I recently got some Toshibas and they were loud. They also presented with a seek error pre-fail after a few days (all three of them). That propably adds to the volume, but the seagate and wds I switched to just have some clicking noises. Not too bad.
Scrolling through I don’t see this tip I was made aware of when going up north: shower in the evening. I’m not sure it makes any significant difference, but the logic seems sound; while sleeing you build up a protective layer of fat on the surface of your skin, face especially. It helps against the cold, so don’t rinse it off in the morning.