HDD makes a racket while seeking.

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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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I just bought a WD 2TB Black (WD2003FZEX) and it makes quite loud clicking noises while seeking. A kind of clackety-racket. Really it sounds like an old HDD from the 1990's. Or a loud performing HDD.

It's silent when not seeking. I am googling to see what the general advice is.

I don't hear any of my other drives while they are working. Considering my PC is on the floor it's disappointing. I initially wondered about whether to RMA it. It's a bit offensive. It does however make an otherwise silent PC, now noisy. Even then though, it's my new Steam HDD so I only hear it when I start up Steam. Or load a game, or back up game files etc.

Sound-wise I am sort of not too bothered and put it down to the lottery. However I am concerned if it is something that means that the HHD is not performing properly. Like it if might fail soon, or if it should not be making any noise. Or is it actually a fault?

It was bought within the last week and dated 3 May 2016 when manufactured.

I am running an error scan right now. It's currently at about 10% and good so far. It's SMART data reads all good. ....Should I RMA it please?
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Hey there, @U6b36ef!

I'm sorry to hear about your noisy WD Black! :( I'm afraid that @kenrivers is right. If you have made sure that your WD Black si properly mounted inside the rig and the noises are not caused by some loose screws (which tend to cause extra vibrations), then you should definitely get in touch with our Customer Support and let them know about this issue. Have you also tried the HDD on another computer to see if the clicking sounds are still present? Unfortunately, if they are caused by internal hardware failure, sometimes, the noises can be undetected by the software utilities. I'd advise you to send your RMA request to our support. Here you can read more about the Packing & Shipping instructions as well.

Hope this helps you. Keep us posted if you have more questions!
SuperSoph_WD
 
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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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OK. Thank you very much, kenrivers and SuperSoph_WD.

I will let you know how it goes. Thank you for both replying so swiftly.

I could attempt to make a recording of it, but I have only a MediaFire account I can upload to. Also I only have a cheap desktop microphone, so no nice recording equipment. (I guess it would default to Windows Sound Recorder format.)

 
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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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I was thinking about exchanging this hard-drive with a replacement. However I took a look at the reviews on Amazon of this drive and quite few say they got noisy drives in the 2TB size. ..I am currently googling to find out which manufacturer makes the most reliable hard drive.

it's a really sad result because the WD blue 1TB I bought last year is perfect. It's so very quiet. .....Therefor I really had my fingers crossed for this 2TB Black.
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Hey there again, @U6b36ef!

I'm sorry to see you so unsatisfied with the WD Black. :( I'd suggest you try turning off the indexing of the WD Black drive on your computer as it might help with the noise. If that doesn't fix the issue, check your power settings and make sure they are properly configured.
Keep in mind that the WD Black is performance-oriented, it's not unusual for it to be slightly louder than other standard hard drives.

Hope this was helpful. Best of luck!
SuperSoph_WD
 
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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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Thank you for your concern. To compare though:

About a year ago I bought the WD Blue 1TB 7200rpm, and it's so quiet. I have two 7200rpm 500GB WD and one is quiet and one a little noisy.

The WD 2TB Black makes a racket. Sorry.

I just noticed that Amazon reviews of the 2TB Black, about half of the low star reviews complain of noise. I suspect it's a drive that is just noisy. Even some of the higher star reviews comment on noise. 2TB is not big by today's standards, nor is 7.2K fast so you would not expect it.
 
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U6b36ef

U6b36ef

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I am finally sending back the 2TB Black.

I have no idea what to replace it with. Sadly I have lost my faith in the larger WD disk over this. There are quite a few comments about noise with them on Amazon where I bought it.

I still have pretty good faith with WD though. All but three of my drives are WD, totalling about eight WD drives. I have never had one fail on me, apart from this 2TB Black, which actually has not failed yet. It's being called faulty, and seems likely to fail going by what SuperSoph WD said above. Also with what Kenrivers said too. I think they are right.

I have no idea what to use to replace it with at this size. I am very wary of getting another 2TB Black. I intend to revert back to my 1TB WD Blue (7,200) for the time being.

Big thank you to the TH forums and you TH forum folk.
 
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