Need quiet drives for new DS1821+

T

Tanquen

[H]ard|Gawd
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Feb 15, 2005
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The new Synology HAT5300-12T drives have a really loud head seek and spin hum.

I'm guessing the only fix is to get quiet drives and if so are there ones that for sure would be?

I've just started setting up my new DS1821+ with 5 of the Synology HAT5300-12T drives and they seem to be a lot louder then my old DS1813 with WD WD40EFRX 4TB drives. The WD drives do make noise but nothing like the Synology HAT5300-12T drives.

I don't think its the fans and they are already on the lowest speed setting.

There is a loud clunk randomly every few seconds\minutes and there is a loud hum whenever the DS1821+ running. I can even hear the drive head movement (clunking) in the other room. I never really notice the DS1813 with WD drives. If it was just the head clunks maybe I could live with it but the hum in my ears is too annoying.

Is there a quiet mode for the drives?

Will it break the array if I try running the DS1821+ with one or two drives to see if there is a bad one? Was also wondering what would happen if I moved the 8 WD drives into the DS1821+ to see if the hum was still there and see what the read/write performance was over the 10GE network.

It took about 3 days to copy everything from the DS1813 to the DS1821 and I'm not looking forward to doing it again and losing the money buying another set of drives if I can even find them.

I liked the idea of getting Synology drives and the 5 year warranty but am very disappointed. Maybe the HAT5300 should only be sold for rack mounted devices in a server room.



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The HAT5300 doesn't even list Acoustics but vibration so I guess they are loud.

seek up to 242 MiB\s, 5 year warranty.

MiB? Really?



WD Red Plus - 20dBA idle, 29dBA seek up to 196 MB\s, 3 year warranty.

WD Red Pro - 20dBA idle, 36dBA seek up to 240 MB\s, 5 year warranty.

Seagate Ironwolf - 18dBA idle, 28dBA seek up to 210 MB\s, 3 year warranty.

Seagate Ironwolf Pro - 28dBA idle, 32dBA seek up to 250 MB\s, 5 year warranty.


The old DS1813 with the WD WD40EFRX is much more quiet but the online specs say 25dBA idle, 28dBA seek. ???

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I got some WD Red Plus WD140EFGX to try out and they do much better with head seek but the flippin' hum is still there. If its all 7200RPM drives I don't know how they can be rated at 20dBA idle and or how people put up with it.

I see a few places list the 14TB WD140EFFX having 5400 RPM but in the WD specs it says that is just the firmware and the drive is really running at 7200 RPM.

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I don't think there are any 12-14-16TB NAS drives running at 5400 RPM.

I wish there would be some movement in 2.5" or 3.5" SSDs for NAS. I don't want to spend $800 of a 8TB drive just to get rid of the hum.
 
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Realistically, your best option is to wire it up in a different room where you don't have to notice the noise. There just isn't a good way to get that many drives to be quiet when in operation. I have a 1019+ in my TV room full of 5400RPM drives, and I still hear it also.
 
I may end up moving it but I spent a bunch of time getting power and the 10GE where it now sits. Maybe the closet but I'd worry about temps.

The trusty old DS1813 with 8 5200RPM(?) WD WD40EFRX 4TB drives don't make a peep, or a droning hum that echoes in your skull. :(

Nor do any of the other various 7200 drives I have in my workstation but they are down low and in a more of a sealed box than the Synology.
 
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mwroobel said:
You might want to try the Velcro trick, supposedly it works for many people.
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I actually did get some strips from Amazon and try it out but it did nothing for the skull digging drowning hum.

I just wish that they had a performance mode and a quiet mode. I'd totally run them at 5200 RPM or whatever as it wouldn't affect my overall performance with eight discs that much anyway.
 
I only have WD drives (the Synology is a Toshiba), but I don't find the motor noise to be too bad - my case blocks most of it. The low frequency seek noise, thump thump, can't be blocked though.

Back when PCs used hard drives, they did optimize for noise. But now it's only for performance.
 
Luke M said:
I only have WD drives (the Synology is a Toshiba), but I don't find the motor noise to be too bad - my case blocks most of it. The low frequency seek noise, thump thump, can't be blocked though.

Back when PCs used hard drives, they did optimize for noise. But now it's only for performance.
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I’ve been copying data from the old NAS the last 4 days and never heard the head seek noise, just the hum. I think it's more the open Synology case and having many drives (only 3 now but will have 8 in a week or two) and it sets at head level in a cabinet on the other side of the room. I also do not hear the two 3.5” drives in the workstation and they are not NAS drives, have higher dB ratings and no supper anti vibration blah blah blah.

The Synology HAT5300-12T drives had another 30MB/s read, were much louder at seek, good and thumpy but the hum with 3 WD versus 5 Synology is about the same.

It looks like WD did have some 14notTB (12.7TB) drives not too long ago. They have the same specs save for the RPM but have a note in the spec sheet saying it's just the firmware that is reporting the RPM incorrectly. Then why the different part numbers? Maybe someone could get the old firmware. The WD140EFFX is still listed on some sites as 5400RPM.

When the NAS has been running a bit and it goes into power save mode (I guess) and it's like flipping a switch and the skull drilling stops.
 
I have two DS718+, one running two 4tb WD red, and another running two 10tb WD red. They are pretty loud, but they are installed in the IT rack in the basement, so I don't hear them. If they were installed in my office, it would not be tolerable. They are listed as 5400rpm drives, have no idea if they are actually running at 7200.

One other thing I did, I replaced the stock fans on both of the Synology NAS with Noctua 80mm. It reduced the noise by a lot, but I didn't do it so much for the noise but because of the longevity and reliability of the Noctua fans compared to the very cheap stock ones.
 
Was just looking up the drives I purchased, last year I bought the two WD red 10TB WD100EFAX for $279.99 each, now they are listed at $579.99 each - more than double!
 
Why not just get some cheaper 8tb 5400s and call it a day. I run Seagate and they are only audible during heavy seeking (search etc) in an external, sitting on a big steel case top that resonates slightly.
Edit: was there another 'fire tsunami meteorite volcano' explosion at an hdd plant? Or just corona price gouging?

Another idea, try building a foam lined/insulated enclosure with staggered baffles for air channels. You could also literally chuck the nas in an old PC case (steel is best) to kill some of the whine/high pitch noise. Also if 1/4 or 1/2 space loaded you'll significantly increase noise, e.g. take it away from walls or corners.
 
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Och said:
Was just looking up the drives I purchased, last year I bought the two WD red 10TB WD100EFAX for $279.99 each, now they are listed at $579.99 each - more than double!
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Depends on where you look but I have seen the original base WD Reds priced oddly high even for current day nonsense. I got the WD Red Plus 12.7TB (14NotTB) for $480 each. Head seek noise is all but inaudible but the 7200RPM hum is still there. :(
 
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N4CR said:
Why not just get some cheaper 8tb 5400s and call it a day. I run Seagate and they are only audible during heavy seeking (search etc) in an external, sitting on a big steel case top that resonates slightly.
Edit: was there another 'fire tsunami meteorite volcano' explosion at an hdd plant? Or just corona price gouging?

Another idea, try building a foam lined/insulated enclosure with staggered baffles for air channels. You could also literally chuck the nas in an old PC case (steel is best) to kill some of the whine/high pitch noise. Also if 1/4 or 1/2 space loaded you'll significantly increase noise, e.g. take it away from walls or corners.
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I maybe should have but I wanted to have more storage. I will try moving the DS1821+ and or some sound deadening of some kind. It will be lame to rerun the power and 10GE I just did but oh well. :(

Just wish they had a quiet or 5200rpm mode but it looks like all drives will soon be 7200rpm only. I don't how they have a lower dB listed than the old WD 4TB drives. Like they only test for head seek noise but if so, lame.
 
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Tanquen said:
I maybe should have but I wanted to have more storage. I will try moving the DS1821+ and or some sound deadening of some kind. It will be lame to rerun the power and 10GE I just did but oh well. :(

Just wish they had a quiet or 5200rpm mode but it looks like all drives will soon be 7200rpm only. I don't how they have a lower dB listed than the old WD 4TB drives. Like they only test for head seek noise but if so, lame.
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I just read your post about the 14tb being not really 5400rpm.... you should check WD Mybooks there were some white labels that were 5400rpms, weather or not they are truly 5400 rpms is very unknown.

Shucking a 14TB WD Easystore: Red Label or White Label?- Shows a 5400rpm drive

The best thing you can do is move the NAS away from your hearing position, so you dont have to deal with the drive noise.
 
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I got 5 more drives and it is nuts. Right ear is popping when swallow now, happens when I listen to the home theater too loud or go to a movie.

I know the cabinet is making it worse but man it's bad. With all the vibration how can it be good for the drives? But these are NAS drives with blah-blah anti-vibration they say, I don't think it means a thing.

There is no way I can just live with it. I will have to sell these and get biggest (6TB) ones that are really 5400rpm or move them to the utility room down stairs. Even down stairs I think I'll still her them.

I had the three and thought it was not that bad but with all 8 it is nuts. The old 4TB drives have a higher dB rating but with 8 of them I don't hear a thing.

Reading up on the WD Plus 10-12-14TB drives that are labeled as 5400rpm, they got in trouble as folks figured out they just labeled them that way to market them lower than their other higher performance drives but they did not want to actually manufacture 5400 and 7200rpm drives. They then change the part number to the ones I have and the older ones now have that note on the spec sheet that the firmware will report 5400 but that they are 7200rpm drives.

What a pain. :(
 
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