Hitachi 5k320 vibration - replace or refund?

I just installed a Hitachi 5k320 on a MacBook, and unfortunately the drive's vibrations are noticeable and annoying on both left and right palm rest areas. Before I return this and take the 15% restocking fee hit, I wanted thoughts on whether this would be a consistent problem with this drive model, or whether a replacement with the same model might help. My guess is it's a model issue, but the retailer offers the replacement for free, so if another unit might perform better, I could go that route.

Thanks..

 

This is not a problem with the harddrive, but a problem with the notebook.
Harddrive vibration is much higher in apple computers cause the chassis is tin, and it helps amplify sound and vibration, whereas most pc's are made of plastic, which dampen the noise and vibration.
Can you post a picture of the harddrive caddy (the thing the harddrive screws into)
If there is room, I suggest getting small rubber grommets, and use them between the harddrive and the caddy, so that the vibrations are not poicked up by the rest of the system.
The rubber will absorb these vibrations and greatly reduce the vibratons you are feeling.

K-TRON

 

K-TRON, thanks for your reply. I'll try to get a pic of the caddy up, but don't a camera currently available. Your reasoning makes sense, although I did pretty extensively research 320GB drives prior to buying this one and didn't find widespread reports of vibration in MacBooks.

Anyway, the grommets idea is a good one. I'm currently in touch with the retailer's tech support, and will see what the company decides in terms of a refund.

 

If you just purchased the harddrive, you should be able to return it within 30 days, without having to pay any restocking fees.

Their has been lots of vibration complaints which have been reported here (mainly from 7200rpm drives) and most of them are unfortunately from apple owners.
Harddrives are usually pretty uniform in noise output, but I know from comparing the 5k320 to the samsung 320 or the wd 320gb, the hitachi is the quietest of them all, so it must be the way the harddrive is mounted.

Hopefully we can help you make some kind of rubber noise dampening kit for your system.

If you dont have a camera, maybe you can find an image of the caddy online, and link us to it.

K-TRON

 

Unfortunately the retailer policy (unless they make an exception here) is replacement or credit, or else restocking fee.

You make an interesting point about noise, K-TRON -- this drive is SILENT. No clicking, no whirring, nothing. Which makes the presence of this vibration even more strange.

Well, as I said, your idea about the grommets is a good one, and I appreciate your willingness to help me put this together. My roommate is a Mac Genius (i.e. works for Apple) and has seen pretty much every problem under the sun, so I'll have him take a look when he comes home and see what he says.

Caddy picture -- I'll get on this.

 

K-Tron has some very good pointers as usual.

For what it's the worth: all the reviews I've seen confirm that the 5K320 is very quiet.

 

PhilFlow, I appreciate your addition. I think I should clarify my meaning of the term "vibration." I'm really not sure what's within normal limits for these drives. This one isn't creating any kind of rumbling sensation, or a feeling of an off-balanced weight spinning around. It's fairly subtle, more like a buzzing, that causes my hand to feel very much like it used to when I had nerve damage due to repetitive stress. Would this be considered normal? I guess it might be irrelevant if I decide I can't stand it, which is pretty much the case.

I'm trying to get a hold of a 2.5" SATA to USB adapter so I can see how the drive feels outside the MacBook enclosure - might shed some light on things.

 

Here are some hard drive pics for the MacBook Pro, assuming it is a pro from the messages above (metal). I've had some experience with it and you should make sure that the retainer is tightened securely on top of the rubber grommets. It could be this retainer being a tad too loose, with a little give, resonating the entire case.

 

D3X, in fact it's a MacBook (not Pro), but the mention of metal referred to the inner portion of the case, not the plastic exterior. Although it's a bit hard for me to make out where the grommets are in the pictures, it's somewhat irrelevant given the different model, perhaps, and I'll try to find similar pictures online for the MacBook. I know there are two rubber bumpers, or something like that, but will get more details ...

Edit: Oh, thanks for taking the time to post the pics!

 

If it's the Macbook, the drive cage might not be snug fit and their might be a gap between the metal harddrive slot and the harddrive cage? Try wedging an old credit card or a business card to test and see if the vibration goes away? If it is causing the vibration, get some electrical tape (the black stuff) and tape along the length metal shroud. This will might make removing the harddrive more difficult though...