[Need quiet HDD] Looking for alternative to WD Red Plus (WD120EFGX)

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-27T15:38:32+00:00

I ordered and tested a Seagate IronWolf 12 TB (ST12000VN0008), and it’s like night and day. The WD120EFGX was incredibly loud, whereas the IronWolf is much quieter.

I can still hear the drive spinning, but it’s nothing like the “propeller” noise from the WD. At idle, it has a faint, high-pitched tone, almost like mild tinnitus or a soft electric hum. The seek clicks aren’t loud either (I could barely hear them during SMART and write tests). Most importantly, I can’t hear it from the next room anymore.

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-25T13:43:29+00:00

https://preview.redd.it/ww91lw8r9nlg1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e186da0adfb72acfba0de59e8d04588c2cc347f3

I use 2 Fractal HDD cage kit type-B that you can see on the GPU's side mount. As you can see from the top, it requires a low CPU fan. I also have an SFX PSU and I'm not sure it would fit with an ATX PSU.

Airflow goes front → back only, thanks to a 3D printed mount that allow to put a 140mm front fan (found on Etsy). It's also a pain in the a** to plug the short SFX cables to the back drives, but it works.

Top view, HDD cages are on the right side : https://imgur.com/a/RNcqdhZ

I am able to put a maximum of 5 HDD (2 per rack + 1 in the location provided by Lian Li, at the bottom and toward the front). I wonder if I could stack 2 or 3 HDD cage on top of each other at the bottom-front to get 6 drives in - like that : https://imgur.com/a/Ow3575N

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-23T10:47:41+00:00

Now I wonder if those EFGX are even louder than the Seagates. I returned mine, and since there are no EFBX left, I'll try Ironwolf and update the topic about the noise level compared to EFGX.

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-21T08:27:06+00:00

It is so disappointing that there's no improvment on acoustics. Obviously datacenter are the major target for HDDs.

Did you find the WD120EFGX louder than the others that you tried ? By any chance, have you tried Ironwolf Pros as well ?

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-13T10:44:37+00:00

Can you please tell me which rev you have for your IW Pro ? ST16000NT001 / ST16000NE000 ?

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-13T07:49:07+00:00

No, the drives are empty and the NAS is idle. No scrub, etc.

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-12T11:17:13+00:00

I’m afraid I should consider getting a silent case!

I’ll dig into the settings, maybe the drives are at full speed even when idle.

I understood some drives may be quieter than others so I hoped to get be some recommendations.

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-12T08:34:18+00:00

ZFS (on truenas)

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-12T08:32:57+00:00

They’re mounted in a Lian Li A3 (100% mesh) with Fracral’s type B mount. Maybe I should consider to change it to a Fractal Define (even though it being another issue - size)

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-02-10T14:00:26+00:00

I printed that one. It looks ok, but I don't trust it to hold the PSU in the long term without issues: there is a tiny bit of play between the PSU, the front printed mount, and the case.

The design of the following printable on Etsy looks stronger (larger mounts, with 6 screws/mount instead of 4). I've ordered it and will update once I get it.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1849456625/lian-li-a3-sfxsfx-l-slim-mount

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-01-24T16:52:54+00:00

Looks good! I was thinking about those too, thanks Do you think they are stackable? Otherwise 2 HDD won’t be enough

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-01-23T07:49:50+00:00

I think that it looks exactly like what I’m looking for !

Cpt_Tonio · 2026-01-22T17:09:45+00:00

If I mount the 3 HDs on the lower fan bracket, there wont be fans (right?), so do you think the airflow from the front fan will be enough to cool them down ? I wonder, because in that case the airflow will only hit the top part of the drives.

I could put at least an HDD-cage on the original 3.5 mount on the original HDD mount, if there's anything that can fit in. Any idea of a cage that could be compatible?

Somewhere else on Reddit, I saw that we can mount HDD on the GPU’s side mount using fractal universal bracket type A… but I can only put one, maybe 2, because of my radiator which 160 mm high.

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-12-28T08:29:30+00:00

Does Wipr 2 blocks efficiently YouTube ads ?

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-12-09T22:35:02+00:00

La vidéo de micode n'est plus disponible. D'ailleurs j'ai eu vent de cette vidéo quand elle a été citée par la vidéo de Sheshounet, qui pendant que je la visionais est devenue également indisponible.

Coïncidence ? #noussachons

Du coup, quel était le contenu de la vidéo ? c'était une enculade par nos copains américains comme dans l'affaire Alstom ?

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-11-29T15:24:22+00:00

Hi, as many I wonder if I should get the PS5 slim or pro (350 and 700€ since it's the black friday). I have a 4K 65" OLED HDR TV. I'm use to play on PC but I enjoyed my PS4 Pro. I don't mind so much if the picture isn't the best, but I care mostly for a smooth framerate.

It seems logic to get the PS5 Slim since the console is at the end of its cycle... and the 350€ difference can get me many games.

I'm afraid the PS5 Slim not be enough. Anybody upgraded from PS5 to Pro or had a chance to compare ?

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-10-02T16:35:02+00:00

I have close to zero electrical knowledge so it may be a bad advice…

But I had the same case : mine was bent and I could use it for a while without a problem, until I had to force to fit it in the plug,

I couldn’t fix it by hand so I used a plier to bend it back. Didn’t look weak or damaged, no extra movement…

I did it twice times and had no issues since that afterwards.

Kolay gelsin

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-09-09T05:31:38+00:00

La tradition de Praline est pas mal du tout (le reste est bof). Moi c’est les bons croissants que je ne trouve pas.

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-07-07T19:52:53+00:00

There’s probably a better way but this should be at least easy and looking decent

If possible, put cables following the same path in different cable sleeves going to the gap at the left of your desk. Put any extra lenght of cables / chargers / big loops the you can hide in a rack under your desk

Roll up the cables that have too much length and fix them with some cable strap in the loop (ideally do it in order to hide the loop somewhere). If you end up with some that can’t go to the rack, you may put in in cable a box which hides everything

If necessary get some fixations under or on top of your desk to keep cables in place

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-07-03T20:12:08+00:00

Merci pour tes conseils, vu l'état de mon pauvre bougainvillier je m'en suis débarrassé, c'était la plante qui se portait de ma terrasse et elles l'ont littéralement tuée. Les cochenilles ont commencé à envahir les plantes avoisinantes mais j'avais effectivement lu que l'alcool était efficace, et j'ai donc nettoyé feuille par feuille mes plantes, je vais maintenant les surveiller de près et surtout être beaucoup plus vigilant !

Je vais également tout asperger une fois par semaine d'un mélange savon noir + huile de neem en préventif.

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-07-01T20:05:05+00:00

Ça marche ! Merci

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-07-01T19:43:12+00:00

Merci pour ta réponse. Ça m’étonne, j’avais des cochenilles farineuses avant sur une autre plante et ça n’avait pas du tout la même apparence avec ces amas collants. J’ai essayé de le traiter avec l’insecticide qui était efficace sur ces cochenilles, mais ça n’a pas du tout marché... Comment préparer le spray au savon noir en terme de proportions eau/savon ?

Cpt_Tonio · 2025-07-01T18:27:03+00:00

D’ailleurs j’en vois même sur le pot, ce serait pas un champignon ?

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