The Perfect AV Environment with Noiseless Hard Disk Drive

Samsung Hard Disk Drive 2007 Product Guide

here is an emerging trend to produce PCs focused Ton AV, that seeks to maximize the efficiency of the AV function through the Internet. For example, this kind of PC would feature high-performance audio equipment such as 20W 2-way speaker to create better sound effects, and even a built-in PVR function. What if the PC, designed around high end AV features, was found to generate too much noise? It

would be a significant problem.

Major Index of Quality for PC Recently, acoustic noise level has become the major index of quality for many home appliances, such as air-conditioners and refrigerators. The cooling fan of the CPU and HDD are major parts in the PC that generate noise. In case of the CPU cooling fan that generates constant noise in idle mode, recent improvements in design have significantly reduced noise levels. Further, a new PC without a CPU cooling fan has been introduced to eliminate this kind of noise. A HDD usually generates 2.8 to 3.3 Bels in idle mode, and 3.0 to 3.5 Bels in seek mode. This level of noise can cause distraction and annoyance to users, since many of them use their PC in quiet environments, such as at night, where 3.0 Bels or less noise levels are typical.

The Cause of HDD noise The HDD generates different noise characteristics by the frequency level. The biggest source of the noise is the spindle motor which generates vibration from its rotating motor. The vibration is transferred to the outside of the HDD and causes the noise. Also, the flow of air inside HDD caused by disk rotation can create noise. During seek mode, the movement of the head actuator generates a very high- pitched noise, familiar to all PC owners.

Noise GuardTM and SilentseekTM Technologies Samsung has developed and applied NoiseGuardTM technology that is a combined technology to eliminate each noise source or to minimize energy transmission. First, modification of the spindle motor's design minimizes the noise source. In addition, the cover is designed to optimize the flow of air. The Damper utilizes vibration absorbing material, installed on the area of highest density, which maximizes the transmission of energy to the outside. Furthermore, to minimize the data seeking noise that has always irritated users, we have developed and applied SilentSeekTM technology, which makes the movement of the head actuator much smoother. While other competing technologies, such as the AAM option, cause performance degradation to lower the noise level, Samsung's SilentSeekTM technology causes virtually no degradation in performance.