[SOLVED] HDDs create noisy mechanical vibration in Meshify C cases

[AxelMagnus]

This is like a celebratory thread. I loved the value of having all my 4 TB's of storage in two Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPMs. But the goal of my system was really as quiet as possible.

My thought was that a little ticking and spinning wouldn't be the problem. And it really isn't.

But then I realized there was also a low frequency sound, which turned out to be mechanical vibration. Touching the case with different amounts of pressure seemed to dampen the sound, so it was clear the case was actually vibrating from mechanical vibration.

I couldn't find the source with my ear, and changing the fan speeds changed nothing, so it could not be the fans. Which of course left only one possible culprit: the HDDs. Still not possible to find by ear, but removing them removed the problem.

I spent 700$ on a Samsung 860 Evo 4 TB and could not have been happier. No low frequency noise anymore.

So if someone is considering Meshify C and HDDs and care about noise: Don't. They will rattle your case. Buy a case that actually dampens mechanical vibration. Direct noise - ticking and spinning - is not a problem, at least not for me, but vibration is. It's much louder and more 'cutting' too.

So yeah, really happy now! Living room is so quiet, everything else is louder. Fridge, my breathing, my typing, landlord, environmental noise... Birds chirping! ^^

 

[tennis2]

So instead of buying some $0.15 rubber washers to isolate the hdd cage, you bought a $700 SSD.......?

K

 

[GarrettL]

I'd rather have the SSD's than the HDD's. Granted there was a cheaper way to do it....

 

[tennis2]

This is/was in response to your [now deleted] response to my initial comment:

I apologize for my wording. Your thread title and content was suggestive that the Meshify C is fatally and [more importantly] irreversibly flawed for any use of mechanical HDDs and that potential buyers should avoid the case if they intend to have a mechanical HDD in it. And that the only work-around is to buy an expensive large capacity SSD to deal with one's storage needs in said case. It came off a bit....smug(?)

No doubt that some rubberized HDD mounts included with the case would be a beneficial inclusion, and honestly, Fractal is usually pretty good at including those types of niceties. Or perhaps you were a victim of some unfortunate manufacturing tolerance fitment issues in your particular unit that caused the unwanted HDD vibrations to resonate. Not sure.
**I have no loyalties toward/with Fractal Design

I can see how your realization that a few cheap rubber washers [or similar] could've alleviated the need for you to buy a $700 (assuming CAD) SSD and is perhaps causing you a bit of buyer's remorse. I also acknowledge that, as you said, SSDs have inherent benefits over HDDs, even when used as secondary storage. I wouldn't argue that, if someone's financial situation allows, going all solid state storage in a PC is indeed the ideal solution. Ultimately, you've got a great storage solution now that should tide you over for many years to come.

 

[AxelMagnus]

This is/was in response to your [now deleted] response to my initial comment:

I apologize for my wording. Your thread title and content was suggestive that the Meshify C is fatally and [more importantly] irreversibly flawed for any use of mechanical HDDs and that potential buyers should avoid the case if they intend to have a mechanical HDD in it. And that the only work-around is to buy an expensive large capacity SSD to deal with one's storage needs in said case. It came off a bit....smug(?)

No doubt that some rubberized HDD mounts included with the case would be a beneficial inclusion, and honestly, Fractal is usually pretty good at including those types of niceties. Or perhaps you were a victim of some unfortunate manufacturing tolerance fitment issues in your particular unit that caused the unwanted HDD vibrations to resonate. Not sure.
**I have no loyalties toward/with Fractal Design

I can see how your realization that a few cheap rubber washers [or similar] could've alleviated the need for you to buy a $700 (assuming CAD) SSD and is perhaps causing you a bit of buyer's remorse. I also acknowledge that, as you said, SSDs have inherent benefits over HDDs, even when used as secondary storage. I wouldn't argue that, if someone's financial situation allows, going all solid state storage in a PC is indeed the ideal solution. Ultimately, you've got a great storage solution now that should tide you over for many years to come.

No buyer's remorse or no smugness intended. I was just happy with my solution, and I still am. So even though I didn't think about solutions like that, it doesn't matter, because the drive is also a lot quicker, and I don't have to listen to spinning platters and ticking, something I was already on the fence about when HDD's initially.

I don't really see where I'm claiming that this is the only solution. I'm simply stating what is fact, which is that the Meshify C case, as it's delivered from factory, obviously is prone to vibrating in sympathy with the drives. I think that's sound advice, as well as yours is.