My HDD has started to emit a very annoying humming noise and am trying to make it so that it would be quiet. I was thinking of getting an enclosure for it, but it's hard to find a good one(especially here in Vancouver Canada!!!). Also my case is Nikao X-Blade where the HDD bays are sideways, as compared to the typical HDD configuration. So if anyone has some suggestions, I'd really appreciate it!!!!(I'm beginning to think the neighbourhood dogs are even getting mad!!!) Thanks.

Hello and welcome to SPCR!

Is it a vibration (as opposed to a noise), that may be causing the case to resonate? If so, the you will want to investigate suspending the HD -- and the place to start is right here.

Suspending the hard drive does not work. The noise is a high pitched whine that is really annoying.

Uh, have you considered replacing the drive?

High pitched whines are usually a sign of something being wrong, whether its an animal, a person. a wheel bearing or a hard drive. The whine is trying to attract your attention. Covering it up or muffling it will only lead to more serious problems.

In any case, its always a good idea to identify make and model of the component you are asking about. Maybe that drive makes high pitched whines normally.

YOICKS!!! I didn't think my hard drive is on the outs. It's a WD 1600JB and it hasn't given me any trouble. Now that I'm trying to quiet my computer(as I'm installing quieter fans) I've noticed my hard drive makes a noise. I just thought that the other noises just masked this one...I didn't think my hard drive is going to die. I thought I could just get a decent enclosure and that would do the trick. Now I have to look for a new hard drive and get a new OS. ARRRRGGGG!!!!!

When it comes to hard drives, a high-pitched whine is normal, probably a result of the high rotational speed of the platters. Some have more, some have less, but they all have it. You can check the SMART data to see the health status of your drive, it is probably fine.



Yes, you are probably right. There are several guides on how to make your own enclosure in the Storage Forum (briefly: get an aluminium box and some gel packs. Put hard drive in box w/ gel packs).

i'll add that older drives have worn bearings and are much louder (on average) than newer drives

i have a 7 year old 8GB samsung that still works..... it's got a very loud high pitch whine... but it works perfectly


then i have drives i bought last year which emit no such noise... since they have improved the bearings over the years (and it's new)