As others have stated, and as indicated in the comments for Step 6: If the replacement drive is a Seagate server-rated drive (e.g. IronWolf, or Exos), the form-factor *is* a direct match for the original OEM drive. As a result, no trimming of the rubber vibration dampeners is necessary.

That being said, I love @Eth Tolga’s approach of using an SSD. This would lead to MUCH quieter operation!

Note that if the replacement drive is a Seagate server-rated drive (e.g. IronWolf, or Exos), the form-factor *is* a direct match for the original OEM drive. As a result, no trimming of the rubber vibration dampeners is necessary.