data port on the right and a SATA power connector on the left.
It is reliable and has been tested and designed to last longer. It has the ability to store imported files, videos, and photos. It can be used to upgrade the computer to a space of more than 5TB. You can pair the hard drive with an SSD to boost the performance of your device.
Specs
• Its dimension is 5.79 by 4 by 1.03 inches
• RAM of 256GB
• The size of the hard drive is 6TB
• Interface of SATA 6.0Gb/s
Pros
• Quiet
• High storage capacity compared to other hard drives
• Easy to use
• Energy efficient
Cons
• None
A Quick Buyer’s Guide on Quiet Hard Drives
It is not obvious that you will be able to acquire a noiseless hard drive. There are several factors you should consider while you seek to find a good model of a hard drive on the market. These include:
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Storage Capacity
This is the first consideration that you look for before buying a hard drive. Computers normally have limited storage space, it could be 500GB or 1TB. When you are switching drives in your computer, it is only prudent that you upgrade to a higher capacity. Hard drives range from hundreds of MBs to 16TB. Therefore, choose one that will suit your needs. Keep in mind that the higher the storage capacity, the higher the cost.
Transfer Speed
The speed of transfer of a hard drive is very critical to the overall performance. The speed is considered to be drive spins every minute.
There are four main types of speed, that is, 7200 revolutions per minute, 5400 revolutions per minute, 4200 revolutions per minute, and 1000 revolutions per minute.
Hard drives that higher rpm tend to spin faster as well as provide faster transfer speed when compared to the one with lower rpm. Therefore, 7200 rpm hard drive is more efficient than 1000 rpm.
If you want to transfer large amounts of data and quickly, the hard drive that offers 7200 rpm will suit you. However, it is important to note that the 4200 rpm hard drive is energy efficient, does not heat up fast, and has a longer shelf-life.
Noise Levels
It is important to acquire hard drives that offer quiet operations. Ensure that you check the decibel output when the drive is not in use and compare it to when it is in use. The general agreement is that hard drives that spin faster tend to produce a lot of noise. You are likely to enjoy the faster speed at the expense of noisy operation.
The 5400 rpm hard drives are the best if noise is a factor. They are quiet and silent in their operation. You may be required to sacrifice when it comes to the speed of transfer.
Warranty
Also, check the warranty of your hard drive. This is important because if the hard drive will not meet the expectations before the expected time, you will be able to take it back for either a replacement or for repair.
There are manufacturers who offer extended warranties. For instance, five years is great for a top-level device. There are others who offer a 1 or 2-year warranty. You should not also forget to check the terms and conditions of the warranty policy before you purchase the product.
Manufacturers of Hard Drive
Choose a hard drive from manufacturers who have a great reputation and reviews from customers. There are different manufacturers concentrated in the market. You can understand who the best manufacturers are by reading expert reviews on the internet.
Final Thoughts on the Quietest Harddrive
HDD hard drives have been around for decades and they have worked just fine but they are being rivaled by a much faster and quiet SSD. While this list has the quietest HDD hard drives it certainly doesn’t have the quietest drives ever.
They are for those who want a high capacity quiet internal hard drive for their computer without breaking the bank.
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