New Ultrastar 10TB HDD annoying PWL Noise - what now...!? - Buy WD Purple PRO instead...? (Noise example included)

WD Internal Drives Internal Drives
1

Hello

I bought a new HDD - Ultrastar HC510 10TB (Helium one). Its quite noisy (seek, read, write etc )… And as it seems, in addition to this, I think it has that annoying “feature” noise (“sound”) of “click” every 5 seconds (!!) - PWL (protective wear leveling). At least thats what I think it is, see for yourself, is this PWL…? (i included mouse clicking and keyboad pressing for comparison)

(Taken from 70 cm (2 feet) from both PC case (on table on right) and (70cm= 2ft) from keyboard and mouse front/to the left)
(turn your volume level up)

01seconds- HDD “tick” sound/noise (PWL)
02-06s - Key presses on keyboard (some cheap noname keyboard) (for sound volume level comparison)
06s -HDD “tick” noise (PWL)
07-11s- Mouse clicks (for sound volume level comparison)
11s -HDD “tick” noise (PWL)
11-19s - Mouse clicking
16s -HDD “tick” noise (PWL)
19-26s - Nothing (background noise- PC fans and general humming from pc)
21s - HDD “tick” noise (PWL)
26s - HDD “tick” noise (PWL)
27-28s - Mouse clicks
30s - HDD “tick” noise (PWL)

I dont really like that. I read that all HDDs nowdays (8TB+) (and even lower capacity ones?) have PWL… My question is… Is the PWL in other drives AS annoying, AS loud and AS frequent in comparison what you hear with mine HC 510 Ultrastar 10TB…? (Cause i refuse to believe ALL other drives are like that)… Couple of questions:

  1. Is the sound you hear on my recording (every 5 seconds) really PWL…? Is it as loud or louder than in other drives you have heard?

  2. Will it get better over time…? I have read (2 separate accounts from 2 different people) that their PWL got better over time - it was more quiet over time (objectively, NOT that they got used to it). One said that it might get better when the drive is fuller (50-70% full)… Is either possible…? (i dont really think so…? but they said it is…?)

  3. Is there any other WD (preferably WD i trust them more than Seagate or even Toshiba) 8-10TB HDD with decent price and performance that isnt as loud as this…? Or at least doesnt have the PWL…?

  4. I read that supposedly WD Purple PRO 8 TB is one of the quietest (!) (if not the most quiet) 6TB+ drives out there and in addition it should NOT have the PWL sound clicking either (!)… Is that true…? Anybody has experience with WD Purple (!) PRO (!) 8 TB (or other capacity)…?

Thank you

2

Hi @Hori,

Have you opened a Support Case? If not opened, for more information, please contact the WD Technical Support team for the best assistance and troubleshooting:
https://support-en.wd.com/app/ask

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My WD RED PRO 14tb does this exact same thing, ticks every 5 seconds despite zero disk activity, it’s the loudest thing in the room, what an absolutely ridiculous idea, it’s like listening to a faucet constantly dripping. I’ve always had WD drives and now I’ll never buy another.