WDC Black read/write noise

[sticks435]

Hey all, does anyone else with a Caviar Black have really loud read/write noise? It's not abnormal noise, just that the regular read/write noise is very loud compared to the Blue it replaced. Maybe this is just normal due to the performance aim of the drive. Even with the side panel on, I can still here it if it's doing large reads or writes. Burst read/writes arn't as noticable though.

 

[Seven]

I can't hear my black.. Makes little noise when seeking, but that's about it..

 

[sticks435]

Well that's not good then. :/

 

[Tsavo]

My black is loud loud loud, same as a friend's.

You can use http://hddscan.com/ to quieten the drive, but it adds quite a bit to seek times.

I'm going to replace my black as main drive with a blue since it's so damn loud.

 

[a123456]

If it doesn't sound like a click of death or like the head is pounding against your platters and if it sounds like "normal" HDD seek noises, it's normal. The Black is one of the loudest 7200rpm drives out there and the 640 Blue is the one of quietest 7200rpm drives out there so the fact that you hear a huge difference isn't surprising.

Some noise levels here: http://techreport.com/articles.x/15730/11

 

[Tsavo]

My seeks sound like ball bearings in a blender.

 

[Elcs]

I am not sure I belong in here because I think my WD Green Power drives are noisy. Most certainly the loudest thing in my PC.

I recommend at the very least checking out the AAM settings and see if that can quieten them down.

 

[Zap]

I am not sure I belong in here because I think my WD Green Power drives are noisy. Most certainly the loudest thing in my PC.

That's the moment you realize that "quiet" and "silent" are two different things. ^_^ I assume you are also a member of the SPCR forums?

 

[sticks435]

If it doesn't sound like a click of death or like the head is pounding against your platters and if it sounds like "normal" HDD seek noises, it's normal. The Black is one of the loudest 7200rpm drives out there and the 640 Blue is the one of quietest 7200rpm drives out there so the fact that you hear a huge difference isn't surprising.

Some noise levels here: http://techreport.com/articles.x/15730/11

Is the SE16 (640GB) referenced in that article the Blue drive? If so, it seems there isn't much advantage in going to a Black in most cases, so sounds like I kinda wasted the money.

 

[a123456]

Yeah, the SE16 (640GB) is the Blue AAKS. Well, you get more space and it seems like seek times might be 1ms faster and 2 years extra warranty.

 

[sticks435]

Yea, I still had a good amount left on my Blue, but I guess for $52 after Bing, I got a hell of a deal.

 

[Elcs]

That's the moment you realize that "quiet" and "silent" are two different things. ^_^ I assume you are also a member of the SPCR forums?

Indeed. Silence is an absolute and until you can develop a PC with zero moving parts then it's not going to happen... even then you can get electrical whine from graphics cards under certain circumstances.

I am probably still a member of the SPCR forum but rarely went there and posted only a handful of times.

Mix together a Seasonic S12 PSU, WD Green Power drives suspended in elastic and 1,200 rpm Scythe Slipstream fans dialled down to as low as they go. Can you tell I spent some time at SPCR? Is it obvious? ()

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

Some cases can accentuate the vibrations acoustically or because of sympathetic vibrations. You might just need some vibration absorbing mounts. Also, like Zap and Elcs were getting at, if I go to my mom's house it's dead quiet compared to the noise threshold of my apartment. It's not noisy noises, but the diffused noise all around you that you don't really notice until you go miles into the wilderness where there is no longer the hum of transformers or electric fans and devices. There you can hear the blood in your head pumping (well, maybe if you are being chased by a boar). I have 2 Blacks. One in an external case with no sides on and one in a tower. I can't hear either one of them seeking, just when I turn on the external.

 

[sticks435]

Some cases can accentuate the vibrations acoustically or because of sympathetic vibrations. You might just need some vibration absorbing mounts. Also, like Zap and Elcs were getting at, if I go to my mom's house it's dead quiet compared to the noise threshold of my apartment. It's not noisy noises, but the diffused noise all around you that you don't really notice until you go miles into the wilderness where there is no longer the hum of transformers or electric fans and devices. There you can hear the blood in your head pumping (well, maybe if you are being chased by a boar). I have 2 Blacks. One in an external case with no sides on and one in a tower. I can't hear either one of them seeking, just when I turn on the external.

Yea, for the most part, my apt is pretty quiet unless the HVAC is running. Would some rubber washers work to dampen the sound, or is there some other system I should use?

 

[Elcs]

Yea, for the most part, my apt is pretty quiet unless the HVAC is running. Would some rubber washers work to dampen the sound, or is there some other system I should use?

First thing to do is really sit the HDD on a block of foam inside the PC. This will isolate the drive from the case and eliminate the vibration noise. If this test is successful in noise reduction then your HDD is making the case vibrate and resonate causing noise.

The most common way of reducing the HDD vibration is rubberised mount systems. They can be quite effective depending on the brand (different qualities) and how tight you fix it to the PC. The tighter you screw the drive in with these, the more compressed the rubber is and the more vibration travels into the case and makes awful noise.

Leaving the HDD on the foam is another option. It should be safe there if you are not moving your PC around or it wont be knocked. Temperatures in this setup will more than likely be higher but in most cases should not be alarmedly increased.

My method and the one favoured over on the Silent PC Review (SPCR) forums is a form of elastic suspension. Take normal trouser elastic purchased from a local store, thread it around the case and tie in the Hard Drive. When done correctly, the HDD's are very isolated and pass near zero vibration onto the case. In my PC, the drives would be ok for hand transportation but I would not trust the elastic to cradle my drives during a car journey.

You can also purchase noise isolator caddies for hard drives. Essentially encasing them in a manufactured enclosure which reduces the vibration and noise reaching the outside world. These can suffer from heat problems and it would serve you well to consult SPCR before going to purchase one.

As is typical in most troubleshooting, you need to isolate your issue and choose the most appropriate method for you to resolve it. Hopefully I have provided I have provided you with a good basis to start from.

 

[sticks435]

First thing to do is really sit the HDD on a block of foam inside the PC. This will isolate the drive from the case and eliminate the vibration noise. If this test is successful in noise reduction then your HDD is making the case vibrate and resonate causing noise.

The most common way of reducing the HDD vibration is rubberised mount systems. They can be quite effective depending on the brand (different qualities) and how tight you fix it to the PC. The tighter you screw the drive in with these, the more compressed the rubber is and the more vibration travels into the case and makes awful noise.

Leaving the HDD on the foam is another option. It should be safe there if you are not moving your PC around or it wont be knocked. Temperatures in this setup will more than likely be higher but in most cases should not be alarmedly increased.

My method and the one favoured over on the Silent PC Review (SPCR) forums is a form of elastic suspension. Take normal trouser elastic purchased from a local store, thread it around the case and tie in the Hard Drive. When done correctly, the HDD's are very isolated and pass near zero vibration onto the case. In my PC, the drives would be ok for hand transportation but I would not trust the elastic to cradle my drives during a car journey.

You can also purchase noise isolator caddies for hard drives. Essentially encasing them in a manufactured enclosure which reduces the vibration and noise reaching the outside world. These can suffer from heat problems and it would serve you well to consult SPCR before going to purchase one.

As is typical in most troubleshooting, you need to isolate your issue and choose the most appropriate method for you to resolve it. Hopefully I have provided I have provided you with a good basis to start from.

Sounds good. It's not to bad during normal use with the side panel on, just during heavy read/writes. Most likely I'll end up either just keeping it on the foam, as I have a fan mounted in the HHD cage, or go with the rubber kit, since like I mentioned, it's only in certain circumstances that it happends. Thanks for all the advice

 

[Itchrelief]

Mine definitely isn't silent, but it is quieter than the ancient 120 gig Seagate 7200.7 it replaced.

I hope Elcs can help you out, as I think he's got the right idea.

The 640 Black I have in an Antec P180 that uses drive grommets is silent during reads. The fact this case is on the floor also helps a great deal with noise.

The 640 Black I have in an old Antec 1080 case that mounts directly to the case metal is loud (but still quieter than the Seagate).

 

[sticks435]

Mine definitely isn't silent, but it is quieter than the ancient 120 gig Seagate 7200.7 it replaced.

I hope Elcs can help you out, as I think he's got the right idea.

The 640 Black I have in an Antec P180 that uses drive grommets is silent during reads. The fact this case is on the floor also helps a great deal with noise.

The 640 Black I have in an old Antec 1080 case that mounts directly to the case metal is loud (but still quieter than the Seagate).

Yea, I had that old Antec 1080 too, replaced it with the 900 few months back. I mounted the HHD directly to the cage, and the cage mounts directly to the case. Maybe I need to reread the manual and see if it has some rubber washers or something that I missed.

 

[Viperoni]

I have a pair of 500gb Black's, and they're crunchy while accessing, but otherwise, idle noise is decent.

 

[Tsavo]

My case has isolated mounts, but the drives are right behind the front intake fan, so the noise is free to annoy me at will.