Heihei =)
Is there a real need for fast harddisks in conjunction with MP? Even full HDTV 1080i, MPEG2 isnt more than 10-20mbit/s, or 2-3MByte/s. The fastest harddrives out there are in the 60 MByte/s range. So the only real benefit of a fast hd would be if you are seriously low on ram (then you are in trouble anyways), or when copying large files over the network. I a m not shure if that justifies the extra noise? On the other hand, you can hardly get your hands on 5400 3.5" drives these days.
I follow the recommodation of
www.silentpcreview.com samsung P80 and P120 are consistently the most silent or among the most silent drives out there, while delivering more than good enough performance.
I strongly agree on your fan tips.
I have only had one HTPC case, so I cant speak for the others. Are pure aluminum cases really that hard to silence?
regards
Knut