Noise levels
Noise levels were measured with an Extech 407727 Digital Sound Level meter 1" from the side of the drives at idle and under an HD Tach seek load. Drives were run with the PCB facing up.

For all intents and purposes, the Spinpoint F1 is every bit as quiet at idle as Western Digital's GreenPower drives. That's an impressive feat considering that the GPs have the luxury of spindle speeds that are much closer to 5,400RPM than 7,200RPM. Noise levels rise as the drive is seeking, and although the Spinpoint is audibly louder than the GreenPower drives here, it's still quieter than terabyte drives that share its 7,200RPM spindle speed.

Power consumption
For our power consumption tests, we measured the voltage drop across a 0.1-ohm resistor placed in line with the 5V and 12V lines connected to each drive. Through the magic of Ohm's Law, we were able to calculate the power draw from each voltage rail and add them together for the total power draw of the drive.

Having fewer platters pays off for the Spinpoint in our power consumption tests, where the drive sips less juice than any of our 7,200RPM terabyte contenders. The F1 isn't quite as power-efficient as Western Digital's GPs, of course, but that's to be expected given their lower spindle speed.