New HGST 4TB Deskstar NAS: Weird noise and S.M.A.R.T data

I just got my new HGST drive. The actual writing/reading noises aren’t too bad … but during operation (Idle, Stress test, etc.) it periodically makes this weird rumbling noise every 3-5 seconds; The whole time. There is probably a real word for this noise I just don’t know^^ It sounds similar to the noise any regular drive would make, from time to time … and much lower in tune and way louder …

This is already a replacement drive. Is this just normal for these HGSTs (As in should I just get a refund and buy a different one this time)
Oh, and for this one I remembered to check the smart data - Every value seems to be set to the max value… … …?

Unbenannt2

Any idea what happened here?

So you should focus on the raw value and also skim this backblaze article which should give a great idea on what to really look at:

Otherwise I’ve had drives that were a little noisy that lasted me years, others that did not, so I wouldn’t base too much on the noise. I’d look at the smart results and the performance of the drive as my main indicators.

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In this case the drive is too loud. So I’m either returning it and getting a refund to buy another drive or I’m trying a third one, depending if this kind of operating noise is to be expected from the HGSTs.
I’m taking a look at the article though. Thanks!

I dont see any issues with your smart data as is but I would put some time on the drive before I just gave up on it. I have 2 4TB HGST in my nas and one recently started failing. They sent me a replacement which has been great so far.

Yeah, I didn’t check the raw data - My mistake. And noise wise? How are they?

Noise wise they arent great but they arent the worst ive ever heard. While I was waiting on the replacement from HGST I went ahead and got a 4TB Toshiba and its considerably louder under heavy read/write. I dont notice any noise like you describe other than the normal clicking of a busy drive. They are mounted in my Synology NAS though which has rubber grommets to isolate the vibrations. FWIW these drives are noticeably louder than a WD black I put in my wifes machine. They arent made to be quiet though. They are made to serve up data quickly and reliably, make of that what you will. Without actually hearing the noise for myself I cant really tell you if its normal or bad, but your smart info looks fine.

Given how my drive failed and your current predicament, I would put some power cycles over time on the drive to see how they spin up. Mine failed on spin retry count, which indicated to me that maybe a bad motor or bearing was the culprit. I cant say I noticed a noise before the diskstation sent me emails about failed smart tests, which i perform weekly.

Another thought I had, whats your disk setup look like? Is this part of an array? Do you have other HGST drives? When I was rebuilding my array it sounded more like a ball full of rocks rolling around than a normal disk.

I have dozens of HGST NAS drives running, and have never noticed one being exceptionally loud. They’re all in NAS’s or servers though. I like them. Failure rates for me have been low, and RMA is smooth when one does fail.

Yes, if possible, I’d power cycle it for 24 hours, and then run a benchmark for another 24 hours. If it still looks fine after that, then you can be more confident using it. Obviously, you should always have a backup no matter what.

If it’s just too loud, then I’d go with a desktop drive (like a wd black).

I’ll post a recording and further comments when I get home actually - That’ll probably make things much easier.