I recently bought a refurbished Seagate ST2000NM0055, and it frequently produces a noticeable humming sound while powered on. At first I assumed it was resonating with my computer case, but the noise continues even when the drive is outside the case. It becomes much quieter when the drive is resting flat on padding. SMART reports no errors. My other drive, an ST2000DM006, does not make the same sound, so I'm unsure whether this is typical for an enterprise-class hard drive or whether I should request a replacement.
2 Answers
A steady hum can simply be the vibration from the platters spinning, and a clean SMART report is reassuring, but it doesn’t prove the drive is perfect. If the sound becomes louder, changes into clicking or grinding, or the drive starts showing read errors, back up the data and replace it. Also, avoid placing electronics on ordinary bubble wrap because it can create static; use proper anti-static material or a nonconductive padded surface instead.
Hard drives can definitely make audible sounds, especially enterprise models, but without hearing the recording it’s difficult to say whether this particular hum is normal. Since the noise disappears when the drive is resting on padding, it sounds more like vibration being transferred into the case than an immediate mechanical failure. You could try rubber drive-bay isolators or a small amount of suitable damping where the drive contacts the cage.
That makes sense. This is my first enterprise drive, so I wasn’t sure what was considered normal. My case has no built-in damping, so I’ll try adding some isolation and keep monitoring it.