Well, it’s nearly 2020 and this still seems to be an issue. I just received a 4TB WD Black (WD4005FZBX) that I bought for over $200 and it is doing the same thumping noise described here.
The unit was made in Thailand on 04 Nov 2019 and it is 28 Dec 2019 as I write this.
I can also confirm that my older 1TB WD Black I bought back in 2015 did not have this issue and I am still using it in the same machine with no problems.
The sound is truly annoying and causes my entire desk to vibrate. Extended Test on Data LifeGuard passed. Tried connecting without the data cable and the clicking was still present.
Unusable for me and I’m going to return it unless there’s a fix. It’s a real shame this thread started in 2016 and four years on it’s still a problem.
