New DB35 Drive Is Loud - Owners Please Respond

[mandms7]

I just finished replacing my Seagate 7200.10 Barracuda with a Seagate 500GB DB35 drive on my Series 2 TiVo. The main reason I wanted to replace the Barracuda drive was because of it's loud read/write seeks. So I couldn't believe my ears when I powered on my TiVo with the new DB35 drive and the read/write seeks were as loud if not slightly louder than the Barracuda! I can easily hear the read/writes from across the room, and I am now pretty upset with it. Seagate describes these drives as having "near-silent operation", and mine is not even remotely close to that. I know a lot of people have these drives and seem to be pretty happy with them, so I'm really confused by how loud mine is.

For those people who have DB35 drives, how loud are your read/write seeks? Can you hear yours from across the room? How close do you have to be to yours before you start to hear the read/write seeks?

[dwit]

Would definitely exchange to see if another is similar.

[mandms7]

I'd really appreciate some assistance from some DB35 owners. I need to know if the level of loudness is a normal characteristic of this drive, or if somehow mine doesn't have the acoustic management configured properly or is defective.

[Bruzer]

I replaced the 120GB Maxtor HD in my Toshiba RS-TX20 with a 750GB Seagate DB35. The unit is located in our bedroom, pretty much at the foot of our bed. I wouldn't say it's absolutely quiet, but it's quiet enough that I really don't notice it with the TV off.

You may try contacting Seagate customer service and see what they have to say. If they're not helpful, I would try to exchange it for another one.

Good luck!

[jerobi]

Yeah, my DB35 drives are signifigantly quieter than the regular drives that they replaced. Not totally quiet, but nothing I notice on a regular basis. The old drives used to really churn away.

It sounds like you got a bad one.

[ilh]

The 160GB DB35 that was in the Verizon HD DVR I had for a month had very noticeable seek noise. It was definitely louder than the WD1600AAVBS that came stock in my TiVo HD and the WD10EACS that replaced it.

I haven't had good luck with Seagate and seek noise over the years.

[ronsch]

I have DB35s in two of my three TiVos sitting one on top of the other and don't notice any excessive noise. Then again, I have only really ever noticed a lot of noise during indexing or garbage collection from any brand of drive and I've used Maxtor, WD, and regular Seagates along with the DB35s.

[mandms7]

Well it sounds like I should have stuck with a Hitachi or WD that has acoustic management capabilities. I was under the impression that the DB35 were near silent, but based on most responses, it doesn't sound like this is the case.

[tivoupgrade]

Well it sounds like I should have stuck with a Hitachi or WD that has acoustic management capabilities. I was under the impression that the DB35 were near silent, but based on most responses, it doesn't sound like this is the case.

It really doesn't sound like your DB35 is performing as it should. We use both DB35 drives and Hitachi Deskstar and CinemaStar drives. When the Deskstars are properly tuned, they are very difficult to hear once installed in the TiVo, and the same is true for the DB35. If you can hear it from more than a few inches away from your TiVo then something is not right.

Lou

[IronHide]

I recently installed a 250GB Seagate DB35 in my Series 2 Tivo and have found it to be pretty quiet overall. Seek noise is slightly higher than the OEM drive it replaced (QuickView) but not objectionable by any means.

With the door of my entertainment center closed, I cannot hear the drive at all. With the door open and no other noise in the room, it is only slightly noticable.

[donnoh]

I just finished upgrading my series 2 dt with a new 500 gig seagate db35 drive and couldn't believe how loud it was. I've driven by rock quarries that make less noise than this pos.
I have a WD 500 gig on my series 3 and you can't hear it unless you stick your ear up to the thing.
Live and learn.

[ChevyS10]

Put a 320gb DB35 in my bedroom 540 series 2 and read/write is definately louder than the stock drive in the Humax T800 that used to be there. Not necessarily bothersome, but louder. I too thought the DB35 would be a "silent" drive.

It also has a slight hum because of the increased speed 7200 vs. 5400 rpm. Need to play with the mounts to get rid of it.

Anyone ever call Seagate on the issue?

[mandms7]

Thinking that maybe my DB35 was defective, I RMA'd it to Seagate and got a replacement drive. Unfortunately, it is just as loud. Seek noises are sharp and loud, noticeably louder than the Seagate Barracuda drive currently in the TiVo. I have two Hitachi drives I use in my NAS, and with Acoustic Management enabled, they are considerably quieter.

ChevyS10 - I did call Seagate regarding this, and they were utterly useless. They kept having me go through normal drive troubleshooting. They simply didn't understand what the issue was.

[ChevyS10]

Thanks for the info mandms7. Will probably go with a different brand next upgrade...