8TB WD HDD very noisy, is this normal?

I recently added a Western Digital WD80EAAZ-00BXBB0. That's an 8TB Blue HDD.

When I run the S.M.A.R.T. (quick) test with the WD Data Lifeguard Tool for the first several seconds it sounds like someone shoved a vibrator inside my PC and turned it on high. Then it gets a lot quieter but I can still hear a humming noise for several more seconds. It does pass all the tests.

I've used WD for many years and never heard one make this noise. Is this normal, has anyone else experienced this?

Note: The HDD's are held in with 4 screws each, no quick mounting.

@Sqrly

Yeah that's probably normal.
That 8TB drive is 5640rpm and is pretty bottom of the line.


This one would be a LOT quieter...




You can check the drive with CrystalDiskInfo (free)... The ZIP version is the portable version.

OK, I must first pre-label this response as "memories from the earlier days of computing." I remember working on a Data General system back in the 1980's that had a -- wait for it -- removable 8" hard disk pack with about 120MB of capacity. The gol-darned thing sounded like the opening of Pink Floyd's Money when it started chunking away.
By comparison, your drive is quiet. But yes, as such things go, the higher the RPMs on an HDD, the quieter is usually is. When they start "chunking" for real, it usually presages catastrophic disk failure.
--Ed--

Ed Tittel said:

OK, I must first pre-label this response as "memories from the earlier days of computing." I remember working on a Data General system back in the 1980's that had a -- wait for it -- removable 8" hard disk pack with about 120MB of capacity. The gol-darned thing sounded like the opening of Pink Floyd's Money when it started chunking away.
By comparison, your drive is quiet. But yes, as such things go, the higher the RPMs on an HDD, the quieter is usually is. When they start "chunking" for real, it usually presages catastrophic disk failure.
--Ed--

Click to expand...

Ah, yes. Those were fun days. I started with a single floppy drive, then got a second one and thought that was the best - no need to swap the disk 20 times to make a copy. Got my first HDD as a hand me down from a friend - a whole 20MB I believe it was (may have even been 10).

Then there were the trips to the computer shows to pick up new hardware.

Fun times!

Ed Tittel said:

OK, I must first pre-label this response as "memories from the earlier days of computing." I remember working on a Data General system back in the 1980's that had a -- wait for it -- removable 8" hard disk pack with about 120MB of capacity. The gol-darned thing sounded like the opening of Pink Floyd's Money when it started chunking away.
By comparison, your drive is quiet. But yes, as such things go, the higher the RPMs on an HDD, the quieter is usually is. When they start "chunking" for real, it usually presages catastrophic disk failure.
--Ed--

Click to expand...

Remember calibrating these things in the 70's. Take off your watch as the voice coil would bugger it up!

you could use the WD Dashboard to check the drive.

best of luck, Steve ..

During testing it will make the most noise, so not unexpected.

I have some WD red drives in a couple of NAS boxes the noise difference is very noticeable, despite only around 3-4 dBA difference listed in the data sheets. They do SMART tests to a schedule.

The mounting method and housing make a big difference.
Some veering to a Loudspeaker enclosure, others more of an Anechoic chamber.

Figures from WD data sheets:

WD Blue WD80EAAZ 8TB 5640 RPM 24-28 dBA
WD Black WD8002FZBX 8TB 7200 RPM 29-36 dBA