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IcePack Mounting Frame
This Western Digital VelociRaptor model (WD6000HLHX) comes with an integrated IcePack mounting frame, which allows you to easily mount the drive into any 3.5" drive bay. This mounting frame is backplane-compatible, which is important for those who have servers and workstations with backplane mounts. In fact, this is the same mounting frame used in the VelociRaptor 300 GB (WD3000HLFS) hard disk drive.
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The IcePack mounting frame has 26 stubby fins at the sides, allowing it to double as a heatsink for the VelociRaptor. When we first tested it, we found that it actually works pretty well. Take a look at the difference in maximum surface temperature between the HLFS and the BLFS versions of the VelociRaptor 300 GB. This is quite surprising since the drive seems to be in contact with the mounting frame only at the four corners, and even that's over a small area.
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Do note that if you buy the HLHX model, you are not allowed to remove the mounting frame. Western Digital ensures this by covering one of the drive mount screws with an anti-tamper sticker. Breaking that sticker automatically voids the drive's warranty.
You might be wondering, why would anyone want to remove the mounting frame. After all, it makes it a lot easier to mount in a regular 3.5" drive bay. Well, fans of silent computing prefer to use the 2.5" version of the VelociRaptor (BLHX) because it is slightly quieter. The BLHX has an idle noise level of 27 dBA and a performance seek noise level of 34 dBA, while the HLHX model (with IcePack mounting frame) has a higher idle noise level of 30 dBA and a performance seek noise level of 37 dBA.
Such users should naturally get the 2.5" BLHX model, as opposed to the 3.5" HLHX model. However, it may not be possible to get the BLHX model in some parts of the world, where the market (or distributor) exclusively favours the 3.5" HLHX model. If that's the case, you can try reducing the noise level by padding the drive bay with soft foam.
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