have you done any power consumption tests? Might be worth considering undervolting, especially if you're not planning on overclocking for the time being, as it can make a considerable difference.

If you really want to quiet those raptors, stick em inside a scythe drive box (I think voldenuit suggested the same) then suspend the drive box with knicker elastic (Ms Damage permitting). That should take them below the noise level of your system, which should then be pretty quiet, though with room for improvement :)

Hey Damage,

I am using the Antec Sonata II case as well and I use a pretty ingenious HDD mounting mechanism to keep the noise to a minimum.

I'm not sure if you are using all of your 3.5 drive space, but if you are not if would be possible to mount your HDD's in there using a free suspension idea. Basically, you run 2 loops of elastic bands (I got mine at walmart for $1.97) on the front and rear of the drive and cross the bands across each other and slide the drives in. Since most of the noise will be vibrations against the case, this minimizes a lot of the noise. It's kind of hard to describe without pictures, but this site, http://www.silentpcreview.com/article8-page2.html , should give you a better visual.

I put this in my system and cut out almost all of the HDD noise.

Is the problem that you have a GigE LAN and get 100 Mbit/s-esque performance with music playing? If so, see [1] -- Vista throttles the interrupt rate, thereby crippling network performance, in order to allow stutter-less audio playback (owing to the design of its new audio stack, which, frankly, stinks).

[1] Vista Multimedia Playback and Network Throughput, http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2007/08/27/1833290...

The Sonata II is an excellent case, I use it a lot. Check your drive temps; the HD cage design encourages drive overheating, particularly with multiple drives. The cage has 4 holes that are pre-threaded for a 120 mm fan, and this provides an effective cooling solution. Without a fan the drives can become too hot to touch, which will cause failure within a few months.

I build all of my machines with ICH9R raid 5, and it works quite well. With 4 drives I get data throughput rates around 110 MB/sec, which is about 50% faster than a single raptor and roughly double a normal 7200 rpm sata II drive. I've experienced a failed drive in an ICH9R Raid 5 array, and the system recovered flawlessly. I've also swapped cables into different drives, and found it made no difference.

If the MB fails, in order to recover data it is necessary to use another ICH9R equipped MB. This can be problematic, especially if it occurs a few years down the road. For this reason, data backups on a separate external drive make good sense.

However, the combination of extremely high data throughput speeds and protection against data loss in the event of 1 drive failure, make Raid 5 a valid choice for hardware enthusiasts.

I do also like the concept of dual raptors in a raid 1 array. This provides good data throughput rates, excellent data redundancy, and no hassles when it comes time to migrate data to another system. Just pull one drive and go. Dual raptors in a Raid 1 is an expensive data storage solution - but if the drives are just sitting around, it makes good sense.

What an amazing job. To just be able to go grab a quad core off the shelf...WOW

This goes to show that the trend towards quieter computing is well on its way. Performance has reached a level (or people just use other means to play their games, consoles or not) that users don't care too much anymore. They are now more concerned with noises and energy consumption.

PS if you want to silence your Raptors, I am using this Scythe anti vibration kit in my own system:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817984001
It's worked a charm on my WD 750 SE16.

If you want more for your money, Nexus makes a 2-hdd version:
http://www.jab-tech.com/Nexus-Double-Twin-Hard-Drive-silencer-pr-41...
But I haven't used it personally.

I know the Sonata II already has rubber mounts for the hdd bays, but perhaps a beefier solution might be called for with Raptors.

What are the specs and the build for the storage server? Did I miss a posting on that?

Scott, don't tell me you've fallen for the "Big PSU" scam? First, you tell us you selected the 3850 for power efficiency at idle, and then you pick a 850W PSU (and a Coolermaster at that)?

The PSU will probably spend most of its time at 15-20% capacity, which is typically very low efficiency for most PSUs. You would have been better off with a good 500 or 600W PSU.

Also, the 9500 is not the best heatsink for low-noise cooling, as shown by SPCR. A TRUE or Xigmatek 1283 with a Noctua NF-S12 would be much better, or a new Scythe Ninja with the bundled Slipstream for true quiet.

I'm not nitpicking to be harsh here, but as the head of a leading tech site, you are in a position to be very influential with your build, and I just want to point out to others that there are alternatives to some of your choices, even if they might not suit you specifically.

I have dual 3850's enroute right now....using the same [~] logic.

My concern is with cooling in this SFF system...but that's another story.

Good Luck with your new build.

I was hoping I wasn't the only one still running a 3800x2

I have a 9700 cooler and it is obnoxious, I guess I should have bought a 9500 instead. Kinda surprised by the CPU though, seems like a low end one would be better for power/noise not to mention you won't need the horsepower, yet.

Try to find the spinning Quake logo
and you'll get ... Quad Damage. ;-)

(Anyone still remember the original Quake ?)

Damage, please update the Picture galary so that we can see your new rocket's pics.. ;)

It's always good to hear about (building) a new rig. I too went the route of NAS storage for my bulk stuff. It make builds much better and my other machines have access to the data as well.

Realtek NIC FTL!

Get a good Intel NIC and drop it in a slot, all problems go away under Vista 64 bit with Intel networking. Runs like a champ.

Dibs on the old parts.

I would love to see pictures of your office and the Damage labs.

yea, put a Zalman 9500 cooler in my recent build a week or two ago. Great stuff!! Solid build Damage.

Villain, I could go for some pictures too.

No pictures?!

oh please put some up! :o(

I cant be the only one..

Good stuff, Damage.

I'm with you on the M-Audio Revo 7.1 drivers... I have one and I loved it, but I'd be damned if M-Audio is not the absolute *worst* where updating drivers are concerned. For a card this good to be useless now is very shameful. I'm settling with onboard Realtek ALC888D, and frankly I am not convinced the newer Asus or Creative cards are any better for the extra cost.

Overall that's a nice build. I've got a single Raptor 150 in my silent rig, and while it also seeks like a cruise missile on sterioids I have found it much quieter with soft rubber spacers installed on the mounting screws.

Have fun with it.

Your computer is like a Quad version of mine! très cool ...
I must say I totally agree with the choices you made...
</pretentiousness>

Does the Sonata have soft-mounts for the hard drives? The Raptors I had in a P180 drive cage soft-mount were audible but not in a bad way. It was a little noice from the drives themselves which didn't get amplified by the rest of the case.

You guys were the ones that published the review of the WD 640GB that made me buy it. I'd think you'd jump aboard that ship in a heartbeat. Nearly as fast as a Raptor, with substantially lower power draw and whisper silent acoustics.

OMG Damage went to the dark side ................ Kidding
Looks like a solid system , I too don't care for the Zalman
but hey , it's just a cooler
I really would have thought you would go AMD

I'd never go with one of those Zalmans simply because I like to be able to swap fans should it ever be necessary. And last time I looked they were a lot more expensive that comparable performers.

I'm surprised by the HD3850. I had you pegged for a 9600GT all the way.

And, I've also got a Coolermaster PSU that has treated my much less macho build very well and done so at near silence.

Thanks for sharing, enjoy the new machine!