Ever since I’ve got my Synology NAS device I’ve been keeping it on my desk in my room. At first, I wasn’t bothered by the buzzing sound that it made, but after some time it got on my nerves. First I checked the device and the removable parts. Interestingly, there is no rubber to help counteract the vibration in the entire Synology design, apart from the rubber feet. The hard plastic drive sleds are sitting directly on the metal cage, creating the perfect room for it. I had to do something to prevent the vibration causing this annoying noise and eating up my HDD drives’ lifespan.

If this happened to you, keep reading. First of all, you need to know that Synology Nas itself makes no noise. The noise you hear is 90% attributable to the HDDs installed and 10% to a broken Fan. Remember my old article where I explained the difference between SSD and HDD? The noises in most cases are noises caused by the vibrations produced by the hard disks. The noises caused by the fan are present only if the fan is damaged or is not set to “quiet mode”. So, summarizing, what can we do to avoid these annoying noises?

• Try to put some velcro “Felt Tape” on the HDD inside of each sled. Vibrations in the hard drives are like a car without spring shock absorbers. PS: remember to put velcro both on the outside and the inside of the sled. (Photo).
• Use SSD instead HDD for peace of mind.
• WD Red HDDs are impressively quiet when spinning up and also when in operation vs Seagate HDD. (Personal Experience).
• Set Fan Speed to “Quiet Mode” via DSM settings. Control Panel / Hardware & Power / General / Fan Speed Mode / Quiet Mode. Does buying a quieter fan solve the noise problem? From the tests I did, the original fan that comes with your Synology Nas is the quietest.
• Insert your Synology in a quiet Rack Cabinet. In addition to reducing noise, it also protects it from dust. (Photo).
• HDD ranges from 5,400 RPM to 7,2000 RPM. The slower the spindle speed, the quieter the drive tends to be.
• The power supply noises are very rare. If your power supply whistles, make a warranty claim and ask to change it.

Note: HDD clicking – that is completely normal. Some models/brands make more noise/clicking sounds than others.
Note: Towards the end of their life, some HDDs start making different noises before they stop working for good.

This post was updated on Wednesday / November 6th, 2019 at 2:40 AM