[randomtask]

Picked up a Western Digital My Book Premium ES (500 gig) today for doing backups as well as some extra storage.



My verdict? This thing is freaking loud as hell. I have it sitting on an old mouse-mat to absorb some of the vibrations (helps a fair bit). The humming is is really driving me insane though... luckily after sometime of not being used it goes into a 'sleep' state and stops. I am hoping the sound I am experiencing is considered "Normal", maybe I have just been spoilt by my almost silent iMac.

It came with Retrospect Express for backing up on the Mac, disappointed to say the least. It looks and feels very dated (It's a PowerPC application) and seems needlessly complicated for what should be a simple operation.

All I can say is bring on OS X 10.5 with Time Machine.

[mistawiskas]

I have a couple of the Maxtor equivelents, they're clicky, but not too loud. The sound like a maxtor sounds. No vibrations or anything like that.

[Juballharshaw]

If you can tolerate them, Staples has them for $50 for 400 gbs.

[randomtask]

hummmmmmm..... hummmmmmm..... hummmmmmm....

F@!k me this is annoying, I am maybe regretting this purchase. I should have read some reviews instead of impulse buying. I really cannot handle to have this on full time.

[Lord Kain]

you can place it in a different spot? like on a shelf? Buy a USB extension and place it farther?

[hans5849]

I have one and a Thermaltake internal to external hdd. Its a little louder and gets a lot hotter but 7200 rpm and 16mb cache is so much faster.

[ninefivezero]

Originally Posted by Juballharshaw

If you can tolerate them, Staples has them for $50 for 400 gbs.

I bought the 250GB for my girl, DOA. WD took about a week to only respond to 1 out of 3 emails to them. Not only that they say my drive is 'out of region' (bought from Newegg) and they won't support it.

I am NOT impressed and probably won't be buying any of their drives again.

[Mr. Ali]

Originally Posted by Juballharshaw

If you can tolerate them, Staples has them for $50 for 400 gbs.

damn that is really cheap. that comes out to 12.5cents per gig.

[namelessentity]

What about an external enclosure and a SATA drive? I bet it'd be a lot quieter for you.

[ivanolo]

Amazon.com: LaCie 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive, Design by F.A. Porsche*(301103U): Electronics

[hans5849]

Newegg.com - Thermaltake A2395 Aluminum 3.5" ESATA + USB2.0 External Enclosure - Retail

[86mcss]

i have a 320gig WS digi and I have never heard it make a peep. Other than the electric fan kicking one once in a while.

[Mr. Ali]

damn, i am so tempted to get that 400GB external for $50 AR. i think i might just do it. the external case alone is worth $20 and it has a 400GB SATA drive inside. man, i should really get it.

EDIT: i have been reading reviews and this thing has no fan so it should be pretty quiet. but that also means it gets warm but oh well.

[MSP]

I have an "old" Western Digital 320GB IDE drive in a Vantec NAS and it's pretty damned quiet. Still sounds loud next to my Macbook, but I don't notice it.

[Mr. Ali]

I just bought the $50 400gb external hard drive and it is really quiet, i cant hear it over my computer. the rebate was easy, i already submitted it online and i dont have to copy or mail anything off.

[super_Chris]

I might just do this tomorrow. I have no use for it, but whatever, it's cheap!

[Mr. Ali]

just one warning about the drive i bought, it gets SUPER HOT. like, if i keep my hand on the metal case, it starts to burn from the heat. this is due to the case not having a fan which helps with the noise but who knows how long this drive will last at these temperates, probably why they only give it a 1year warranty...

[mistawiskas]

I gave up on WD with the last purchase. two DOA's in a row. newegg was great about firing off a replacement, but told me, with the second RMA, that they've discontinued carrying the model. So i got, a seagate.

[randomtask]

Well I moved it to a different location, made it a bit more bearable. Still loud. However I am just going to deal with it, I'm only turning it on when I do my backups.

I guess it just goes to show that you get what you pay for.

[86mcss]

i was going to get one but the closest staples is in Lancaster and im in Bakersfield. about an 1 hour and 30 min drive and i dont feel like ordering it online.

[MSP]

Originally Posted by 86mcss

i was going to get one but the closest staples is in Lancaster and im in Bakersfield. about an 1 hour and 30 min drive and i dont feel like ordering it online.

I think the deal is "In Store" only anyway.

[Electric_Head]

Is it the drive or the fan making the noise? WD has gone down in quality over the last couple years while Seagate has been shining in the quality AND customer service department.