quietest HDD recommendation for iMac 27

[mlody]

Hello guys,

So last week, I added 250GB Samsung SSD that I had laying around to my mid-2010 iMac 27 which is literally flying now; however, I need to do something about the build in HDD. I kept it cause I need some extra storage, but that thing is loud and annoying. I know the SSDs are dead silent, but are they any HDDs in 1-2TB size that do not make obnoxious sounds when accessing data and quiet or near silent?

The hdd that I have in my iMac is Seagate ST31000528AS and I do not mind getting another Seagate as long as it is quiet. Does anyone have any recommendation as to what would be the quietest HDD I could buy for my iMac ?

Thanks

 

[varian55zx]

You can look into the same HDD that's used in the late 2015 fusion model.

I've never heard it.

 

[r6mile]

The hdd that I have in my iMac is Seagate ST31000528AS and I do not mind getting another Seagate as long as it is quiet. Does anyone have any recommendation as to what would be the quietest HDD I could buy for my iMac ?

Thanks

Keep in mind that you will need to stick with Seagate in order to avoid the fans going crazy, otherwise get the OWC sensor cable and you can get whatever drive you want.

 

[mlody]

Keep in mind that you will need to stick with Seagate in order to avoid the fans going crazy, otherwise get the OWC sensor cable and you can get whatever drive you want.

Thank you for pointing this out. What is so different about Seagate HDDs vs other brands in regards to the fans ?

http://www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives/solid-state-hybrid/desktop-solid-state-hybrid-drive/

This is the drive I have been considering. It appears to be some kind of SSD/HDD hybrid.

 

[mattDC5R]

There is a thermal sensor within the original apple supplied drive used by the system to gain the temperature of the drive. When the drive is replaced with one without that capability the system runs the fans at full speed. The OWC part r6mile mentions provides a sensor to stick to the outside case of third party drive to provide that info to the system.

I'm certainly not an expert on the matter but I gathered that was only the case from the mid 2011 iMacs as mentioned as a change at the bottom of this page:

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iMac_Intel_27"_EMC_2429

Someone else might be able to confirm if that is an issue for your model, or do a bit of reading up on your model in particular. Not a big deal really so long as you know what your dealing with.

 

[Significant1]

2.5" inch drives are mostly much quieter than 3.5" drives but also more expensive at higher capacities. At least that is how it used to be, but I have not been in the market for a traditional hard-drive in years..