How much noise is normal? Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8tb

[chuckytc]

I purchased a Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8tb drive for media storage. I know they're slow, and I'm running mine on USB 2.0 so it's certainly not going to win any races, but it's been fast enough to serve as my media drive for Plex, and streams to multiple devices concurrently without any issues.

I need additional space, though, so I picked up another one (identical).

The first drive i bought is silent, even when reading/writing. The second one doesn't have the dreaded "click" but does make noise, especially when writing to it... almost like cards being shuffled, and I can feel a bit of vibration through my desk. I contacted the retailer, explained the noise, and asked to get a replacement. The replacement came, and it's not as quiet as the first one, either. It's like the second unit, with some noise (a bit lower-pitched than the second one) and vibration when it's working. Firmware version is identical on all, and SMART disc analysis didn't turn up any issues.

So... did I get lucky with the first one? Should I expect the "ruffling" sound when the drive is being used? Or should I be concerned about the second and third units, return them both, and hold out for another that runs as quietly as the first? I know that a hard clicking sound can be a sign of trouble, but is any sound a warning flag?

Thanks!

 

[Zerk2012]

I think you got lucky with the first one I don't buy or recommend Seagate drives.

The only drive I had sudden failure with no warning was a Seagate and lost 6 hours of work that could not be replaced.
Lesson learned now I only use SSD's and WD drives with internal backup and scheduled backup on a external drive.

 

[chuckytc]

I think you got lucky with the first one I don't buy or recommend Seagate drives.

The only drive I had sudden failure with no warning was a Seagate and lost 6 hours of work that could not be replaced.
Lesson learned now I only use SSD's and WD drives with internal backup and scheduled backup on a external drive.

Thanks, Zerk2012, but I have read many reviews about people having issues with Seagate drives as well as many more about people who've found them to be reliable. The input I really need is whether this type of sound should be something of concern or not. Any idea?

 

[seagate_surfer]

Hello chuckytc, sorry to hear you have run into trouble with the drives. Some drives do make a noise when working. Check out our Knowledge Base article on the subject. Within the article there is a link to Seatools which we recommend to run on the drive. Also, here is a link to common Hard Drive sounds. See if yours appears and get back to us with the results. Best of luck.