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    T420 hard drive noise?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by kingneptune117, Jun 1, 2011.

  1. kingneptune117

    kingneptune117 Notebook Guru

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    Hey guys quick question

    Do any of you notice the noise coming from your hard drive? I just noticed it now since I am in a 100% quiet room and am about a foot away from the laptop. I cant notice it when I am playing music but in a completely quiet room I can notice it. And maybe it is the fan noise but I am pretty sure it is the hard drive. It is still pretty quiet but noticeable. Normal?
     
    kingneptune117, Jun 1, 2011
    #1
  2. redevils89

    redevils89 Notebook Consultant

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    Traditional hdd's do make noise when spinning. It causes vibration too.
    It's noticeable when you try to notice it, but hardly so when you're doing other things.

    I would've never noticed the significance if I had not switched to SSD. Using SSD only got rid of the noise and vibration that I never even noticed. Now, every time I use a traditional HDD-equipped laptop, I notice the vibration and noise.

    I'd say normal.
     
    redevils89, Jun 2, 2011
    #2
  3. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    What drive do you have? Some Seagate firmware updates can greatly reduce vibrations/excessive noises.
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Jun 2, 2011
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  4. lineS of flight

    lineS of flight Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yeah...some Seagate drives (with their firmware updates) do run a lot more silent than their Hitachi counterparts. I found this when using my R400 and the X201 side by side.

    But to hear the noise of the HDD about a foot away from the machine as the OP reports is a bit too much, I'd say.
     
    lineS of flight, Jun 2, 2011
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  5. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    My 7200RPM Hitachi in my T500 was quite loud, definitely audible from a foot away in a quiet room, with a constant "whooshing" noise. It was definitely louder than the entirely silent fan. The difference when I replaced it with an SSD was obvious.

    So yes, it's normal. Some HDDs are louder than others (from a quietness point of view, I've had the most luck with Seagate), and 7200RPM drives are generally louder than 5400RPM ones.
     
    MidnightSun, Jun 2, 2011
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  6. lineS of flight

    lineS of flight Notebook Virtuoso

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    Strange, but the 7200 rpm Seagate drive on my X201 is dead silent while the 5400 rpm Hitachi in the R400 is not. I should probably replace the HDD in the R400 with a 7200 rpm drive too - preferably Seagate.
     
    lineS of flight, Jun 2, 2011
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  7. kingneptune117

    kingneptune117 Notebook Guru

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    i have the st9500420as.

    can someone find me a firmware update for it?
     
    kingneptune117, Jun 4, 2011
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  8. kingneptune117

    kingneptune117 Notebook Guru

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    bump help please
     
    kingneptune117, Jun 7, 2011
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  9. BlackLion

    BlackLion Notebook Consultant

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    BlackLion, Jun 7, 2011
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