MBP 13" drive upgrade - noisier than before

[Julien Aguet]

Hi all,

I just upgraded my hard drive in my MBP 13" (mid 2009) from the original Fujitsu 250GB 5400 rpms to a Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB 5400rpms.

Upon buying my MBP I was astonished by the very little noise it would make while running with basic tasks. You would barely hear the fan and the drive itself would run almost silently as well.

When I upgraded to the 500GB drive, I started to notice that the laptop made more noise than before. First I thought it was the fans (reset them - nothing) until I listened carefully and noticed it came from the drive itself. You actually hear the spinning, which apparently is perfectly normal. Nevertheless, it bothers me. I've tried out a Hitachi 500GB 5400rpms - same thing.

I was wondering, without sounding too much like a paranoid freak, if anyone has had similar issues, or if you might know a brand that runs silently! Do Fujitsu 500GB models run silently? Are they reliable?

Thanks to anyone for any help or tips.

Cheers,


Julien

 

[techound1]

Wow, I've always had good luck with quiet WD drives. I have a scorpio black in right now and can't distinguish it from the ambient sounds in the house.

 

[Lurchdubious]

I want to resurrect this thread .

I recently replaced my fujitsu drive in my aluminum macbook with a western digital 320gb 7200rpm drive, and it's noisy. It makes the same sound you hear when you put your ear up to a large sea-shell, ("The Ocean" noise). It's driving me nuts in my quiet study area.

I'm thinking of swapping it for the Hitachi 7K/500 drive. Anybody know if it's totally silent???

 

[CJS7070]

Are you sure the drive is secured in its brackets and is seated properly? It could be the vibrations from that... Maybe not likely, but a cheaper and easier fix than replacing the drive

 

[Lurchdubious]

Are you sure the drive is secured in its brackets and is seated properly? It could be the vibrations from that... Maybe not likely, but a cheaper and easier fix than replacing the drive

Yes it is. And it wouldn't be that expensive: I still have 2 weeks to return the WD to BestBuy...

 

[Julien Aguet]

Actually, I replaced my WD drive with a Hitachi (500GB 5400rpms) and it made the exact same "ocean" sound. I finally gave up - put back my WD 500gb 5400rpms drive and tried to get used to it but it IS annoying!

I tried other WD 500GB 5400 rpm drives and its the same thing. The old 250GB Fujitsu factory included drive didn't make this sound (I put it back to compare).

Any suggestions?

 

[matthemercyless]

I would get a replacement under your warranty. I have the same HDD in my PS3 and its super quiet. Even the Mrs noticed a difference.