Looking for the quietest drives possible

[Enquiries]

I have misophonia, really low tolerance to noise, and I'm planning to use this in the living room.

[ed]

I completely understand the need for a quiet setup, especially with misophonia. Having a NAS in a living room requires choosing components that keep noise to a minimum. Here are some recommendations for the quietest drives and setup:

1. Choosing the Quietest Hard Drives:
WD Red Plus (5400 RPM): These drives are designed for NAS environments and are known for being quieter than standard desktop drives. The 5400 RPM speed helps keep noise and vibration levels low. For your 25TB requirement, you can consider using several smaller capacity drives (like 6TB or 8TB each) to spread the load, which can help keep each drive’s activity (and noise) down.

Seagate IronWolf NAS (5400 RPM): Another good option, these drives are also designed for low noise and vibration. They are a bit louder than WD Red drives but still within acceptable levels for most living room setups.

SSD Options: If budget allows, using SSDs can provide near-silent operation. Although more expensive, SSDs do not have moving parts and are completely silent. They also generate less heat, which can reduce the need for fan operation in the NAS. A hybrid setup with a combination of SSDs for frequently accessed data and HDDs for bulk storage might be a good compromise.

2. NAS Setup Recommendations:
Vibration Dampening: Choose a NAS enclosure with good vibration dampening features. Some NAS models come with built-in features to minimize drive noise, like rubberized mounts or vibration-reducing trays.

Fan Noise: Look for NAS models with quiet fans or ones that allow fan speed control through their software. Larger fans tend to be quieter as they can move more air at lower RPMs.

https://nascompares.com/answer/hdd-noise...able-list/