Scythe Silent Box HDD Silencer
Review by: Steve
Edited by: Ji4m
Provided by: Scythe USA
Price: $73 Canadian Dollars

Introduction:
When going for a silent and high-performing computing solution many people will do anything they can to make their PC inaudible (or as close as they can get). Once you get all the noisy hardware such as fans quieted down you may think you're done, but little do you realize that your hard drive makes more noise than you think! Those who have silent water cooled computers will probably know what I'm talking about. Scythe has come out with a great solution to not only silent your hard drive, but they claim it'll also help shed a few degrees off your drive's temperature. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Scythe Silent Box:

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In The Box:
(1) Silent Box
(2) Installation Manuals (Different languages)
(1) SATA Power Extension
(1) Molex Power Connection
(1) Bag of screws
(2) Gel Sheets

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Specs:
Compatibility: 3.5" IDE/SATA HDD up to 10,000rpm
Dimensions: 144 x 211 x 41 mm
Material: NB & BR Rubber Case & Aluminum Cover
Weight: 840g

Features:
The main feature of the Silent Box is, as it's name says, is to "silence" the hard drive. In order to do this the drive is literally enclosed in the silent box and through the built in foam that squeezes in on all sides the hard drive is held still from vibrations. This essentially lowers it's acoustical output noise by dampening and absorbing the usually loud noises and vibrations emitted from the hard drive.

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As well as silencing the hard drive, the Silent Box is also advertised as being able to lower the temperature and help cool the hard drive better. This is done through the patented heatlane in the Silent Box. What that is is a strip of aluminum which takes the heat off the hard drive and transfers it out into the case. This is not just any piece of aluminum, I quote the box "Heatlane is the original technology invented and provided by TS Heatronics Co., Ltd. Inside the Heatlane plate runs a capillary tube through which special working fluid runs to transfer the heat all over the surface at a great rate. Also unlike heatpipe method, the special circulation of the working fluid within heatlane allows it to realize effective heat transfer in horizontal or even top-to-bottom direction" Inside the silent drive you put gel sheet(s) on the bottom of your hard drive, this is what the heatlane rests on. These sheets essentially do the same work that thermal compound would do on a CPU.

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Installation:
Installation is fairly simple if you properly read the included manual. First, you remove the top off the heatlane and stick the hard drive inside the foam cutout inside (it's the big hole in the foam, hard to miss really) Once the drive is set in, you then hookup one of the included power extensions, this brings the molex plug outside so you can easily plug it in once everything is installed. As well, you'll need to plug in your IDE or SATA cable.
The next step is to cover the circuit board on the hard drive with one or two sheets of the included heat transfer gel pads. Don't worry, they don't actually stick firm on the hard drive so it can be removed later without any damage. Once the gel sheets are on, the final step is to set the top back on and screw in the many screws to hold it on, all ten of them. After that, all that's left is to mount it in your case and plug everything in!

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