Is it normal to hear HD seeking/write noise with a 3TB WDC Red NAS HDD?

[tracerit]

I have a 7200rpm Seagate 3TB hard drive and determined that it was the biggest noise contributor to my system. So after reading up on quieter hard drives, I chose the 3TB WDC Red NAS drive.

While it's quieter, I've noticed it's also making noise when seeking during boot and during idle use which maybe normal as it's looking for things. The Seagate does not make these seeking noises.

The Red NAS also makes noise when writing as well. The Seagate does not.

The noises aren't loud to the point that one would think there's a defect, but it's noticeable. I was under the impression the Red NAS drive would be silent during writes and seeks. CrystalDiskMark shows the Red NAS drive in Good health with no issues.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

They all make that noise. The question is whether you have good enough hearing to pick up on it with all the other garbage that is going on in the typical office.

Most of the drives I have started out quiter, got a little louder over the first couple months, and then leveled off.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

All hard drives make noise to a degree. I've never met one that you can't hear while it's seeking/reading/writing if you listen carefully. Even modern 5400 RPM notebook drives make a slight ticking.

To me, this sound isn't nearly as annoying as the tonal hum most drives make all the time. Also, keep in mind that hard drive noises (hum and seek) an be mitigated by softer mounting.

 

[norseamd]

not sure about industrial grade hard drives but all consumer hard rives usually make some noise

 

[tracerit]

just bummed that the wd red 5400rpm is quiet when idle but any use (seeding torrents, no downloading) will make that writing/seeking grinding noise.

the 7200rpm seagate doesn't make any noise at all during writes surprisingly but the higher rotational speed is noticeable.

gonna wait it out with the wd red until the last day i can return it then ask for an exchange. if that doesn't work out i'll probably go back to the seagate.

 

[Elixer]

Nothing should be making a grinding noise, no matter what brand.
That is a sign of failure of the bearings most likely.

You sure it is a grinding noise, and not the normal head seek noise that you can hear on most HDs?

 

[tracerit]

hm... so now i'm wondering if i should even wait it out to see if the WD Red will "break in" or if I should just request an exchange now?

 

[Zxian]

Case mounting can also have a significant impact on how much you hear your hard drive. If the drive is screwed directly against a metal frame, any vibrations will be transferred to the case and cause the panels to resonate.

Rubber pads help somewhat, but there's still a fairly strong mechanical coupling.

Reds should be very quiet during seeks. Best thing to do would be to test the drive when it's not mounted in your case. If you have a piece of foam, plug the drive in and place it on the foam just outside your case. If it's still making a significant grinding noise, send it back.

You can find recordings of the 3TB Red at SilentPCReview's review of the Red series. The 30 second clip is 10 seconds of no device, 10 seconds of idle, and then 10 seconds of seeking.

 

[Virgorising]

I would get and run WD Diagnostics before I considered RMAing the drive. My WD Black I bought used from a private vendor on ebay is dead silent.

 

[SolMiester]

I got a WD AV-GP 3TB the other day brand new & DOA.....Sounded like a cicada inside the case....i actually have a recording of it though not sure how to share......LOL

 

[Virgorising]

I got a WD AV-GP 3TB the other day brand new & DOA.....Sounded like a cicada inside the case....i actually have a recording of it though not sure how to share......LOL

Alas, now, not atypical. All the result of OUTSOURCING. Given I read many negative reviews of the WD Black I got used on eBay.....all re uber noise, not until mine arrived and I installed it, did I know I got a fabulous one.

I luv "cicada"!!!!!:biggrin:

 

[tracerit]

After listening to the SPCR recordings of the red drive, I can say mine definitely is not that quiet. So I'm gonna request an exchange through Amazon.

 

[tracerit]

got my replacement WD Red from amazon today and I can report that the noise is much lower on this drive. Writes noise is still higher than the 7200rpm Seagate but overall quieter when I'm just web browsing and such. Thanks for the replies, I probably would've settled on that noisy drive without them

I'm also suspending the drive using girls' hair bands. It works wonders on the 7200rpm and gets rid of more vibration than the rubber grommets and HD cage. Looks ghetto but functional

 

[Virgorising]

got my replacement WD Red from amazon today and I can report that the noise is much lower on this drive. Writes noise is still higher than the 7200rpm Seagate but overall quieter when I'm just web browsing and such. Thanks for the replies, I probably would've settled on that noisy drive without them

I'm also suspending the drive using girls' hair bands. It works wonders on the 7200rpm and gets rid of more vibration than the rubber grommets and HD cage. Looks ghetto but functional

Congrats! You did right by RMAing! Forget, that was warpspeed!

Re the inventive use of the hair bands, I like it.

If too ghetto, change the colors.

Just struck me, apart from essentially beautiful engineering re my Optiplexes, and that I have silent drives, esp my WD Black, I believe the inclusion of the infamous flexible blue nylon sleds in all Dell Optiplexes is even more brilliant than I thought, cause not only do they afford slipping the drives out of and into the bays, afford immediate switching out drivse (no tools), but they also act as noise buffers.

 

[Zxian]

This is the insides of my server right now. Elastic suspension is a godsend for hard drive mounting.

 

[Virgorising]

This is the insides of my server right now. Elastic suspension is a godsend for hard drive mounting.

Way!!!!! Brilliant. Also affords them a bungee option if they get bored when neither reading nor writing.