Solution to noisy WD 500 gb drive (and others)

[catachip]

So, I have been reading many posts where people say that they got the WD Scorpio Blue 500 GB, or another drive, for their unibody MacBook Pro and they notice it is much louder than their stock drive. They report a found kind of like a fan. Anyway, the sound goes away when you press in the right-hand corner of the MacBook Pro.

Well, I had the exact same problem. I couldn't figure it out, what was pressing on the corner doing? Then I figure it out! It's sealing the battery compartment. The door for the battery on the MacBook Pro is actually pretty loose, when you press it closed tightly from underneath it does the same thing as pressing in the corner - the sound from the drive is reduced dramatically. My solution was to take some strips of clear tape and carefully put them around the battery door on the bottom. You cannot see them when the computer is open normally.

At least for me, this has solved the noise issue. Hope it can help someone else!

 

[reallynotnick]

Hmmm, mine has a built in battery and it gets quieter when applying pressure to the right palm rest....
Applying pressure to the bottom does nothing for me.

 

[malnar]

If the sound is eliminated by resting your hand on it, then it's most likely the result of resonance. The drive is vibrating at a frequency that the aluminum happens to be "tuned" to, and when you touch it, you change the tuning frequency. Solution? Add weight to that portion of the body and you should see a change in the sound and vibration. I have no idea if it's possible to get to that portion of the MBP's body, but that's where it has to go. I know this from years of car audio installations - if you hear a vibration when some bass hits, you simply dampen it by adding a bit of weight to the back side of whatever panel is vibrating (wherever on the panel the weight of your finger or hand stops it.) Might be worth a try if it's doable.