I want your input on this (HDDs)

BlueMak · Oct 9, 2009, 06:00 PM

Between two options

1) One External HDD SEAGATE ST310005FDD2E1-RK 1TB 3.5'' FREE AGENT DESKTOP USB 2.0 HDD
x 2 after a month or so

2)One Icy Box external case (can hold 2 3.5" SATA drives), and one WESTERN DIGITAL 1TB WD1001FALS CAVIAR BLACK (bulk since I can't find non bulk here)
x 2 after a month or so

For STORAGE, which would you prefer?

The first option is in total about 20% cheaper, which is important.
Both options have 5 years warranty on the drives.
The first option has Seagate drive that I never had any issues with, but apparently some people do ("customer reviews" on sites).
The second option has drives that seem to have FAR better "customer reviews", but my personal history with WD drives is with problems and issues and failures.

I considered going for the 2TB drives, but I find way too many complains from users for them for all models, so I rather not touch them yet.

Judas · Oct 9, 2009, 06:41 PM

Out of all the WD and Seagate external drives i've gotten to toy with.... i've yet to have a seagate drive fail and they perform amazingly well.

WD i've only seen one on my desk that has failed... but those are off chance circumstances..

I prefer the seagate drives... I imo, prefer the Free Agent Pro drives as they have USB/eSATA/Firewire connectivity options which means that when atteched via esata, data transfer rates are excellent, AND if setup in a raid 1 solution, makes for insanely each external mirror/backup a snap.

I've actually got a customer quite pleased with her solution i created for her business using the ICH10R raid controller, 2 Seagate 500gb SATA 2 7200.11's and a single Seagate free agent pro 500gb setup in raid 1 across all 3 (mirroring inside the machine and one outside).

She takes her seagate freeagent pro drive home and only brings it in every so often.. or whever she wants to make a backup without any fuss.

No software utilities to work with, no real interuptions at all for anything. even with the machine on, she can just plug the sucker in, and the intel Matrix Storage utlity automatically notices that the drives intergrity is bad and doesn't match the other drives and starts updating it, and it only takes a half hour give or take without interupting or really slowing anything down that she's doing.

BlueMak · Oct 9, 2009, 07:07 PM

I have no interest in high performance, extra connections (USB 2.0 is more than fine for what they are going to be used) or RAID in any form. These drives will be used only as backup drives for my 2 current Seagate ext drives (1+1TB), and depending how they are after 6 months or so, I will buy more of them (I estimate I will need about 6TB by the end of the year x2.
But, Seagate over the last year have fudged up quite a bit. With the errors many drives were having and their first ignoring, then refusing there is any problem and then finally releasing updated firmware, they have managed to shake my confidence in them.

The reviews about the WD drive in question are all very positive. Just at newegg there are very few bad things said about them and when there are they are usually about problems with RAID (that I care less than what colour shirt my taxi driver is wearing).
I am not a fan of WD, but it looks like this model is a very good one and reliability is my main concern here.

The reviews for the Seagate model(s) are appalling. (not official site/magazine reviews since they tell me shit about reliability)

Judas · Oct 9, 2009, 08:22 PM

can understand that..

all i know is that i've been informed that some of the WD external drives are GREEN drives, so make sure that if you look at the WD external make sure they aren't green...

Green drives have a pretty bad history... even if it's relatively short..

MitchRapp · Oct 9, 2009, 08:48 PM

I smacked 2 Black Editions in a dual-jbod external last christmas... loving it. I believe the fact that they have dual-processors is a bit of a waste for external backups, but hey they were on sale right? You won't notice much of a speed difference via USB, but you might with eSATA (GREAT btw... until USB3.0)

Black editions are sexy. go WD ! (after that Seagate .11 fiasco I'll be sticking to WD for now...)

Judas · Oct 9, 2009, 08:52 PM

i agree black will be unnecessary for usb 2.0... but i just wouldn't get a one with a green drive in it...

I've YET to have a single 7200.11 drive fail me... i purchased many of them and for a short while ran 6 of them in raid 0 with zero issues.

I've had 2 7200.10's however give up the ghost one of which wasn't mine but i had received in a dell machine.....

BlueMak · Oct 9, 2009, 09:27 PM

Thank you guys for your input. I will go with the WD solution unless I change my mind till Monday when I will place the order (no point in doing it today or over the weekend, same delivery day)

Oct 9, 2009, 06:00 PM	#1
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	I want your input on this (HDDs) Between two options 1) One External HDD SEAGATE ST310005FDD2E1-RK 1TB 3.5'' FREE AGENT DESKTOP USB 2.0 HDD x 2 after a month or so 2)One Icy Box external case (can hold 2 3.5" SATA drives), and one WESTERN DIGITAL 1TB WD1001FALS CAVIAR BLACK (bulk since I can't find non bulk here) x 2 after a month or so For STORAGE, which would you prefer? The first option is in total about 20% cheaper, which is important. Both options have 5 years warranty on the drives. The first option has Seagate drive that I never had any issues with, but apparently some people do ("customer reviews" on sites). The second option has drives that seem to have FAR better "customer reviews", but my personal history with WD drives is with problems and issues and failures. I considered going for the 2TB drives, but I find way too many complains from users for them for all models, so I rather not touch them yet. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Oct 9, 2009, 07:07 PM	Thread Starter #3
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Re: I want your input on this (HDDs) I have no interest in high performance, extra connections (USB 2.0 is more than fine for what they are going to be used) or RAID in any form. These drives will be used only as backup drives for my 2 current Seagate ext drives (1+1TB), and depending how they are after 6 months or so, I will buy more of them (I estimate I will need about 6TB by the end of the year x2. But, Seagate over the last year have fudged up quite a bit. With the errors many drives were having and their first ignoring, then refusing there is any problem and then finally releasing updated firmware, they have managed to shake my confidence in them. The reviews about the WD drive in question are all very positive. Just at newegg there are very few bad things said about them and when there are they are usually about problems with RAID (that I care less than what colour shirt my taxi driver is wearing). I am not a fan of WD, but it looks like this model is a very good one and reliability is my main concern here. The reviews for the Seagate model(s) are appalling. (not official site/magazine reviews since they tell me shit about reliability) __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Oct 9, 2009, 08:48 PM	#5
MitchRapp a.k.a. pepiman Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Montreal Posts: 998 Rep Power: 51 System Specs	Re: I want your input on this (HDDs) I smacked 2 Black Editions in a dual-jbod external last christmas... loving it. I believe the fact that they have dual-processors is a bit of a waste for external backups, but hey they were on sale right? You won't notice much of a speed difference via USB, but you might with eSATA (GREAT btw... until USB3.0) Black editions are sexy. go WD ! (after that Seagate .11 fiasco I'll be sticking to WD for now...)

Oct 9, 2009, 09:27 PM	Thread Starter #7
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Re: I want your input on this (HDDs) Thank you guys for your input. I will go with the WD solution unless I change my mind till Monday when I will place the order (no point in doing it today or over the weekend, same delivery day) __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*