WD Black 2TB HDD spin-down noise

[BDaishi]

Hi everyone... long time LTT YouTube viewer, first time poster here.

 

I bought a WD Black 2TB HDD (model # WDBSLA0020HNC-NRSN) new last November.  I already had a SSD boot drive and a 1TB data drive, but I was starting to run low on space.  I installed it just fine in the open 3.5" HDD drive cage slot.  

When the drive spins down, it makes this horrible noise (YouTube link, in case embedding doesn't work

It does this whether I am shutting down (as shown in the video) or the computer simply stops accessing the drive.  I have looked online, and it seems others have experienced the same thing, calling it the "dying cow" noise. 

Now, looking in the documentation, this drive does have a feature called StableTrac Technology, which is supposed to secure the motor shaft.  It would make some sense if the noise were a sort of brake engaging, to secure the platter and reduce vibration/contact if the machine gets moved around.  But the documentation does not mention that the user should expect such a noise, and I have never heard it on any other drive that wasn't failing.  Plus, it sounds awful.  

 

I don't need any lectures on whether I should simply get a new SSD instead of an HDD.  I just want to know if anyone else here has experienced this or knows whether this noise is to be expected.  I have never had any issues with WD hard drives in the past, but I have been hesitant to store data on the drive since this sound is very concerning and I have never heard it on any other drive. 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Kilrah
Fixed embed

[Kilrah]

Fixed your embed. This made my heart skip a beat though... if it's new I would back it up and ditch it / RMA it ASAP.

[BDaishi]

On 4/3/2021 at 12:37 PM, Kilrah said:

Fixed your embed. This made my heart skip a beat though... if it's new I would back it up and ditch it / RMA it ASAP.

Thank you for fixing that, not sure what I did wrong.  Yeah, the first time I heard it, it really took me by surprise.  Like I said, the last time I heard anything like that was a failing drive.  

I have not stored any data on it yet (the noise has made me too afraid to do so), so at least there's no risk of data loss.  

I read on the WD website that WD now replaces defective devices with "re-certified" ones - not brand new ones - in case of a warranty replacement... that is insane to me!  But I guess I am stuck doing an RMA, since I doubt Office Depot would accept a return 5 months later.

[BDaishi]

Update...

I received a replacement from WD.  As (unfortunately) expected, they sent a "re-certified" drive.  This one was a WD Black as well, but a different model number (WD2003FZEX-00SRLA0).  This one makes the same noise the other one did, but at a lower pitch.  

Video for anyone curious: 

I am pretty upset with WD at this point.  

[Kilrah]

Welp, maybe it's just weird but normal then?

[BDaishi]

7 hours ago, Kilrah said:

Welp, maybe it's just weird but normal then?

The optimist in me would like to agree with you, but it just sounds so bad that I really don't feel comfortable trusting it with any data.  

I am pursuing the matter further with WD, but I guess at this point I just want others to be aware before deciding to purchase a WD hard drive.

[BDaishi]

Final update...

I received another replacement from WD.  They claim this is a brand-new unit and not a refurbished one.  

Got it installed, and so far no more of that awful sound.  Tested the drive using WD's drive utility and it seems to work fine... and most importantly, nice and quiet. 

This whole thing was certainly an adventure.