I replaced my old HDD with a Toshiba MG in my Plex server, and I’ve noticed a low humming noise coming from the disk. I’m running Docker with *arr apps on a separate SSD (Ubuntu OS), and the Toshiba only has media on it. Is it normal for the HDD to be spinning at max RPM all the time while there is no read/write activity? Also, when I touch the rack slot where the HDD is installed, I can feel vibrations due to the spinning, and those get amplified by the rack and PC case, making the humming audible across the room.
It’s not unusual for HDDs to make some noise when they’re spinning, but constant max RPM could indicate that the drive isn’t going into a power-saving mode. Check your power settings and see if there’s an option to enable sleep mode for the HDD when inactive.
The humming and vibrations can be amplified by the case. You might want to consider using rubber mounts or vibration dampeners to minimize the noise. If the drive is healthy, a low hum is typical, but excessive noise could indicate a problem.
Make sure to monitor the HDD’s temperature and health using a tool like SMART monitoring. If it’s constantly at max RPM without any load, that could lead to overheating issues over time.