i powered up my computer with one of the red pro drives connected outside the case- the clicking/grinding is more subtle but still audible, so it seems like the NAS does contribute to/amplify these sounds- these drives still seem to produce more noise vs my previous WD hard drives…
one other interesting note- i held the red pro drive in my hand as the computer was powering on (drive was vertical vs laying flat), and as i tilted the drive from side to side, i could “feel” the weight of the drive shifting, as if it was being thrown off balance and had its own momentum- the drive felt wobbly in my hand- i wish i could think of a good analogy here… my first though was maybe there’s a faulty platter, but i don’t think this would cause such an experience? i don’t know… maybe the helium is doing this?
this wobbly movement alone doesn’t seem right to me, so this has kinda trumped the noises in terms of my concerns- what’s the best way to confirm the status of these drives beyond quick and extended SMART tests? i guess i can reach out to WD support but i feel like they’ll just suggest i run these tests, then what?
pretty sure at this point i have no choice but to RMA the drives if i want to replace them, but i don’t want to do that if there’s a chance that these “issues” are all by design, only to receive replacement drives that do the same thing… help please??
