Sound muffling for loud hard drive?

Having just had a new PC built, I've got a big problem, and I'm debating how to fix it. The hard drive - Western Digital 7200 rpm 40 gig IDE - is so noisy that I can't stand it in my house. It's got a metallic whine that's not at all noticeable in the office, and frankly doesn't bother most of the guys I know because they can't hear that high-pitched tone, but at home it overwhelms whatever else is going on - tv, stereo, conversation. I know there are other choices that do run more quietly, and I can certainly get a Seagate SATA drive, which is supposed to be a lot better, but do I have any other options? I don't really like the notion of the Quiet PC enclosure, because I think this drive already runs hot, but maybe I'm mistaken.

Anybody got any experience or input on this subject?

 

Did you install this drive or someone else? IT sounds like the Western Digital Acoustic management utility has been disabled.

I believe that you can enable it using the Data Lifeguard Tools for western digital drives
http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp?cxml=n&pid=999&swid=1


You could also try isolating the drive with rubber washers between it and the mounting screws / drive bay.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Sections+index-req-printpage-artid-29.html

They supply a link to hitachis accoustic management tool which may be able to enable/ adjust the western digital one if you cannot find the feature in data lifeguard.

 

If you think that it may be related to a heat problem, check inside the case for other positions to locate it, preferably where the air can circulate past it. Add a extra case fan near it if you can. There are also fans available that can go into drive bays or card slots.

The mere fact of changing it's location may change the acoustics in the case. Panels and plastic covers can start to vibrate, so it may not be the drive itself which is causing the noise.

Matt

 

Thanks, guys! My partner installed the HDD, and I'm quite sure the Western Digital utilites are not enabled. That's the first thing I'll try when I get home.

The noise is not related to vibration - I've had the case off and poked everything that could be causing any kind of smypathtic vibration, and it's not that. It's a real metallic whine that gets to be like fingernails on a blackboard after a while - a real relief when I shut it down.

It's also not heat-related, I don't think. From what I'd been reading there are foam sound-deadening cases you can get for hard drives, but I would be concerned that it would hold the heat and shorten it's life!

The problem may actually have something to do with the fact that the case is so empty - it's a mid-tower, and other than the main board, HDD and a CD, there's really nothing in there to muffle the sound. I didn't want anything but what I absolutely needed, and that may turn out to be a problem.

 

I just thought I'd report back on the ultimate resolution.

The Western Digital hard drive was the culprit. Unbelievably loud when actually taken out and carefully listened to. I replaced it with a Seagate, and the difference is astonishing. I'm RMAing the WD and we'll see what they say. If Western Digital doesn't agree, I'd say it's a serious flaw in their product line!!

 

Hi Bentley,

Thanks for the post back - been following your thread. Noise from Computers is one of my neuralgia points, can't stand it.

For the record, I have two internal HD's, and one is a WD 80 G drive. I have to listen very carefully to hear any noise from the drives. So maybe this one is defective or its the 40 G model you have.

The other drive is a Samsung 40 G which if anything is even quieter.

Regards - Charles

 

Sounds like the drive has a bad bearing. They will scream!

 

It was a WD 80 gig, and it probably was a bad bearing.

What was amazing to me was that the guys absolutely could not hear it in a big room with a certain amount of ambient noise. To me it was truly fingernails on a chalk board, but their ears just weren't tuned to that pitch. Taking it out of the case and putting an ear to it, they conceded that they could hear what I was talking about, but until then, they were truly deaf to it!

 

The guys in your office, depending on their age, may be suffering from hearing loss caused by listening to too loud music. I would advise them to get a hearing test from an accredited audiologist. Loud rock music has caused a lot of hearing loss in the past few years.