Western Digital upsets the SPCR worldview!

HammerSandwich · Post by **HammerSandwich** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 10:23 pm

Either I've been struck deaf or...

The WD800JB for a client's PC showed up from Newegg today, and it's a COMPLETELY different drive than the 800JBs I knew and loathed so well. This drive has a black top cover, model WD800JB-00FMA0, built 2004/08/13. Most importantly, this drive is remarkably quiet. After cursory examination, I'd say it's competitive with my JVC-motored SP1614Cs. Acoustic management settings are as-delivered for the WD and performance on the Samsung.

Unfortunately, my ambient noise is a bit higher than usual tonight, so I cannot deliver a true verdict. However, I will not dismiss WD's current drives as too noisy. This drive offers a great combination of price, speed, and noise.

Has anyone else listened to a newer WD?

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 10:51 pm

How're the vibrations?

luminous · Post by **luminous** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 1:49 am

Some of the WDs are brilliant. I had 3 of the older 800JBs. One was almost totally inaudible when my ear was placed against it. The other 2 were like the ones we have come to loath

I was staggered at the difference between the samples. One had no vibration, no whine, and next to no seek noise.

Another had idle whine, but no vibration, and next to no seek noise.
The last had idle whine, loads of vibration. So much vibration that my whole hand was shaking when I held the thing, and again not a lot of seek noise.

Sometimes I think you need a good dose of luck to get a nice quiet HDD

Spod · Post by **Spod** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:43 am

WD is transitioning all its 7200 RPM production to making FDB drives. They still aren't generally as quiet as Samsung, Seagate or Hitachi FDB drives (though there may be exceptions), but at least they won't develop WD's signature bearing whine after a while.

Edward Ng · Post by **Edward Ng** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 9:42 am

I had heard that the FDB models were PB, not BB, JB or JD (PB=FDB, BB=2MB, JB=8MB and JD=SATA). My sources may have been wrong, but I doubt it.

That, or WD decided to just phase in FDB on their JBs, BBs and JDs, instead of trying to market a fourth line just for low noise.

zoob · Post by **zoob** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 5:41 pm

I just picked up a 160 GB JB with the new black top for a computer I'm building. The whine is significantly less than the original 120 GB JB's.

HammerSandwich has it right about the noise being similar to, and slightly louder than the Samsung's with JVC motors.

Talz · Post by **Talz** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 5:48 pm

I believe the PB designated drives merely guarantee a fdb and that they are slowly moving all of their drives to use the new bearing style.

msm_zgok · Post by **msm_zgok** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 5:53 pm

I have that same WD, but probably manufactured before May 2004. It's not quiet but not irritating like my old Quantum fireball. I recently installed rubber grommets (taken from Antec case, which fit Evercase 4252) and the noise has nice drop, though I can still hear it of course. JVC Samsung definitely much quieter.

IIRC, WD had FDB as optional in their Special Edition product sheet. Too lazy to look it up. Mine isn't tho

DyJohnnY · Post by **DyJohnnY** » Sun Nov 14, 2004 1:02 pm

a bit offtopic
@mzm__zgok

i just started to quiet down my computer and started with my Quantum fireball 30LM, that had a terrible sound when it accessed files, read / wrote u name it. I read the article about suspending the hard drives with bungee rope, a applied it to the Quantum and it went quiet, MUCH quieter than before, i could not have believed it, so if u get a chance to get your hands on thin elastic rope give it a try.

SometimesWarrior · Post by **SometimesWarrior** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 8:59 am

I just picked up a 160GB WD from Best Buy (the WD1600JB-SE) for one of their rediculously cheap Thanksgiving sales. Manufacture date is mid-October, 2004. It doesn't really whine at all, from what I can hear. It's got that white-noise whoosh, which is louder than my Nidec-motor Samsung drives, but still totally benign compared to the whine I've (until now) associated with Western Digital. Way to go, WD!

JimK · Post by **JimK** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 10:32 am

SometimesWarrior,

Looked at that drive for $29.99 AR but then there was $10 Sales Tax on the $120 list price so it came to $40 overall and it was "one of those WD JB drives." Sorry I passed but figured they may have been clearing out stock for the new FDB drives to come. It would have made a good drive for online storage. Oh well

Mar. · Post by **Mar.** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:03 pm

HammerSandwich wrote:Either I've been struck deaf or...

The WD800JB for a client's PC showed up from Newegg today, and it's a COMPLETELY different drive than the 800JBs I knew and loathed so well. This drive has a black top cover, model WD800JB-00FMA0, built 2004/08/13. Most importantly, this drive is remarkably quiet. After cursory examination, I'd say it's competitive with my JVC-motored SP1614Cs. Acoustic management settings are as-delivered for the WD and performance on the Samsung.

Unfortunately, my ambient noise is a bit higher than usual tonight, so I cannot deliver a true verdict. However, I will not dismiss WD's current drives as too noisy. This drive offers a great combination of price, speed, and noise.

Has anyone else listened to a newer WD?

I have this same exact drive and it is exceptionally quiet in a reasonably quiet system like mine. Good suspension takes care of virually all vibration the drive creates and temperatures do not go over 45c under normal use, and never see 50c even under extreme sustained use. A cooler case and heatsinks would probably bring this down even more.

Green Shoes · Post by **Green Shoes** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:13 pm

It seems like WD is starting to catch on...I've seen several threads floating around here the last couple of weeks saying how the new WD drives are alot quieter than the old ones (there are at least three threads just for the WD3200JB, I think, but I'm too lazy to search right now). I hope this is a trend that will continue far into the future. Even if they aren't thequietest drives, the more competition the better. Those of us who are trying to eke out that last 1-2 dB of reduction can always go Nidec Motors

, but if the slightly less insane among us have easier-to-obtain options that's great. Here's hoping it's not just a fluke.

as530 · Post by **as530** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:42 pm

Ed - the -PB suffix was to temporarily denote the FDB drives while they were being introduced; according to a news item I posted elsewhere on SPCR a few days ago (albeit from July 2004), WD had always planned to go back to JB and JD etc. once all their drives had FDB, which I believe by now they are supposed to.

Also, I just found this....

(WD3200JD, apparently in stock, at a UK site)

Edward Ng · Post by **Edward Ng** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:59 pm

as530 wrote:Ed - the -PB suffix was to temporarily denote the FDB drives while they were being introduced; according to a news item I posted elsewhere on SPCR a few days ago (albeit from July 2004), WD had always planned to go back to JB and JD etc. once all their drives had FDB, which I believe by now they are supposed to.

Also, I just found this....

(WD3200JD, apparently in stock, at a UK site)

Pretty much my contingency explaination...

as530 · Post by **as530** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 2:53 am

Also, I just found this....

(WD3200JD, apparently in stock, at a UK site)

it was too good to be true. Having noticed that every single SATA disk was the same price, I telephoned them; they don't have it in stock, the prices were wrong, and they have no estimated date of stock arrival.

jldet5 · Post by **jldet5** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 2:40 pm

Taking the 250G with October 2004 build back. It has a slight whine.

Mats · Post by **Mats** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 7:35 pm

Dunno if this is old news for you guys...
Anyway, found a doc about FDB and serial numbers for WD 80 GB platter HD's.

Western Digital upsets the SPCR worldview!

Western Digital upsets the SPCR worldview!

Re: Western Digital upsets the SPCR worldview!

WD3200JD on sale in UK

Re: WD3200JD on sale in UK