Before I bought my Xbox 360, I was slightly reluctant because I heard that it was really loud. Then I heard the updated HDMI models were less likely to have hardware failure and were also quieter. So, I bought an Xbox 360 on August 16. I opened it up and realized it did not have HDMI. Then I turned it on and expected it to be loud. But it wasn't. Sure, it makes a tiny bit of noise but I can hear it only when the volume is muted. So, did I get a 360 that is halfway in between a launch model and an HDMI model, or have people just exagerrated the noise that the original model makes?

They are all loud, compare it to any other disc system, and its extreemly load.

 This does not answer my question. Was there only ever one model before the HDMI model or were there additional minor revisions in hardware before this?

The BenQ dvd drives are the quiet ones. MS was putting them in 360's before the elite was on the market, but it was more or less luck as to whether you would get one with a BenQ as opposed to a loud Toshiba/Samsung or Hitachi.

I think (but I'm not sure) all 360's come with quieter drives now.  

Cute how people become experts on the 360 when its faults are discussed.

There are many different types of Xbox 360s with different DVD drives. I can't remember the specifics, but I was a comparison chart once that you could use to see what kind of a drive you had by comparing the outline of the disc holding thingie to the ones in the pictures.

So it's definitely possible you have a quieter one, especially if it's pretty new.

Ask and it shall be given unto you.

BenQ was rumored to be the quiet drives of the 360, and they were distributing these in consoles before both the HDMI Elites/Premiums, and before they announced the 3 year warranty. Check the manufacture date of your 360. It is probably before May 07', but after November 06'.

Edit: Aaaargh, beaten by two seconds!

^aren't Phillips drives only in the Core version?

 I had a 360 with a T/S drive (before I sold it) - the thing sounded like it had an internal combustion engine when the dvd drive was spinning.

It appears so, and I noticed my original pic was missing the BenQ, so I found another one.

Wrong the BenQ drive is not quiet but you might have the new Hitachi LG drive. There is a launch Hitachi drive at the begining of the 360 and then there is a new Hitachi LG drive in the Elite. I have the new Hitachi LG drive and its quiet like a mouse. I here nothing even when my tv is down. When its loading a game you can tell that its speeding up to read the disc but after that you don't here the lens moving back and forth or the drive louder than the old Hitachi drives. BenQ drives are not quiet either they have problems. People said on youtube.com that it loads like a 3.5" Floppydisk....lol...here is the link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN3fQ9qtNWQ