How loud is a WD hard drive?
Between 19 and 34 dBA idle on the data sheets, and between 21 and 39 dBA in seek. Small 5400 RPM drives sit at the bottom; air filled 10TB and 12TB 7200 RPM drives sit at the top.
Each family's sheet gives the two modes in an acoustics block, though the labels vary. The Gold sheet says "Idle Mode" and "Seek Mode" under "Acoustics (average)". The others say "Idle" and "Seek (average)", and the Red Pro and Purple Pro sheets repeat dBA after each. How far away the microphone sat, and under which test, goes unsaid on all of them.
Recording type and helium or air fill change by capacity too, and most sheets print them. Read the column for the part number on the box before trusting any family wide claim.
Which WD Blue drive is quietest?
The WD10SPZX, a 1TB 2.5 inch WD Blue mobile drive, at 19 dBA idle and 21 seek, sound power. Among 3.5 inch WD Blue drives the WD10EARZ and WD20EARZ idle lowest, and the WD30EZAX and WD40EZAX seek lowest.
| WD Blue model | Size, form | Idle, dBA sound power | Seek, dBA sound power |
|---|
| WD10SPZX | 1TB, 2.5 inch | 19 | 21 |
| WD5000LPZX | 500GB, 2.5 inch | 19 | 21 |
| WD20SPZX | 2TB, 2.5 inch | 23 | 24 |
| WD10EARZ | 1TB, 3.5 inch | 21 | 26 |
| WD20EARZ | 2TB, 3.5 inch | 21 | 26 |
| WD30EZAX | 3.5 inch | 23 | 25 |
| WD40EZAX | 3.5 inch | 23 | 25 |
| WD60EZAX | 3.5 inch | 23 | 27 |
| WD30EZZX | 3.5 inch | 24 | 27 |
| WD40EZZX | 3.5 inch | 24 | 27 |
| WD80EAAZ | 3.5 inch | 24 | 28 |
| WD20EZBX | 3.5 inch | 25 | 27 |
| WD10EZEX | 3.5 inch | 29 | 30 |
| WD100EAGZ | 3.5 inch | 34 | 39 |
| WD120EAGZ | 3.5 inch | 34 | 39 |
The loud outliers, WD20EZBX, WD10EZEX, WD100EAGZ and WD120EAGZ, all spin at 7200 RPM, and the WD20EZBX is also the one SMR drive on the desktop sheet. On Amazon the WD40EZAX was out of stock on November 7, which is why the 4TB is not a pick.
Which WD NAS drive is quietest?
At idle, a helium Red Pro or Red Plus at 20 dBA: most helium Red Pro models from 12TB to 24TB, and the 12TB Red Plus WD120EFBX. For seek, the 2TB Red Plus WD20EFPX is lowest at 26 dBA. Neither sheet states a basis.
| Red Plus model | Idle, dBA | Seek, dBA |
|---|
| WD120EFBX | 20 | 29 |
| WD20EFPX | 21 | 26 |
| WD40EFPX | 23 | 27 |
| WD60EFPX | 23 | 27 |
| WD40EFZZ | 24 | 27 |
| WD80EFPX | 24 | 28 |
| WD60EFZX | 25 | 30 |
| WD80EFZZ | 25 | 30 |
| WD101EFBX | 34 | 38 |
| WD100EFGX | 34 | 39 |
| WD120EFGX | 34 | 39 |
The Red Pro sheet groups more neatly by size and fill.
| Red Pro models | Idle, dBA | Seek, dBA |
|---|
| WD2002FFSX (2TB) | 29 | 31 |
| 4TB to 8TB | 29 | 36 |
| 12TB to 18TB helium, starting at WD121KFBX | 20 | 36 |
| WD201KFGX, WD202KFGX, WD221KFGX, WD240KFGX | 20 | 32 |
| WD241KFGX, WD260KFGX | 25 | 32 |
| WD102KFBX | 34 | 38 |
| WD103KFBX, WD122KFBX | 34 | 39 |
Every helium Red Pro from WD121KFBX to WD240KFGX idles at 20. Neither the 2TB nor the 4TB Red Plus passed our Amazon check, so the Red Pro WD202KFGX is the NAS pick. For enclosures to put these in, see the quietest NAS boxes.
The quietest WD surveillance drive is a 1TB Purple
The WD10PURZ seeks at 22 dBA and idles at 21, lower than any other WD surveillance drive in seek. Among models in stock on Amazon, the 2TB WD22PURZ rates 21 idle and 26 seek.
| WD Purple models | Idle, dBA | Seek, dBA |
|---|
| WD10PURZ | 21 | 22 |
| WD11PURZ, WD22PURZ, WD23PURZ | 21 | 26 |
| WD33PURZ, WD42PURZ, WD43PURZ, WD63PURZ, WD64PURZ (3TB to 6TB) | 23 | 27 |
| WD34PURZ, WD44PURZ (3TB to 6TB) | 24 | 27 |
| WD85PURZ | 24 | 28 |
| WD84PURZ | 25 | 30 |
| WD Purple Pro models | Idle, dBA | Seek, dBA |
|---|
| WD142PURP, WD181PURP | 20 | 36 |
| WD221PURP | 20 | 32 |
| WD241PURP, WD260PURP | 25 | 32 |
| WD8002PURP | 29 | 36 |
| WD102PURP, WD122PURP | 34 | 39 |
Purple Pro drives spin at 7200 RPM and carry a 550TB yearly rating, against 180TB for WD Purple. The extra duty shows up as seek noise. No Purple Pro seeks below 32.
Gold and WD_BLACK are 7200 RPM throughout
WD Gold drives rate 20 to 34 dBA idle and 32 to 39 seek. WD_BLACK drives rate 28 to 34 idle and 30 to 39 seek.
| WD Gold models | Idle, dBA | Seek, dBA |
|---|
| WD142KRYZ, WD161KRYZ, WD181KRYZ (14TB to 18TB) | 20 | 36 |
| WD203KRYZ, WD221KRYZ | 20 | 32 |
| WD242KRYZ, WD261KRYZ | 25 | 32 |
| The six 4TB to 8TB models | 29 | 36 |
| WD103KRYZ, WD122KRYZ | 34 | 39 |
| WD_BLACK models | Idle, dBA | Seek, dBA |
|---|
| WD6004FZWX, WD8002FZWX | 28 | 34 |
| WD1003FZEX, WD5003AZEX | 29 | 30 |
| WD2003FZEX | 29 | 34 |
| 4TB to 8TB FZBX models | 29 | 36 |
| WD101FZBX | 34 | 38 |
| WD102FZBX | 34 | 39 |
All the 500GB to 8TB FZEX, AZEX and FZBX models idle at 29. On the Gold sheet, the 20TB and 22TB models are the only ones with 20 idle and 32 seek together. The WD_BLACK 1TB WD1003FZEX seeks lowest at 30, but WD's product page no longer offers a 1TB size.
Why do big helium WD drives idle quieter?
No reason is given. The sheets simply show it: wherever both kinds appear, helium drives idle at 20 or 25 dBA while air filled 10TB and 12TB drives idle at 34. Red Pro WD121KFBX, helium, rates 20; WD122KFBX, air, rates 34.
The Red Plus sheet has the same 12TB split. WD120EFBX, helium, rates 20 idle and 29 seek, while WD120EFGX, air, rates 34 and 39. Same capacity, same family, 14 dBA apart at idle.
Seek behaves differently. Helium Red Pro, Purple Pro and Gold drives from 14TB to 18TB still seek at 36, so a large helium drive is quiet when resting and ordinary when busy.
Ultrastar drives are rated in bels
The Ultrastar DC HC560 and HC580 carry 2.0 bels idle and 3.2 bels operating, typical, and the 24TB and 26TB HC590 carry 2.5 idle and 3.2 operating. These are bels of sound power, ranked only against each other. On that scale the HC560 and HC580 idle quieter than the newer HC590.
Watch the order on the HC590 sheet, which prints its pair as "Operating/Idle", the reverse of the HC560 and HC580.
Ultrastar pages on WD's site show "Sales Inquiry" and no price. Why bels and dBA do not convert is covered in the sound power versus sound pressure explainer.
Plain WD Red and the 1TB WD_BLACK have left the store
Every current WD Blue, Red Plus, Red Pro, Purple, Purple Pro, Gold and WD_BLACK capacity we found has a figure on its sheet, so there are no gaps to list for internal drives.
Some older drives are gone from WD's US store, though. The product URL for plain WD Red, the SMR NAS line, returned "Page Not Found" on November 7. The WD_BLACK page offers no 1TB choice even though the July 2024 sheet still lists WD1003FZEX, and the WD Purple page marked its 1TB size "Not Available". Plain WD Red and the 1TB WD_BLACK are treated here as no longer sold by WD, even where resellers still list them. The 1TB Purple may only be a stock gap, since WD did not say.
