Question Two identical drives, very different noise profiles. Return the louder one?

[jonnyz2]

I have been testing and “burning in” two new identical enterprise NAS drives which will be used for storing many years of photography work (large photoshop/photography files).

Both drives have tested fine in multiple tests (e.g. short and long smart tests, surface tests, etc.).

I am currently running a butterfly test on both drives and have noticed that one drive is so quiet it cannot be heard over the quiet fans on the workstation while the other drive is noticeable and sometimes can be heard across the small room when the place is quiet.

For the nosier drive, the sounds are similar to seek sounds on noisier drives from 10 years ago. The are soft movement sounds and not hard clicks, scrapes, scratching, etc. So, I don't think what I hear indicates imminent failure. In fact, if the quiet drive was about the same sound level as the louder drive, I'd probably accept them as noisier than average drives and move one. However, since one is nearly inaudible and the other noticeably louder, I'm wondering whether the noisy one is not "up to spec" and may fail faster.

Another data point, the noisy drive temperature runs 44-46C while the quiet drive runs 39-41C.

I’d appreciate advice on this!

 

[SkyNetRising]

What are model names of the drives?
Are they installed in the same way? Using same vibration/noise dampeners?
Can you show a photo, how they are installed?
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

 

[falcon291]

I would check their SMART values. But even they don't show anything alarming, I would retire the noise one. It is better to be safe than regret.

 

[jonnyz2]

What are model names of the drives?
Are they installed in the same way? Using same vibration/noise dampeners?
Can you show a photo, how they are installed?
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

I'm going to leave the mfg/brand out of this. Both are brand new enterprise NAS drives with 5 year warranty.

Installation is identical, using slide in holders that lock into place on a very solidly built rack in a good quality workstation case.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I'm going to leave the mfg/brand out of this. Both are brand new enterprise NAS drives with 5 year warranty.

Why is that a secret?

 

[jonnyz2]

There are people who will interpret the above as trashing a brand, even though it is not.

Why is the brand relevant? Isn't it more important that they are truly identical?

 

[35below0]

There are people who will interpret the above as trashing a brand, even though it is not.

Why is the brand relevant? Isn't it more important that they are truly identical?

Possibly. No one is looking to judge you based on what you're using... or wasn't until now. Anyway, it's useful information. People who keep an eye on hardware notice and keep track of details such as this, esp. if it becomes commonplace.
Manufacturers should consistently manufacture identical units. It's normal for one in a million to be defective or quirky. Sometimes new devices fail very early in their warranty period. It's what warranty is for afterall.
But the manufacturer should aim to have no returns if possible.

If you can contact customer support, ask them why one drive is noisier and if you should be worried.
You can return the drive as well. If for no other reason then because of the noise.

 

[USAFRet]

Installation is identical, using slide in holders that lock into place on a very solidly built rack in a good quality workstation case.

Different slots in the case may result in different resonation.

Or, very slightly different RPM may result in different interference patterns with the rest of the case.

 

[jonnyz2]

Different slots in the case may result in different resonation.

Or, very slightly different RPM may result in different interference patterns with the rest of the case.

Good thoughts! There's a possibility that the case will affect the actual resonance of the device and each device may have a different sympathetic resonance affect on the case.

As its very quiet in the place right now, I did pause both drive tests and then started and paused each one separately Interestingly, the louder one also has a higher frequency component to its sound which may make it more noticeable. That could be manufacturing variance or a result of either of the issues you suggest.

So, after the tests are complete, I'll take out both drives and test run them on a soft surface to compare them. If that's not conclusive, I'll reverse their positions in the case and test again. I'd be quite happy to find that it is not the drives themselves. Especially after many days of testing/burn in.

 

[jonnyz2]

You can return the drive as well. If for no other reason then because of the noise.

If after the additional comparisons above, if the one drive is still significantly louder, that is probably the smartest move.

 

[jonnyz2]

So, after a bit more time, I did remove both drives and compared them with the same butterfly test while resting on a soft surface. Here's what I found:

1. Both were quieter; so, case/rack sympathetic resonance is definitely part of the problem
2. When not attached to the case, both were about the same volume
3. As before, each one has a different frequency mix in the sound. With one putting out lower tones and the other higher. Previously, the higher tone one sounded louder which may have been driven by the frequency being better matched to the case's resonance frequencies and/or the rack position
4. The lower tone one actually has higher side to side vibration than the higher toned one. It is more than a small difference.